Everything We Know About Elden Ring's Classes

"Elden Ring" finally graced gamers during the E3 2021 showcase with a trailer showcasing its beautifully rendered settings and brutal bosses. Since then, FromSoftware has kept fans in anticipation of the game with previews of its latest Soulslike title, including its classes. Now, fans are scouring the internet for information on what they could expect from their new characters.

Xbox Wire revealed official information about the original five classes, along with key stats and strengths before the Closed Network Test, which scalpers apparently ruined. As mentioned by YouTubers like PWARGaming, media reps and content creators were able to glean information about the other five classes during the test. This six-hour gameplay preview revealed cut and renamed starting classes, as well as previously unannounced classes.

FromSoftware later started revealing all the classes in the days leading up to the game's official release. "Elden Ring" uses eight stats to measure the strengths of its classes: Intelligence, Strength, Mind, Dexterity, Vigor, Endurance, Faith, and Arcane. These classes might not align one-on-one with typical medieval fantasy knights and mages, but the similarities are still there. 

"Elden Ring" launches on February 25, 2022 for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. It'll have 10 classes total, though the true 10 have yet to be publicly finalized. Here's what we know so far about all the classes in "Elden Ring."

Enchanted Knights are melee-magic hybrids that can engage in physical combat and cast spells as needed. "They often seek out and destroy those who use magic for nefarious purposes," legends say. It's possible that these spear-wielding spellcasters have an honorable role in "Elden Ring" lore, considering their hunt for evildoers.

Enchanted Knights carry spears and spells as starting weapons, along with a hefty shield. More specifically, their starting items include a Winged Spear, Carian Glintstone Shield, Carian Sorcerer Staff, Carian Piercer Sorcery Spell, and Glintstone Pebble Sorcery Spell. Xbox Wire suggests dual-wielding the spear and staff so that the Knight can seamlessly switch between spear strikes and spells. However, the Knight can also apparently "turtle up" thanks to its shield that completely blocks physical damage.

The Enchanted Knight might use magic, but it isn't the best choice for sorcery fans. These hybrid fighters should better appeal to those who prefer balanced roles, especially with their ability to dual-wield melee and magic. Those who prefer magic classes might enjoy a more magic-focused class like the Prophet.

The Vagabond, previously known as the Bloody Wolf, represents the standard Soulslike fighter as a beefy sword-wielding brute. Like its tanky predecessors, its combat style revolves around its heavy-hitting greatsword and absorbent shield. Longtime "Souls" fans will already know how to put these to use, strategically attacking, parrying, and blocking attacks from enemies.

The Vagabond's stats also support it as a throwback to past "Souls" games. The Vagabond boasts the highest Strength rating in the game, along with high Vigor, which is akin to a defense stat. These factors establish it as a powerful warrior that can tank hits and wear the heaviest (and most protective) armors. As a result, it can endure more damage than the typical class and survive longer without healing. It starts with a Bastard Sword (likely the aforementioned greatsword) and an Iron Roundshield, which support a playstyle that alternates between slashing and blocking.

Players who want to go the old-school "Souls" route will likely feel at home picking the Vagabond. Note that the Vagabond specializes in physical attacks and defenses, so those who prefer fighting with magic or speedy melee movements might be better off considering another role like the Warrior.

The Prophet takes charge of powerful spells called Incantations. "Faith is the weapon of the Prophet, and they wield it with prejudice," the official description reads. Prejudice about what? We'll have to see.

Prophets mainly fight using powerful magic and empower players to heal themselves, so they are relatively self-sufficient even without the backbone of other classes. Prophets have the highest Faith stat out of the classes advertised in the Closed Network Test, and they are one of the only classes that can use Incantations. These warriors of light also boast high Mind, which means that they can cast Incantations more often than they would be able to as another class. Their starting weapons include a Club, Clawmark Seal, Rickety Shield, Healing Incantation, and Beast Claw Incantation. Xbox Wire highlights Beast Claw as a particularly nasty spell.

Unfortunately, much like the typical stereotype, Prophets don't seem to excel at physical combat. Xbox warns players who enjoy "hacking, slashing, or stabbing enemies" to avoid this class.

In its original description, Champions were advertised as fighters that could singe foes with Incantations from afar and also challenge them head-on in melee combat. Later, FromSoftware dropped a preview using its potential new name, the Hero: "A stalwart hero, at home with a battleaxe, descended from a badlands chieftain." The headdress, revealing clothing, and club match the older design, even if the name doesn't.

The Xbox Wire describes the Champion (therefore, the Hero) as a high Strength, Vigor, and Endurance build that excels at "murderous brawling." However, the class also has a high Faith score which makes it one of the only classes that can cast Incantations. Dragonfire can apparently spread across groups of enemies like fire to parched plains. However, Champions have a low Mind score, which means they need to mindfully use these Incantations because they won't be able to cast them that often.

Note that the Hero's ability to cast Incantations doesn't mean that they can succeed as an all-around magic-user. Like the Knight, they fit into more of a physical role with magic as a secondary weapon. Players who prefer ranged sorcery or archery attacks might want to consider other classes.

The Warrior specializes in quick, deadly attacks that deal damage at close-range. This Dexterity-based build takes advantage of two starting Scimitars and a Buckler Shield, along with a default skill that enables them to use "projectile-style sword storm attacks." It's unclear what "projectile-style" means, but it might refer to a ranged attack generated by the Warrior's swords.

These nimble fighters wear Medium Armor to offer more agility at the cost of protection. Naturally, that means players will need to adapt to an evasive, dodge-dependent playstyle or focus on long-range weapons like bows. The Buckler isn't a typical shield–it's the only one that allows parry blocks, which enable users to counter foes with "strong stun attacks." This might come in handy against bosses and other enemies that the Warrior might need to defeat using their strength against them.

Warriors fight smart but can't take much damage because of their low defenses. That being said, anyone who wants to use Sorcery, cast Incantations, or take on enemies without worrying about finesse might find them too defensive to be fun.

FromSoftware started posting previews for other classes in the week leading up to the release of "Elden Ring." In addition to the Vagabond and Hero from the day before, it gave fans a little bit of love when they posted a preview with the Warrior next to an unfamiliar masked figure called the Prisoner. 

The Prisoner was the first class to be introduced outside of the network test, but it didn't include much information besides a cryptic description and an image of the class. "A prisoner bound in an iron mask. Studied in glintstone sorcery, having lived among the elite prior to sentencing," read the description. Of course, its appearance sparked some discussion on what the raggedy, iron-headed fellow could be. 

Glintstone sorcery suggests some magical aptitude. However, others also point out it might line up with classes from past Souls games. "I feel like the Prisoner may be the "deprived" or "waste of skin" starting class of Elden Ring," one Twitter user wrote. In this case, the Prisoner might have the potential to build into a melee or magic class depending on what the user would want. However, no further details have been confirmed at this time.

On February 15, "Elden Ring" Twitter dropped previews for four classes a few hours apart from each other: the Bandit, Astrologer, Confessor, and Samurai. So far, it's unclear if they replace any of the old classes or were just added to the list. 

Like with the Prisoner, the Bandit and Astrologer didn't have any explicit details besides character arts and descriptions. The Bandit seems like an entirely new class that specializes in ranged combat. Meanwhile, the Astrologer fights with glintstone sorcery. Fans speculate that the Bandit will work like a typical rogue class, while the Astrologer will balance magic in a different way than the already existing spellcasters. It mildly resembles the Prophet in terms of its kit but the art doesn't include their signature club.

Later in the day, two more previews came out for the Confessor and Samurai. "Elden Ring" describes the Confessor as a "church spy" that can wield swords equally as well as Incantations. The Samurai come from the "distant Land of Reeds," which apparently makes them capable of fighting with katanas or longbows. Out of the two, the Confessor seems to slightly overlap with the Enchanted Knight because they both wield weapons and magic.

The Wretch doesn't have a Twitter preview yet. However, "Elden Ring" director Hidetaka Miyazaki mentioned it in an interview posted to the PlayStation blog. When asked about which starting class to choose, Miyazaki said "it's entirely up to the player" what they choose. However, he specifically warned against picking the Wretch.

"I would recommend against choosing the naked one (known as the Wretch). As before, it's probably the most difficult starting class!" he said. "As before" might reference past "Souls" games, where choosing a naked starting class was an option for those looking to challenge themselves even further.  

The Wretch seems to be the equivalent of the Deprived from "Dark Souls," a class that starts without any clothing, equipment, or weapons. While many of these other classes start with items that will complement their build and playstyle, the Wretch has to start from scratch. As a reward, the player might just be able to create a unique, powerful monster of their own.