Elden Ring Classes: Which One Fits You Best?

Elden Ring classes let you make the game's first big decision, and now that the game is officially out, are you ready to make that call? There are 10 starting classes, and you might have a little trouble deciding which one to pick. Choosing the best class can matter a lot for your adventure. So which class in Elden Ring suits you best? Let's take a look at the classes together.

What Are the Elden Ring Classes?

The best part about picking a starting class in Elden Ring is that it doesn't force you to play a certain way for the entire game. You're still free to build your character however you like by putting points into whichever stats you see fit. A starting class will give you some gear and stat boosts that can benefit you if you want to focus on a particular playstyle. With that in mind, we'll go over each of Elden Ring's starting classes so you can see which one is best for your preferences.

Hero

The Hero is a simple melee-focused class that starts the game with a one-handed axe and a medium shield for a bit of extra protection, along with high Strength, Endurance and Vigor stats. As a Hero, your primary stats will likely remain Strength and Vigor. Strength lets you use big weapons that scale specifically with that stat, while your boosted Vigor stat giving you a large health pool will help you given that you'll spend most of your time in close-range encounters.

Bandit

The Bandit doesn't bring much to the table in the more commonly wanted stats, instead offering a lot of points in Arcane. While all its other stats start out fairly low, a slightly higher Dexterity can give you an edge. That said, the Bandit starts the game with a dagger, a bow and arrows, which makes it an excellent starting class for a stealth-based build. The Arcane stat helps you find more items on defeated enemies and has some use with certain sorceries and incantations, but it's best suited to niche builds and won't be ideal for more typical playstyles. Because of this, the Bandit isn't one of the better starting classes for most players who want to minmax their stats by the end of the game.

Vagabond

The Vagabond is a tried-and-true knight, kitted out with heavy armor, a straight sword and a sturdy shield in preparation for close-quarters showdowns. Its high starting Vigor makes it the sturdiest of the starting classes, while the near-even split between Strength and Dexterity makes it excellent for quality builds that bring both stats up to at least 40 to become equally skilled in every type of melee weapon. The Vagabond's low Intelligence, Faith and Mind stats don't do much to put it on the path of sorcery or incantations, but they're not so low that you can't pump a few points into them to use spells. But if magic is something you want to use more often, you'll have a much better time with a class specialized for it.

Astrologer

The Astrologer is a truly solid class for newcomers who want to have both melee and spellcasting options in combat. This magic-based class is equipped with a staff for casting spells and a short sword for light melee work. It has large Intelligence and Mind bonuses that let you land a powerful strike and keep a good number of casts on hand for ranged fights. Getting the most out of the Astrologer means spending most of your points on Intelligence to keep your spell damage high. If you'd rather not rely on a heavy melee weapon as a backup option, you'll also want to raise your Mind stat so you can increase how many spells you can cast. As long as you can keep some distance between yourself and your enemies, you'll find plenty to love here.

Warrior

The Warrior is a dual-wielding powerhouse for fans of fast-paced melee combat. It starts with a high Dexterity stat and two curved swords, letting you deal heavy damage at the cost of limited defensive options. This class is great if you're open to making use of smaller weapons and getting good mileage out of a bow. That said, keep in mind that your Vigor starts out quite low, and you'll need to pour a fair amount of runes into your Endurance stat if you plan on wearing heavier armor. In other words, if you're signing up for this fast-hitting, low-defense option, make sure you're comfortable keeping things light and mobile.

Prisoner

The first thing you'll notice about the Prisoner class is its unusual iron mask. Odd as its look may be, the Prisoner is a solid pick if you want to make a nimble melee/casting hybrid character. It starts with high Dexterity and Intelligence stats, and its starting gear is an estoc and a staff for spellcasting. Since it starts with low HP and Endurance, you'll need to get good at rolling or build up a lot of ground clearance in Vigor and Endurance to make this class a bit better suited for prolonged melee fights. Still, if you want to focus fairly evenly on magic and swordplay, this remains one of the best starting classes.

Confessor

The Confessor is a hybrid class that comes with plenty of points in Faith while also having solid Strength and Dexterity stats, which makes it a good pick if you want to use spells while having some freedom in your weapon choices. It comes equipped with a broadsword and a finger seal for casting spells. If you're hoping to start your run with a character that can cast spells without sacrificing melee ability, you'll enjoy the Confessor. That said, your low starting Vigor means you won't be able to take too many hits early on, though you can level up that stat for extra protection if you expect to stay in close range often.

Prophet

The Prophet is a faith-based starting class focused on using spells to damage enemies and heal itself and its allies. It starts with low Vigor but decent Strength, and uses a spear and a finger seal for casting spells. This makes it a hybrid class that will benefit you if you're hoping to have melee options to complement your healing and damage spells. The Prophet can be extremely powerful when played to its strengths, and the ability to gain and use those healing spells can be invaluable. If you're comfortable being a glass cannon that trades higher health for strong Mind and Faith stats, this class is a great pick. Just make sure you're ready to take time to prepare for fights and stay mobile during combat.

Samurai

The Samurai is equipped with a powerful katana and a longbow, along with a visually striking suit of armor that matches its name. It's a class that's heavily focused on Dexterity, but its solid spread across both Vigor and Endurance lets you start out with a bit of survivability as well. Due to low Intelligence and Faith, you won't have much going for you on the path of magic, but that doesn't mean you can't invest in those stats. In the end, the Samurai is undoubtedly one of the more versatile starting options, but if the class's aesthetic doesn't matter to you, you'll likely find the Vagabond to be a better option for hybrid builds.

Wretch

The Wretch is a blank-slate character with all stats set to level 10 and only a club to fight enemies with. This is a worthwhile pick only if you like the concept of starting entirely from scratch and having to scavenge for loot. And having generally low stats overall means you have a lot of freedom to build your character however you want. The Wretch's downside is that, since every stat starts at 10, you can't minmax for builds optimized at the PVP level cap. Whatever build you're hoping to reach, you'll always have a few extra points sitting lower in stats you don't need than you would with a dedicated starting class. Those few points won't always complete or completely ruin your build, but PVP can be unforgiving, so you should aim to maximize your potential, and that will never be possible here.

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