00:00Understanding what Elden Ring class to choose and what the best options are will really
00:09help in the early stages of the game. The Vagabond is great for starters if you favour
00:13Malay, while the Prophet or Astrologer is a great choice for more experienced players
00:17who want more magic options, while the Wretch is for the Masochists only who really want
00:21a challenge.
00:22Each class comes with a loadout of weapons and pre-leveled stats with an emphasis on
00:26certain statistics known as attributes which will affect different things about your character
00:30and as a result gameplay. Defeating enemies will give you runes which you can then use
00:34to level up your character to hone your build further. But due to an uncapped levelling system
00:39you can spend points in different attributes at any stage to diversify your abilities whenever
00:44you want. For example if you've been using a Malay build you might decide you want to
00:47get into magic so you can just start spending points on boosting the relevant attributes.
00:51Be aware though that this is something you should only consider late game once you've
00:55already considerably levelled up other stats and you really know what's going on.
00:59The Vagabond is probably the best beginner-friendly Elden Ring class that can be specialised for
01:03strength or dexterity to craft a strong and relatively simple Malay build. You'll start
01:08with a standard Longsword, Halberd and Heater Shield although we reckon it's best to stick
01:12with the Longsword and Shield for fast attacks and good blocking. With the highest starting
01:16health of any class and a nice set of armour for decent protection, the Vagabond will be able
01:21to take far more hits from the start. Although wearing a full armour set initially means you'll
01:25have a slow dodge roll unless you boost your endurance to carry more or take some off.
01:30In contrast the Wretch is the most pro player option in the game. This is a blank slate class
01:35starting with tens across the board in all attributes and no equipment bar a club. They
01:39don't even get clothes. This means starting from scratch and finding your own weapons and armour.
01:44This class is really only recommended for players with a lot of experience with previous
01:47from software games and even then it would be better picked for a second playthrough once
01:52you really know what's going on. The Warrior is a dexterity focused Malay class favouring lighter
01:56Malay weapons that require a bit of finesse or ranged weapons like bows. You'll start with two scimitars
02:01and a shield and a base dexterity of 16 which will give you some nice early Malay damage with those
02:06scimitars. That will allow you to focus on boosting endurance for more dodge rolls and attacks.
02:10The hero focuses on all out strength using heavier weapons with slow attacks that deal massive damage.
02:15You'll start with 16 points in strength and a big axe and putting even more points into strength will
02:20help you meet the requirements of some truly hefty strength based weapons early on. Heroes start with
02:25more health and stamina meaning they're a little tanky and agile too. You can boost these attributes
02:29more in the early levels to make the hero more balanced or you can focus purely on strength to
02:34up your damage as much as you can. The bandit class is basically a stealth assassin with a dagger and
02:38a small shield. Bandit players need to avoid direct conflict and should instead focus on critical hits
02:44with backstabs or sniping with the starting short bow. If things do go loud you'll have to rely on
02:48dodging and parrying. However the bandits stats are generally low and balanced enough that re-specialising
02:54into different playstyles shouldn't be too difficult providing you can find the right gear.
02:57The astrologer class is one of the few options built for magic from the start with an impressive 15
03:02mind and 16 intelligence. It means they can cast many powerful sorcery spells making it a quite
03:08destructive ranged magic class. However all the other stats are quite low so it might be a good idea to spend your first
03:14runes boosting health and stamina to be a little less squishy. Then you can focus on bringing up
03:18your intelligence to meet even more higher attribute requirements for better spells and
03:22making your older ones powerful in the process. The profit class is the other side of the magic coin
03:26focusing instead on faith to cast incantations which are generally more supportive than offensive.
03:31This will make you a holy warrior role backing up yourself and allies with healing incantations
03:36while smiting foes with fire and holy damage. So long as you have good attribute to healing spells
03:40focusing your runes on the mind attribute will increase how many incantations you can cast.
03:44The samurai class is a sort of vagabond and bandit hybrid and all about dexterity focused melee
03:49combining good strength the highest base endurance of any class and great dexterity with range sniping
03:55as a secondary option thanks to the starting longbow. Samurai players should focus on mastering dodges
04:00parrying and the two-handed weapon stance to deliver precise strikes and attack combos. Sitting between
04:05the warrior and astrologer the prisoner combines both good dexterity based melee with intelligence
04:10based sorcerers to deal a range of damage. That high dexterity also has the added bonus of quickening
04:15spell casting so prisoners have potential to deal a lot of damage very quickly. This class is let down
04:20however by low vigor and endurance so boosting hp and stamina should definitely be a focus initially
04:25for leveling up while putting a lot of points into dexterity is going to improve your melee and
04:29magical capabilities. Similar to the prisoner the confessor blends the balanced melee capabilities of
04:34the vagabond with the faith focused incantations of the prophet. Base strength and dexterity stats of 12
04:40mean there's a lot of freedom in which weapons confessor players can specialize in but we
04:44recommend pooling your runes into either one or the other to get either strength or dexterity focused
04:49weapons rather than trying to use both. Balance this with levels in faith vigor and endurance to
04:54keep your incantations up to speed and your confessor healthy. That should give you a relatively
04:58balanced character competent in both martial and magical attacks. So there's your guide to elden ring
05:03classes and a few suggestions for beginners and pros alike. Remember the vagabond is great for starters if you
05:08favor melee while the prophet or astrologer is a great choice for more experienced players who
05:12want more magic options while the wretch is for the masochists only who really want a challenge.
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