February 9, 2022

We’re mere weeks away from Elden Ring making its way into players’ hands. But when the game launches on February 25, every Tarnished embarking on their journey will have an important decision to make: which class to play. 

Classes in Soulsborne games don’t restrict a player’s options in terms of what gear they use, they just offer solid starting points for different builds. A Prophet can be leveled up to wield a giant sword, but the Champion will be able to wield it sooner, letting them dump their levels into other worthwhile stats. With that in mind, here’s everything we know about the Elden Ring classes revealed so far, and which one may be right for you.

Warrior — Great for Dexterity Builds

The Network Test gave players a first look at several of the Elden Ring classes.

If you’re a longtime dexterity fan, the Warrior is right for you. This class starts off with a 15 in dexterity, 13 in endurance, and 12 in vigor. It begins the game with dual scimitars and a buckler shield. With this level of dexterity, the warrior will primarily be good at performing rapid hits in succession. They’ll also excel at either dodging attacks or setting up parries to stun and counter.

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Weapons that scale with dexterity in Soulsborne games tend to take less stamina than bigger, strength-based weapons. With a 13 in endurance (read: stamina), the Warrior’s stats are a great starting point for dexterity players. Warriors also come equipped with medium armor, meaning players who prefer dodging can expect to have medium-speed rolls.

Starting Attributes:

• Level: 5
• Vigor: 12
• Mind: 10
• Endurance: 15
• Strength: 11
• Dexterity: 15
• Intelligence: 9
• Faith: 7
• Arcane: 10

Starting Items:

• 2 Scimitars
• Buckler
• Blue Cloth Cowl
• Blue Cloth Vest
• Swordsman Gauntlets
• Swordsman Greaves
• 2x Flask of Crimson Tears
• 2x Flask of Cerulean Tears

Enchanted Knight — Magic and Spears

The Enchanted Knight is a hybrid class that allows players to perform sorceries while also using heavy-hitting weapons. This class sports a 16 in intelligence, 15 in strength, 13 in mind, and 12 in dexterity. With this intelligence and mind level, Enchanted Knights will be able to perform sorcery spells from the beginning of the game and can scale them up relatively quickly.

Enchanted Knights also start out with a spear and shield, allowing them to get close to enemies for melee encounters. If you’ve stuck with strength-based builds in past Soulsborne games but want to try out sorcery, the Enchanted Knight is the right class for you.

Starting Attributes:

• Level: 5
• Vigor: 10
• Mind: 13
• Endurance: 11
• Strength: 15
• Dexterity: 12
• Intelligence: 16
• Faith: 8
• Arcane: 5

Starting Items:

• Carian Glintstone Shield
• Carian Sorcerer Staff
• Carian Knight Helm
• Carian Knight Greaves
• Carian Knight Armor
• Carian Knight Gauntlets
• Glintstone Pebble
• Carian Piercer
• Winged Spear
• 2x Flask of Crimson Tears 
• 2x Flask of Cerulean Tears

Prophet — Powerful Incantations

The Prophet was extremely powerful in the Network Test, but changes may come in the full release.

The Prophet makes use of incantations, which are a form of magic that scales with the Faith attribute. Incantations were found to be extremely powerful during Elden Ring’s server test back in November, and this will be a great class for those who don’t mind not wielding a sword or shield the bulk of the time. 

The Prophet starts out with 16 in mind, 16 in faith, and 12 in strength. This leaves some wiggle room to use the starting club in a pinch, but their main focus is really incantations. The Prophet class started with the Clawmark Seal in the server test, which proved to be extremely powerful compared to other starting weapons and abilities. Time will tell if this incantation has been nerfed, or if it even remains in the game.

Starting Attributes:

• Level: 5
• Vigor: 9
• Mind: 16
• Endurance: 10
• Strength: 12
• Dexterity: 9
• Intelligence: 8
• Faith: 16
• Arcane: 7

Starting Items:

• Club
• Clawmark Seal (incantation)
• Rickety Shield
• Prophet Blindfold
• Prophet Robe
• Prophet Trousers
• Heal
• Beast Claw (incantation)
• 2x Flask of Crimson Tears
• 2x Flask of Cerulean Tears

Bloody Wolf — One for Fans of Big Weapons

Giant sword enjoyers will find a home in the Bloody Wolf Class. With 16 in strength, 14 in vigor, 12 in dexterity, 12 in endurance — not to mention coming equipped with heavy armor — the Bloody Wolf is going to be a tank. 

Bloody Wolves also start out with a bastard sword and iron round shield, both of which will be solid starting items that could potentially carry you into the late game. In Dark Souls 1, and even the original Demon Souls, the bastard sword scaled excellently into the end game. If you’re a fan of casting sorcery or magic of any kind, however, the Bloody Wolf may not be for you.

Starting Attributes:

• Level: 5
• Vigor: 14
• Mind: 11
• Endurance: 12
• Strength: 16
• Dexterity: 12
• Intelligence: 7
• Faith: 9
• Arcane: 6

Starting Items:

• Bastard Sword
• Iron Round Shield
• Bloody Wolf Helm
• Bloody Wolf Armor
• Bloody Wolf Gauntlets
• Bloody Wolf Greaves
• 2x Flask of Crimson Tears
• 2x Flask of Cerulean Tears

Hero / Champion — Strength and Faith Combine

The Hero, previously known as the Champion, is another hybrid class that allows players to wield big weapons and cast incantations. They start with a 15 in faith, 14 in strength, 13 in vigor, and 12 in endurance. This allows them to wield bigger weapons like their starting battle-axe, while also occasionally casting incantations like their Dragonfire.

Starting Attributes:

• Level: 5
• Vigor: 13
• Mind: 9
• Endurance: 12
• Strength: 14
• Dexterity: 8
• Intelligence: 5
• Faith: 15
• Arcane: 11

Starting Items:

• Battle Axe
• Finger Seal
• Red Thorn Roundshield
• Champion Headband
• Champion Pauldron
• Champion Gauntlets
• Badland Gaiters
• Dragonfire (incantation)
• 2x Flask of Crimson Tears
• 2x Flask of Cerulean Tears

Wretch — The Deprived of Elden Ring

If you’ve dabbled in Dark Souls, you may be familiar with the Deprived class. Deprived players started out at soul level 1, had no armor whatsoever, and had to make do with an awful club and board shield.

The class is designed for players who have a strong grasp of the fundamental techniques that Dark Souls demands of players, allowing them to craft a class from the ground up. It’s also used heavily by those seeking to further increase the difficulty of their Dark Souls experience.

While we don’t know much about the Wretch class yet, Elden Ring director Hidetaka Miyazaki has alluded to them being the game’s Deprived equivalent, so it’s safe to say this class shouldn’t be the first one you pick.

Prisoner, Vagabond / Bandit, Samurai, Astrologer, and Intelligencer

The Prisoner is one of several classes yet to be fully unveiled.

There are five classes we still have yet to hear much about The Prisoner, Vagabond (formerly called the Bandit), Samurai, Astrologer, and Intelligencer. All five have been discussed in passing, but no concrete information has come out about them.

There is speculation that the Samurai will be dexterity oriented, and that the Intelligencer will utilize dexterity and intelligence. Likewise, it is believed that the prisoner will be an intelligence and strength build. Still, in both cases, nothing has been confirmed by From Software yet. 

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There are a lot of longstanding series staples that this new entry is tweaking, scrapping, or overhauling entirely. As a result, the game may feel a bit unfamiliar to returning players.

So here is what to do.

Nicolas Perez is a journalist who has played way too much Civilization 5. He’s rambling on Twitter @Nic_Perez_.