Elden Ring guide: which is the best class to start?

Elden Ring guide

What is the best class to start Elden Ring? As in previous FromSoftware games, before starting the adventure you will need to create your own character and choose from one of the 10 classes proposed by the game. Each is characterized by different stats and equipment, so it is a decision that inevitably will have a great influence on how you approach the game, at least in the first hours.

In this guide we will give an overview of the differences between the various classes of Elden Ring and in particular on their starting attributes, which as in all souls-like play a fundamental role in the game dynamics.

Elden Ring, classes and attributes

Elden Ring, the Confessor and the Samurai In Elden Ring there are ten classes in total, each with different attributes, starting level and equipment. Here are what they are and their starting armamentary:

Hedge knight: medium / heavy armor, long sword, halberd and shield Nomadic warrior: medium / light armor, two scimitars, small shield Hero: light armor, ax and Outlaw shield: light armor, short bow, knife and small shield Astrologer: catalyst, short sword, small shield and two long-range offensive sorceries Prophet: rags, talisman, spear, wooden shield, two spells, one healing and the other short range offensive Samurai: medium armor, oriental sword, small shield and longbow Prisoner: rags, catalyst, shield, rapier and one medium / long range offensive sorcery Confessor: light armor, shield, broadsword, two spells, one healing the other reduces the noises of footsteps Unfortunate: no armor and a club

Before going into detail, it is necessary to talk about the attributes of Elden Ring, that is the statistics of your character that determine his life points, the power of physical and magical attacks, as well as the resistance to opposing hits and altered statuses. It is impossible to reasonably choose a class rather than another without first having a smattering of how they work:



Level: indicates the starting level of the class. The higher it is, the greater the runes required for level up, a class with a low level will therefore be more "malleable" in the early stages of Elden Ring. Vitality: Increases the character's maximum HP (life points). It also increases fire resistance and immunity (resistance to poisons and rot). Mind: increases AP (action points) and affects Concentration (resistance to sleep and insanity) Stamina: increases stamina, maximum equipment load and affects Toughness (resistance to bleeding and frostbite) Strength: increases attack power weapons that depend on this stat and affect physical defense. It is also the attribute required to use heavy equipment. Dexterity: Increases the attack power of weapons that scale to this stat, speeds up spell casting, reduces fall damage, and protects against unsaddling while riding Torrente, your character's steed. It is also the required attribute to equip technical weaponry, fast and ranged weapons. Intelligence: Increases the power of sorceries that scale to Intelligence and resistance from magic. It is also the attribute needed to use stonebreaker sorcery. Faith: Boosts spells that scale on this stat and the attribute needed to use holy spells. Arcane: Strengthens some spells and sorceries, affects defense from Holy and Vitality. Also increases Discovery stat (increases enemy drop rate).

Below is a practical table with the basic attributes for each class:

Class Lvl VIT MEN TEM FOR DES INT FED ARC Knight 9 15 10 11 14 13 9 9 7 Warrior 8 11 12 11 10 16 10 8 9 Hero 7 14 9 12 16 9 7 8 11 Outlaw 5 10 11 10 9 13 9 8 14 Astrologer 6 9 15 9 8 12 16 7 9 Prophet 7 10 14 8 11 10 7 16 10 Samurai 9 12 11 13 12 15 9 8 8 Prisoner 9 11 12 11 11 14 14 6 9 Confessor 10 10 13 10 12 12 9 14 9 Unfortunate 1 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10

Once you have chosen your class and started the adventure in the Interregnum of Elden Ring you will be able to invest the runes obtained from the enemies to level up your character and improve various attributes freely. The starting class is by no means decisive, but only a basis on which to build your build. You can therefore take on the role of the Astrologer and subsequently become an armored warrior who uses a two-handed sword or impersonate a Hedge Knight and then decide in the course of work to specialize in magic or spells. Obviously having clear ideas right away about what your Senzaluce will do when grown up allows you to start with an extra gear and to choose the class with the right starting attributes. For example, if you think you specialize in stone-chipping sorcery, you should opt for the Astrologer or the Prisoner.

As for the evolution of your character, anyone who has played previous FromSoftware games knows that usually the solution is best, or at least the simplest, is to favor mainly a single offensive statistic, without therefore distributing the points equally, to obtain the maximum possible result with a certain category of weapons / spells. For example, by raising the Strength attribute to high levels you can wield hooks such as broadswords and heavy axes and maximize the damage inflicted with them. That said, an experienced player or anyone who wants to create an eclectic character can very well invest their points on two different stats. For example, by investing in both Dexterity and Intelligence, you can use fast and ranged weapons but also cast spells if necessary. Your character will therefore be more versatile but will not excel in either category. The choice is yours.

Which is the best class in Elden Ring?

Elden Ring, the Hedge Knight and the Hero As you probably have already guessed, in Elden Ring there is no a better or stronger class than another objectively speaking. True, each one has different attributes and basic equipment, but that does not preclude any options in terms of build and the initial paraphernalia will probably be disposed of within a few hours.

So choose without making too many problems. the one that inspires you the most, based on the starting weapons, a group of statistics that tease you or, simply, the one with the armor that you like most aesthetically, even the eye wants its part. In short, don't give a damn about the meta.

All the more reason, keep in mind that as you advance in the game you will be offered the possibility to reset the distribution of attributes (more on this in a future guide), which means that you will be able to radically change the build of your character, in case you have second thoughts or want to correct some mistakes made previously. So feel free to experiment. Indeed, we highly recommend it, after all it's part of the fun.

Having said that, if you really don't know which class to start with or maybe you are looking for a "simple" one to use, we have some suggestions for you.

If you enjoy hitting hard and using heavy weapons, the Hedge Knight is probably the option for you. Start the game with great armor, a shield that blocks 100% physical damage, and two melee weapons. It also has high Strength and Vitality attributes, so it does good damage and has excellent stamina.

The Samurai is a balanced class, with pretty good armor, an oriental sword that inflicts bleeding, as well as a bow along with a handful of normal and fire arrows, which will give you access to ranged attacks from the very early stages of the game, an element not to be overlooked. He also starts with a good Dexterity value, which means you can easily specialize him in the use of other technical or light weapons.

If you like magical builds, the Astrologer is the class he makes. for you. He has a high Intelligence and starts immediately with two long-range offensive spells that prove useful from the initial stages of Elden Ring and in the worst case you can still count on a sword. The Prisoner is also not bad at all, but it is meant more for a mixed Dexterity / Intelligence build and the starting sorcery is not exactly the best.

Still staying on the subject of spells, but focusing on those based on Faith, the Prophet is another very good class. He has short-range offensive magic and pretty good healing in the early stages. On the other hand, it is basically equipped with rags and has a shield that leaves something to be desired.

Finally, we cannot fail to mention the Unfortunate, the best choice for those who already have clear ideas about the build to be built or those who do not. he has at all and is also very reckless. This class, in fact, starts with 10 points in each stat, so it does not excel at anything, and its equipment is represented by a club and underwear, not exactly the best way to face the dangers of the Interregnum. However, it has a very interesting strength, that is, it starts from level 1, which means that the first level ups will be very inexpensive in terms of runes and the basic attributes allow you to meld as you see fit its build. It is therefore a very popular class for those who have already completed a run of Elden Ring and have very clear ideas on how to build their character and know where to get the equipment and spells they need. We advise against it for budding players, unless you like to complicate your life.

Have you chosen your starting class in Elden Ring? Please let us know in the comments.

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