The elementally overdosed, chaos infused game that managed to frustrate and entertain the masses. The unique spellcasting mechanic made it very addictive to play and we've all had our moment of realisation when we blew our friends up that we're all a little in love with... destruction. It was a game of exploration and experimentation, with a high skill ceiling.
Like any game it had its fair share of problems, ranging from nothing to everything being wrong.

While the previous game was a super saiyan version of the new arena-like PvP counterpart, this game is toned down while maintaining the fun and skill aspect of it. Simplicity and balance are the key elements here, while the focus is on the combat itself - which is damn right great even in the game's alpha state.

http://steamproxy.net/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=118999253

• Max number of elements for a spell is now 3, instead of the previous 5.
  
  
  
• Steam and Ice elements no longer collapse as 1 single separated element in the cast bar.
  
  
  
• Water+Frost ward is a Water+Frost aura instead of an ice armor, it also protects from ice projectiles
  
  
  
• Water+Fire ward is a Water+Fire aura, and it protects fully from steam and 50% from fire and 50% from water
  
  
  
• The overall potency of spells is drastically reduced giving longer time-to-kill and fights
  
  
  
• This applies to healing too, life is important and healing others is always better than healing yourself!
  
  
  
• Normal Yellow shields are now passable by rock projectiles, lightning and players
  
  
  
• Self-casting a shield gives you a shield dome instead of shield armor like in the original Magicka
  
  
  
• You CAN heal yourself while you have rock armor equipped on you
  
  
  
• Casting WWW on yourself, is no longer burst heal now, it's healing over time (hold to heal) and it's exponential (healing ramps up)
  
  
  
• Beams are not constant damage anymore, instead they do exponential damage the more they hit a target, meaning continuous precision is required
  
  
  
• Beams now cancel out if any two elements in them are incompatible. In the original, only life+arcane beam intersection canceled out while now you can cancel out fire and water beams for example
  
  
  
• Lightning + Arcane spells will be a lightning arc, instead of the previous beam spell
  
  
  
• Your character will keep moving to where you click - you don't have to hold click to move
  
  
  
• Movement is now decoupled from your aim, meaning you can move and cast spells
  
  
  
• Game is PvP oriented, with only one Capture The Spawnpoints map until now.
  
  
  
  
• There are some melee goblin creeps that spawn with point captures
  
  
  
• When you spawn, you have a goblin pet that sticks with you, until you end up killing him
  
  
  
• Teamwork is essential now, and it will always trump opponents who have none.
  
  
  
• Auras function differently now and are tiered to two levels (Shield + Element1 + Element2). Each element gives half immunity to that specific element. Two equal elements give full immunity.
  
  
  
  
• You can have 4 Magicks at once in your loadout, one from each tier
  
  
  
  
• Magicks now cost focus to cast. When you do actions in game you fill focus and when you have enough to cast a given tier of a magick, you will consume said focus
  
  
  
  
• Magicks are split into 4 tiers, each one costing increasingly more
  
  
  
  
• Magicks cost crystals to unlock. You get crystals by leveling up
  
  
  
  
• Weapons are pretty powerful when you are up close and personal. They even have a special ability when you hold the weapon button down for a few seconds
  
  
  
  
• Depending on what you have equipped, you have elemental affinity now. Items you wear increases the effectiveness of one element while decreasing it from another one.
  
  
  
  
• You have an in-game store that you can use to unlock items. They cost in-game currency called crowns, which can be gained by playing the game and doing well in matches.
  
  
  
  
• "Normal" Casting with no spell ready now triggers your weapon attack, instead of throwing air
  
  
  
• There is no "Shift" casting - meaning no weapon imbue or area cast, though some spells when "Self" cast will trigger an AoE spell instead of blowing your head off like back in the days.
  
  
  
• Graphics engine has been revamped, amongst other things.

• The freedom of combining your own spells.
  
  
• The "Normal" and "Self" cast.
  
  
• The same old 8 elements are still there:
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• The intensity of fights.
  
  
• The high-skill ceiling.
  
  
• The fun.
  
  
• Fully enabled friendly-fire. Which leads to...
  
  
• Chaos! Glorious, glorious chaos.

Go to the advanced guide made by Auron, Wizard and me
http://steamproxy.net/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=186205747
... and don't forget to keep your enemies vaporized and your friends burned.