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
01:21able to take far more hits from the start. Although wearing a full armour set initially means
01:25you'll have a slow dodge roll unless you boost your endurance to carry more or take some off.
01:29In contrast, the Wretch is the most pro player option in the game. This is a blank slate class
01:34starting with tens across the board in all attributes and no equipment bar a club.
01:39They don't even get clothes. This means starting from scratch and finding your own weapons and armour.
01:43This class is really only recommended for players with a lot of experience with previous FromSoftware games and even
01:49then it would be better picked for a second playthrough once you really know what's going on.
01:53The Warrior is a dexterity focused melee class favouring lighter melee weapons that require a
01:57bit of finesse or ranged weapons like bows. You'll start with two scimitars and a shield and a base
02:02dexterity of 16 which will give you some nice early melee damage with those scimitars. That will allow
02:07you to focus on boosting endurance for more dodge rolls and attacks. The hero focuses on all out strength
02:12using heavier weapons with slow attacks that deal massive damage. You'll start with 16 points
02:17in strength and a big axe and putting even more points into strength will help you meet the
02:21requirements of some truly hefty strength based weapons early on. Heroes start with more health
02:25and stamina meaning they're a little tanky and agile too. You can boost these attributes more in the
02:30early levels to make the hero more balanced or you can focus purely on strength to up your damage as
02:34much as you can. The bandit class is basically a stealth assassin with a dagger and a small shield.
02:40Bandit players need to avoid direct conflict and should instead focus on critical hits with backstabs or
02:45sniping with the starting short bow. If things do go loud you'll have to rely on dodging and parrying.
02:49However, the bandit's stats are generally low and balanced enough that re-specialising into
02:54different 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
03:13first runes boosting health and stamina to be a little less squishy. Then you can focus on bringing
03:18up your 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
03:26coin, focusing 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
03:59dodges, parrying and the two-handed weapon stance to deliver precise strikes and attack combos.
04:04Sitting between the warrior and astrologer, the prisoner combines both good dexterity based
04:09melee with intelligence based sorceries to deal a range of damage. That high dexterity also has
04:14the added bonus of quickening spell casting, so prisoners have potential to deal a lot of damage
04:18very quickly. This class is let down however by low vigour and endurance, so boosting hp and stamina
04:24should definitely be a focus initially for levelling up, while putting a lot of points into dexterity is
04:28going to improve your melee and magical capabilities. Similar to the prisoner, the confessor blends the
04:33balanced melee capabilities of the vagabond with the faith focused incantations of the prophet.
04:37Base strength and dexterity stats of 12 mean there's a lot of freedom in which weapons
04:42confessor players can specialise in, but we recommend pooling your runes into either one
04:46or the other to get either strength or dexterity focused weapons, rather than trying to use both.
04:51Balance this with levels in faith, vigour and endurance to keep your incantations up to speed
04:56and your confessor healthy. That should give you a relatively balanced character competent in both
05:00martial and magical attacks. So there's your guide to Elden Ring classes and a few suggestions for
05:04beginners and pros alike. Remember, the vagabond is great for starters if you favour melee,
05:09while the prophet or astrologer is a great choice for more experienced players who want more magic
05:13options, while the wretch is for the masochists only who really want a challenge. For more help
05:17with Elden Ring in general, don't forget to like and subscribe to GamesRadar.
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