Elden ring dark souls and classes Eldon ring has 10 starting classes to choose from all of which offer their own unique pros and cons so let’s take a look at each one to help you figure out which is best for you
Hero
the hero is a straightforward melee-focused class that begins the game with high strength endurance and vigor stats alongside a one-handed ax and a medium-sized shield for some extra protection in a pinch this no-frills class should make dark souls melee fans feel right at home as a hero your primary stats will likely continue to be strength and vigor strength will ensure that you can wield large weapons that scale specifically with that stat while having a high health pool with your increased vigor stat will assist you with the fact that you’ll spend most of your time in close quarters and counters.
Bandit
bandit doesn’t bring much to the table for the more commonly desired traits instead offering a lot of points in arcane some high dexterity is helpful too though all of the other stats begin at fairly low levels that being said the bandit begins the game with the dagger and bow and arrows making it the perfect stealth-based starting class if that’s your thing the arcane stat helps you find more items on defeated foes and has some use in certain sorceries and incantations but it’s best suited for niche builds and won’t be optimal for more typical play styles as such the bandit isn’t one of the better starting classes for most players who want to min-max their stats at the end of the game.
Elden Ring Dark Souls Vagabond
the vagabond is a tried and true knight coming equipped with heavy armor a straight sword and a solid shield in preparation for close-quarters showdowns its high starting vigor makes it the tackiest of the starting classes while the nearly even split between strength and dexterity makes it perfect for quality builds which bring both stats to at least 40 to specialize equally in all melee weapon types the vagabond’s low intelligence faith and mind stats don’t do much to set it on a path for using sorcery or incantations but they’re not so low that you couldn’t pump a few points in them to make use of spells as a backup option but if magic is something you’re wanting to use more frequently you’re much better off with the class that specializes in it.
Elden Ring Dark Souls : Astrologer
the astrologer is a class that is really well suited to newcomers who want to have both melee and sorcery options in battle this magic-based class comes equipped with staff for casting sorceries and a short sword for some light melee it boasts large bonuses to intelligence and mind that ensure that you’ll hit hard and have plenty of casts at your disposal for ranged combat making the most of the astrologer will mean spending the majority of your points in intelligence to keep your magic damage high unless you want to rely heavily on a melee weapon as a backup option you’ll want to pump up your mind stat too so you can increase the number of times you can cast spells as long as you can keep a little distance between yourself and your enemies you’ll find a lot to love here.
warrior
the warrior is a dual-wielding powerhouse for fans of fast-paced melee combat it starts off with a high dexterity stat and two simmeters so you can dish out some hefty damage at the expense of limited defensive options this class is wonderful if you’re open to benefiting most from smaller weapons and getting good use out of a bow however bear in mind that your vigor starts pretty low and you’ll need to dump a significant amount of runes into your strength stat if you plan to wear heavier armor in other words be sure you’re comfortable with keeping things light and mobile if you’re signing up for this quick hitting lower defense option the first thing you’re likely to notice about the prisoner class is its unusual iron mask strange in appearance as it may be the prisoner is a solid pick if you’re wanting to make an agile melee slash casting hybrid character it starts with high dexterity and intelligence stats and its starting gear is an stock and a staff for casting sorceries you’ll need to either be adept at rolling or make up a lot of ground in vigor and endurance to make this class a little more feasible for long-term melee engagements as it starts with low hp and stamina nevertheless this remains one of the best starting classes if you’d like to focus pretty equally on magic and swordplay.
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 choice if you’re looking to use spells while also having some freedom in weapon choices it comes equipped with a broadsword and a finger seal for casting incantations if you’re hoping to start off your experience with a character that can cast incantations without sacrificing melee capabilities you may enjoy the confessor your low starting vigor, however, means that you won’t be able to take as many hits in the beginning but you can raise that stat for some extra protection if you’re hoping to stay in close quarters often.
profit
the profit is a faith build starting class with a focus on using incantations to deal damage and heal themselves and their allies they begin with low vigor but decent strength and they wield a spear and a finger seal for casting incantations this makes them a hybrid class that should benefit you if you’re hoping to have melee options to complement your healing and damage spells the profit can be immensely powerful when played to its strengths and the ability to obtain and use those healing spells can be invaluable if you’re comfortable being a glass cannon that favors high mind and faith stats over more health this class is a fantastic choice just be sure you’re prepared to take time to prepare for fights and stay mobile during them
samurai
the samurai comes equipped with a powerful katana and a longbow as well as visually impressive armor that fits its namesake it’s a class focused heavily on dexterity through its decent spread in both vigor and endurance ensures that you’re starting out with a little bit of survivability too you won’t have much in the way of magic due to low intelligence and faith but that doesn’t mean you can’t invest in those stats ultimately the samurai is no doubt one of the more versatile starting options but unless the aesthetic of the class is important to you you’ll likely find that the vagabond is a better option for hybrid builds.
wretch
the wretch is a blank slate character that starts with all stats set to level 10 and wields only a club for boinking baddies this is a worthwhile option if you merely enjoy the concept of starting from nothing and having to scrounge for loot and having even stats across the board means you have a lot of freedom to build your character however you’d like the downside of the wretch is that because every stat begins at 10 you can’t min-max for optimized builds at the PVP level cap no matter what build you hope to achieve you’ll always have a few extra points in useless stats that would have been lower on a specialized starting class those few points won’t always make or break your build entirely but PVP can be brutal so you should be aiming to maximize your potential and that’ll never be possible here the good news for anyone looking to dive into Elden ring is that the games.
starting classes don’t force you to fit any particular mold you’re still free to build your character any number of ways by distributing points into whatever stats you see fit a starting class will simply provide you with some gear and stat boosts that may benefit you if you’re looking to focus on a specific playstyle but if you’re the type who wants to min-max your stats for an optimal PVP build it’s definitely worth picking a class that will most suit whatever you’re hoping to accomplish going with a melee-focused starting class, for instance, may leave full-blown magic to build with a few displaced points by the time you reach your self-imposed level cap those few points may not make a significant difference in terms of viability but in a game where showdowns can come down to the wire every point in your favor is worth the investment for more Elden ring guides, as well as our review, make sure you subscribe to Panda Atlanta and we’ll see you next time you