Chronicon is a pixel-art ARPG in the vein of Diablo that punches far above its solo-developer weight class. Four classes tear through randomized dungeons across five acts, chasing True Legendary items in the infinitely scaling Anomaly endgame. The enchanting system lets you reroll and customize every stat on every item, and Mastery points after max level provide endless character progression. If you've burned out on Diablo and Path of Exile but still crave the loot-explosion dopamine hit, Chronicon delivers hundreds of hours of monster-slaying satisfaction.
Picking the right build determines how your experience plays out. These builds are ranked by overall effectiveness — factoring in damage, survivability, gear requirements, and how well they scale into endgame.
Quick Rankings
| Build | Tier | Playstyle | Core Gear |
|---|---|---|---|
| Templar | S | Use Smite for massive AoE holy damage, activate shields for survival, push deep Anomaly with sustain. | True Legendary Smite items, Holy Shield, Heavenly Mace, Divine Armor |
| Berserker | A | Spin through packs with Whirlwind, lifesteal sustain, build Rage for empowered abilities. | True Legendary Whirlwind items, Rage-boosting rings, Vampiric Weapon, Heavy Armor |
| Warden | A | Summon an army, let minions kill everything, focus on positioning and survival. | True Legendary Summon items, Minion Damage rings, Nature Staff, Druid Robes |
| Warlock | S | Apply DoTs to packs, move to next pack while previous ones die, stack curse debuffs on bosses. | True Legendary Poison items, DoT-boosting rings, Curse Staff, Shadow Robes |
| All Masteries | B | Play whatever build you enjoy, backed by hundreds of Mastery Points providing universal stat bonuses. | Whatever True Legendaries you've found, high Mastery Point investment |
S-Tier: Templar
The holy warrior class with melee and ranged holy abilities. Templar builds focus on either Smite (AoE holy damage) or Shield Throw (bouncing projectile). The Smite build with True Legendary items that increase AoE range clears screens instantly. Templars have the highest survivability due to holy shield and healing abilities.
Core Setup
| Slot | Choice | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Equipment | True Legendary Sword | True Legendary swords have unique effects like 'Every 5th hit deals 1000% damage' or 'Attacks have a 15% chance to create a lightning storm. |
| Core Gear | True Legendary Smite items, Holy Shield, Heavenly Mace, Divine Armor | Maximizes build potential |
| Stat Priority | Holy Damage, Critical Chance, Area of Effect, Cooldown Reduction | Optimal scaling |
| Key Mechanic | loot system | Loot follows a rarity tier: Normal > Magic > Rare > Unique > Legendary > True Legendary. |
How to Play Templar
Use Smite for massive AoE holy damage, activate shields for survival, push deep Anomaly with sustain.
The holy warrior class with melee and ranged holy abilities. Templar builds focus on either Smite (AoE holy damage) or Shield Throw (bouncing projectile). The Smite build with True Legendary items that increase AoE range clears screens instantly. Templars have the highest survivability due to holy shield and healing abilities.
What makes this build work: The synergy between True Legendary Sword and loot system creates a gameplay loop that outperforms other options. Core gear like True Legendary Smite items, Holy Shield, Heavenly Mace, Divine Armor amplifies this further.
Pros:
- Highest overall performance
- Clear stat priority (Holy Damage, Critical Chance, Area of Effect, Cooldown Reduction) makes gearing straightforward
- Works in all content types
Cons:
- Popular pick, resources may be contested
- Needs specific gear to reach full potential
A-Tier: Berserker
The melee brawler with Rage mechanics — dealing and taking damage builds Rage, which empowers abilities. Berserker builds revolve around Whirlwind (spinning AoE) or Slam (ground pound). The Whirlwind build with True Legendary Whirlwind items is one of the fastest clearing builds in the game.
Core Setup
| Slot | Choice | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Equipment | Mythic Staff | The highest-tier staff base with superior magic damage stats. |
| Core Gear | True Legendary Whirlwind items, Rage-boosting rings, Vampiric Weapon, Heavy Armor | Maximizes build potential |
| Stat Priority | Physical Damage, Life Steal, Attack Speed, Rage Generation | Optimal scaling |
| Key Mechanic | enchanting | The Enchanter rerolls individual stats on items. |
How to Play Berserker
Spin through packs with Whirlwind, lifesteal sustain, build Rage for empowered abilities.
The melee brawler with Rage mechanics — dealing and taking damage builds Rage, which empowers abilities. Berserker builds revolve around Whirlwind (spinning AoE) or Slam (ground pound). The Whirlwind build with True Legendary Whirlwind items is one of the fastest clearing builds in the game.
What makes this build work: The synergy between Mythic Staff and enchanting creates a gameplay loop that offers reliable performance. Core gear like True Legendary Whirlwind items, Rage-boosting rings, Vampiric Weapon, Heavy Armor amplifies this further.
Pros:
- Most versatile option
- Clear stat priority (Physical Damage, Life Steal, Attack Speed, Rage Generation) makes gearing straightforward
- Works in all content types
Cons:
- Lower peak damage than S-tier
- Needs specific gear to reach full potential
A-Tier: Warden
The nature/summoner class using minions (wolves, treants, elementals) to fight alongside you. Warden builds scale minion damage and count. True Legendary items that add extra minions or boost their damage create armies that clear content while you walk. The safest build since minions tank damage.
Core Setup
| Slot | Choice | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Equipment | Rune Bow | A ranged weapon enabling bow-based builds for Templars and Warlocks. |
| Core Gear | True Legendary Summon items, Minion Damage rings, Nature Staff, Druid Robes | Maximizes build potential |
| Stat Priority | Minion Damage, Minion Count, Cooldown Reduction, Survivability | Optimal scaling |
| Key Mechanic | true legendary items | True Legendaries are the endgame chase items with unique game-changing effects. |
How to Play Warden
Summon an army, let minions kill everything, focus on positioning and survival.
The nature/summoner class using minions (wolves, treants, elementals) to fight alongside you. Warden builds scale minion damage and count. True Legendary items that add extra minions or boost their damage create armies that clear content while you walk. The safest build since minions tank damage.
What makes this build work: The synergy between Rune Bow and true legendary items creates a gameplay loop that offers reliable performance. Core gear like True Legendary Summon items, Minion Damage rings, Nature Staff, Druid Robes amplifies this further.
Pros:
- Best survivability
- Clear stat priority (Minion Damage, Minion Count, Cooldown Reduction, Survivability) makes gearing straightforward
- Works in all content types
Cons:
- Slower clear speeds
- Needs specific gear to reach full potential
S-Tier: Warlock
The dark magic class with DoT (damage over time) and curse abilities. Warlock builds stack poison, fire, or shadow DoTs that kill enemies while you move to the next pack. The Poison build with True Legendary items that spread DoTs to nearby enemies is the deepest Anomaly pushing build.
Core Setup
| Slot | Choice | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Equipment | Void Daggers | Fast-attacking dual daggers with shadow damage bonuses. |
| Core Gear | True Legendary Poison items, DoT-boosting rings, Curse Staff, Shadow Robes | Maximizes build potential |
| Stat Priority | DoT Damage, Duration, Spread chance, Cooldown Reduction | Optimal scaling |
| Key Mechanic | endless dungeon | The Anomaly is an infinitely scaling dungeon that increases enemy HP and damage per level. |
How to Play Warlock
Apply DoTs to packs, move to next pack while previous ones die, stack curse debuffs on bosses.
The dark magic class with DoT (damage over time) and curse abilities. Warlock builds stack poison, fire, or shadow DoTs that kill enemies while you move to the next pack. The Poison build with True Legendary items that spread DoTs to nearby enemies is the deepest Anomaly pushing build.
What makes this build work: The synergy between Void Daggers and endless dungeon creates a gameplay loop that provides a unique approach. Core gear like True Legendary Poison items, DoT-boosting rings, Curse Staff, Shadow Robes amplifies this further.
Pros:
- Strong in group/team content
- Clear stat priority (DoT Damage, Duration, Spread chance, Cooldown Reduction) makes gearing straightforward
- Excels in its niche
Cons:
- Weaker solo performance
- Requires deep game knowledge
B-Tier: All Masteries
A late-endgame approach where you've invested so many Mastery Points that any build becomes viable. At 1000+ Mastery Points, the generic stat bonuses are large enough that non-optimal builds still clear content. This is the 'play what's fun' tier for veteran players.
Core Setup
| Slot | Choice | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Equipment | Crystal Shield | A defensive off-hand that provides block chance and shield-specific abilities. |
| Core Gear | Whatever True Legendaries you've found, high Mastery Point investment | Maximizes build potential |
| Stat Priority | Whatever matches your chosen build, amplified by Mastery Points | Optimal scaling |
| Key Mechanic | mastery points | After reaching max level (100), you earn Mastery Points that provide small but stackable bonuses to damage, HP, speed, and resistances. |
How to Play All Masteries
Play whatever build you enjoy, backed by hundreds of Mastery Points providing universal stat bonuses.
A late-endgame approach where you've invested so many Mastery Points that any build becomes viable. At 1000+ Mastery Points, the generic stat bonuses are large enough that non-optimal builds still clear content. This is the 'play what's fun' tier for veteran players.
What makes this build work: The synergy between Crystal Shield and mastery points creates a gameplay loop that provides a unique approach. Core gear like Whatever True Legendaries you've found, high Mastery Point investment amplifies this further.
Pros:
- Unique, rewarding playstyle
- Clear stat priority (Whatever matches your chosen build, amplified by Mastery Points) makes gearing straightforward
- Excels in its niche
Cons:
- High skill floor, punishing when misplayed
- Requires deep game knowledge
Build Progression Path
- Start with Berserker — the most forgiving option for learning the game
- Transition to Templar once you understand core mechanics and have access to True Legendary Sword
- Keep a Warden setup for content that keeps killing you
- Try All Masteries for a fresh experience once you've mastered the basics
Gearing Tips
- Invest in your primary equipment first — it gives the biggest power spike
- True Legendaries only drop in Anomaly endgame — don't waste time farming for them during the story acts. Rush to max level and Anomaly mode where the real loot begins.
- Enchanting rerolls stats for perfect gear — when you find a good item base, reroll its worst stat at the Enchanter repeatedly until it rolls a desirable value. Gold is abundant at endgame, so reroll liberally.
- Don't spread upgrade resources across multiple builds until endgame
See our tier list for current meta rankings, or the beginner's guide if you're just getting started.
