There has been a lot of debate about the most effective starting class for Dark Souls 3. Evaluating the path you will take from the start can make your game extremely enjoyable, or downright miserable if you do not like the character you created. Since the inception of Dark Souls, a lot of builds and playstyles have developed and evolved, based on a variety of different classes.
The sooner players identify the type of playstyle that suits them, the better. The available classes have a range of different starting attributes, and they influence the type of weapon you can equip, the Sorceries and Miracles you can cast, and the effectiveness of almost anything you do in the game. Considering that, here is each starting class ranked by general ease of play, versatility, and power.
10 Deprived
This class is simply made to be worst in the game. The starting attributes don’t offer you much of anything, and considering every stat is set to ten, you will always have “wasted” stats that your particular build won’t benefit from. For example, if you decide to wield a big club like the Warrior class rather than cast magic, you will still have points in Intelligence that would be better spent on something like Vigor or Strength.
Generally, this class is often only popular with “naked runs,” which involve wearing no armor and carrying a hard-hitting weapon above all else. Such a build can be fun if you want an extra challenge. Ultimately, while it can be an amusing roleplay, this class doesn’t offer anything of substance except for its quirky design.
9 Assassin
Mixing magic and daggers is always an appealing idea, but perhaps there are better alternative classes. Assassins specialize in Dexterity and hybrid Dexterity/Intelligence builds. While an Assassin can perform either role effectively, a Sorcerer or Mercenary would be a more optimal choice for either of these builds.
The one advantage this class has is that it possesses the Spook spell from the start, which lessens fall damage. This spell can only be found by other classes later in the game. It can give you a bit more utility than other classes, but it won’t help you much in battle.
8 Herald
While it has the potential to be viable, the Herald class leaves a lot to be desired. In theory, a spear and shield warrior with healing abilities is a mighty prospect. In practice, it’s a class that feels like an indecisive cross between a Cleric and a Knight.
A shield that can take a lot of physical damage will undoubtedly give you an initial advantage over some other classes, especially coupled with the range advantage that the spear provides. All of this makes your early game much easier, because you get a lot of defensive and offensive capabilities right away. Nevertheless, the Herald suffers from a lack of focus.
7 Thief
The Thief is a popular class in RPGs. Unfortunately, the characteristics that define a good thief do not translate well into Dark Souls 3 and other Souls-like games. The main benefits thieves get are high starting Luck (which boosts item discovery) and a bow as a starting item.
Luck is more of an experimental feature, since the drop rate doesn’t have much influence on the overall gameplay. Although, if you want to spice things up a bit, there are a few solid builds that go well with this class. The most notable one is the Luck build: Maxing out your Luck while aiming for poison/bleed infusions on hollow (Luck-scaling) weapons can be surprisingly effective. If pure damage is your focus, though, there are other, hardier classes that could be better picks.
6 Sorcerer
This class is the definition of a glass cannon. It’s mostly based around Intelligence and dealing tremendous amounts of damage with long-range spells. Keep in mind that it’s certainly not beginner-friendly as a result, since it needs to build a lot of momentum and only becomes truly powerful in the later stages of the game.
You’ll hit hard, but there’s no shield or armor to defend you from even minor mistakes. As the Sorcerer advances through the game, some of the hardest bosses will melt like butter. This damage potential must be weighed against the player’s confidence with evading attacks and positioning themselves, which comes only with a lot of experience.
5 Warrior
Smashing enemies with overwhelming melee might is what this class does best. It has the highest starting Strength of all. The Warrior is ideal if you want to develop a Strength build and carry huge two-handed maces, clubs, axes, swords, and more. You can one-shot many enemies, and when a boss is vulnerable for a second or two, you can cause massive damage in a few quick (or not-so-quick) swings.
The main disadvantage of this approach is that such weapons can be unwieldy. Without careful use, you can get hit in between your slow strikes. Two-handed weapons, in particular, are very slow to offset their power. As such, you’ll sometimes wish you just had something quicker to hand to deal with mobile creatures, like Starved Hounds or Corvians. Weapon loadouts can be tricky to manage for a Warrior.
4 Cleric
Primarily focused on Faith attributes and casting Miracles, Clerics can have a wide range of offensive and defensive abilities. Starting Miracles such as Heal and Force, combined with a good Strength weapon, can smooth out the early game. This option isn’t really available for the likes of Sorcerers. Going for a hybrid Strength/Faith build is a good option, as there are many deadly Faith-scaling weapons. The hybrid build can sometimes hit even harder than a plain Warrior class, all while boasting additional buffs and utilities from Miracles.
The second option is to completely rely on Faith and the power of Miracles. While this can be powerful when it reaches it’s potential, the main downside of such a build is that you only get the best miracles (Sunlight Spear and Lighting Stake) later in the game.
3 Mercenary
Mainly focused on hack and slack action, the Mercenary emphasizes Dexterity scaling. The class has the highest starting Dexterity in the game. Additionally, their starting weapon, Brigade Twin Blades, features a particular skill attack that is more appealing than ordinary straight sword movesets.
While throwing knives, daggers, and glaives is entertaining, it isn’t until you pick up one of the game’s best weapons, the Sellsword Twinblades, that you can actually start slicing through every adversary you see. You’ll have the freedom to execute ranged attacks with bows and similar weapons too, but the class is just a little less diverse than some.
2 Pyromancer
One of the game’s most adaptable classes, the Pyromancer, can suit a variety of playstyles. Their adaptability is one of their strongest characteristics. This class is mostly centered on Faith and Intellect, and it is distinguished by having huge AOE Fire damage output. This freedom of choice in combat is where the Pyromancer outperforms almost all other classes.
They have access to some amazing buffs, like Iron Flesh, which can mimic wearing extremely tough armor. Additionally, you can upgrade your weapons and go for a full hybrid build, holding a blazing sword in one hand and a fireball in the other. Overall, the Pyromancer is the best all-rounder, and a great choice if you want to experience all aspects of combat and keep your experience fresh.
1 Knight
While fireballs, sorcery, and throwing daggers all have their place, playing with a sword and a shield just feels the most natural for many Dark Souls fans. You won’t tend to be bothered by pesky creatures early in the game, because of the knight’s strong defensive capabilities. Additionally, the sword provides an excellent blend of speed, damage, and general flexibility.
While playing this class, it’s usually better to go for the “quality” build, which involves raising both Strength and Dexterity to 40/40. This later provides you with the widest range of options of any class, when it comes to equipping various types of weapons and shields. A little cliche, perhaps, but the gold standard of Dark Souls series classes.
