Elden Ring Class Tier List: All Classes Ranked [2023]

Before diving into the ranking, we need to know how Elden Ring’s classes work. As we said earlier, the game has got ten different classes, each suited for different playstyles. Meaning whatever choice you make, especially at the beginning, is what will ultimately define your playstyle. Considering all the factors, we have curated an Elden Ring class tier list for you. It’s basically a detailed guide where we’ll scrutinize each class, its strengths, and most importantly, which is best for a start.

There is no surprise that the class choice will also influence your first few hours in the game—for instance, the starting character’s stats and equipment. However, you always have the liberty to revamp your character later in the game. 

Long story short, the class you pick at the beginning will give you a little direction into Elden Ring and some gear to maneuver to the point from where you can take charge. Below is the Elden Ring class tier list, where all 10 Classes are ranked from best to worst.

Let’s look at the comparison between all Elden Ring Classes.

Elden Ring Classes Tier List 

More from eXputer: Elden Ring Weapons Tier List

The primary reason you need an Elden Ring class tier list is that all of the 10 put at your disposal play differently. Hence, consequently, not all might be the best choice to mark your entrance into the game. 

Do mind that no class is weak. It’s just that some prove pretty flexible on all occasions while the others may only work at a particular point in the game. On this note, let’s get into it! 

S-Tier Classes 

These Elden Ring classes are the best of all the 10. All of them are potent enough to dish off considerable damage to your foes in the initial times. Though these classes aren’t entirely perfect, their failings are far more minor than the rest. 

For beginner players looking forward to starting with an unforgettable triumph, these Elden Ring classes are the best fit then. 

Vagabond

Players aren’t short of melee classes in the Elden Ring, but the utter tank here simply wins the contest. We believe this is primarily due to Vagabond’s sheer virtue of tackiness. It is undoubtedly one of the best Elden Ring classes for beginners, if not the best.

Vagabond houses a lot of punch, thanks to the great armor onboard. Players will enjoy the incredible synergy of Dexterity and Strength on offer and the fact that it starts with a Longsword and heavy shield. Meaning players can propel any way they like! 

It has all qualities needed for an intense fight that will let you get straight into the business. What more authority does a beginner want? Moreover, there’s also high Vigor (15 whooping points!) paired with a solid health pool. 

The class, however, lacks Faith, Intelligence, and Mind. Let there be an upgrade in these three sectors, and then we’ll indeed have to give Vagabond a tier rank beyond S! 

Astrologer

We don’t know whether any of you would like to hear about it or not, but astrology is evolving as the most potent way of conduct in the Elden Ring than any other. Keeping this in mind, an astrology-oriented class is necessary; fortunately, Elden Ring has one. 

The class supports both witchcraft and melee stance and begins with offering a minimal yet practical set of sorceries. They are not as flashy as the ones you’ll be eager to get hold of, but they efficiently help players digest and ultimately master the Elden Ring magic system.

With sorceries, this class also keeps some backup weapons at your disposal. This includes a sword, a small shield, and a staff. The Astrologer class gets better with the story, inducing fresher and more potent Sorceries that, later in the game, will do more good than harm. 

Samurai

Do you look forward to beginning with one heck of a devastating weapon? Well, the Samurai might give you that opportunity. Players will be amused to wield an Uchigatana, a super mighty sword that’s not just agile and hits hard but also renders a massive bleed effect. 

The Samurai class revolves around Dexterity and keeps Endurance and Vigor pretty close. However, it manifests less focus on stealth. 

Nevertheless, the class primarily benefits fans of ranged and melee attacks given the longbow, offhand shield, and fire arrows paired with the sturdy katana we just talked about.  

What’s more? Players are offered survivability (thanks to point allocation). 

As a result, players can mess around and adventure the Elden Ring’s open world to their fullest, no matter if it’s just the beginning even. 

The downside associated with the Vagabond class prevails here as well. Players will need to put up some extra points to swell the faith and intelligence stats to make this class fit for sorcery. 

A-Tier Classes

While not as extraordinary as the S-Tier classes, these picks can’t be ignored either. Given their unique stats that perfectly fit different niches, these classes are worth your attention.  

Warrior

Warrior is one heck of a contestant in our Elden Ring class tier list and would possibly be standing right next to Vagabond if there wouldn’t have been a difficult learning curve. Yes, the warrior class in the Elden Ring is hard to master. 

Out of the several melee classes, this one perhaps is the most likely to let down beginners. Warrior class initiates with scimitars and just an offhand shield, therefore, offering very scarce damage per hit potential (something that you can’t overlook when starting Elden Ring). 

However, the chained pair of scimitars can be dual-wielded to render constant damage. If you are ready to compromise on that, we are thrilled to tell you that your sacrifice will not go in vain. 

In fact, for some players compromising slightly on functionality, in the beginning, is preferred, given what the Warrior class will offer you in return. The class can become highly lethal once fully learned. 

It’s an excellent Elden Ring class for fans of fast-paced melee combat. Moreover, you get 16 Dexterity points for dishing out some incredible damage to the enemies. 

However, you have to spend some points on Strength and Vigor in order to be able to summon heavy armor and improve your defense. 

Prisoner

As we have already let it known earlier, sorcery is soon to overpower the melee playstyle or any other dominant playstyle in the world of RPGs. Given the massive damaging potential and range of attack capacity, Sorceries is a practical weapon against all types of lethal foes. 

To fuel the emerging dominance, even more, Elden Ring holds yet another class for it—the Prisoner. Though a bit lacking than the Astrologer, Prisoner supports all Dexterity-based melee weaponry with its generous Mind and Intelligence stats onboard. 

The class begins with a moderate damage spell—the Magic Glintblade Sorcery. If you ask us, the spell is a pretty clever induction for a start as it can teach magical combat well. You can refer to our Elden Ring Spells Tier List to know more about spells that can help you make the most of the Prisoner class.

What’s even more enjoyable is that the Prisoner class is not a completely magic-oriented class. It lets you dip your toe equally in both spells and swords. Therefore, the Prisoner comes with a staff, shield, and sword for a start. 

However, players need to pour in some extra points to their Endurance and Vigor stats. This is because they fall pretty short of manifesting a practical melee stance, which is exactly why the class is often introduced as a magic class only. 

Hero

This class is yet another melee class you can rely on for the early game. It is not well-rounded for spellcasting but is designed to support a fast-paced melee character with more focus on Strength rather than Dexterity. 

Great Strength paired with substantial Stamina, high Vigor, and top-notch Endurance makes the Hero class ideal for newbie Elden Ring combatants. Those who want to get the hang of the game in no more than a couple of hits only can make the most out of this class. 

Together, all stats help muster a massive health pool against close attacks and enable players to wield large weapons. Also, the Hero class gives all players the freedom of allotting stats points as per their individual tastes.

Coming to what the class offers for a start, you’ll get a one-handed ax coupled with a medium-sized shield. A fair trade, we would say. 

Confessor

As the name might suggest, this class is somewhat related to Stealth but can also be called a “hybrid” class like the prisoner. The Confessor class can be wielded as a decent melee attacker or a Faith-loaded caster. 

Long story short, the Confessor is neither the best melee class nor the best sorcery one but undoubtedly one heck of a two-in-one. Melee fans who’d like to learn some magic can sync very well with this class. 

Opting for the Confessor class can help you learn a bit of the Elden Ring’s magic mechanism without having to digest the whole forcefully. The class dashes off with a mighty sword, finger seal, potential of synergizing with Dexterity and Strength, and a solid shield to block incoming shots.

However, what plays the role of a magic glue here is the solid Faith and Vigor rating. It allows you to have multiple high-power weapons while also letting you use magic. However, you need to add extra points to defense stats in order to deal with hits in the initial game. 

B-Tier Classes 

Classes of the B-Tier should not be underestimated. Though they couldn’t make it to the top ranks, these Elden Ring classes are best if wielded with specific playstyles. We’ll recommend the below-mentioned classes to veteran players only.  Beginners might even try their luck, but once they had been in the game for at least some time. 

Prophet

We know that most of the true Dark Soul fans are amazed to see yet another sorcery class in Elden Ring. The game has really left a lot of traditions behind. Nevertheless, this class isn’t as competent as the other sorcery classes. Please don’t assume it’s weak, though. 

Thanks to the impressive starting Faith stats, the Prophet class can be called one of the best spellcasters in the horde. However, due to no support for melee attacks, it’s not a hybrid pick. Moreover, it’s fragile and possesses weak starting items (just a finger seal and a spear). 

Until a player gets a good grip on maneuvering magic incantations and summons, wielding the Prophet class can be challenging. Players looking for a Faith-based starting class and those who know how to tackle magic may consider picking the Prophet. 

Bandit

Stealth is a new stat introduced in the Elden Ring area, and we know you are super excited to get hold of it; however, that doesn’t mean you make any wrong decisions. Meaning doesn’t opt for the Stealth-oriented Bandit class before knowing about it. 

This class begins with a bow and arrow to take charge of the bosses from a distance, a decent knife, and a shield too. With Stealth, the class houses substantial Dexterity and Arcane as well. 

Because of them, Bandit will do fine while you tour through the game’s open world but won’t prove to be of much help against aggressive bosses.  

C-Tier Classes

These classes lack a little too much. For starter Elden Ring fellas, they are certainly not the classes we would prefer. However, being a pro gamer or someone who just likes experimenting with every possibility put forth by Elden Ring, you can still try them.  

Wretch

As an old Elden Ring gamer, we think Wretch can get quite interesting in the end, but for beginners, it’s simply unacceptable. The class continues to be one of the most underprivileged classes from Dark Souls in terms of stats. 

The Wretch class is represented by a half-clothed character holding a club who has severely deprived balance stats. Inferior equipment coupled with low stats can result in nothing more than beginners failing miserably. 

However, the initial struggle starts to give some fruit as you adventure more into the game. Because the Wretch is a Level 1 class, players can design it in whichever way they like, inducing some of the best builds to put forth a massively influential class. 

Wretch builds can come with cheap levels and absolutely no wastage. All in all, attributing Wretch as one of the most flexible classes in Elden Ring won’t be wrong. 

But remember, the pay-off can only be achieved after crossing a scary initial tunnel accompanied by questionable point allocations and stats. 

Takeaway

That sums up our guide on the best classes in Elden Ring. Do note that none of the classes are substandard or entirely unsuitable to employ; as such just players can do better with some once they fully understand the game mechanics. 

Which one do you like the most from our Elden Ring class tier list? And does it fit your playstyle?  

Eldin Ring Class Tier List Criteria

We have put a lot of effort into creating this tier list. All best classes of the Elden Ring were ranked after carefully studying the abilities, survival to combat potential, and damage skills of each one of them. We did this after spending nearly 100 hours playing the game ourselves, putting each class to the test. 

In the end, classes that proved more fruitful and easier to maneuver during early Elden Ring adventures were placed at ranks higher than those that were a little complicated to deal with.   

Why Our Tier List Ranking Matters

Exputer strives to put forth the most unbiased pieces of gaming information for the reader. Everything we share with you is backed by trustable sources, experiences, information sites, and opinions of veteran players. 

Because Tier lists still tend to be subjective matters, our opinion may differ from yours. Therefore we wholeheartedly invite you to lead constructive discussions in the comments below.