Summary
Season 13, Afterlight, is here, and choosing the right character at the beginning of the league can make a huge difference in how quickly you reach the endgame. With new hero options, balance changes, and the new Afterlight seasonal mechanic, the strongest starter is not always the same character with the highest theoretical damage ceiling. A good league starter needs to level smoothly, function without expensive gear, farm early resources efficiently, and give you a clear path into a powerful late-game build.
This guide breaks down the best choices for both stages of Season 13 Afterlight, helping you farm Torchlight: Infinite Flame Elementium more efficiently and accelerate your endgame progression.
Best Starter Characters for Season 13 Afterlight
1. Sage - One of the Safest All-Around Starters
Sage remains one of the most reliable choices for players who want a powerful and forgiving league start.
Although she received balance adjustments, she still offers an excellent combination of damage, survivability, and smooth progression. Damage-over-time builds are particularly attractive this season because new potion effects and elemental penetration options can support affliction-based scaling.
Sage is a strong choice for players who want:
Reliable early-game damage
Strong survivability
Comfortable bossing
A build that can continue scaling into difficult endgame content
The main downside is that Sage is no longer the completely effortless powerhouse she once was. Players still need to invest properly in defenses and damage scaling when pushing higher content.
However, for a beginner who wants a character that is difficult to ruin, Sage remains one of the best choices in Afterlight.
2. Selena 2 - The New Hero with Huge Potential
Selena 2 is one of the biggest reasons Season 13 has attracted so much attention.
Her kit is built around Terra skills, creating persistent areas of damage and powerful interactions with enemies caught inside them. She also offers multiple possible playstyles, giving players more freedom than many traditional league starters.
Early build testing has shown strong potential for:
Area-of-effect clearing
Persistent ground damage
Boss damage
Low-button gameplay
Flexible Terra skill choices
Selena 2 is particularly appealing for players who want to play the new character immediately rather than follow an established meta build from a previous season.
Because she is new, however, her final endgame meta is still developing. That makes her exciting, but also slightly riskier than an established character with several seasons of proven build data.
3. Rosa 2 - Excellent Progression and Outstanding Endgame Scaling
Rosa 2 remains one of the strongest choices for players who want a starter that can eventually become a serious endgame character.
Her strongest versions can scale extremely well with investment, particularly builds based around mana stacking and other powerful resource-scaling mechanics. The downside is that some of the most powerful versions require more investment before reaching their full potential.
Rosa 2 is a great choice if you want:
Strong early progression
Excellent long-term scaling
Powerful high-investment variants
A character that can remain relevant throughout the season
She is especially attractive to players who do not want to level multiple characters. You can start with a relatively accessible version and gradually transition into a more expensive endgame setup once you have accumulated enough resources.
4. Erika 1 - A Fast and Reliable Progression Character
Erika 1 is one of the strongest choices for players who value speed.
Her fast-paced playstyle allows her to move quickly through early content, and her core skills can provide excellent clear speed without requiring a perfect endgame setup.
Erika 1 is a good option for players who want:
Fast leveling
Excellent movement
Strong early clear speed
A straightforward progression path
She is particularly attractive to experienced players who understand the game's gearing system and want to reach farming content quickly.
5. Modo 2 and Iris 2 - The Automation Options
If your priority is a low-maintenance playstyle, minion-based characters deserve serious consideration.
Modo 2 can provide an extremely automated experience very early in the progression. Iris 2 offers another strong option for players who enjoy a summon-focused playstyle.
These characters are ideal for players who prefer:
Fewer active buttons
Automated damage
Comfortable mapping
A more relaxed playstyle
Modo 2 also shows how different regional player preferences can affect the perceived popularity of a character. Recent season data showed a particularly strong concentration of Modo 2 players in Asian regions, suggesting that popularity does not always directly equal universal meta strength.
The Best Late-Game Builds After You Farm Your First Resources
A starter build and an endgame build do not have to be the same.
Once you begin farming efficiently, you can either continue improving your starter or transition into a stronger high-investment setup.
Rosa 2 - One of the Best High-Investment Choices
Rosa 2 is one of the clearest examples of a character that can scale dramatically with investment.
Her endgame variants can reach extremely high damage and survivability, but the strongest versions require expensive gear and careful optimization.
This makes Rosa 2 a strong choice for players who want to build toward:
High-end bossing
Deep endgame progression
Powerful resource-stacking mechanics
A long-term character project
If you are willing to invest heavily in one character, Rosa 2 should be near the top of your list.
Sage - Strong Endgame Scaling Without Losing Comfort
Sage is not only a good starter. She also remains a powerful long-term option.
The major advantage is that you do not necessarily need to abandon the character after reaching the endgame. With proper investment in damage scaling and defenses, Sage can continue to handle increasingly difficult content.
This makes Sage particularly attractive for new players:
Start with a forgiving build, learn the game, and continue improving the same character.
That is often a better experience than constantly rerolling whenever your starter reaches a progression wall.
Selena 2 - The Highest-Risk, Highest-Excitement Option
Selena 2 has enormous potential because she is designed around the new Terra skill ecosystem.
Her ability to combine persistent area effects, powerful skill interactions, and different forms of scaling gives her an unusually high ceiling.
The biggest question is not whether Selena 2 can be strong.
The question is which version will ultimately become the dominant endgame setup.
For players who enjoy experimenting and want to play the newest hero, Selena 2 is one of the most exciting choices in the entire season.
A Simple Starter-to-Endgame Strategy
The safest progression plan for most players is:
Step 1: Choose a Low-Investment Starter
Pick a character that can complete the campaign and early Timemarks without expensive gear.
Good choices include:
Sage
Selena 2
Rosa 2
Erika 1
Modo 2
Step 2: Reach Farming Content Quickly
Do not spend all your early resources chasing perfect gear.
Your first goal should be to reach content where you can consistently farm resources.
A functional build that farms efficiently is usually more valuable than an expensive build that is still struggling to progress.
Step 3: Identify Your Endgame Goal
Ask yourself what you actually want to do:
Fast mapping?
Boss killing?
Deep endgame progression?
High-investment farming?
A relaxed automated playstyle?
Your answer should determine your final build.
Step 4: Transition Only When the Upgrade Is Worth It
Do not switch builds just because another character appears stronger on a tier list.
A build transition is worth making when:
You have the required core items;
You can afford the gear;
The new build solves a problem your current character has;
The new build has a clear advantage for your farming strategy.
Which Character Should You Choose?
Choose Sage if:
You want the safest all-around starter with strong damage-over-time scaling and reliable survivability.
Choose Selena 2 if:
You want to play the new hero and experiment with Terra-based builds.
Choose Rosa 2 if:
You want one of the strongest long-term investment characters and plan to scale heavily into the endgame.
Choose Erika 1 if:
You prioritize speed and fast early progression.
Choose Modo 2 or Iris 2 if:
You prefer automated minion gameplay and fewer active buttons.
Final Ranking
For most players starting Season 13 Afterlight, the best overall choices are:
Best All-Around Starter
Sage
Best New Hero
Selena 2
Best Long-Term Investment
Rosa 2
Best Speed-Focused Starter
Erika 1
Best Automated Playstyle
Modo 2
Conclusion
The most important thing to remember is that the strongest character on paper is not automatically the best character for you. A good Season 13 starter should help you reach the endgame quickly, farm resources like cheap Torchlight: Infinite Flame Elementium efficiently, and provide a realistic path toward a stronger late-game build. For new players, Sage and Selena 2 offer some of the most attractive starting points. For players who already understand the game and are willing to invest heavily, Rosa 2 offers one of the strongest long-term scaling paths.
