In this Elden Ring guide, we’ll walk you through the 10 classes (or Origins) available for you to choose from, the stats associated with each one, and give you our recommendations for the best one(s).
Table of contents
- Classes and stats
- Elden Ring classes
- Elden Ring’s best class(es)
Classes and Stats
Your character in Elden Ring has eight stats that define what kind of fighter they are. These stats are:
- Vigor is your health (HP) stat.
- Mind is your Force Points (FP) stat. You’ll use FP to cast Sorceries and Incantations (spells), summon Spirit Ashes, and use Ashes of War (and Weapon Arts).
- Endurance is your stamina and Equipment Load stat. It controls how much you can swing your weapon, roll, and how heavy your equipment can be.
- Strength is your punching and Strength-based weapon (like Greatswords and Warhammers) stat. It also affects your physical defense.
- Dexterity is the stat for other weapons like Daggers, Katanas, and Longbows. It also influences casting time for spells and reduces fall damage.
- Intelligence is the stat for casting Sorceries and for increasing your magic resistance.
- Faith is the stat for the other kind of magic, Incantations.
- Arcane is a hybrid magic stat that also influences item drop rates (Discovery). Think of it like luck.
Half of those stats — Vigor, Mind, Endurance, and, to a lesser extent, Arcane — are useful for any class and any play style — more health means you die (slightly) less often and a higher equipment load means better gear.
When it comes to dealing damage, though, the other four stats are what’s important. Strength is for heavy weapons, Dexterity is for light weapons, Intelligence is for wizard magic, and Faith is for miracle magic.
Note that all stats have a soft cap, or rather, multiple soft caps, which is where levelling past a certain point makes stat gains less efficient. Our Elden Ring soft cap explainer can explain how this works, and the threshold for each stat.
Elden Ring’s 10 classes (Origins) reflect that by emphasizing different stats. We’ll go into more detail about each after the table.
Elden Ring Class Stats
Class | Starting level | Vigor | Mind | Endurance | Strength | Dexterity | Intelligence | Faith | Arcane |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vagabond | 9 | 15 | 10 | 11 | 14 | 13 | 9 | 9 | 7 |
| Warrior | 8 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 16 | 10 | 8 | 9 |
| Hero | 7 | 14 | 9 | 12 | 16 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 11 |
| Bandit | 5 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 13 | 9 | 8 | 14 |
| Astrologer | 6 | 9 | 15 | 9 | 8 | 12 | 16 | 7 | 9 |
| Prophet | 7 | 10 | 14 | 8 | 11 | 10 | 7 | 16 | 10 |
| Samurai | 9 | 12 | 11 | 13 | 12 | 15 | 9 | 8 | 8 |
| Prisoner | 6 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 8 | 14 | 14 | 6 | 9 |
| Confessor | 10 | 10 | 13 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 9 | 14 | 9 |
| Wretch | 1 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 |
Elden Ring classes
1/10Image: FromSoftware/Bandai Namco via Polygon
Let’s talk about each of Elden Ring’s 10 classes (or, as the game calls them, Origins).
Vagabond
“A Knight exiled from their homeland to wander. A solid, armor-clad origin.”
The Vagabond class is just a good all-around class. It’s got the highest starting health (Vigor) of any class and doesn’t really neglect any one stat for another. A healthy mix of Strength and Dexterity means you’ll have lots of weapons to choose from, and the balanced Intelligence and Faith means it’ll only take a couple levels to make you a decent spellcaster as well. Being pretty good at everything, though, means you won’t start out specialized in any one stat.
Warrior
“A twinblade-wielding warrior from a nomadic tribe. An origin of exceptional technique.”
Warriors are for those who want to focus on finesse weapons like Daggers or Curved Swords. You won’t be the strongest or the healthiest, but you’ll be able to deal damage quickly.
Hero
“A stalwart hero, at home with a battleaxe, descended from a badlands chieftain.”
The Hero is the Strength-based answer to the Warrior. The Hero emphasizes Strength and Vigor, meaning you’ll be able to use the heaviest weapons while also taking a beating.
Bandit
“A bandit who lives and dies by their arrows. A ranged combat specialist.”
Bandits are designed to be nimble and backstabby. It’s a challenging class since it starts out without any real specialization, but a high Arcane stat means you’ll be finding a lot of gear to choose from as you play. Bandits are also the first class in this list to have a ranged weapon — a short bow — from the beginning of the game.
Astrologer
“A scholar who reads fate in the stars. Heir to the school of glintstone sorcery.”
Astrologers are the wizard-y type of spellcaster, so this class emphasizes Intelligence to cast Sorceries. When it comes to hand-to-hand combat, Astrologers are slightly better with Dexterity than Strength.
Prophet
“A seer ostracized for inauspicious prophecies. Well- versed in healing incantations.”
Prophets are the Faith-heavy answer to Astrologers, so their Faith stat is highest and they’ll be casting (mostly) Incantations. For melee, their Strength is slightly higher than their Dexterity.
Samurai
“A capable fighter from the remote Land of Reeds. Handy with katana and longbows.”
The Samurai class is the first of the hybrid classes on this list. Samurai have good Dexterity and Endurance, meaning they’re like a beefier Warrior. They also start with a Longbow, making them a dangerous ranged fighter as well.
Prisoner
“A prisoner bound in an iron mask. Having lived among the elite prior to sentencing, they’re studied in glintstone sorcery.”
Prisoners mix Intelligence with Dexterity, meaning they’re good with both light melee weapons and magic (Sorceries) — and remember that Dexterity affects casting time for spells, so that helps too. They’re the weakest class when it comes to Strength, so you’ll be limited when it comes to heavier armor, but the mix of swords and spells make the Prisoner a good fighter from any range.
Confessor
“A church confessor adept at covert operations. Reliant on sword technique and incantations.”
Think of the Confessor as the Faith-based answer to the Prisoner. The Confessor class is more balanced across Strength and Dexterity while emphasizing Faith as its highest stat.
Wretch
“A poor sod, naked as the day they were born. A club is all they have.”
The Wretch is the DIY class (for masoch*sts). You’ll have to put in a lot of work to get there, but starting with equal stats across the board means you’re free to build out your character however you want.
Elden Ring’s best class(es)
Let us start by saying this: The best class in Elden Ring is the one that matches your play style and keeps you alive the longest. If you’re all about tanks, you should go for the Hero. If you want to be a wizard, choose Astrologer.
That said, there are a few standouts.
- Vagabond. While it’s not the flashiest (or even the best at anything), the Vagabond class gives you the most freedom to experiment with your play style and equipment loadouts.
- Samurai. We like hybrid classes that let you mix and match abilities. The Samurai, as a heavy version of a light melee fighter, does just that. And the Longbow is a devastating ranged weapon.
- Prisoner. We like the Prisoner for the same reasons we like the Samurai — it’s decent with melee weapons while also being good at ranged spellcasting.
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