Rogue Legacy 2 guide: Play every class to rank up Mastery levels

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A big part of Rogue Legacy 2 is figuring out which permanent upgrades best fit your individual playstyle, and there are a ton of directions to go on the Manor upgrade path. That said, there’s an early purchase — the Sage Totem, which unlocks Mastery bonuses for all of your classes — that you should prioritize before you get too far along.

This upgrade lets you “learn from your ancestors’ past mistakes and gain permanent bonuses for dying,” which might not sound fun, exactly, but it’s worth it.

Here’s our guide to Mastery levels and why they matter in Rogue Legacy 2.

With the Sage Totem unlocked, you’ll find the character chilling in your home base, slightly above and left of Charon’s boat. Now it’s time to get some big XP gains, not just gold.

When you slay enemies in Rogue Legacy 2, you’ll earn experience points, and XP funnels into Mastery. You’ll keep playing like normal, but when you die — it’s more a “when” than an “if,” isn’t it? — you’ll see the XP pile up on the end-of-run recap screen.

Here’s the cool part: every class has its own Mastery rank, and every time they level up, they’ll unlock a passive bonus. In the example above, my Knight earned +10 Equip Weight.

There will be classes you click with and others you don’t quite get. It’s worth making the rounds in Rogue Legacy 2, though. The permanent bonuses earned from Mastery levels affect everyone, so it pays to be a Bard or a Ranger at least some of the time.

Your future heirs will thank you!

There is a cap on Mastery rank, but you can increase it in New Game+.

It took me way too long to realize this (I must’ve done it super early in my playthrough and then completely forgot to look again until, umm, New Game+2…), but you can chat with the Sage Totem at your