Axom Class Guide: Best Builds and Strategies

Understanding the Class System in Axom

In Axom, your choice of class defines your approach to building, defending, and exploring the procedurally generated alien world. Each class comes with unique starting abilities, stat distributions, and synergies with different building types. Unlike traditional tower defense games, Axom’s classes also affect how you interact with the physical-driven swarm, as certain classes excel at manipulating terrain or purging corrupted areas. Before diving into specifics, it’s worth reviewing the gameplay overview to understand core mechanics.

The class system is not locked in permanently. As you progress, you can unlock and switch between classes, making experimentation key to finding your preferred playstyle. Each class has a distinct progression tree that unlocks new abilities and upgrades, which we detail in our progression guide.

The Engineer: Fortress Architect

The Engineer is the quintessential builder class, designed for players who want to construct impenetrable fortresses. This class provides bonuses to building health, construction speed, and resource efficiency when placing defensive structures.

Key Abilities:

• Reinforced Foundations: All buildings start with 20% additional health.
• Swift Construction: Building time is reduced by 15%.
• Resource Efficiency: Every 10th building costs 25% fewer resources.

Recommended Builds:

• Bunker Engineer: Prioritize walls and defensive barriers. Combine with the upgrades guide to maximize durability.
• Turret Specialist: Focus on automated turrets and traps. This build synergizes well with the loadout guide for optimized weapon placement.

The Scavenger: Explorer and Resource Harvester

The Scavenger class excels at exploration and resource acquisition. If you prefer to venture beyond your fortress to gather rare materials and uncover secrets, this class is for you. Scavengers have increased movement speed and a higher chance of finding bonus loot from destroyed enemies and corrupted terrain.

Key Abilities:

• Keen Eye: Increases loot drop rate from enemies by 10%.
• Swift Footed: Movement speed is increased by 20%, allowing faster exploration.
• Purifier Touch: Reduces the time needed to cleanse corrupted terrain by 30%.

Recommended Builds:

• Loot Runner: Maximize movement speed and loot bonuses. Pair with the beginner tips for early game survival.
• Terrain Purifier: Focus on abilities that speed up terrain cleansing. This is essential for unlocking new building spots and is detailed in the mechanics guide.

The Sentinel: Master of Defense

The Sentinel is a balanced class that offers both offensive and defensive capabilities. It is ideal for players who want a more reactive playstyle, adapting to the physical-driven swarm's movements. Sentinels gain bonuses to area-of-effect damage and have a unique ability to place temporary barriers.

Key Abilities:

• Shockwave: Every 30 seconds, your next attack creates a shockwave that knocks back enemies.
• Barrier Projection: Place a temporary wall that lasts for 15 seconds. Cooldown: 45 seconds.
• Fortified Stance: While standing still, gain 15% damage reduction.

Recommended Builds:

• Counter-Attacker: Use the shockwave ability to disrupt swarm formations. Combine with the tips and tricks for maximum efficiency.
• Mobile Sentinel: Focus on mobility and barrier placement to control enemy flow. This build is detailed in the challenges guide.

The Infiltrator: Stealth and Precision

The Infiltrator class is for players who enjoy a high-risk, high-reward playstyle. This class specializes in dealing massive damage to single targets, particularly elite enemies and bosses. Infiltrators have a stealth mechanic that allows them to bypass enemy lines and strike critical points.

Key Abilities:

• Shadow Step: Become invisible for 5 seconds. Your next attack deals 300% damage.
• Critical Precision: Critical hit chance is increased by 15%.
• Escape Plan: When health drops below 20%, automatically become invisible and gain 50% movement speed for 3 seconds. Cooldown: 60 seconds.

Recommended Builds:

• Assassin: Maximize critical damage and stealth uptime. This is effective against the elite enemies found in later waves.
• Hit-and-Run: Use mobility and escape abilities to harass the swarm. Check the progression guide for skill unlock order.

The Aegis: Team Protector

While Axom is a single-player game, the Aegis class is built around protecting your structures and units. It provides global buffs to all buildings and units within a certain radius, making it a powerful choice for players who want a more supportive role.

Key Abilities:

• Aura of Protection: All buildings within 15 meters gain 10% damage resistance.
• Repair Drone: Automatically repairs the nearest damaged building by 5% every 10 seconds.
• Last Stand: When your fortress core is below 30% health, all buildings gain 50% increased attack speed for 10 seconds.

Recommended Builds:

• Fortress Guardian: Focus on aura range and repair efficiency. This pairs well with the builds guide for defensive setups.
• Support Commander: Maximize the last stand ability to turn the tide of battle. See the difficulty guide for tips on higher difficulties.

Choosing the Right Class for Your Playstyle

Selecting the right class in Axom depends on your preferred strategy. If you enjoy meticulous planning and construction, the Engineer is your best bet. For those who love exploration and resource gathering, the Scavenger offers unmatched utility. The Sentinel provides a balanced approach for adaptive players, while the Infiltrator rewards precision and timing. Finally, the Aegis is perfect for players who want to ensure their fortress never falls.

Final Tips:

• Always upgrade your class-specific abilities first, as they provide the most significant power spikes.
• Pay attention to the physical-driven swarm's behavior; certain classes counter specific enemy types.
• Use the currency guide to efficiently spend your resources on class upgrades.
• For new players, starting with the Engineer or Sentinel is recommended due to their forgiving playstyles.

Mastering your chosen class is the key to surviving the relentless waves in Axom. Combine class abilities with smart building placement and resource management, and you will conquer the corrupted alien world.