When you start Elden Ring, there are several classes to choose from at the beginning. MeinMMO summarizes everything about the classes and their attributes for you.
Update, March 17: We have updated the links in the article and linked additional guides.
This is how classes work in Elden Ring: If you have played one of the earlier works by developer FromSoftware, you will feel at home in Elden Ring. Because basically, these are built just like the classes from Dark Souls or Bloodborne.
There are also 8 attributes that influence various properties and can be increased through level-ups.
These are the attributes and what they do:
- Vigor: Vitality influences your health points and affects fire resistance and poison immunity.
- Mind: The mind influences FP (mana) and focus-related resistance. Important for magic and sorcery builds.
- Endurance: Increases your character’s stamina and also increases physical defense. Particularly important for melee fighters, as stamina allows dodging and blocking.
- Strength: Is required to wield heavy weapons. It also increases the attack power of weapons that scale with strength.
- Dexterity: Is required to wield advanced weapons. It also increases the attack power of weapons that scale with agility. Reduces spell casting time, mitigates fall damage, and makes it harder to fall from a horse.
- Intelligence: Increases the spell power of intelligence-scaling spells and improves magic resistance. Also increases how often you can use spells.
- Faith: Is required to perform summons. It also strengthens summons that scale with faith.
- Arcane: Affects death resistance and certain spells and summons.
Additionally, there are defensive attributes like focus or immunity and your resistances against magic, fire, lightning, and holy.
Each class differs from the others in how high the attributes are upgraded. The starting equipment also differs between the different classes. Therefore, the best choice for beginners, advanced players, and experts differs.
How strong the weapons are with which the classes start can be found in our tier list. In particular, the Samurai starts with an absolute top weapon.
These are the 10 classes of Elden Ring
We show you here the classes and their main attributes as well as images.
Vagabond
This is the Vagabond: The Vagabond is especially suited for melee combat. If you also want to use spells or summons, you only need to invest a few points.
It is a kind of all-round class with medium armor. Thanks to its attributes, you can easily steer almost any build.
These are the main attributes:
- Level: 9
- Strength: 15
- Mind: 10
- Endurance: 11
- Strength: 14
- Dexterity: 13
- Intelligence: 9
- Faith: 9
- Arcane: 7
This is the starting equipment:
- Longsword
- Poleaxe
- Triangle shield
Warrior
This is the Warrior: A warrior from a nomadic tribe.
This is a fast melee class with two curved swords that mainly relies on agility and can also deal damage at range with bows.
These are the main attributes:
- Level: 9
- Strength: 15
- Mind: 10
- Endurance: 11
- Strength: 14
- Dexterity: 13
- Intelligence: 9
- Faith: 9
- Arcane: 7
This is the starting equipment:
- 2x Curved sabers
- Reinforced round shield
Hero
This is the Hero: This class relies entirely on strength and is equipped with a battle axe. If you later opt for heavy weapons that build on the strength attribute, this is your choice.
Additionally, its high arcane value also provides higher resistances.
These are the main attributes:
- Level: 7
- Strength: 14
- Mind: 9
- Endurance: 12
- Strength: 16
- Dexterity: 9
- Intelligence: 7
- Faith: 8
- Arcane: 11
This is the starting equipment:
- War axe
- Large leather shield
Bandit
This is the Bandit: The Bandit has excellent prerequisites for a fast melee class but is also very suitable for ranged combat with bows.
Due to its speed, it is also well-prepared for ambush attacks.
These are the main attributes:
- Level: 5
- Strength: 10
- Mind: 11
- Endurance: 10
- Strength: 9
- Dexterity: 13
- Intelligence: 9
- Faith: 8
- Arcane: 14
This is the starting equipment:
- Great knife
- Short bow
- Bone arrows (feathered)
- Buckler
Astrologer
This is the Astrologer: This is the wizard class, equipped with some simple spells and a staff.
You can combine this with any weapons as long as your attributes match them. Spells are powerful. But be careful when your enemies get too close.
These are the main attributes:
- Level: 6
- Strength: 9
- Mind: 15
- Endurance: 9
- Strength: 8
- Dexterity: 12
- Intelligence: 16
- Faith: 7
- Arcane: 9
This is the starting equipment:
- Astrologer’s staff
- Short sword
- Rune-etched wooden shield
- Glimmerstone pebble (spell)
- Glimmerstone bow (spell)
Prophet
This is the Prophet: The class relies on a spear and invocations. These are the miracles known from Dark Souls.
They now also include several fire spells that were previously known as pyromancies. You need a sacred seal to perform invocations.
These are the main attributes:
- Level: 7
- Strength: 10
- Mind: 14
- Endurance: 8
- Strength: 12
- Dexterity: 8
- Intelligence: 7
- Faith: 16
- Arcane: 11
This is the starting equipment:
- Short spear
- Finger insignia
- Healing (invocation)
- Ignites in flames (invocation)
- Scrap shield
Samurai
This is the Samurai: A classic samurai, who could also come from Sekiro or Ghost of Tsushima. He is equipped with a katana and a bow, and he wears a classic samurai armor. He is an all-round class that mainly relies on physical attacks.
These are the main attributes:
- Level: 9
- Strength: 12
- Mind: 11
- Endurance: 13
- Strength: 12
- Dexterity: 15
- Intelligence: 9
- Faith: 8
- Arcane: 8
This is the starting equipment:
- Uchigatana
- Longbow
- Redthorn round shield
- Bone arrows
- Fire arrows
Prisoner
This is the Prisoner: The Prisoner wears a strange, round iron mask. He relies on a rapier and spells, as he is a kind of hybrid class. Due to his backstory, the Prisoner has already been celebrated before the release.
These are the main attributes:
- Level: 9
- Strength: 11
- Mind: 12
- Endurance: 11
- Strength: 11
- Dexterity: 14
- Intelligence: 14
- Faith: 6
- Arcane: 9
This is the starting equipment:
- Armor breaker
- Tear shield
- Glimmerstone staff
- Magic glimmerblade (spell)
Confessor
This is the Confessor: The Confessor is equipped with a sword and shield. Additionally, he has a sacred seal and can therefore use some invocations. The class wears a dark cloak with a hood that underscores his role as a church spy.
These are the main attributes:
- Level: 10
- Strength: 10
- Mind: 13
- Endurance: 10
- Strength: 12
- Dexterity: 12
- Intelligence: 9
- Faith: 14
- Arcane: 9
This is the starting equipment:
- Broad sword
- Finger insignia
- Urgent healing (invocation)
- Assassin’s step (invocation)
- Blue-black triangle shield
Wretch
This is the Wretch: This is simply a poor soul with no clothing. This class is completely balanced in its attributes but probably has the worst equipment.
It is equipped with a shabby wooden shield and a wooden one-handed club. Nevertheless, it may be the most versatile class.
These are the main attributes:
- Level: 1
- Strength: 10
- Mind: 10
- Endurance: 10
- Strength: 10
- Dexterity: 10
- Intelligence:
- Faith: 10
- Arcane: 10
This is the starting equipment:
- Club
Is the choice of classes important?
Only equipment and starting skills are influenced. If it is like in Dark Souls, the choice at the beginning of the game is not crucial. But especially in the first hours of the game, starting equipment can play a significant role.
Your class choice also helps you medium-term to skill in a direction that you prefer. However, you can generally start with any class and then develop your build in any direction you want.
An overview of all guides can be found here: Elden Ring – All our guides, beginner tips, and builds at a glance
