A few well-chosen Books give Forgotten Stories builds their direction. Start with the spells or passives you want, reserve the affinities they need, and leave room for the rest of your run. Explore full guides or jump straight to starter presets below, keeping costs and tradeoffs close at hand.
Forgotten Stories Builds for Melee, Magic & Support
Pick the role you want to play, then open its progression steps. These Forgotten Stories builds are training plans: their core Books and equipment come together as your run develops.
Counters + Wind magicSword & Wind Build
A sword skirmisher combining defensive counters with wind magic to manipulate combat turn order.
This build combines a one-handed Sword with Wind magic to turn defensive play into offense. En Garde grants Counter +2 and Fortified +2 at battle start, plus +2% Slash, +2% Blunt Resistance, and +1% Physical Damage.
Unstoppable Wind adds +5% Wind Damage, +0.05 Speed, and teaches Gustwalker. The Gust Walker effect provides +0.5 Speed, 15% larger dodge windows, and -15% dodge cooldown until hit. The Brawler inheritance supplies extra Physique and physical damage against large foes, while The Historian offers ink and quills.
- Weapon
- Sword
- Inheritance
- The Brawler
- Armor option
- Iron Chestplate
Build progression: 3 steps
- Train Medium Mastery to 10 during your run to fulfill Unwritten requirements for En Garde, then sign it with 50 Ink to gain Counter +2 and Fortified +2; write it in the library with 100 Ink Shards for future runs.
- Train Wind Affinity to 10 while maintaining 10 Medium Mastery to qualify for Unstoppable Wind, signing it for 100 Ink to gain Gustwalker; write it permanently with 200 Ink Shards.
- Train toward 20 Physique and 10 Runesight. Keep track of Sword’s −0.40 Speed, Unstoppable Wind’s +0.05 Speed and Gust Walker’s temporary +0.5 before choosing heavier armor.
Keep in mindSword lists −0.40 Speed; Iron Chestplate adds a further −0.15. Gustwalker can help reach a Speed threshold, but its effect ends on hit or when combat ends. The Brawler needs an unlock; The Historian is a free starting alternative.
Marked-target damageChaos Mage Build
A ranged spellcaster who inflicts Chaostatic marks to damage groups of enemies with Skystruck.
Centering on Chaos and Earth magic, this caster build unlocks Chaos Chain and Skystruck from the Chaostatic book. The book also provides +5% Chaos Damage and +5% Earth Damage. Chaos Chain inflicts Chaostatic, allowing Skystruck to strike all afflicted targets across the field.
The Staff grants +8 Max Mana and +3 Max Runes, enabling multi-rune spell setups. Allocating 15 Chaos and 10 Earth uses 25 of your 35 affinity cap, leaving 10 unassigned points to adapt your loadout to battle needs.
- Weapon
- Staff
- Inheritance
- The Historian
- Armor option
- Vorant Mask
Build progression: 3 steps
- Train 15 Chaos Affinity and 10 Earth Affinity in your run to meet Unwritten Chaostatic requirements, then sign it with 100 Ink to cast Chaos Chain and Skystruck.
- Write Chaostatic in the library with 200 Ink Shards to lower future run requirements to 12 Chaos and 7 Earth.
- Invest 20 Runesight and 10 Physique, equip a two-handed Staff (+8 Max Mana, +3 Max Runes, -0.60 Speed), and consider a Vorant Mask (+1 Max Runes).
Keep in mindStaff’s −0.60 Speed can change your place in the turn order or cost an extra-turn threshold. Chaostatic supplies offensive spells; keep starter Mend or another recovery option ready for longer fights.
Healing + party buffsGarden Support Build
A dedicated team healer utilizing restorative waters, cleanse effects, and party-wide regeneration.
Start with Small Sea for Cleansing Waters, plus the Book’s +5% Outgoing Healing and +5% Water Damage. A critical Cleansing Waters cast can clear Infection, Deepwound and Venomed.
Living Garden adds Bloom and Fragrance for party support, with +10% Outgoing Healing and a −20% Incoming Healing tradeoff. The Historian supplies starting Ink and Quills; a Staff or Wand adds room for your spells.
- Weapon
- Staff
- Inheritance
- The Historian
- Armor option
- Vorant Plate
Build progression: 3 steps
- Train 10 Order and 10 Water Affinity to satisfy Unwritten requirements for Small Sea, signing it for 100 Ink to gain Cleansing Waters; write it permanently with 200 Ink Shards.
- Continue training to reach 10 Earth, 10 Order, 10 Water, and 5 Wind Affinity (using the full 35 affinity cap), then defeat an Aggrovant to sign Living Garden for 100 Ink.
- Write Living Garden with 200 Ink Shards in the library, and allocate 20 Runesight and 10 Physique, equipping a Staff or Wand alongside Vorant armor pieces.
Keep in mindLiving Garden reduces the healing you receive by 20%, including help from teammates. Vorant Plate also lists −20% Fire Resistance. Protect your own recovery while choosing how much support to bring.
Rapier Counter & Wind
A high-agility duelist setup combining Rapier strikes, Counter attacks from Hidden Blade, and evasion from Unstoppable Wind.
Read the full Rapier build →
Bloodwire Rapier
A high-risk void-bleed hybrid leveraging Bloodwired Tome and Rapier thrusts to double Bleed caps while managing severe healing debuffs.
Read the full Bloodwire build →
Duo: Rapier + Garden Support
A dedicated two-player setup pairing a high-mobility Rapier duelist with an Order-Water-Earth Wand support for continuous cleansing and regeneration.
Read the full duo build →Load replaces the shared planner’s stats and Book targets. Duo plans load one player at a time. Changing the displayed stage leaves your current plan untouched.
Interactive Forgotten Stories Builds & Stat Planner
Choose a Forgotten Stories build, adjust its training goals, and see what remains in each shared budget. Mark Books you have already written in the lobby to check their lower requirements. A completed budget is the starting point: you still need to train those stats and SIGN the Books during your run.
Forgotten Stories Builds: Compare the Training Goals
Each route reserves the affinities its core Books need. Switch to Written requirements in the planner when those Books are already recorded in your Library.
| Build | Affinity goals | Points left | Physique / Runesight | Core Books |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sword & Wind | Medium 10 · Wind 10 | 15 / 35 | 20 / 10 | En Garde + Unstoppable Wind |
| Chaos Mage | Earth 10 · Chaos 15 | 10 / 35 | 10 / 20 | Chaostatic |
| Garden Support | Water 10 · Wind 5 · Earth 10 · Order 10 | 0 / 35 | 10 / 20 | Small Sea + Living Garden |
Four Steps to Planning Forgotten Stories Builds
Choose what your build should do
Choose melee pressure, spell damage or party support before spreading your affinities. Forgotten Stories builds have 35 shared weapon-and-element points, plus 30 for Physique and Runesight. Decide which Book requirements must fit first.
Reserve points for your core Books
Check each Book’s Unwritten or Written conditions. Some also need an objective, such as defeating an Aggrovant for Living Garden. Leave enough Ink to SIGN the Book in your run; lobby WRITE costs use Ink Shards instead.
Train, then set the in-game locks
Stats grow through play, so use the in-game stat locks when a target is reached. You cannot respec during the run. A lock helps preserve room for the next affinity your build needs.
Check gear before the next fight
Compare your actual Speed, rune slots and resistances after equipping gear. A Staff gives more casting capacity, while Iron Chestplate trades Speed for Defense. A small change matters when you are near an extra-turn threshold.
See the Weapons Behind Forgotten Stories Builds
Watch the movesets before choosing your next weapon. Use the Sword, Staff and Wand records to compare their listed stats alongside these build routes.
Compare Forgotten Stories weapons →
Every Weapon Explained in Forgotten Stories
Sword attacks, weapon QTEs and casting equipment in action.
Frequently Asked Questions About Forgotten Stories Builds
How do stat budgets and training caps work in Forgotten Stories builds?
Characters have two distinct training pools. Weapon masteries and elemental affinities share a total pool of 35 points. Physique and Runesight share a separate 30-point pool, with a maximum limit of 20 points in either attribute.
Can attributes be reset or respecced during a run?
No, there is no in-run respec mechanic in Forgotten Stories. Points trained during an expedition are permanent for that run. To avoid exceeding planned targets, use the in-game stat lock toggles when reaching your desired milestone.
What is the correct sequence for unlocking, signing, and writing spell books?
Meet the Book’s current unlock conditions, then SIGN it with Ink during the run to activate it. Later, WRITE it in the lobby Library with Ink Shards for permanent progression and easier future unlocks. Already-written Books use their listed Written requirements.
How does Speed function in Forgotten Stories turn-based combat?
Speed determines turn order and extra-turn thresholds during combat rounds. Thresholds grant additional turns at 2 Speed (+1 turn), 3.5 Speed (+2 turns), 5.5 Speed (+3 turns), and 8 Speed (+4 turns), rather than altering movement or positioning.
Are equipment and inheritance bonuses included in build planner inputs?
No. Enter the training and affinity goals you want to check against the shared budgets. The planner does not automatically add equipment or Inheritance bonuses, and meeting these checks does not replace checking your actual in-game stats and Book activations.
What affinity milestones does the Support route require for both books?
The Support route trains 10 Order, 10 Water, 10 Earth, and 5 Wind Affinity (utilizing the complete 35 affinity pool). This satisfies Unwritten requirements for Small Sea (10 Order, 10 Water) and Living Garden (10 Order, 10 Earth, 5 Water, 5 Wind). Living Garden also requires defeating an Aggrovant when it is Unwritten; that objective is absent from its Written requirements.
Sources & gameplay references · checked September 9, 2026
- Arts of Infusion
- Binary Codex
- Bloodwired Tome
- Boiling Blood
- Chaostatic
- Hailreign Chronicles
- Living Garden
- Mana Veil
- My Brutal Inferno
- Pressure Chamber
- Small Sea
- Terraformer
- Unstoppable Wind
- War Crematory
- Abigails Diary
- Blademaster
- Brutal Combat
- Combat Tricks
- Counterblade
- Counterweight
- En Garde
- Hidden Blade
- True Strength
- Adrenaline
- Advantage
- Bodybuilding
- Camping Guide
- Cauldron Vessel
- Elemental Knowledge
- How to Hate
- Narcissist and Perfectionist
- Reflections
- Road to Success
- Stonewhisperers Guide
- Strong Minded
- The Beauty of Flora
- The Joker
- Undying Heart
- Vampire
- Stats and Affinities FAQ
- Gust Walker effect