Best Class in Elden Ring: 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.

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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 are Hero, Bandit, Warrior, Astrologer, Prisoner, Vagabond, Confessor, Prophet, Wretch, and Samurai. They are rated based on Vigor, Dexterity, Mind, Intelligence, Endurance, Faith, Strength, and Arcane. In this guide, we will go over the best classes to play in Elden Ring, going from worst to best.

Best Class in Elden Ring (A Complete Tier List)

• Best (S-tier) : Vagabond, Astrologer, Samurai
• Good (A-tier) : Hero, Warrior, Confessor, Prisoner
• Average (B-tier) : Prophet, Bandit
• Underwhelming (C-tier) : Wretch

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

10. Wretch

• Starting Stats:
  • Level – 1
  • Strength – 10
  • Vigor – 10
  • Dexterity – 10
  • Mind – 10
  • Intelligence – 10
  • Faith – 10
  • Endurance – 10
  • Arcane – 10
• Starting Equipment:
  • Club

Starting off with the worst class to pick in Elden Ring, we have 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 choosing Wretch.

9. Bandit

• Starting Stats:
  • Level – 5
  • Strength – 9
  • Vigor – 10
  • Dexterity – 13
  • Mind – 11
  • Intelligence – 9
  • Faith – 8
  • Endurance – 10
  • Arcane – 14
• Starting Equipment:
  • Short bow
  • Bone Arrow (Fletched) 
  • Great Knife
  • Buckler

Next up, 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. However, Elden Ring has some of the toughest monster battles, and the Bandit class really struggles to keep up in those tough encounters. 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. That’s because, 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.

8. Prophet

• Starting Stats:
  • Level – 7
  • Strength – 11
  • Vigor – 10
  • Dexterity – 10
  • Mind – 14
  • Intelligence – 7
  • Faith – 16
  • Endurance – 8
  • Arcane – 10
• Starting Equipment:
  • Short Spear
  • Finger Seal
  • Heal Spell
  • Rickety Shield
  • Catch Flame Spell

Then we have the Prophet, whose core strength lies in Faith and Mind. 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 Stats:
  • Level – 9
  • Strength – 11
  • Vigor – 11
  • Dexterity – 14
  • Mind – 12
  • Intelligence – 14
  • Faith – 6
  • Endurance – 11
  • Arcane – 9
• Starting Equipment:
  • Estoc Thrusting Sword
  • Glintstone Staff 
  • Rift Shield
  • Magic Glintblade Spell

Next, we have the Prisoner class, which leans towards both Dexterity as well as Intelligence. That means that players can opt for both Swords and Sorcery-based builds. This is also reflected in the 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 Stats:
  • Level – 10
  • Strength – 12
  • Vigor – 10
  • Dexterity – 12
  • Mind – 13
  • Intelligence – 9
  • Faith – 14
  • Endurance – 10
  • Arcane – 9
• Starting Equipment:
  • Broadsword
  • Finger Seal
  • Blue Crest Heater Shield
  • Urgent Heal Spell
  • Assassin’s Approach Spell

Now we’re slowly moving towards the better classes. The Confessor can 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 Stats:
  • Level – 8
  • Strength – 10
  • Vigor – 11
  • Dexterity – 16
  • Mind – 12
  • Intelligence – 10
  • Faith – 8
  • Endurance – 11
  • Arcane – 9
• Starting Equipment:
  • Scimitar (Left Hand)
  • Scimitar (Right Hand)
  • Riveted Wooden Shield

Next, 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, the Warrior can 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 Stats:
  • Level – 7
  • Strength – 16
  • Vigor – 14
  • Dexterity – 9
  • Mind – 9
  • Intelligence – 7
  • Faith – 8
  • Endurance – 12
  • Arcane – 11
• Starting Equipment:
  • Battle Axe
  • Leather Shield

Then, we have the Hero class, which 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.

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 Stats:
  • Level – 9
  • Strength – 12
  • Vigor – 12
  • Dexterity – 15
  • Mind – 11
  • Intelligence – 9
  • Faith – 8
  • Endurance – 13
  • Arcane – 8
• Starting Equipment:
  • Longbow
  • Arrow
  • Fire Arrow
  • Uchigatana
  • Red Thorn Roundshield

The Samurai is a relatively beginner-friendly class with a good stat distribution and powerful weapons. 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.

Moreover, there are certain bosses that force you to rely on ranged weapons. 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.

2. Astrologer

• Starting Stats:
  • Level – 6
  • Strength – 8
  • Vigor – 9
  • Dexterity – 12
  • Mind – 15
  • Intelligence – 16
  • Faith – 7
  • Endurance – 9
  • Arcane – 9
• Starting Equipment:
  • Astrologer’s Staff 
  • Glintstone Pebble Spell
  • Glintstone Arc Spell
  • Short Sword
  • Scripture Wooden Shield 

The Astrologer 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 Stats:
  • Level – 9
  • Strength – 14
  • Vigor – 15
  • Dexterity – 13
  • Mind – 10
  • Intelligence – 9
  • Faith – 9
  • Endurance – 11
  • Arcane – 7
• Starting Equipment:
  • Longsword
  • Halberd
  • Heater Shield

Last but not least, we have Vegabond as the best character class in Elden Ring. 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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