Choosing a starting class in Elden Ring is one of the first big decisions when starting a new game. There’s always a sense of weight when choosing a class in a FromSoftware title because, although you can change your stats later on, it’s always good to hit the ground running.
You may already know your preferred playstyle if you played past FromSoftware games like Dark Souls, however, each of the classes in Elden Ring starts off with different stats and weapons. With that in mind, it’s worth knowing which one to pick to help ease you in more quickly.
So, here are the Elden Ring classes and their starting stats, strengths, and weaknesses.
Vagabond
The Vagabond is one of the more well-rounded Elden Ring classes. With a good mix of stats across the board, only really lacking in Arcane, it’s a great choice for players who like to do a bit of everything, without committing to a specific playstyle. This class starts with some fairly heavy armor and a Halberd too, but will slow roll unless you decide to unequip something.
- Level: 9
- Vigor: 15
- Mind: 10
- Endurance: 11
- Strength: 14
- Dexterity: 13
- Intelligence: 9
- Faith: 9
- Arcane: 7
Warrior
If you’re all about dexterity above all else, then the Warrior is for you. Purpose-built for lightning-fast attacks, this class starts with two Scimitars. That means you can go straight into your first fight with weapons you can power stance to unleash absurdly cool dual-weapon attacks. It’s a great choice for players who love the lighter weapons in Souls games.
- Level: 8
- Vigor: 11
- Mind: 12
- Endurance: 11
- Strength: 10
- Dexterity: 16
- Intelligence: 10
- Faith: 8
- Arcane: 9
Hero
The Hero is a strength class, but one that leans more into being a glass cannon than others. With fairly low armor, this class has the highest starting strength and kicks things off with an axe. If you’re here for big weapons that you only want to swing once to end an enemy, then this is your Elden Ring starting class.
- Level: 7
- Vigor: 14
- Mind: 9
- Endurance: 12
- Strength: 16
- Dexterity: 9
- Intelligence: 7
- Faith: 8
- Arcane: 11
Bandit
The Bandit starts off as an excellent mix of melee and ranged attacker. It has a light shield for parrying, a Dagger that’s ideal for counterattacks and backstabbing, and even comes with a Short Bow as a backup weapon too. The only downside is that it’s tricky to use due to needing parries. They do, however, have great item discoverability thanks to a high Arcane stat, so you get more items a bit faster.
- Level: 5
- Vigor: 10
- Mind: 11
- Endurance: 10
- Strength: 9
- Dexterity: 13
- Intelligence: 9
- Faith: 8
- Arcane: 14
Astrologer
The Astrologer is the first of the spell-wielding classes, and this one specializes in intelligence. This class is a bit frail, but its high mind stat means it’s good at summoning spirits early on, as well as attacking from afar with glintstone sorceries. Along with a couple of spells, it comes equipped with a casting catalyst and a short sword.
- Level: 6
- Vigor: 9
- Mind: 15
- Endurance: 9
- Strength: 8
- Dexterity: 12
- Intelligence: 16
- Faith: 7
- Arcane: 9
Prophet
The Prophet is your classic faith class. It has a good mind with exceptional faith. Aside from intelligence, it actually has fairly balanced stats. This means you can comfortably use this class’ spells to support yourself. You start off with a spear and a catalyst for casting your faith spells.
- Level: 7
- Vigor: 10
- Mind: 14
- Endurance: 8
- Strength: 11
- Dexterity: 10
- Intelligence: 7
- Faith: 16
- Arcane: 10
Samurai
The Samurai is more or less what you’d expect. It has a good mix of strength and dexterity, which means that it’ll benefit greatly from weapons that scale on both. Along with a Katana to slice through the early enemies at close range, it also comes equipped with a Long Bow for pesky foes who remain out of reach. The armor is fairly heavy though, so you don’t need to dodge much.
- Level: 9
- Vigor: 12
- Mind: 11
- Endurance: 13
- Strength: 12
- Dexterity: 15
- Intelligence: 9
- Faith: 8
- Arcane: 8
Prisoner
Aside from having the most interesting headpiece of the Elden Ring starting classes, the Prisoner is also one of the more inspiring ones. This class boasts high dexterity and intelligence, making them ideal for those who like to use light weapons and spells. It also means you start with a sword and a casting catalyst.
- Level: 6
- Vigor: 11
- Mind: 12
- Endurance: 11
- Strength: 8
- Dexterity: 14
- Intelligence: 14
- Faith: 6
- Arcane: 9
Confessor
The Confessor comes from the church, and as you’d expect in FromSoftware games, it also kicks a fair amount of butt. It has a good mix of strength and dexterity, but excels in faith. It’s great in close-range combat, but is also fairly good at self healing in a bind. You begin with a sword, a shield, and a casting catalyst.
- Level: 10
- Vigor: 10
- Mind: 13
- Endurance: 10
- Strength: 12
- Dexterity: 12
- Intelligence: 9
- Faith: 14
- Arcane: 9
Wretch
This classic FromSoftware starting class is probably going to be one of the more popular Elden Ring starting classes. The Wretch comes with very little aside from a cloth thong adorning the buttocks, and a club in their hand. However, it starts off at level 1 with 10s in each stat, making them the best choice as a blank canvas.
- Level: 1
- Vigor: 10
- Mind: 10
- Endurance: 10
- Strength: 10
- Dexterity: 10
- Intelligence: 10
- Faith: 10
- Arcane: 10
