Slotbound Wild Mage: Why It Stops Attacking After Upgrade

The Wild Mage is not bugged — it stops attacking because promoting a Sorcerer into it converts it into a boar-summoning support unit, not a direct damage dealer. Its Savage Tusk evolution option summons a boar that fights on its own until defeated, and if a boar is already on the field, the summon instead restores that boar's HP. That is why your best damage mage suddenly "does nothing" right after the upgrade: its job changed from shooting to producing and maintaining a tank.

Why it looks lazy after upgrading

The Wild Mage itself mostly stands back while the boar does the fighting. In a first-hand mage-only run on hard difficulty, a player promoted a Sorcerer into a Wild Mage specifically to put "boars on the field," and later stacked multiple Wild Mages so two bears boars were active at once. The unit's value shows up in the wave results as the boar's damage and body-blocking, not the mage's own attack numbers.

How to use a Wild Mage effectively

Players on the Slotbound Steam Community forums report that the summon deals damage and tanks, and that the Wild Mage can either summon a fresh boar or heal an existing one to full HP, calling it a very strong tank unit.

1. Place the Wild Mage near the front

   The boar spawns immediately and gets out in front of the team, so it takes hits meant for your backline instead of them.

2. Keep feeding it absorption fodder

   Like other units, it levels through absorbed units, which makes each summon cycle worth more.

3. Pair it with ranged carries

   While the boar holds the line, your archers and other mages deal damage freely from the back.

4. Re-summon when the boar is hurt

   A summon when a boar already exists restores that boar's HP, so refresh it between waves.

One caution from the same footage: bosses such as the beholder shoot the backline, so a Wild Mage still needs some protection — the boar tanks the front, not ranged boss attacks.

FAQ

Is the Wild Mage bugged because it stops fighting?

No. It is working as designed: it becomes a summoner whose boar fights and tanks in its place, per players on the Steam forums.

What does the Wild Mage's Savage Tusk summon do?

It summons a boar that fights until defeated; if a boar already exists, the summon restores that boar's HP instead.

Where should I put a Wild Mage?

Near the front of your lineup, so the boar spawns out front immediately and absorbs hits for the rest of the team.

Is the Slotbound Wild Mage upgrade worth taking?

Players on the Steam forums say yes — the boar is described as a really good tank unit, and hard-difficulty footage shows multiple Wild Mages carrying late waves.

Check note: mechanics above come from the mage-only gameplay video and the Wild Mage Steam discussion thread (both demo footage, so exact numbers may shift with patches; Slotbound enters Early Access on November 10 per the official Steam page). The boar's exact HP values and stat scaling remain unconfirmed.