This guide will presume that you are utilizing room-scale with a basic understanding of how that works.

VR Experience

The Last Mage Standing does not allow for much movement within the gaming environment, but you are able to explore insofar as your room is large. This doesn't allow for much in the game. It is possible to get slightly better angles around corners by moving around your room but for the most part this is not terribly useful. Also, don't try to dodge enemy magic attacks.

Lastly, you will see two melee weapons at your feet when you start. This is scripted to be just beyond the edge of your room scale. Do not try to walk up to them and pick them up. You do not need to approach them to do this.

Controllers

Your two controllers display as glowing arcane hands. Digitally they display useful information on both wrists that include the wave you are on and how many enemies are currently in play.

Your left hand displays your life meter, out of 100, and your right hand shows your mana, starting at 0.

Triggers - Holding down either trigger will generate a fireball in the corresponding hand that will grow for a few seconds based on how long you hold the button. Releasing the trigger will let go of the fireball. Making a throwing motion while letting go of the trigger will throw the fireball in the direction that you have swung. It's all very intuitive. This is far too many words for something so straightforward.

Touchpads - Your left touchpad functions as your spellbook. Holding it down shows you a dial of sigils. Touching these floating sigils with the tips of your right hand will highlight them. Highlighting them in sequence is how you cast spells. A directory of spells, listing which you have access to, their sigils, and their mana cost, will appear next to the dial of sigils on the right.

After casting Arcane Shield you will need to click the touchpad of the hand would like to apply the shield to.

Grip buttons - The grip buttons will display a line from your hand within the game. This is how you pick up melee weapons. It does not matter how far away they are. Simply hold down the grip button on the hand you wish to use and point the line at the melee weapon you would like to pick up. Similarly, releasing the grip button drops the melee weapon. Moving your hand at the same time allows weapons to be thrown (and kill) in the same way as fireballs.

Menu button - This button does nothing within the game.

Steam button - Functions normally, pausing the game and bringing up the SteamVR menu.

The spells within the game are:

• Inferno
  
• Fireball
  
• Arcane Shield
  
• Fire Wall

Inferno

Inferno is available from the beginning of the game. Contrary to the charge-and-use fireball, Inferno allows the user to fire a constant stream of flame from either hand for a steady mana cost.

Fireball

Fireball is the basic spell and by default equipped to both hands. Shots cost no mana and can be spammed. However, it is possible to hurt yourself with this spell so be careful no to throw fireballs at your feet.

Arcane Shield

Arcane Shield is the basic magical shield, costing 5 mana per use. When you input the correct sigils to cast the spell you have to click the touchpad of the hand you want to apply it to. It appears as large concentric blue circles with arcane writing. It is see through and follows the hand you applied it to. It does not block physical attacks but will block the green magic attacks fired at you. Your shield does not stop your fireballs and you can throw fireballs through one hand's shield with your other hand. You can double cast this if need be, such that you have one on either hand.

Fire Wall

The Fire Wall costs 15 mana and can only be used once per wave making its use surprisingly limited as it costs more mana than a single wave will generate. After selecting the correct sigils you will see steam. There are two lines of steam on the ground corresponding to your two hands. This is a guide to help you place the fire wall. Move your hand until the steam version of the fire wall is in the desired location and click the touchpad of the hand you are using to create the fire wall. Fire Wall does not last the entire wave. Don't get caught unawares. Fire Wall only lasts approximately 75% of the wave before dissipating.

Last Mage Standing is set up with a presumably endless number of waves of skeletons that will all approach your room-scaled platform and attack you as the player. Some skeletons will attack you from a melee distance while some will stop a short distance away and summon a green ball that they will fire at you.

This ball takes a second to be summoned and does not arc. It can be blocked in three ways: Arcane Shield; Fireball; and a Melee Weapon. Firstly, you can create the passive arcane shield spell and bind it to one of your hands. The shield will only block those magic attacks that attempt to pass through it so you have to position it carefully. You can also throw a fireball of your own if your aim is good and you time it right. The two magic attacks will collide in the air and explode. Lastly, you can use a melee weapon in the same way.

You can look at either wrist to see which wave you are on and how many enemies are currently alive on your current wave. Once those enemies are killed and the number reaches 0 you will immediately advance to the next wave and more enemies will spawn. There is little to no time to rest between waves and they start automatically.

Sometimes you will hear a bells jingling. This indicates that a santa skeleton will soon step out.

After each round you will receive 5 mana which you can check on the back of your right hand. This mana will accumulate and is used to cast spells.

Your health does not regenerate whatsoever and there is no way to recover lost health.

Once your health reaches 0, by your spells or by enemy attacks, you will die and the leaderboard will appear with your score. I am confident that anyone who follows the tips in this guide can easily make it on to the leaderboard with minimal effort.

I have full confidence that anyone who follows the below tips from myself and members of the community can make it to the leaderboards.

Do not use inferno. Inferno is the fire stream that you can use from the start of the game for a mana cost. Not only do you want to save as much mana as possible, you do not want skeletons getting close enough for this spell to be useful.

Save mana. You only get five mana per level. This is enough to use one arcane shield per wave but this would mean you could not use any other spells that cost mana. Remember, arcane shield is only useful when you aren't fast enough to kill a skeleton and stop it from firing a magic blast at you. If you're quick and can keep track of all three directions you should be good for most levels.

Attack immediately. You can see the skeletons pull themselves from the ground at great distances. While they are very far away do try to hit them. A good strategy for this is to aim high. It's better for your fireball to go past the mark than for it to not go far enough. Then, replicate your movements but slightly lower. Your next shot should be slightly closer to the mark. By using this technique you can not only better gauge your aim, but you hopefully create a sweep of falling fireballs that will eventually catch the enemies. Don't forget to check your back. Some rounds will try to distract you with one loan enemy at a distance that is hard to hit.

Priorotize targets. Your fireballs hit with splash damage. This means that skeletons that are around the area where your fireball hit will be destroyed if close enough. The area depends on how long you held the trigger down. When you have the luxury of choice (ie: when you're not about to be attacked) aim for clusters of enemies to kill as many enemies as possible.

Aim for the feet. Just like a rocket launcher, you want to make sure you get the enemy by aiming for the ground at their feet. This means they'll be hit with the area of effect damage and doesn't risk missing them entirely.

Keep track of where you hit. Watching where the fireball hits helps your mind adjust to the physics and cause/effect of your physical input. It just helps you aim your next shot.

Keep track of where you don't hit. Everyone is different. Keeping in mind which areas you're not good at hitting can help you prioritize. Maybe fight other skeletons until the first group has moved into a more accessible location, or maybe you have to really focus on them since they're in a difficult place.

Allow yourself to not watch. This game is about multitasking--keeping track of three areas that enemies will attack from. Time is critical. You don't need to watch a fireball land for it to kill the skeleton so make sure you use that time wisely. Allow yourself to look away, even if it's just to check your back.

Don't stop moving. Waves tend to start off slow and ramp up until you're struggling to keep up. The only way to deal with them is to keep ahead of them. Wasted time is the opposite of keeping ahead of the mob. Use your time and constantly throw fireballs at the skeletons, even if they're far away. If you're doing nothing you're risking getting overpowered.

How to throw:
This may seem common sense but there are lots of techniques around this.
Overhand - This is the basic throw. Your hand is up, when you recoil it back and throw, typically toward the ground.
Underhand - This is a different way of throwing that does have its use in the game. Your hand is down when you pull it back. As you throw, the palm faces upwards. This type of throw tends to result in a further distance for less work than an overhand throw, though it is much harder to aim. It is easier to rapidfire this throw.
Two handed - This is, in my opinion, the only way to play the game. You simply charge and throw two fireballs at the same time, one in each hand. One technique is to place your two hands on top of each other and thow them simultaneously overhand such that the fireballs will land one behind the other and create a line and more controlled area of effect. This technique is great for aiming at those far away enemies or when you need to kill a mage quickly and don't have time to aim.

Know when you're going to die. This game is an onslaught and you will not survive. You will win the first round (and hopefully the first few rounds) without taking any damage. This streak should last depending on your ability. When you think you are going to die soon, either because you are barely surviving without taking damage or you have started to take damage and the wave has ended, make sure to use your mana. It's no use to your score if you die. Use an arcane shield, heck use two if you want. And don't forget to use fire walls. Make sure to place it far enough back that it will kill skeletons before they would use a magic attack on you.

Check your spellbook when you have downtime. This helps you keep track of what spells you have unlocked, but more importantly it helps you remember the shapes you have to draw on your sigil dial so you can do them quickly when you need them.

• Novice - Kill 10 enemies.
  
• Apprentice - Kill 100 enemies.
  
• Mage - Kill 1000 enemies.
  
• Archmage - Kill 10000 enemies.
  
• Heavy Fire - Create 10 big fireballs.
  
• Untouchable - Kill 20 enemies without being damaged.
  
• Knight - Kill 20 enemies with melee weapons.
  
• Swordmaster - Kill 40 enemies with melee weapons.
  
• Viking - Kill 100 enemies with melee weapons.
  
• Survivor - Survive for 10 minutes.

Novice

Kill 10 enemies. Simply use fireballs to kill enemies until you unlock this achievement. There may be trouble with achievements accurately counting kills. If you do not unlock it at your 10th kill, keep trying.

Apprentice

Kill 100 enemies. Simply use fireballs to kill enemies until you unlock this achievement. There may be trouble with achievements accurately counting kills. If you do not unlock it at your 10th kill, keep trying.

Mage

Kill 1000 enemies. Simply use fireballs to kill enemies until you unlock this achievement. There may be trouble with achievements accurately counting kills. If you do not unlock it at your 10th kill, keep trying.

Archmage

Kill 10000 enemies. Simply use fireballs to kill enemies until you unlock this achievement. There may be trouble with achievements accurately counting kills. If you do not unlock it at your 10th kill, keep trying.

Heavy Fire

Create 10 big fireballs. Hold down the trigger to create a fireball and keep the trigger depressed until the fireball stops growing. Throw the fireball as normal.

Untouchable

Kill 20 enemies without being damaged. Create fireballs and throw them at skeletons to kill them. If they reach you they will attack you and you will take damage. In order to unlock this achievement you must kill them before this can happen. Other skeletons will fire green magic attacks at you from a distance. This also cannot happen.

Knight

Kill 20 enemies with melee weapons. Use the grip buttons on either controller to pull a melee weapon into your corresponding hand. Keep the button held down to continue to hold onto the weapon while you swing it. Swing it such that it collides with an enemy to kill it, or throw it like a fireball to kill an enemy at a distance. There may be trouble with achievements accurately counting kills. If you do not unlock it at your 10th kill, keep trying.

Swordmaster

Kill 40 enemies with melee weapons. Use the grip buttons on either controller to pull a melee weapon into your corresponding hand. Keep the button held down to continue to hold onto the weapon while you swing it. Swing it such that it collides with an enemy to kill it, or throw it like a fireball to kill an enemy at a distance. There may be trouble with achievements accurately counting kills. If you do not unlock it at your 10th kill, keep trying.

Viking

Kill 100 enemies with melee weapons. Use the grip buttons on either controller to pull a melee weapon into your corresponding hand. Keep the button held down to continue to hold onto the weapon while you swing it. Swing it such that it collides with an enemy to kill it, or throw it like a fireball to kill an enemy at a distance. There may be trouble with achievements accurately counting kills. If you do not unlock it at your 10th kill, keep trying.

Survivor

Survive for 10 minutes. This achievement requires that you play through the waves without your health reaching 0 for ten minutes. Again, there may be trouble with the tracking on this achievement. If you do not unlock it at exactly the 10 minute mark, keep playing and hopefully it will unlock shortly.