Best Class in Elden Ring For You to Choose – Ranked from Worst to Best

Keep reading to learn which of the ten Classes in Elden Ring are the best.

Elden Ring is the medieval fantasy RPG developed by FromSoftware. The game offers rich lore and deep-rooted characters thanks to the contributions made by fantasy novelist George R. R. Martin, who is best known for his Game of Thrones novel series.

Read More: Elden Ring: All Bosses in The Lands Between

Players start off their journey as a Tarnished, who is an exile in the Lands Between. Before you begin your journey, you will have to build your character based on one of the ten classes offered in the game. They each have their own strengths, characteristics, and other attributes that differentiate them from each other.

The ten classes in Elden Ring that you will be able to chose from are:

• Hero
• Bandit
• Warrior
• Astrologer
• Prisoner
• Vagabond
• Confessor
• Prophet
• Wretch
• Samurai

In this guide, I will go over my personal picks on the best classes to play in Elden Ring, starting from the worst to best.

Quick Look into Starting Stats of Every Class in Elden Ring

Class	Level	Strength	Vigor	Dexterity	Mind	Intelligence	Faith	Endurance	Arcane
Wretch	1	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10
Bandit	5	9	10	13	11	9	8	10	14
Prophet	7	11	10	10	14	7	16	8	10
Prisoner	9	11	11	14	12	14	6	11	9
Confessor	10	12	10	12	13	9	14	10	9
Warrior	8	10	11	16	12	10	8	11	9
Hero	7	16	14	9	9	7	8	12	11
Samurai	9	12	12	15	11	9	8	13	8
Astrologer	6	8	9	12	15	16	7	9	9
Vagabond	9	14	15	13	10	9	9	11	7

Understanding Attributes of Elden Ring Classes

There are a total of 9 base attributes for every character class in Elden Ring. Each attributes focuses on different aspects of the gameplay and what your future build will be as you progress through the lands between.

Here is a basic rundown of the attributes to help you get started with your class choice & character builds:

Vigor: HP/ Health Point determiner (red bar). Higher the vigor, the better the health you’ll have.

Mind: FP/ Focus Point determiner (blue bar). Determines how much magic and Ash of War (weapon’s signature attack) you can perform.

Endurance: SP/ Stamina Point determiner (green bar). Determines total load/weight you can carry and how fast or slow your movement will be.

Strength: Determines how strong your physical damage will be. Also a determiner on whether or not you can wield certain weapons. Primary damage modifier for heavy weapons.

Dexterity :In general term, this attribute decides how flexible or fast your character will be. This is the primary damage modifier for light based weapons and also the secondary modifier for most weapons in the game.

Intelligence: The primary damage modifier for sorcery/spells in the game. Sometimes a secondary option for incantations.

Faith: The primary damage modifier for incantations in the game.

Arcane: Primary damage modifier for Bleed. A determiner for certain incantations & sorceries and also boost discovery rate of your character.

Best Class in Elden Ring Tier List

Tier	Class
S	Vagabond, Astrologer, Samurai
A	Hero, Warrior, Confessor, Prisoner
B	Prophet, Bandit
C	Wretch

Tier-list Ranking Explained

• S-tier: Best choice overall for beginners and expert players, offers good balance and easy to create builds and offers good attributes for strong damage outputs.
• A-tier: This tier is best suited for intermediate players who are not afraid to get into mix builds and try out new character builds.
• B-tier: Suggests a one sided character build and focus, best for players who have good knowledge of Souls-like games
• C-tier: Suited for Souls veterans, you don’t start with any attribute advantage.

Best Classes to Choose in Elden Ring

Here are all the Classes in Elden Ring ranked from Worst to Best:

10. Wretch

Starting off with the C-tier, the worst class to pick in Elden Ring, is the Wretch. With this class, you start off with practically nothing except for a big wooden club that deals next to no damage. Its starting stats may make it seem like a well-balanced character class, but the fact that the Wretch doesn’t really excel in anything makes it the opposite of beginner-friendly.

Not to mention, you start at Level 1, which is lower than that of any other character class in the game. Moreover, you neither have any starting armor nor clothes, leaving your defenses wide open in the early game.

And as you may know, finding appropriate armor and weapons is a cumbersome process in the vast open-world of the Lands Between.

Furthermore, trying to level up this character class and getting better gear proves to be very challenging for players, so we don’t recommend anybody, especially new players to choose Wretch.

9. Bandit

• Starting Equipment:
  • Short bow
  • Bone Arrow (Fletched) 
  • Great Knife
  • Buckler

Next up in the B-tier, we have the Bandit class. The Bandit relies on Dexterity and Arcane and is good for players that like to stalk their prey and fight from the shadows which can be ideal for taking out the general mobs in the game.

However, Elden Ring has some of the toughest monster battles, and the Bandit class really struggles to keep up in those tough encounters. You will have to get close and personal to deal the necessary amount of damage and your parry game needs to be on the top level.

Therefore, stealth alone will not get you very far in The Lands Between. Furthermore, navigating through the open world as a Bandit can be quite challenging in the early game.

This is due to the fact that both the great knife and short bow are pretty low damage weapons in the beginning. Not only that but crafting arrows for your bow can also take a long time.

However, the gameplay experience with this class does get better with time as you level up and upgrade your weapons. What’s more, you will get your hand in the Rudevia dagger early in the game, which can boost your playthrough significantly as bleed builds are completely broken, except for the last few bosses.

8. Prophet

• Starting Equipment:
  • Short Spear
  • Finger Seal
  • Heal Spell
  • Rickety Shield
  • Catch Flame Spell

Another class in the B-tier is the Prophet, whose core strength lies in Faith and Mind. This is great if you want to stick to sorceries & incantations.

Just like the Bandit, you may initially face some trouble with this class in the early game. However, the Prophet does have useful spells like Heal that replenishes your health and offensive spells like Catch Flame that spreads fire across a large AoE like a dragon’s breath.

With that being said, the starting weapons are not great and don’t deal much damage, and the armor you get is also relatively weak.

You will have to spend plenty of hours upgrading gear and leveling up to reach the Prophet’s full potential. However, once you learn how to use this class, nothing can stop you.

7. Prisoner

• Starting Equipment:
  • Estoc Thrusting Sword
  • Glintstone Staff 
  • Rift Shield
  • Magic Glintblade Spell

Now we are in the A tier and here you have the Prisoner class, which leans towards both Dexterity as well as Intelligence. For mix builds, the prisoner class in one of the best out there. You can opt for both Swords and Sorcery-based builds.

This mixed vibe is carried to this class’s starting weapons as the Prisoner comes equipped with a French longsword as well as a staff for casting spells.

However, the Prisoner starts off as a weak class. Meaning, you will be required to spend a good amount of time grinding for stronger spells and better gear. Moreover, even though the Prisoner class can mix up melee and spell-based attacks, it doesn’t really excel at either.

6. Confessor

• Starting Equipment:
  • Broadsword
  • Finger Seal
  • Blue Crest Heater Shield
  • Urgent Heal Spell
  • Assassin’s Approach Spell

If you are looking for a balanced class then there is no better option than the Confessor class in the A tier. You will be able to cast incantations like the Prophet and rely on his swordsmanship.

The Confessor comes equipped with incantations such as the Urgent Heal spell, which can be cast to restore health while on the move. Moreover, players also get some good starting weapons, shields, and armor with this class.

Furthermore, the Confessor is the only class that comes equipped with the Assassin’s approach spell, which silences the player’s footsteps. This is especially useful for the more stealthy players. With the Confessor, you have the freedom to make faith-based builds or strength-based builds.

5. Warrior

• Starting Equipment:
  • Scimitar (Left Hand)
  • Scimitar (Right Hand)
  • Riveted Wooden Shield

Next in A-tier, we have the Warrior class, which can unleash a flurry of attacks with dual-wielded Scimitars. The Warrior has the highest base level of Dexterity among all other classes and is incredibly fast and agile. Moreover, you will have the option to not only slice away at enemies with swift strikes but also dodge the most unavoidable of attacks.

However, there is a bit of a learning curve to mastering this class. The scimitars on their own don’t deal a lot of damage and have to be duel-wielded to be performing at their optimum level.

With that being said, the Warrior can handle any form of sword or dagger with utmost precision. Moreover, upon progression, the Warrior class is also able to learn weapon augmentation magic as well as healing spells, bringing out their maximum potential in the late game. Use these best Warrior Builds to ensure full potential.

4. Hero

• Starting Equipment:
  • Battle Axe
  • Leather Shield

I mean the name says it all, you want to be the protagonist in the Lands Between? Then, take up the Hero class. It relies on brute strength, vigor, and endurance. If your playstyle comfort is centered around landing hard hits with two-handed weapons, then the Hero class is for you.

Moreover, it is also a beginner-friendly class as you come with a considerable amount of health compared to other classes. With a high vigor and endurance, you will last longer in battles. Also you will be able to fulfill your Gut’s fantasy with this class.

The only real downside with this class is that the attacks are powerful but slow, and the beginning armor is just not great and doesn’t offer much protection. Still, the Hero class has the highest level of base strength than what is offered by any other class. So if you’re not sure about what you want out of your character, the Hero class is a good starting choice.\

Read More: Best Hero Builds in Elden Ring

3. Samurai

• Starting Equipment:
  • Longbow
  • Arrow
  • Fire Arrow
  • Uchigatana
  • Red Thorn Roundshield

My personal favorite and one of the best starting class in Elden Ring is the Samurai. It is a relatively beginner-friendly class with a good stat distribution and powerful weapons. And bleed build up becomes insane when you duel yield katana’s with the right ash of war.

Moreover, the Samurai class is one of the two classes that start off with ranged weapons. This is especially noteworthy as ranged weapons are hard to come by in the early game.

As there are certain bosses that force you to rely on ranged weapons you should be right at ease with this class.

While on the subject of ranged weapons, the Samurai class comes equipped with a Longbow that deals a considerable amount of damage. Not only that, but you can also use fire arrows from the very beginning with this class.

On the other hand, if you are someone who is a melee combatant by heart, the Samurai also wields an Uchigatana that deals great damage. The Samurai class gives you the flexibility of slashing away at enemies with a katana or combatting them from a distance with bows.

Furthermore, both the Uchigatana and the Longbow come with incredible weapon skills such as Unsheathe and Mighty Shot respectively. Due to this diversity and very strong build options, the Samurai class is an easy pick for the S-tier.

2. Astrologer

• Starting Equipment:
  • Astrologer’s Staff 
  • Glintstone Pebble Spell
  • Glintstone Arc Spell
  • Short Sword
  • Scripture Wooden Shield 

Next in the S-tier is the Astrologer class. It is among the best sorcerer class in the game with powerful spells up their sleeves. Both the Glinstone Pebble and Glinstone Arc can shave off chunks of an enemy’s health bar and cost low FP to cast.

Moreover, you can also spam enemies and bosses alike with these two spells and win battles without engaging in melee combat.

Not only that, but the Astrologer class is also an incredibly beginner-friendly character class to play as. It is not only one of the best classes in the game but should also be your top pick if you want to go down the magic route.

But that’s not all. Apart from the Astrologer’s Staff, the Short Sword is also a great starting weapon that deals good physical damage to enemies. So even if you don’t rely on magic a lot, you can get by just fine in melee combat.

1. Vagabond

• Starting Equipment:
  • Longsword
  • Halberd
  • Heater Shield

Last but not least, there is Vegabond. I select this as the best character class in Elden Ring due to his flexibility and the solid stats it offers.. It is an incredibly beginner-friendly class that has a relatively well-balanced stat distribution with an extreme focus on Strength, Vigor, and Dexterity.

The Vagabond is a tank class that is great for players who love melee-focused combat. Moreover, you will also get the best starting shield and weapon with this character class. Furthermore, the starting armor also provides plenty of defense, which is incredibly sought after in the early game.

With the Vagabond class, you can master the guard-counter move without taking any chip damage. Not only that, but you will also get to use Ashes of War such as Square Off and Charge Forth from the get-go.

Furthermore, Vagabond can wield some of the heaviest and hardest-hitting weapons that other classes are locked out of, making it the perfect class to start your journey as.

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