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00:05 Understanding what Elden Ring class to choose and what the best options are
00:09 will really help in the early stages of the game.
00:11 The Vagabond is great for starters if you favour melee,
00:13 while the Prophet or Astrologer is a great choice for more experienced players who want more magic options,
00:18 while the Wretch is for the masochists only who really want a challenge.
00:22 Each class comes with a loadout of weapons and pre-leveled stats
00:25 with an emphasis on certain statistics known as attributes,
00:28 which will affect different things about your character and as a result, gameplay.
00:32 Defeating enemies will give you runes which you can then use to level up your character to hone your build further.
00:37 But, due to an uncapped levelling system, you can spend points in different attributes at any stage
00:42 to diversify your abilities whenever you want.
00:44 For example, if you've been using a melee build, you might decide you want to get into magic,
00:48 so you can just start spending points on boosting the relevant attributes.
00:51 Be aware though that this is something you should only consider late game
00:54 once you've already considerably levelled up other stats and you really know what's going on.
00:59 The Vagabond is probably the best beginner-friendly Elden Ring class
01:02 that can be specialised for strength or dexterity to craft a strong and relatively simple melee build.
01:08 You'll start with a standard longsword, halberd and heater shield,
01:11 although we reckon it's best to stick with the longsword and shield for fast attacks and good blocking.
01:16 With the highest starting health of any class and a nice set of armour for decent protection,
01:20 the Vagabond will be able to take far more hits from the start.
01:23 Although wearing a full armour set initially means you'll have a slow dodge roll
01:26 unless you boost your endurance to carry more or take some off.
01:29 In contrast, the Wretch is the most pro-player option in the game.
01:33 This is a blank slate class, starting with 10s across the board in all attributes
01:37 and no equipment bar or club. They don't even get clothes.
01:40 This means starting from scratch and finding your own weapons and armour.
01:43 This class is really only recommended for players with a lot of experience with previous FromSoftware games
01:48 and even then it would be better picked for a second playthrough once you really know what's going on.
01:53 The Warrior is a dexterity-focused melee class,
01:55 favouring lighter melee weapons that require a bit of finesse or ranged weapons like bows.
02:00 You'll start with two scimitars and a shield and a base dexterity of 16
02:04 which will give you some nice early melee damage with those scimitars.
02:07 That will allow you to focus on boosting endurance for more dodge rolls and attacks.
02:10 The Hero focuses on all-out strength, using heavier weapons with slow attacks that deal massive damage.
02:15 You'll start with 16 points in strength and a big axe
02:18 and putting even more points into strength will help you meet the requirements
02:21 of some truly hefty strength-based weapons early on.
02:24 Heroes start with more health and stamina, meaning they're a little tanky and agile too.
02:28 You can boost these attributes more in the early levels to make the Hero more balanced
02:32 or you can focus purely on strength to up your damage as much as you can.
02:35 The Bandit class is basically a stealth assassin, with a dagger and a small shield.
02:39 Bandit players need to avoid direct conflict and should instead focus on critical hits
02:44 with backstabs or sniping with the starting shortbow.
02:46 If things do go loud, you'll have to rely on dodging and parrying.
02:49 However, the Bandit's stats are generally low and balanced enough
02:53 that re-specialising into different playstyles shouldn't be too difficult,
02:56 providing you can find the right gear.
02:57 The Astrologer class is one of the few options built for magic from the start
03:01 with an impressive 15 mind and 16 intelligence.
03:04 It means they can cast many powerful sorcery spells,
03:07 making it a quite destructive ranged magic class.
03:09 However, all the other stats are quite low,
03:11 so it might be a good idea to spend your first runes boosting health and stamina
03:15 to be a little less squishy.
03:16 Then you can focus on bringing up your intelligence
03:18 to meet even more higher attribute requirements for better spells
03:21 and making the older ones powerful in the process.
03:24 The Prophet class is the other side of the magic coin,
03:26 focusing instead on faith to cast incantations,
03:29 which are generally more supportive than offensive.
03:31 This will make you a holy warrior role,
03:33 backing up yourself and allies with healing incantations
03:35 while smiting foes with fire and holy damage.
03:38 So long as you have good attribute to healing spells,
03:40 focusing your runes on the mind attribute
03:42 will increase how many incantations you can cast.
03:44 The Samurai class is a sort of vagabond and bandit hybrid,
03:47 and all about dexterity-focused melee,
03:49 combining good strength, the highest base endurance of any class,
03:52 and great dexterity,
03:54 with ranged sniping as a secondary option thanks to the starting longbow.
03:57 Samurai players should focus on mastering dodges, parrying,
04:00 and the two-handed weapon stance to deliver precise strikes and attack combos.
04:04 Sitting between the warrior and astrologer,
04:06 the Prisoner combines both good dexterity-based melee
04:09 with intelligence-based sorceries to deal a range of damage.
04:12 That high dexterity also has the added bonus of quickening spellcasting,
04:15 so prisoners have potential to deal a lot of damage very quickly.
04:19 This class is let down, however, by low vigor and endurance,
04:22 so boosting HP and stamina should definitely be a focus initially for leveling up,
04:26 while putting a lot of points into dexterity
04:28 is going to improve your melee and magical capabilities.
04:30 Similar to the Prisoner, the Confessor blends the balanced melee capabilities
04:34 of the Vagabond with the faith-focused incantations of the Prophet.
04:37 Base strength and dexterity stats of 12 mean there's a lot of freedom
04:41 in which weapons Confessor players can specialize in,
04:43 but we recommend pooling your runes into either one or the other
04:46 to get either strength- or dexterity-focused weapons, rather than trying to use both.
04:51 Balance this with levels in faith, vigor, and endurance
04:54 to keep your incantations up to speed and your Confessor healthy.
04:57 That should give you a relatively balanced character,
04:59 competent in both martial and magical attacks.
05:01 So there's your guide to Elden Ring classes,
05:03 and a few suggestions for beginners and pros alike.
05:06 Remember, the Vagabond is great for starters if you favor melee,
05:09 while the Prophet or Astrologer is a great choice for more experienced players
05:12 who want more magic options,
05:14 while the Wretch is for the masochists only who really want a challenge.
05:17 For more help with Elden Ring in general, don't forget to like and subscribe to GamesRadar.
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