Best Elden Ring Class Tier List: Choose Your Poison

Like other Souls games, Elden Ring features various classes each with its own stats. Depending on which class you choose, you will have to follow a certain build. If you are new to the game, choosing the ideal class can be quite intimidating. That is why we will talk about the best class in Elden Ring and show you which one is good for beginners.

Since each class has different stats, we will mention all the stats and talk about which one you should choose as a new player. Keep in mind that all classes have their own advantages and disadvantages. Plus, you can choose any class and have a great time with the game – so there isn’t a fixed “best class”. With that said, let’s dive right in and get started.

Vagabond

• Ideal for beginners
• Highest starting HP
• A good all-rounder for melee users

The Vagabond has high Vigor, Strength, and Dexterity. It starts at level 9, with a sword, shield, and halberd so possibly comparable to the Knight class in previous games. This is a tanky class with good stats and a 100% Physical Damage reduction Shield allowing players a sizeable advantage over some other classes.

It is ideal for new players and veterans that don’t plan to use spells. You can do a hybrid Strength/Dexterity quality build with this class if you want.

Since you will primarily focus your points on Vigor and Strength, new players will have a lot of HP and can use strong weapons. This allows you to tank more hits from bosses and enemies alike. Since you won’t die quickly, you can make tons of mistakes and heal to progress through the boss.

Plus, once you get enough Strength, you can start using heavy weapons that deal tons of damage and have a lot of stagger to them. Breaking the poise of enemies will become easy and you’ll be able to deal a lot of damage to them as well.

Samurai

• Highest starting Endurance
• Superb Strength and Dexterity
• Versatile melee and ranged build

The Samurai has high Dexterity, Medium Strength, Endurance, Mind, and Vigor. It starts at level 9 with a katana, bow, arrows (flaming arrows too!), and a shield. Due to its high stats and bleed damage, it is recommended for new players and veterans alike.

Plus, you can thin out enemies with arrows and then finish them with your katana. A second Uchigatana can be found early in the game as well in the Deathtouched Catacombs. This allows the Samurai class to dual wield two Uchigatanas almost immediately at early game, allowing you to rapidly inflict Bleed buildup at ease.

Astrologer

• Highest starting Intelligence and Mind
• Powerful magic user
• Fragile glass cannon class

The Astrologer has high Intelligence, Mind, and some Dexterity. Players will start the game at level 6, with a staff, a sword, and a small shield. The good news is that this class has an excellent mage setup that’s easy to upgrade quickly due to access to spells and a good staff early on. It is amazing for new players and veterans alike.

Plus, the class is quite versatile. You can either go for a pure INT build that does not plan to use melee weapons or hybrid builds that include either of the other two casting stats – or both. You can even opt for Dexterity/Intelligence hybrid builds that require less than 10 Strength or dedicated Intelligence/Faith build that primarily utilizes Sword of Night and Flame.

However, keep in mind that this class has the lowest amount of Vigor out of the other 9 classes. Players who pick Astrologer must know when to pick their battles and use their ranged spells to their advantage.

Prisoner

• High starting Dexterity and Intelligence
• Rapid spellcasting and melee attacks
• Heavily relies on Dexterity

The Prisoner has high Intelligence, Dexterity, and medium physical stats. It starts the game at level 9, with an Estoc (sword), a staff, and a shield. Though this class requires a more advanced playstyle, it’s hard to argue that this class has an exceptional loadout and stat spread. I wouldn’t recommend this class for new players, but it will shine in the hands of a Souls veteran.

You can go for either Strength/Intelligence hybrid builds or Dexterity/Intelligence hybrid builds depending on what you what to play. It is a great class but you need to get the hang of it before being able to properly play it.

Warrior

• Agile melee class
• Highest starting Dexterity
• Good for weapon skills

The Warrior has High Dex and medium physical stats. It starts the game at level 8, with two scimitars, and a light shield. Despite the class’ stats suggesting a dexterity build, it is outclassed by the Samurai in terms of build optimization, unless you intend to use either glintstone pebble or bestial constitution which the Warrior can access without further investment.

The Warrior starts with two Scimitars. When holding both in either hand, press L1 to attack with both. These L1 attacks deal more damage than R1 and apply status effects (Poison, Bleed, Cold) at a faster rate. This makes most enemies extremely easy as you can quickly dispose of them.

Hero

• Highest starting Strength
• Heavy melee class
• Tanky with high Vigor and Endurance

The Hero has high Strength, Vigor, and some Arcane. This class starts the game at level 7, with a battle axe, and leather shield. This class is optimized for pure Strength builds that do not increase their Dexterity higher than 12. If you want to increase your Dex higher than that, then the Vagabond is ideal.

You can also go for Strength/Arcane builds that utilize heavy weapons to inflict status effects via Occult infusion or innate Arcane scaling. Due to it being a versatile class, you can choose from a variety of builds and try them out.

However, I suggest that you level up your Strength and Vigor alongside other stats. This will allow you be quite tanky and hit like a truck at the same time.

Confessor

• High starting Faith but balanced Attributes
• Good for beginners interested in magic

The Confessor has high Faith and medium physical stats. This class starts the game at level 10 with a broadsword, a kite shield, and a finger seal. Although it is designed to be a mix of combat and stealth, this class can be seen as the “Paladin” class. This one sets players up with a 100% Physical Damage reduction shield, as well as good Faith for Incantations.

This class can also be used for an Intelligence/Faith build that primarily utilizes Sword of Night and Flame, since the class has already met the Strength and Dexterity requirements of the weapon. While this is a good class for beginners interested in magic, keep in mind that some of your stats are randomly distributed across the board at the start.

So, make sure that you respec later in the game and focus on the stats that you truly want. Overall, this is a good class but you might have issues during the early stages of the game. Once you get the hang of it, you can use some of the best Incantations with this class.

Prophet

• Highest starting Faith
• Balanced stats compared to Astrologer
• Incantations focus less on dealing damage

The Prophet class has high Faith, Mind, some Arcane, and Strength. This class starts at level 7, with a spear, a finger seal, and a small shield. This Class is best suited for players that want to focus on Incantations. While Catch Flame – the initial spell – is good, you might run out of FP during the early parts of the game.

Also, this class is best for pure Faith builds and Dexterity/Faith and Faith/Arcane hybrid builds. Also ideal for Strength/Faith hybrid builds at 11 or less Dexterity. If you want to exceed your Dex past that, going for the Vagabond is suggested.

Bandit

• Highest starting Strength
• Heavy melee class
• Tanky with high Vigor and Endurance

The Bandit has high Arcane and Dexterity. This class starts the game at level 5, with a dagger, parrying shield, bow, and arrows. If you are looking for a hybrid Dexterity/Arcane hybrid builds that need less than 12 Strength, the Bandit is ideal. If you wish to level up your Strength higher than that, you should go for the Samurai instead.

Since you come equipped with the Buckler Shield, you can start parrying immediately. This will allow you to make quick work of most enemies. Overall, I would recommend this class only for veteran players, as the Bandit starts off squishy and their equipment is not well-suited for head-on, aggressive combat.

Wretch

• Complete freedom while building
• Extremely vulnerable
• Only for experienced players looking for a challenge

Finally, let’s talk about the Wretch. The Wretch is the “deprived” of the game. It starts at level 1 with 10 on all stats and just a club for weapons. It is the weakest starting class in Elden Ring and should be selected by those who want an added challenge in the earlier parts of the game.

Although the Wretch is the least optimized for any one build, the lowest starting level and evenly distributed stats make them ideal for players new to PvP wanting to dabble in different builds since they can respec into any other build and be fairly efficient at it. It makes it significantly easier than going through the game with an entirely different starting class just to try a new build.

To make things easier, you can get your first armor set by farming Godrick soldiers near the Groveside cave entrance. Plus, since the game does not have any main bosses that you have to defeat to progress in the earlier stages, you can roam around Limgrave freely and farm.

This allows you to gain tons of Runes before fighting Margit. You can even complete Weepining Peninsula before going to Stromveil thanks to the freedom Elden Ring offers. While you might have issues during the start, this class gives you complete freedom to play however you want in the later stages.

Conclusion

And there you have it; those are the best classes in Elden Ring. If you are a newer player, I suggest that you choose the Vagabond as you can level up your Vigor and Strength freely. This will allow you to have tons of HP and wield strong weapons as well.

Which class is your favorite? Do you like trying out different builds in your new playthroughs? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!