The Complete Wizard Thaumaturge DPS Build – Neverwinter Mod 18 Infernal Descent
Welcome to our Wizard Thaumaturge Guide, updated for mod 17: Undermountain / Uprising and mod 18 Infernal Descent. To learn more about the new mod, check out our mod 18 Infernal Descent guide.
For the latest Neverwinter news and events, go to the MMOCULT Neverwinter Hub.
In this guide, we will give you tips and info on how to play the Wizard class.
The Wizard is a ranged DPS class capable of doing single target and AoE damage. Currently, the Thaumaturge is the best paragon path for AoE, while the Arcanist is better for single-target DPS. It is recommended that you have a Arcanist loadout for bosses and single target DPS, see our Arcanist Build here.
The purpose of our class guides is not just to show you a build that you can copy and use on your character, but to show you a base build and teach you the mechanics and stats of the game, so you can understand and play your class to its fullest capabilities.
Try different gear, feats, and powers and learn to tailor your own build for your playstyle. See our guide to making your own build for more info.
Wizard Thaumaturge Guide Index
Guide Contents
Basic Wizard Thaumaturge Info
Best Wizard Thaumaturge Races
- Metallic Ancestry Dragonborn – 3% + Healing – +2 to Any two stats – 1500 Crit – 3% Increased Damage
- Dragonborn – 3% HP + Healing – +2 to Any two stats – 1500 Crit – 3% Increased Damage
- Tiefling – 5% + Damage to targets below 50% health – +2 Cha and +2 Con or Int – 10% to reduce damage of target for 5 sec by 2.5%
- Sun Elf – 2% Action Point Gain – +2 Int and Dex or Cha – 10% Control Resistance
Wizard Thaumaturge Ability Score Priority
Put all your available Ability Scores into Intelligence and Dexterity.
Wizard Thaumaturge Stat / Rating Priority
Offensive Stats:
- Armor Penetration (Caps at 85K)
- Critical Strike (Caps at 85)
- Accuracy (Caps at 85)
- Combat Advantage (Caps at 135k)
- Power (No Cap)
Defensive Stats:
- Defense (Caps at 85K )
- Deflection (Caps at 85K)
- Critical Avoidance (Caps at 90K)
- Awareness (Caps at 95K )
- Health (No Cap)
Wizard Thaumaturge Paragon Path Feats & Powers
Wizard Thaumaturge Combat Powers
At-Will Powers:
- Ray of Frost
- Scorching Burst
Encounter Powers:
- Repel (ST) / Fireball (AoE)
- Conduit of Ice
- Icy Terrain (AoE) / Ray of Enfeeblement (ST)
- Chill Strike
Daily Powers:
- Arcane Singularity
- Ice Knife
Class Features:
- Critical Conflagration
- Chilling Presence
Wizard Thaumaturge Feats
- Relative Haste
- Glowing Flames
- Frigid Winds
- Critical Burn
- Directed Flames
Wizard Thaumaturge Boons
You should always choose boons based on what stats you currently need. Therefore a selection of several viable boons is available to you for each tier.
At
Tier 1 Boons
- Recruit’s Training – 250 Power
- Critical Strike – 250 Crit
- Cultist Bulwark – 1000 HP
- Cultist Power – 1% Increased damage and damage resistance vs. Cultists.
Tier 2 Boons
- Squire’s Training – 250 Power
- Armor Penetration – 250 Armor Penetration
- Demonic Bulwark – 1000 HP
- Demonic Mastery – 1% Increased damage and damage resistance vs. demons.
Tier 3 Boons
- Knight’s Training – 250 Power
- Combat Advantage – 250 Combat Advantage
- Dino Bulwark – 1000 HP
- Simple Support – 2% Companion Influence
- Dino Power – 1% Increased damage and damage resistance vs. dinos.
Tier 4 Boons
- Captain’s Training – 250 Power
- Accuracy – 250 Accuracy
- Necrotic Bulwark – 1000 HP
- Necrotic Mastery – 1% Increased damage and damage resistance vs. undead.
Tier 5 Boons (Choose 2)
- Severe Criticism – 1% Crit Severity per rank
- Call of Power – 1% Action Point gain per rank
- Quick Turnaround – 1% Recovery Speed per rank.
Master Boons
- Deathly Rage – 3/3
Guild Boons
- Offense – Power
- Defense – Hit Points
Wizard Thaumaturge Weapons & Gear
If you are new to Neverwinter and need to know how to get better gear and increase your item level, check out our Gearing Up Guide.
The best way to gear up in Neverwinter is by making a lot of Astral Diamonds, check out our Astral Diamond Guide to learn all the secrets of AD farming.
Head
- Lion Guard’s Raid Cap (Best in Slot)
- Protégé’s Charmed Hat (In Undermountain)
- Fancy Duelist Mask of Cormyr (Boss Fights)
- Infernal Forged Cowl
Armor
- Ebony Stained Robes (Best in Slot)
- Hag’s Rags
Arms
- Lion Guard’s Raid Armlets (Best in Slot)
- Bralliel’s Planar Bindings
- Vivified Primal Raid Isongos
- Eyestalk Wrappers
Feet
- Rusted Iron Leggings (Best in Slot)
- Tempter of the Twilight Gaiters
- Enduring Boots
Weapons
- Lionheart Set (Best in Slot)
- Alabaster / Burnished Set
Main Hand Modification:
Ray of Frost
Offhand Modification:
Critical Severity
Rings
- Guiding Ring of the Sharp-shooter
- Ring of the Shadowstalker +4/+5
- Ebonized Rings
Neck & Waist
Mad Mage / Arcturia / Dark Remnants Set
Shirt
Ebony Stained Shirt
Pants
Protégé’s Trousers / Trousers of the Spy Guild
Wizard Thaumaturge Artifacts
Primary Artifact
Soul Sight Crystal (ST) – Decanter of Atropal Essence (AoE) / Wyvern-Venom Coated Knives
Secondary Artifacts
Choose secondary artifacts based on the stats you are lacking.
- Trobriands Ring
- Staff of Flowers
- Halaster’s Blast Scepter
- Shard of Orcus’ Ward (For set)
Wizard Thaumaturge Enchantments
When getting enchantments, always get the ones with the stats you are lacking in with your gear, boons, etc in mind. For example, if you’ve capped Crit with your gear and boons, don’t get azure enchantments for your offense slots. If you still need to refine your enchantments, see our Refinement Guide for tips on how to farm refinement.
Offense Enchantments
One Tenebrous Enchantment – Radiant Enchantments
Defense Enchantments
Radiant Enchantment
Utility Enchantments
- Tactical Enchantment
- Dark Enchantment
- Fey’s Blessing / Dragon’s Hoard / Quartermaster’s Enchantment
Armor Enchantments
Barkshield Enchantment – Soulforged Enchantment
Weapon Enchantments
Vorpal Enchantment / Lightning Enchantment (AoE)
Overload Enchantments
- Various Marks from Stronghold Vendor
- Corrupt Black Ice / Lethal / Piercing
- Black / Red Dragon Glyph
Armor Reinforcement Kits
Power Kit
Jewelry Reinforcement Kits
Combat Advantage Jewel
Wizard Thaumaturge Consumables & Buffs
Consider to get VIP for the Power of VIP HP buff if you aren’t already. Also always stand in campfires to get the +1 ability campfire buff.
Get one from each of the rows below:
- Empowered Chain of Scales (Best in Slot) > Adorable Pocket Pet > Tymora’s Lucky Coin
- Wild Storm Elixir > Elixir of Fate
- Watermelot Sorbet > Squash Soup
Wizard Thaumaturge Companions
Summoned Companion
Bulette Pup
Enchantment Power
Potent Precision
Companion Powers
Below is a selection of viable companion powers.
Offense Powers
- Tamed Velociraptor – 2000 Power per party member using it.
- Staldorf – 8000 Combat advantage
- Deepcrow Hatchling – 8000 Power
- Batiri – 4% Damage against bosses
Defense Powers
- Minstrel – 4000 Power and 2000 Awereness
- Broom – 4% Critical Severity
- Splinters – 4% Critical Severity and 2000 Critical Avoidance
- Green Slime – 8000 Defense
- Phase Spider – 2000 Critical strike and 4000 combat advantage
Utility Powers
- Alpha Compy – 5% Power
- Owlbear Cub – 10% chance to hit for 50% of you Power
Companion Equipment
Double offense slotted “Of the Companion” gear
Companion Runestones
Empowered Runestone
Wizard Thaumaturge Mounts
When choosing a Legendary Mount for the Mount Powers, look for a mount that has both a useful equip and combat power. The best choices for a first legendary mount as a Wizard Thaumaturge is a Swarm.
What other mounts you use is not that important. What is important is to get the right insignia bonuses, and many different mounts can offer the various bonuses. To find out what mount has the bonus you want, check out our Insignia Bonus Guide.
All classes and specs should consider using Wanderer’s Fortune before you have refined all your gear and enchantments, for extra refinement every day.
Mount Insignia Bonuses
- Assassin’s Covenant
- Combatant’s Maneuver
- Artificer’s Persuasion
- Gladiator’s Guile
- Champion’s Return
Insignia Type
Brutality / Dominance for Power, or alternatively any other with stats you need. You can also use Insignia’s to get your defensive stats to cap for survivability.
Wizard Thaumaturge Mount Powers
Mount Equip Power:
5000 or 10000 Power
Mount Combat Power:
Bat Swarm (Swarm) (Best in Slot)
If you have any questions or suggestions about our Neverwinter Wizard Thaumaturge guide, please leave a comment below! More info about the Wizard class can be found at The Neverwinter Reddit. More builds and further info can also be found at MMOMinds.
For the latest Neverwinter news, go to the MMOCULT Neverwinter Hub.
Sarah
What are ebonized rings and how do you get them?
Xaibriel
Why barkshield over negation. Mobs normal single hits will deplete the barkshields’s charges easily and fast leaving you very vulnerable. Especially in groups with less then stellar tanks.
Ender
ebonized rings can be found in Master Expeditions in Undermountain.
Officer
I hope this isn’t complete. If so you have no business writing guides. There are so many things wrong with this. Almost none of what you claim is ” Best in slot” is actually BiS. I’m not even going to waste my time correcting everything.
Writing a guide is an admirable thing to do. However, please do your research. Stop spreading misinformation.
Daneril @ MmorpgTips
This guide was written just as mod 16 dropped, it will be updated now 🙂
Kvet
@Xaibriel – Because Barkshield actually works better overall than Negation most of the time. For trash mobs, you’ll kill them fast so depletion doesn’t matter and in m16, you won’t die from trash even if they do get you to 30% usually, just kill them fast and you’re fine. For bosses, you won’t get hit as often but they will be hard hits, so barkshield will help a lot. Negation requires that you get hit often before it fully “charges up” so it’s almost useless in boss fights, and in trash clearance, by the time it’s fully charged, usually you’ll have already killed off the mobs. It only really shines when you’re in a large trash clear with harder mobs that take a while to beat (like, say, going up the hill in FBI or something), but those situations are fairly limited. Overall, as of m16 anyway (and there doesn’t appear to be any changes in m17 either), you will get much more benefit out of a Barkshield than you will a Negation.
versaceguy303
Ranged powers don’t stack on ebonized rings and hags rags together. It’s better to run different items to suit your NW needs.
Mr Marc G Bremner
He is right with his BiS all the gear listed works in synergy with each other for best output damage.
I am sure for u nit pickers statement rings was meant as ring.
Only 1 thing you want healing in ur utility now to at least incomeing healing of 30% for tower of mage or healers will hate u on big damage hits
Apha
if you look at this build it is very similar Gear, Companion, Mount, Enchants etc to the dps build for a Barbarian. thin makes sense because it is all focused on Damage increase% that stack and set bonus dps.
Apha
oops thin = this
versaceguy303
Side Note: Ebony Stained Robes are going to BIS in Mod 17. Hags Rags will no longer be BIS in Mod 17.
Max
Why do you say that?
versaceguy303
I rescind my previous comment because new stuff is coming soon for MOD 17 such as new expeditions, dungeon, rings, gear, companion gear, a main screen for dyes, etc.
mad mage
re vamp for nerf mod 17
versaceguy303
Can we get an updatex Mod 17 build please
JW
Patch Notes: Version: NW.120.20200106a.10
Wizard: Thaumaturge
Critical Conflagration should now affect AoE powers.
Directed Flames can now only proc damage from Smolder or Rimefire once every 12 seconds.
To compensate, Rimefire Weaving now reduces damage resistance of the target by 5% when affected by Smolder or Chill, and by 10% when affected by Rimefire.
Known issue: Players can get two procs in a row; one from Smolder, and one from Rimefire. This is not intended, but we don’t consider use of this bug to be an exploit.
Frigid Winds now deals 1.25% (up from 1%) extra damage per Chill stack on the target.
Smolder effects applied from Critical Conflagration now roll their own crit chance, rather than inheriting crits from the initial cast.
The following power, class feature, and feat magnitudes have been changed.
Icy Rays: 300 – 450 (up from 275 – 400)
Chill Strike: 450 (up from 400)
Shatter Strike (against control-immune targets): +150 (up from +100)
Raevyn
Wouldn’t the Seer of the Star’s robes be better than Ebony Stained? Same equip bonus, but higher stats?
Raevyn
Nevermind, missed the stack amount
FokkenPrawns
In every single one of these guides you all show the build, good and well and thank you, BUT, none of you cares to explain the rotation, if I build this build exactly right but dont know the rotation my dps is going to suck badly, and I am going to get frustrated as to why my dps is bad with an uber build… Please someone have the foresight to explain rotations for Arcane as well as Thaum.