How to survive (and stop killing your friends in) Magicka 2: the element system, spell shapes, Magicks, co-op etiquette with friendly fire, the campaign's tricky encounters, Challenges, Artifacts and achievements.
Researched September 2026 — current as of patch 1.2.2.0 (January 2019) plus the July 2019 Mac login fix; no newer updates. Live games change; check the linked sources if something differs.
| Element | Key | What it is good for |
|---|---|---|
| Water | Q | Pushes, extinguishes fire, makes targets Wet; base for Steam, Ice and hybrids |
| Life | W | Healing (self or allies); damages undead-type foes |
| Shield | E | Walls, domes and personal barriers |
| Cold | R | Slows and freezes, especially on Wet targets |
| Lightning | A | Chains between targets; punishes Wet enemies |
| Arcane | S | Raw damage beams and mines |
| Earth | D | Heavy projectiles and rock-based spells |
| Fire | F | Burning damage over time |
| Hybrid | Made from | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Steam | Water plus Fire | Scalding spray and area damage; strong combo base |
| Ice | Water plus Cold | Shards and frozen projectiles that hit hard |
| Poison | The new hybrid element in Magicka 2 | Damage over time; stacks nicely with other elements |
If a spell suddenly fizzles, you almost certainly queued an opposite.
Every queue can be delivered in several ways:
| Cast | What happens | Example use |
|---|---|---|
| Forward (aimed) | Projectiles, beams or sprays toward the cursor | Fire spray, Arcane beam, Earth boulders |
| Area | Effect in a ring around you | Knock back swarms; Shield plus Earth rock wall |
| Self | Apply the spell to yourself | Life to heal; Shield to protect; Water to put yourself out |
| Weapon | Imbue your melee weapon with elements | Adds elemental damage to sword swings |
Spell hierarchy basics: Shields shape a spell first (walls and barriers), then heavy projectiles (Earth or Ice), then beams (Life or Arcane), then sprays. So adding Earth to a Fire queue turns a spray into a fiery rock, and adding Shield turns almost anything into a wall or mine field.
| Combo idea | How to build it | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Self-heal | Life, cast on self (add more Life for more healing) | Keeps you alive; learn this first |
| Emergency wall | Shield plus Earth, area cast | Blocks a swarm instantly |
| Steam spray | Water plus Fire, forward | Wide, strong damage |
| Freeze and shatter | Water spray, then Cold, then Earth or Ice projectile | Wet targets freeze; frozen targets shatter |
| Zap the wet | Water spray on enemies, then Lightning | Lightning hits Wet targets harder |
| Arcane beam | Arcane plus a damage element, forward | Big single-target damage (and big friendly fire) |
Magicks are special spells with fixed element recipes. In Magicka 2 they are learned from tomes found in the campaign, have cooldowns, and can be saved as templates: since update 1.1.1.0, scroll the mouse wheel to pick your favorite Magick in Magicka 1 style (gamepad: LB plus the D-pad opens the Magick menu).
Magicks confirmed by official notes or achievements include:
| Magick | Notes |
|---|---|
| Teleport | Found in Chapter 2; escape tool and repositioning |
| Thunderbolt | Found in Chapter 3; heavy strike from above |
| Higherland Breeze | Also freezes water (update 1.1.1.0) |
| Sacrifice | Reworked in update 1.1.1.0; read the in-game description |
| Push | Knockback; the final-boss challenge achievement bans it |
| Concussion | Area blast; also banned by that achievement |
Your in-game spellbook shows every Magick you have found and its element recipe. Practice recipes in quiet moments until you can type them without looking.
Artifacts are modifiers you toggle before a run, "switches and options" that change how the game plays and add replay value. They range from silly to brutal; the 2019 patch notes mention one called Piñata Madness, which turns animal gore into something more festive. Try a few once you have finished the campaign.
Magicka 2 has three paid DLCs on Steam (all also bundled in the Deluxe Edition):
| DLC | Released | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Gates of Midgård Challenge Pack | September 15, 2015 | Three new challenge maps themed on gates to the North, South and East, each with its own environmental hazards; one is pitched as exceptionally hard |
| Three Cardinals Robe Pack | September 15, 2015 | Cosmetic robe sets: Winter Ruler (North), Raiments of Arobea (South) and Gusoku (East), each with a matching staff and weapon |
| Ice, Death and Fury | December 15, 2015 | Four co-op scenarios (Protect the King, Troll Cave, Darkness, Old Wizard), three standalone boss fights (Insane Maxi, Mr Carrot, The Great Porkolino) and three robe sets (Death Apprentice, Scavenger, Robe of Riviera) |
Which DLC is worth it? Ice, Death and Fury is the one with the most new gameplay. Gates of Midgård is for groups who enjoy the Challenge arenas. Three Cardinals is purely cosmetic, though its robes come with their own staff and weapon.
The list has 47 achievements. Most are either story/difficulty clears, cumulative grinds, or one-off encounter conditions (covered in the campaign tips above). Plan runs around them:
| Type | Achievements | How to get them efficiently |
|---|---|---|
| Difficulty clears | We Have Normality, Between a Rock and a Hard Place, The Safe Word is "Bananas"! | Clear the campaign on Normal, Hard and Bananas. Bananas is far easier with a full co-op team |
| Trials | Trial by Fire, Trial by Fire+Lightning, Trial by Fire+Lightning+Death | Beat all campaign Trials on Normal, Hard and Bananas |
| Challenges | Wizard's, Professor's and Sage's Diploma | Beat the five base Challenges on each difficulty |
| Damage | Humble Beginnings (1,000,000), Serious Damage! (5,000,000), Terrible Terrible Damage! (20,000,000) | Accumulate naturally over replays and Challenges |
| Healing | Nurse (100,000), Doctor (500,000), Miracle Worker (2,000,000) | Play the healer role in co-op; healing allies counts |
| Kills | Warlock (1,000), Archmage (10,000) | Challenges are the fastest source of enemies |
| Revives | Ress plz... (100), RESS PLZ! (1,000) | Co-op only; they come naturally |
| Friendly fire | Did I Do That? (kill friends 100 times), Oh, My Bad (1,000) | Co-op, and it will happen whether you try or not |
| Deaths | Just Another Wizard Day (die 100), Trial and Error (die 1,000), I Meant To Do That (kill yourself 100), Trying to Get "Trial and Error"? (kill yourself 1,000) | Grind these together in a private session |
| Restriction runs | Focus Saver (finish Chapter 5 without using Magicks), Focus Spender (finish Chapter 3 without using Spells) | Chapter 3 without Spells means leaning on Magicks and melee; bring a co-op partner |
| Story moments | The King's Speech (listen to the King's entire speech), Respect Your Elders, That Escalated Quickly | Do not skip dialogue; explore every side path |
Several achievements have hidden descriptions on Steam; they unlock through exploration and secrets, so a first blind playthrough that checks every corner will pop a lot of them.
Can I play Magicka 2 solo? Yes, the campaign scales from one to four wizards. It is harder alone because no one can revive you, so lean on healing and Shield.
Does it run on Mac and Linux? Yes. Mac and Linux support came in late 2015, and a 2019 update fixed Paradox Account logins on Mac.
Is friendly fire optional? No, it is always on.
How do I get more Magicks? Find tomes during the campaign. Teleport is in Chapter 2 and Thunderbolt in Chapter 3.
What is Bananas difficulty? The hardest difficulty. There are separate achievements for finishing the campaign, Trials and Challenges on it.
What do Artifacts do? They are toggleable modifiers that change gameplay for replays.
Which DLC should I buy? Ice, Death and Fury adds the most gameplay (four scenarios and three boss fights). The Deluxe Edition bundles all three DLCs.
Is the game still updated? No. The last patches were 1.2.2.0 (January 2019, Paradox Account changes) and a July 2019 Mac login fix.