“South Park: The Stick of Truth” is a role-playing video game developed by Obsidian Entertainment and published by Ubisoft. Released in 2014, the game immerses players into the whimsical and often outrageous world of South Park, a fictional Colorado town from the eponymous TV series created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone. As a player, you assume the role of the “New Kid” and engage in a grand fantasy war involving humans, elves, and other fantastical beings. One of the game’s most engaging aspects is its character customization and build options, allowing players to tailor their gameplay experience to their preferred style. This review delves into the various builds available in the game, examining their strengths, weaknesses, and overall impact on the player’s journey through South Park.
Table of Contents
Overview of Character Classes
In “South Park: The Stick of Truth,” players can choose from four distinct classes: Fighter, Mage, Thief, and Jew. Each class offers unique abilities and playstyles, encouraging players to explore different strategies. Let’s explore these classes in detail:
Fighter
The Fighter class is designed for players who enjoy direct combat and dealing physical damage. Fighters excel in close-quarters combat and can withstand significant damage. Key attributes include high health and strong physical attacks.
Key Abilities:
- Assault and Battery: A powerful attack that involves a series of baseball bat strikes.
- Bull Rush: A charge attack that knocks back enemies and applies status effects.
- Roshambo: A series of quick strikes that can stun enemies.
Strengths:
- High durability and health.
- Strong physical attacks.
- Effective crowd control with stun and knockback abilities.
Weaknesses:
- Limited range attacks.
- Relies heavily on physical strength, making it vulnerable to enemies with high armor.
Mage
The Mage class is perfect for players who prefer using magic to defeat enemies. Mages excel in casting powerful spells that can inflict various status effects on foes. They have lower health compared to Fighters but make up for it with high damage output from their spells.
Key Abilities:
- Dragon’s Breath: A fire spell that deals damage over time and causes the Burn status effect.
- Lightning Volt: A lightning attack that can hit multiple enemies.
- Fireball: A powerful explosive spell that deals significant damage to all nearby enemies.
Strengths:
- High damage output from spells.
- Ability to inflict various status effects.
- Effective against multiple enemies.
Weaknesses:
- Low health and defense.
- Limited physical attack capabilities.
Thief
The Thief class is ideal for players who enjoy stealth and quick, agile attacks. Thieves can deal high burst damage and are proficient in using various debuffs to weaken enemies. They have moderate health and defense.
Key Abilities:
- Backstab: A high-damage attack that targets a single enemy and can cause Bleeding.
- Mug: A stealth attack that can stun enemies and steal items.
- Death of a Thousand Cuts: A series of rapid attacks that can hit multiple enemies.
Strengths:
- High burst damage and critical hit potential.
- Effective at debuffing enemies.
- Stealth abilities for surprise attacks.
Weaknesses:
- Moderate health and defense.
- Less effective in prolonged battles compared to other classes.
Jew
The Jew class offers a unique blend of healing and offensive abilities, making it a versatile choice. Jews can cast powerful spells that both damage enemies and heal allies. They have moderate health and can play both support and damage-dealing roles.
Key Abilities:
- Jew-Jitsu: A series of attacks that can cause significant damage and stun enemies.
- Circum-Scythe: A spinning attack that can hit multiple enemies.
- Plagues of Egypt: A powerful spell that inflicts various status effects on all enemies.
Strengths:
- Versatile mix of healing and offensive spells.
- Can support allies with healing abilities.
- Effective against groups of enemies.
Weaknesses:
- Moderate health and defense.
- Requires careful management of abilities to balance offense and support.
Builds and Playstyles
Each class in “South Park: The Stick of Truth” offers a variety of builds that players can experiment with. These builds are combinations of abilities, equipment, and accessories that optimize a character’s strengths and mitigate weaknesses. Let’s explore some effective builds for each class.
Fighter Builds
1. The Juggernaut
Description: The Juggernaut build focuses on maximizing the Fighter’s durability and damage output. This build is designed to withstand significant damage while dealing powerful blows to enemies.
Key Abilities:
- Assault and Battery
- Bull Rush
- Roshambo
Equipment:
- Weapon: Warrior’s Longsword (high damage output)
- Armor: Knight Armor (high defense)
- Gloves: Knight Gauntlets (increased strength)
- Helmet: Knight Helmet (boosts health)
Accessories:
- Ring of Protection (boosts defense)
- Badge of Fortitude (increases health and stamina)
Strategy: The Juggernaut build excels in close-quarters combat, using high-damage attacks to take down enemies quickly while absorbing damage. Use Bull Rush to knock back and debilitate enemies, followed by Assault and Battery for significant damage. Roshambo can be used to stun particularly dangerous foes.
2. The Berserker
Description: The Berserker build focuses on maximizing the Fighter’s offensive capabilities. This build sacrifices some defense for increased attack power and critical hit potential.
Key Abilities:
- Assault and Battery
- Roshambo
- Ground Stomp
Equipment:
- Weapon: Katana (high critical hit chance)
- Armor: Barbarian Armor (boosts attack power)
- Gloves: Barbarian Gauntlets (increases critical hit chance)
- Helmet: Barbarian Helmet (enhances attack speed)
Accessories:
- Ring of Power (boosts attack power)
- Badge of Quickness (increases speed and initiative)
Strategy: The Berserker build relies on dealing maximum damage as quickly as possible. Use Assault and Battery to deliver high-damage attacks, and Roshambo to stun enemies and create openings for more attacks. Ground Stomp can be used to damage and debuff multiple enemies at once.
Mage Builds
1. The Pyromancer
Description: The Pyromancer build focuses on maximizing the Mage’s fire-based spells, dealing continuous damage over time through burn effects.
Key Abilities:
- Dragon’s Breath
- Fireball
- Pyre Ball
Equipment:
- Weapon: Staff of Major Fire (boosts fire damage)
- Armor: Pyromancer Robes (enhances fire spell damage)
- Gloves: Pyromancer Gloves (increases mana regeneration)
- Helmet: Pyromancer Hood (boosts spell power)
Accessories:
- Ring of Mana (enhances mana regeneration)
- Badge of Sorcery (boosts magic attack power)
Strategy: The Pyromancer build excels in dealing continuous damage over time with fire spells. Use Dragon’s Breath to apply burn effects to enemies, followed by Fireball to deal area-of-effect damage. Pyre Ball can be used to finish off weakened enemies or deal significant damage to tough foes.
2. The Stormcaller
Description: The Stormcaller build focuses on maximizing the Mage’s lightning-based spells, dealing high burst damage to multiple enemies.
Key Abilities:
- Lightning Volt
- Chain Lightning
- Thunderstorm
Equipment:
- Weapon: Staff of Major Lightning (boosts lightning damage)
- Armor: Stormcaller Robes (enhances lightning spell damage)
- Gloves: Stormcaller Gloves (increases mana regeneration)
- Helmet: Stormcaller Hood (boosts spell power)
Accessories:
- Ring of Mana (enhances mana regeneration)
- Badge of Sorcery (boosts magic attack power)
Strategy: The Stormcaller build excels in dealing high burst damage to multiple enemies with lightning spells. Use Lightning Volt to hit multiple enemies, followed by Chain Lightning to deal additional damage. Thunderstorm can be used to deal massive damage to all enemies on the battlefield.
Thief Builds
1. The Shadow
Description: The Shadow build focuses on maximizing the Thief’s stealth and critical hit potential. This build is designed for players who enjoy quick, high-damage attacks and evading enemy detection.
Key Abilities:
- Backstab
- Mug
- Sneaky Squeaker
Equipment:
- Weapon: Dagger of Sneaking (high critical hit chance)
- Armor: Shadow Armor (enhances stealth and critical hit chance)
- Gloves: Shadow Gloves (increases speed and critical hit damage)
- Helmet: Shadow Hood (boosts stealth abilities)
Accessories:
- Ring of Stealth (enhances stealth abilities)
- Badge of Agility (increases speed and critical hit chance)
Strategy: The Shadow build relies on using stealth to get close to enemies and deliver high-damage critical hits. Use Backstab to deal significant damage to a single target, followed by Mug to stun enemies and steal items. Sneaky Squeaker can be used to distract and disorient enemies, creating opportunities for more attacks.
2. The Assassin
Description: The Assassin build focuses on maximizing the Thief’s burst damage and debuff potential. This build is designed for players who enjoy dealing quick, high-damage attacks and weakening enemies with debuffs.
Key Abilities:
- Death of a Thousand Cuts
- Mug
- Backstab
Equipment:
- Weapon: Assassin’s Dagger (high damage and critical hit chance)
- Armor: Assassin Armor (boosts critical hit damage and stealth)
- Gloves: Assassin Gloves (increases critical hit chance and damage)
- Helmet: Assassin Hood (enhances critical hit damage and stealth abilities)
Accessories:
- Ring of Precision (increases critical hit chance)
- Badge of Agility (boosts speed and critical hit chance)
Strategy: The Assassin build focuses on using critical hits and debuffs to take down enemies quickly. Start with Death of a Thousand Cuts to hit multiple enemies with rapid attacks, followed by Mug to stun and debilitate a key target. Use Backstab to deal high damage to weakened enemies, finishing them off efficiently.
Jew Builds
1. The Healer
Description: The Healer build focuses on maximizing the Jew’s healing abilities while still providing offensive support. This build is ideal for players who prefer a supportive role in combat, keeping allies healthy while dealing damage when needed.
Key Abilities:
- Circum-Scythe
- Jew-Jitsu
- Healing Touch
Equipment:
- Weapon: Staff of Restoration (boosts healing power)
- Armor: Healer’s Robes (enhances healing abilities)
- Gloves: Healer’s Gloves (increases mana regeneration)
- Helmet: Healer’s Hood (boosts healing power and mana regeneration)
Accessories:
- Ring of Healing (enhances healing abilities)
- Badge of Fortitude (increases health and stamina)
Strategy: The Healer build excels in keeping the party healthy while still contributing to damage output. Use Healing Touch to restore health to allies, and Circum-Scythe to deal area-of-effect damage to enemies. Jew-Jitsu can be used to stun and debilitate key targets, providing additional support in battle.
2. The Plaguebringer
Description: The Plaguebringer build focuses on maximizing the Jew’s ability to inflict status effects and deal damage over time. This build is ideal for players who enjoy weakening enemies with debuffs and spreading damage across multiple foes.
Key Abilities:
- Plagues of Egypt
- Jew-Jitsu
- Circum-Scythe
Equipment:
- Weapon: Plague Staff (boosts status effect damage)
- Armor: Plaguebringer Robes (enhances status effect duration and damage)
- Gloves: Plaguebringer Gloves (increases mana regeneration)
- Helmet: Plaguebringer Hood (boosts spell power and status effect potency)
Accessories:
- Ring of Affliction (enhances status effect damage)
- Badge of Sorcery (boosts magic attack power)
Strategy: The Plaguebringer build focuses on spreading status effects and dealing continuous damage over time. Use Plagues of Egypt to inflict multiple status effects on all enemies, followed by Circum-Scythe to deal area-of-effect damage. Jew-Jitsu can be used to stun and debilitate key targets, ensuring they remain weakened throughout the battle.
Impact of Builds on Gameplay Experience
Early Game Builds
In the early stages of the game, builds are relatively simple and focus on basic strategies that introduce players to the mechanics of their chosen class. Early game builds often emphasize survivability and straightforward damage output, allowing players to get a feel for their character’s abilities without overwhelming complexity.
Mid-Game Builds
As players progress through the game, mid-game builds become more specialized and introduce more strategic elements. Players begin to encounter tougher enemies and more complex combat scenarios, requiring a deeper understanding of their class’s strengths and weaknesses. Mid-game builds often focus on optimizing damage output, enhancing survivability, and exploiting enemy weaknesses.
Late Game Builds
Late-game builds are highly specialized and powerful, allowing players to tackle the most challenging content in the game. These builds often involve careful selection of equipment, abilities, and accessories to maximize the character’s potential. Players can experiment with different combinations to create highly effective strategies tailored to their preferred playstyle. Late-game builds also encourage players to adapt to various combat scenarios, making use of their full arsenal of abilities and equipment to overcome formidable foes.
Role-Playing and Immersion
The diverse builds in “South Park: The Stick of Truth” significantly enhance the role-playing aspect of the game. Players can fully immerse themselves in their chosen roles, whether they are a powerful Fighter, cunning Thief, masterful Mage, or versatile Jew. The detailed customization options and strategic depth of each build allow players to create unique characters that resonate with their personal preferences and playstyles.
Customization and Player Identity
Customization is a key feature of “South Park: The Stick of Truth,” allowing players to express their identity and style within the game. The wide range of builds and equipment options ensures that players can create characters that reflect their preferred approach to combat and storytelling. Whether players choose to be a resilient Juggernaut, a stealthy Shadow, a powerful Pyromancer, or a supportive Healer, they can craft a persona that feels uniquely their own.
Replayability
The variety of builds and customization options greatly enhance the game’s replayability. Players are encouraged to try different classes and build combinations in subsequent playthroughs, discovering new strategies and approaches to the game’s challenges. The strategic depth and variety of builds ensure that each playthrough offers a fresh and engaging experience, allowing players to explore the full potential of the game’s mechanics.
Conclusion
“South Park: The Stick of Truth” offers a rich and engaging experience through its diverse class builds and customization options. Each class – Fighter, Mage, Thief, and Jew – provides unique abilities and playstyles that cater to different player preferences. The game’s build system adds significant depth and strategic complexity, allowing players to experiment with various combinations of abilities, equipment, and accessories to optimize their characters.
Early, mid, and late-game builds provide a structured progression that introduces players to the mechanics of their chosen class and encourages them to develop more specialized and powerful strategies as they advance through the game. The detailed customization options and role-playing elements enhance immersion, allowing players to create unique characters that reflect their personal preferences and playstyles.
Ultimately, the variety of builds and strategic depth in “South Park: The Stick of Truth” ensure a highly replayable and engaging experience, making it a standout feature in this critically acclaimed RPG. Whether players prefer the brute strength of a Fighter, the magical prowess of a Mage, the stealthy tactics of a Thief, or the versatile abilities of a Jew, they will find a wealth of options to explore and enjoy in their journey through the fantastical and hilarious world of South Park.