If you play a lot of games like I do that involve the basic "fantasy" classes (fighter, rogue, mage, etc.), then you probably have a preferred type of hero that you like to play. For me, it's usually the fighter -- I like swords (they're shiny) and big critical-hitting numbers. I like to be able to charge into battle (LEEEEEROOOOYYYYY!) and know that I can take a few hits.  

I'm saying all of this to point out one critical fact about the way I play: I usually hate casters. They're squishy, their armor is generally not shiny, and let's face it, they're typically kind of shifty. If given the choice, I don't mess with mages much.  

In Sorcerer King, your Sovereign isn't a physical unit present on the battlefield, but rather the commander on the back lines directing their army as they fight. Each Sovereign has the ability to take magic from the shards and manifest them into various spells, some of which can turn the tides of battles while others can enhance and improve your cities, or manipulate the landscapes surrounding them.  

No matter what your preference for destruction is, no matter how much you don't have the patience to deal with spells and mana and all the nonsense that comes with being a caster, I cannot stress this enough: do not neglect your Sovereign's Spell Book! 

Spells are huge in Sorcerer King. As I said above, the magic granted to your Sovereign by the shards is can be used in a large variety of ways. Let's start by taking a look at the 4 types of magic within the game, which are: 

Each Spell Book has 8 slots for the different types of magic. The more of any one type of magic that you have filling those slots, the more spells you will be able to learn of that type. Additionally, having more specifications in a particular "school" of magic will allow you to learn stronger spells within that school more quickly.  

All of the Sovereigns have default settings for their magic, but you can choose to change them through customization. The "Customize" option allows you to change your starting champion, your Sovereign's special ability (more on that later), and the types of magic that you would like to focus on.  

The Sovereign Kayla starts out with 4 summoning books, 3 enchantment books, and 1 chaos book. She does not have any wrath books. This means that Kayla will learn some better summoning spells, some decent enchantment spells, and a small peppering of the weaker chaos spells. The speed at which she will be able to research summoning spells will be greater than the speed at which she can learn chaos spells. Unfortunately, since Kayla does not have any wrath books, she will not learn any of the wrath spells. 

Before deciding what kind of magic you would like to focus on, it might be helpful to know what kinds of spells each book contains. 

Wrath: Straightforward and direct, this book contains damage dealing spells for use during combat. This can range from ice shards to fire balls - either way, it involves blowing things up, and who doesn't enjoy that once in awhile? 

Summon: Tactical and strategic, this book allows you to summon creatures into battle. Not icky things like spiders (and if that's something I can get later, I will steer clear of it, thank you very much), but nifty things like a wisp that can heal your units or an ice elemental that will freeze all enemies on the battlefield for one turn once it is summoned. 

Enchantment: Subtle and efficient, this book contains really helpful spells that buff your units by giving them bonuses to attack and defense. It also has spells that will enhance your city by giving it bonuses to defense, food, and/or production, among other things. This book the all important "heal" spell, which for me at least has been necessary for winning many battles. (Author's Note: If anyone else hears Sandal's voice in their head when they read this word, please know that I think you are awesome. If you don't know what I'm talking about, you should play Dragon Age, but you're still awesome.)  

Chaos: Conniving and easily overlooked, Chaos spells are spells that can debuff (weaken) your enemy units. This book has a few damage spells peppered throughout, but those spells usually come in the form of damage over time with something like poison. Don't underestimate the ability to negate a unit's defense for 3 turns or lower their ability to dodge, however. 

If any one of these types of magic really calls to you, you can choose to devote all 8 spots in your Sovereign's Spell Book to that type. Tip: Doing this will allow you to research some of the most devastating spells in that category quickly, but you will need to sacrifice all of the other types of magic in order to receive the strongest spells for the one you've chosen to focus on. 

Magic is not something that you should ignore in Sorcerer King. If you want to win battles and help your cities survive the onslaught of his armies, focus on magic that can give you an edge in your war against him.