Character Builds

A while ago some user tried to classify different build types. That classification really is simplistic and often inaccurate, and might let you think that you hero is stuck to a unique playstyle, while it will evolve as you character builds-up, and also almost entirely forgets about gods, which the are the most powerful feature in the game. So advanced player will have go far beyond that classification.

However, it might still contain interesting hints for beginners.

Striker

Focusing heavily on attack damage and one-time buffs, Strikers are characters that attempt to end their fights quickly with a few powerful physical attacks. Strikers only use spellcasting to supplement their damage, primarily relying on physical attacks. Character classes such as the  Warlord,  Rogue, and  Crusader make strong strikers. Strikers tend to only want enough health and resistances to survive a single attack from enemies, and put no further effort into defences, instead focusing on offence so they only need to survive that one attack. Temporary buffs that only last for one attack are very useful to striker builds, since their battles end shortly afterwards and they can then explore to recharge their mana and re-cast their buffs. Strikers benefit enormously from any item that increases their attack damage, and greatly enjoy the  CYDSTEPP,  ENDISWAL, and  GETINDARE glyphs which allow them to tack on a few extra attacks with little additional effort. These characters prefer to fight low-health monsters such as Goats, Gorgons, and Warlocks.

The  Human and  Orc are generally the best races for strikers, though strong striker strategies exist for every race except for the  Dwarf.

Brawler

The sister build of the Striker, the Brawler attempts to balance offence and defence to outlast opponents by sheer attrition. While they do not focus on ending battles quickly like the striker, attack damage is still the most important aspect for a brawler character. Permanent resistances are very useful to the Brawler, making deities that offer boons to that effect very valuable. Classes such as the  Berserker,  Monk, and  Paladin make superb brawlers. Brawlers make exceptional poison fighters with the  APHEELSIK glyph, and can often make great use of  HALPMEH and  BYSSEPS. Glyphs that deal damage directly are poor choices for brawlers, which need to use more mana-efficient options to win battles of attrition. Brawlers prefer to fight low-damage monsters such as Meatmen or Golems, but are heavily penalized for fighting monsters with debuffs such as bandits.

In some cases, the line between Brawler and Striker may become blurred. Since both builds prioritize attack damage foremost, opportunity and necessity may cause strikers to play like brawlers and brawlers to play like strikers. This overlap means you can often enter the dungeon with preparations that would suit either a brawler or striker and then develop on the build that makes most sense based on the boss and the deities, items, and glyphs available to you.

The  Human and  Orc make the best Brawlers, but specific brawler strategies exist for every race.

Caster

Specializing in either the  PISORF or  BURNDAYRAZ glyph, a dedicated caster eschews the normal focus on attack damage, instead diverting attention to max mana or other unconventional advantages. The caster will primarily rely on glyphs for damage, and survivability is largely a non-issue. This make utility glyphs that help your combat performance largely worthless, but makes the  BLUDTUPOWA glyph invaluable. The  Crystal Ball item is by far the best selection for a caster, although you'll need to save a decent sum of gold to abuse it. Casters can deal massive amounts of damage without ever taking retaliation from monsters, enabling them to casually ignore debuffs and massive damage that an enemy might otherwise have. The largest downside casters face is that they have trouble killing weaker monsters when performing level-up catapults, since their total focus on magic means their attack damage is going to be very low and they will either have to use mana or health resources to defeat weaker monsters that should be push-overs. This makes the swift hands class feature of the  Assassin very useful for caster characters. Other strong caster classes are the  Wizard and  Bloodmage.

Casters should almost always play as an  Elf,  Gnome, or  Orc. Elves and Gnomes grant additional spellcasting power, while the Orc's bonus to base attack greatly increases the damage he deals with  PISORF. Orc Caster builds are very uncommon since there is no way to ensure PISORF or Binlor (without prepping him) will appear in the dungeon, and your entire character setup depends on that.

Hybrid

These characters, for whatever reason, do not have any particular attributes that make them well suited to one specific approach. Instead, they present a well-rounded character that alters his approach for different monsters and situations. Hybrids lack the specialization of other builds, and as a result are much weaker overall and will need to leverage their versatility to use their resources more efficiently. They also tend to suffer because they will want to keep a wider variety of glyphs, and will not gain benefits from having converted them until later in the dungeon. Classes such as the  Fighter,  Thief, and  Sorcerer have the kind of versatility that makes for a good hybrid. The  Wizard is also potentially a good hybrid choice, as he is able to carry a large number of glyphs and does not need to convert them directly in order to extract conversion points from them. Obviously your deity choice would be entirely based on your scenario.

Races that are back-loaded (that is to say, you benefit most by converting items and glyphs late), such as the  Halfling,  Gnome, and  Goblin make for excellent hybrids. The  Human and  Elf are also sufficiently diverse to offer a strong option for hybrids.