Spells and upgrades in The Magus Circle
The store promises 20 spells and 600 possible upgrades while the developer site says 250+ unique — both claims are quoted with sources here, and mana limits stop you spamming the strongest sigils anyway.
The Magus Circle's build system runs on two official numbers — 20 unique spells and 600 possible upgrades (Steam store page) — plus a mana ceiling that decides how much of that toolbox you can actually fire in one wave. The studio's own site phrases the upgrade side differently ("over 250 unique upgrades"), so this page records both claims with their sources instead of picking the tidier one.
The official numbers, straight
| Claim | Number | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Unique spells | 20 | Steam store page (Key Features), checked Sep 24, 2026 |
| Possible upgrades | 600 | Steam store page — "20 unique spells augmented by 600 possible upgrades" |
| Unique upgrades | 250+ | bywitchlight.com — "Over 250 unique upgrades allow you to approach the game your way" |
How a build actually forms
- Draw sigils → cast spells. Each spell is a shape you draw; a build is which shapes you can draw fast under pressure.
- Level-ups feed upgrades. Between waves the game deals upgrade choices; official framing is "combine powerful upgrades to dominate the endless Tide."
- Mana gates your best spells. Demo players report a mana limit that stops you from spamming the strongest sigils — "good prevention against learning only one sigil" (0.8h demo review). Mana management is a real axis of the run, not decoration.
- Adapt every run. The developers' stated design: "every run, you must adapt your spells and upgrades around the hand fate deals you" (bywitchlight.com).
Upgrade behaviors demo players documented
All reported from the 195-review demo sample — treat as demo-era, not confirmed launch values:
- Kill-scaling stacks: upgrades of the form "+1% X per 100 enemies killed" appear; one player capped out around 15% in a full run (2.1h).
- Late-run power spike: upgrades make you "pretty OP at the end while the mobs still put up a good challenge" (3.0h).
- Tarot cards have upright/reverse variants; a demo player argued the reverse versions of Priestess and Empress currently outclass their upright forms (0.7h — a balance opinion, not a fact).
- Difficulty scaling is player-chosen: the official site lists 10+ optional challenges you toggle to make runs harder — the answer to "it gets too easy" requests seen in reviews.
What the 20 spells look like (demo-era examples)
The full launch roster of 20 wasn't published at the time of writing. Named by players in demo reviews and discussions: Fireball (two-stroke draw, easy to whiff), Chain Lightning (hardest shape per multiple players), Thunderstorm (so forgiving one line counts). Spell count will be re-verified against the launch build and this table extended then.
Build planning checklist
- Favor spells whose sigils you can draw upright and fast — recognizer reliability beats raw numbers.
- Watch mana cost curves: cheap sigils clear trash, mana spells answer surges.
- If a run flops, check whether the kill-scaling upgrades were stacked early — they pay off only with volume.
- Endgame difficulty: enable official challenge modifiers instead of rerolling for a harder game.
