The Magus Circle beginner guide
Quick answer
Pick mouse or tablet (disable Microsoft Ink if strokes fail), enable slow-time drawing if the Tide overwhelms you, and treat death as the loop — the Magus Mansion progression carries over.
The Magus Circle throws you into a drawing-driven survivors-like: you survive a Tide by sketching sigils with your mouse, tablet or finger. This guide covers the first hour — what to enable before your first run, what to do when the Tide starts, and what carries over when you die.
Before your first run: three settings
- Pick your input. The game supports mouse, drawing tablet, touch screen and controller (official store page). The developers recommend mouse, tablet or touch — drawing is the whole game, so avoid the controller unless you use the accessibility options below.
- If a drawing tablet fails to register strokes, disable Microsoft Ink. This is an official fix, not a rumor: "If your drawing tablet uses Microsoft Ink, disable the setting for your drawings to work" (Steam store page, checked September 24, 2026).
- Consider slow-time or button-press casting. The official accessibility settings let you slow or freeze time while drawing, or swap to a button press mode. The developer explicitly recommends these for controller players. Demo players also report the opening minutes are slow — you can use that window to fiddle with settings.
Your first run, minute by minute
| What happens | What to do |
|---|---|
| First 2–3 minutes | Demo players report the opening is slow — use it to learn one sigil properly instead of mashing. |
| First horde | Draw the sigil shown, then move. Standing still to draw is the number one killer — you are always multitasking movement and drawing. |
| Mana appears | Your strongest spells cost mana, so you cannot spam them (player report). Cycle cheap sigils, save mana for when enemies crowd you. |
| Level up | Each level offers upgrades from the pool. Pick for the spells you actually draw well, not the rarest card on the box. |
| You die | Everything run-specific ends — but the Magus Mansion stays. Meet the other mages, unlock powers and start the next run stronger. |
What carries over after a run
Death is part of the loop, not a fail state. Officially: "if you fall in battle, you may return to the safety of The Magus Circle where you may learn new powers, befriend other mages" (bywitchlight.com). Between runs at the mansion you can:
- Unlock familiars, brew potions, grow a garden and wager winnings (official key features).
- Talk to the six mages — each has their own skill tree, abilities and storyline.
- Pick your difficulty ramp: the studio lists 10+ optional challenges you stack onto the run yourself.
First-hour mistakes to avoid
- Drawing at a bad angle. A demo player with 5.5 hours reported sigils "won't register if drawn at an aggressive angle relative to upright" — keep strokes upright-ish when a spell fails.
- Ignoring frame drops. One player tied unresponsive sigils directly to lag: "lagging means drawing sigils doesn't work half the time." If strokes drop, lower settings before blaming your aim.
- Assuming every menu takes keyboard input. Demo reports say several menus don't accept keys — draw/click the way the game expects inside menus too.
