The action-RPG Magicka is a game about choices. Not which princess to save and which hat to wear...more like, do you kill that advancing horde of imps with a big fireball, big shards of ice, or a big red beam of arcane energy? Or maybe douse them with water first, and then electrocute them? With so many options for destruction at your murderous wizard's fingertips, what's the most efficient (or spectacular) way to blow stuff up?

So we went to the source. No, not GameFaqs -- we asked the developers at Arrowhead Studios for their favorite spells and combos. Don't waste any time in putting them to use; sounds like at least one is due for a nerf in the future....

Volcanoes (favorite of Johan Pilestedt, CEO)

Shield + earth + fire: Nothing says power like summoning a few volcanoes; they're excellent at getting in the way and wreaking havoc on enemies that are chasing you. Seriously, seeing goblins catch fire and run around like headless chickens will brighten any wizard's day.

Nullify magick (universally loved by all)

This magick is the bread and butter of powerful wizard duels! Essentially, it removes all shields and enemy spells (including your teammates' shields), so it's great when trying to remove all on-screen effects to get a fresh start on the chaos. It's also fun to use when your buddy has an AOE shield up and you want to annoy them.

Arcane steam lightning (favorite of Patrik Lasota, community manager)

Arcane + steam (water + fire) + lightning: Whether it's used as a single target beam or a devastating AOE, this monster of a spell douses enemies while simultaneously electrifying the soaked monsters for a crazy amount of damage. We're using it as much as we can right now as it's so powerful, we might actually need to patch it. We know, sad face.

Iceshard boulder (favorite of Emil Englund, lead graphics designer)

Earth + 4x ice (water + cold): When fully charged, it is an incredible single-target spell, and if it hits an enemy that is already frozen solid, it will result in even more damage. How cool is that? Ohhhh see what we did there?! It's a pun! We'll be here all week, folks.

Pure earth boulder (favorite of Robin Cederholm, CFO)

5x Earth: So basic, so effective. Put some charging time behind it and you have nature's best bowling ball ever, crushing any imps that get in the way. They're great for ricocheting off of trolls, too. And for accidentally rolling over your mother-in-law with. Just kidding, they're good for purposely rolling over your mother-in-law with.