The Archetypes in Knights In Tight Spaces are traditional fantasy classes revamped for the game’s turn-based battles. Each class comes with its own set of unique bonuses, affecting everything from the gear they can use to the specific types of cards favored in their decks.
Initially, you’ll have access to just three Archetypes, but you’ll soon unlock additional options as you earn experience points. Having more choices will definitely benefit you as you delve deeper into the game, especially as enemies become more sophisticated. Building a varied party with a wide range of skills will be crucial to your success.
Melee Archetypes
These Archetypes center on close-quarters combat, with no options for ranged attacks or spells. In exchange for this limitation, they typically receive significant damage bonuses that allow them to take down foes swiftly and effectively.
Brawler
Brawlers are experts in unarmed combat and cannot equip any weapons or armor at all. While this restriction means they miss out on some weapon-based cards, it also guarantees they can always use grapples and throws. Positioning and knockdowns play significant roles in their strategies.
Brawlers enjoy a fifty-percent damage boost for unarmed attacks, so make sure your deck includes powerful cards like Heavy Strike.
Brawlers excel at executing massive Combos, so try to minimize unnecessary movement. Their reliance on pushes and throws can make them vulnerable to enemies like Ghosts and Big Knights, who cannot be knocked down. Prepare accordingly by recruiting team members who can effectively deal with these opponents or by adding damage-focused cards to your deck.
Fighter
The Fighter is essentially the opposite of the Brawler; they can equip weapons, shields, and armor, making them a formidable force after frequent visits to the Blacksmith. While they don’t hit as hard as Brawlers (with only a twenty-five percent damage boost regardless of equipment), their gear can be extensively customized through upgrades.
Unless you go for an unarmed build, the Fighter won’t be throwing or grappling. Instead, focus on setting up Support Attacks with teammates and deal significant damage whenever possible. Use the extra Block that comes from armor and shields to absorb hits, allowing you to maintain your Combo without needing to evade attacks constantly.
Swordsman
Unlocked at Level 15, the Swordsman specializes in one-handed weapons. Their starting weapon, a Rapier, ignores enemy Block, which isn’t particularly useful early on but can be advantageous against Knights later in the game.
Swordsmen can also equip shields, so it’s wise to do so since they cannot use two-handed weapons!
Swordsmen get a fifty-percent damage bonus for melee attacks, though they deal twenty-five percent less with unarmed strikes. While having cards like Quick Kick can be helpful for positioning, don’t expect them to inflict heavy damage. Instead, concentrate on strong sword attacks, including cards like Secret Strike or Slash to avoid counterattacks or apply effects like Bleed.
Ranged Archetypes
Ranged Archetypes are the only classes in the game that can equip bows. They can still engage in melee combat even while armed with a bow, so don’t underestimate their capabilities when enemies get close. The biggest advantage is that they can initiate Support Attacks from across the battlefield when wielding a ranged weapon!
Rogue
The Rogue serves as the third starting Archetype, along with the Brawler and Fighter. They may be one of the weaker options at the beginning, but with persistence, they can become the backbone of a strong fighting force by earning extra Gold for every enemy they defeat.
Rogues can equip bows, but they don’t start with one, so aim to acquire a bow as soon as possible. Additionally, Rogues receive forty percent less Block from cards they utilize, so it’s best to rely on Dodge and Stun to evade attacks or simply maneuver out of harm’s way.
Hunter
If bow attacks are your focus, opt for the Hunter when they unlock at Level 12. They not only begin the game with a bow but also inflict twenty-five percent more damage while using it.
Hunters do less damage when using melee weapons, but they don’t require one to be effective.
Like Rogues, Hunters perform best when they have allies providing support. Keep in mind that yellow cards in the deck can only be used by characters with bows. With that in mind, creating a balance that caters to your build will allow your party to triumph through most challenges.
Attuned Archetypes
Attuned characters possess the ability to cast spells, granting them access to powerful options in combat that others lack. While equipments like the Pagan Robe can enable non-Attuned characters to use spells, only Attuned classes have this capability from the start.
Sorcerer
The Sorcerer becomes available after your first encounter with Attuned foes at the start of Chapter One. They heavily depend on magic for damage, as their melee attacks come with a damage penalty while their spells, such as the impressive Lightning Bolt, deal twenty-five percent more damage.
The Sorcerer has one of the best starting decks; it’s streamlined and consistently oriented toward their strengths. There’s less urgency to draft a new deck when playing this class, though surprises can always happen!
Be sure to visit the Trader often for new spell cards, and if nothing new is available, upgrade the ones already in your possession. Avoid overcrowding your deck to ensure you consistently have plenty of spells to draw, allowing you to prevail in most encounters.
Cleric
The Cleric resembles the Fighter but also wields magic, making them arguably the most adaptable class in the game. You can equip them with upgraded weapons, shields, and armor or arm them with formidable spells—or both!
The Cleric receives a twenty-five percent damage bonus against supernatural enemies like undead and demons, enhancing their effectiveness in the later chapters of Story Mode.
Best of all, since the Cleric excels as both a fighter and a spellcaster, they complement most other party members very well. The only characters with whom they struggle to share cards are Brawlers and bow-users, as their weapon limitations mean that they possess exclusive cards.
Warlock
The Warlock becomes available at Level 20, and for good reason—this advanced Archetype is designed for players who have mastered the game. Warlocks wield potent spells like Blood Pact and Cursed Lightning, which can deal heavy damage but also impose debuffs on the party in return.
The spells of Warlocks are more powerful than those of Sorcerers, dealing an extra fifty percent damage compared to what is displayed on the card. However, you must pay close attention to every action taken by you and your opponents; Knights In Tight Spaces can be unforgiving, and this holds especially true for the Warlock.
Warlocks are unable to Block at all. Construct a deck focused on Dodge, potentially supported by a Rogue in your party, to mitigate damage effectively.
