If you’re not interested in Lost Ark for PVP, don’t fret, as there are tons of PVE activities waiting for you. From Chaos Dungeons to Adventure Islands, you can spend dozens of hours into Lost Ark PVE outside of the main questlines. In order to prepare yourself for the endgame, our tier list explains the best classes for PVE available.
If you’re in need of more help, we also have guides covering a walkthrough of the main quests, the main character mechanic, how to unlock a free pet, whether to save or run away from Gerka, leveling to 50 and what to do, how to unlock sailing, two Powerpass tickets, the hotfix schedule, best classes for PVP, Ghost Ship and Shangra locations, and 16 tips that may come handy.
Last Updated: February 16, 2022
Best Lost Ark Classes for PVE – Lost Ark PVE Tier List
From S to C tiers, these are the best Lost Ark PVE classes:
- S Tier – Gunlancer, Sorceress, Berserker, Bard
- A Tier – Paladin, Striker, Deathblade, Gunslinger, Artillerist
- B Tier – Deadeye, Wardancer, Shadowhunter
- C Tier – Sharpshooter, Soulfist, Scrapper
Before we get into the specifics, it’s worth noting that almost every class is viable for Lost Ark PVE. Such as with PVP, they all have their own advantages and weaknesses, but the key difference lies in the role you’ll have in your party. In addition, planning two builds is essential — one focused on targeting just one boss at the time, and another tailored towards killing mob groups.
You’re free to invest time into learning a class that isn’t so popular within the community and stick to it. But if you want to tackle the endgame with the best PVE classes out there, the advantage will be significant.
S Tier – Lost Ark PVE Tier List
The S Tier is similar to the PVP tier list but includes a key addition: The Gunlancer isn’t great for facing other players, but it excels in PVE. It’s a great choice for crowd control, features quite a few abilities that are perfect for stunning enemies, and can shield both itself or teammates with the class ability.
The Sorceress is not much of a surprise considering how versatile the class is, with a sprawling list of spells at the ready. It’s easy to pick up and play, and while it will take a while to master, you’ll have an array of elemental attacks at your disposal. As for the Berserker, he’s the top choice if you just want to mow down enemies as effortlessly as possible. He’s the archetype of your typical Warrior class in any other ARPG, but hey, sometimes that’s all you need.
If you’re looking for a class focused on support while also having quite a few offensive skills, the Bard is the best all-rounder on the list. Having a healer in your party is essential regardless of your activity of choice, but it’s also a fun class to use, so you will not be forced to stand in a corner and spam the same two skills over and over.
A Tier – Lost Ark PVE Tier List
Including five out of the 15 classes available in one tier alone sounds illegal, and maybe it should be, but that’s how it goes. There are many good options for Lost Ark PVE outside of the top list, and you can easily focus on any of the options here as an alternative.
The Paladin is the go-to for Lost Ark PVE if you’re interested in dealing damage while also being quite tanky, marking a big difference compared to the Berserker. The Striker is a viable option for both PVE and PVP as it doesn’t require you to focus on too many skills at once, but there is still a decent learning curve to overcome.
Classes that deal area-of-effect attacks are key to controlling your surroundings in PVE, and the Deathblade excels at it. The Gunslinger not only carries a ton of style, but it’s also one of the best options for PVE. It’s a fast class with great mobility, tons of range attacks to compliment a Berserker or Paladin in your party, and the versatility of three different weapons, which offers a wide range of options for your builds.
Quite surprisingly, while the Artillerist is a rough choice for PVP, it gains purpose in PVE. Staying in place for certain skills is still risky if you’re interrupted in the process, but aside from this, the heavy machinery is definitely aimed at destroying mobs left and right.
B Tier – Lost Ark PVE Tier List
Let’s start with the Deadeye. It shares the same problem across PVE and PVE, in which the class is heavily focused on the Shotgun. As such, you’re losing quite a bit of range by focusing on just one of the stances. As for the Wardancer, it’s in a thin line between being viable and staying far away from the idea, but it doesn’t perform in the same way as it does in PVP. The skills will have you focusing on only a number of enemies at a time. While you can perform better against bosses, you’re better off choosing one of the higher-ranked classes anyway.
Once more, the Shadowhunter requires a high time investment that just doesn’t exist with the Deathblade, even if both share similar gameplay styles.
C Tier – Lost Ark PVE Tier List
If you were stoked about playing as a Sharpshooter and taking everyone down using a bow, I have bad news for you. It’s tough to justify the time investment that this class demands to master it with so many other classes out there, so I recommend putting the focus elsewhere. Yes, also in PVE.
Lastly, both the Soulfist and the Scrapper suffer a similar fate: They aren’t as decent as the Wardancer, which already ranks fairly low as is. You can make the case of them being more viable in PVP to some extent, but it takes a long time to defeat enemies on them. I went for the Scrapper as my first character, and switching to the Gunlancer was a day and night difference.
That is all there is to know about the best Lost Ark classes for PVE. As I mentioned, you’re free to choose any of the aforementioned classes and try them out, but you may want to stick to both S and A tiers for the best results with varying skill ceilings.
