Dark Souls 3 class guide walks you through 10 different classes you can choose from and helps you getting the right character with the best attributes, skills, burial gifts and weapons essential to your play through.
For more help on Dark Souls 3, read our PC Tweaks Guide, Covenants Locations Guide, Boss Guide and Burial Gifts Guide.
Dark Souls 3 Class Guide
Today, we’ll be walking you through all ten classes, their attributes, skills, and more to help you figure out the right character class for you.
Knight
The Knight starts with the following stats:
- Level: 9
- Vigor: 12
- Attunement: 10
- Endurance: 11
- Vitality: 15
- Strength: 13
- Dexterity: 12
- Intelligence: 9
- Faith: 9
- Luck:7
Knight uses a Sword and a shield during combat, this class performs best when blocking and baiting enemies. This means that you need to focus your stats on increasing Strength, Vitality and Endurance.
As a starting gift, it is recommended that you use Gold Coins for Knight as this class is very low on Luck. However, it makes up for it by using heavy armor and a shield that absorbs 100% of physical damage.
However, keep in mind that using your shield affects stamina. Knight is the best class for newcomers.
Mercenary
Mercenary starting stats are:
- Level: 8
- Vigor: 11
- Attunement: 12
- Endurance: 11
- Vitality: 10
- Strength: 10
- Dexterity: 16
- Intelligence: 10
- Faith: 8
- Luck: 9
Mercenary class has the highest Dexterity stat and is good for players who like dual swords or long range weaponry. Mercenary can be helpful for players aren’t prepared to handle multiple enemies at the same time.
Dual wielding is good and can cause significant damage to the enemy, however, keep in mind that you won’t have shield if you dual wield. Choose Mercenary if you plan to dual wield later on in the game and like long range attacks.
Mercenary players should focus their stats on Dexterity, Endurance, and Faith. As a starting gift, use Gold Coins.
Warrior
Warrior starting stats are:
- Level: 7
- Vigor: 14
- Attunement: 6
- Endurance: 12
- Vitality: 11
- Strength: 16
- Dexterity: 9
- Intelligence: 8
- Faith: 9
- Luck: 11
If you like to cause as much damage as possible to your opponent with a single attack, than Warrior class is what you need to choose. It comes with the highest attack strengh.
But keep in mind that they favor slow and heavy weapons. This means more cooldown time between attacks so you need to be careful and properly channel your attacks or risk missing and getting damage.
If you are planning to move to a dual-handed weapon down the line than Warrior is your starting class.
As a starting gift, you should go with Fire Gem as it allows you to upgrade your weapon with the power of fire. Focus your stats on Endurance, Strength and Dexterity.
Herald
Herald starting stats are:
- Level: 9
- Vigor: 12
- Attunement: 10
- Endurance: 9
- Vitality: 12
- Strength: 12
- Dexterity: 11
- Intelligence: 8
- Faith: 13
- Luck: 11
Well, as you can see this isn’t the strongest class in Dark Souls 3 but Herald starting with a healing spell and a shield that absorbs 100% of the damage makes up for it.
There is a good balance of stats and since it has high Faith, choose this class if you want to use miracle spells down the line. While playing as a Herald, focus your stats on Vitality, Strength, Endurance and Dexterity and Attunement.
Building Attunement will help with healing spells if you plan to use them frequently. As a starting gift, go with Sovereignless Soul. Sovereignless Soul is a special soul that can be traded for a better weapon, or sold for 2000 souls.
Thief
Thief starting stats are:
- Level: 5
- Vigor: 10
- Attunement: 11
- Endurance: 10
- Vitality: 9
- Strength: 9
- Dexterity: 13
- Intelligence: 10
- Faith: 8
- Luck: 14
Thief uses a bow and a dagger to start off. The dagger will make it easy for you to parry attacks and counter. However, it is recommended that you do not start as a Thief in Dark Souls 3. If you are a newcomer than it is best to go with a different class, Knight may be, but a Thief will make your life miserable.
The dagger has limited range, low damage, but good speed. But it won’t get you very far into the game before you feel the need for a different weapon. It is pretty much useless against bosses so don’t go in wielding a dagger in front of a boss, it is disrespectful and he won’t like it.
The only benefit here is that if you manage to pull off a back-stab it is pretty much an instant kill for most enemies.
If you do go with Thief, focus your stats on Vitality, Endurance, Dexterity. Go with the Black Fire Bomb as a starting gift to add some attack damage to your arsenal.
Assassin
Assassin starting stats are:
- Level: 10
- Vigor: 10
- Attunement: 14
- Endurance: 11
- Vitality: 10
- Strength: 10
- Dexterity: 14
- Intelligence: 11
- Faith: 9
- Luck: 10
Assassin probably has the most balanced stats of all in Dark Souls 3. It comes with a higher Dexterity, Decent Luck and Endurance. You also get a spell that helps you avoid fall damage.
If you are the sorcery type then go with Assassin as it focuses on spells and magic. However, it has better attack damage and defense then a Sorcerer class would.
If you choose to be an Assassin, master the art of Parry and backstab. Parry takes some time to get used to so practice early on in the game against low level enemies.
Focus your stats on Intelligence, Dexterity and Attunement. Use a Life Ring as a starting gift. The Life Ring will give you a 7% boost in Max HP.
Sorcerer
Sorcerer starting stats are:
- Level: 6
- Vigor: 9
- Attunement: 16
- Endurance: 9
- Vitality: 7
- Strength: 7
- Dexterity: 12
- Intelligence: 16
- Faith: 7
- Luck: 12
This class is only recommended to seasoned Dark Souls 3 players who have experience with sorcery spells. Sorcerer will start with a very basic sword and shield along with two spells.
This class carry more Ashen Estus Flasks versus standard Estus Flasks to help replenish casts between bonfires. It is a magically strong class but when it comes to enemies who are more resistant to spells, you will have to rely on physical damage.
While playing as a sorcerer focus your stats on Dexterity, Intelligence, attunement. Go with Fire Gems as your starting gift that will help improve your weapon.
Pyromancer
Pyromancer starting stats are:
- Level: 8
- Vigor: 11
- Attunement: 12
- Endurance: 10
- Vitality: 8
- Strength: 12
- Dexterity: 9
- Intelligence: 14
- Faith: 14
- Luck: 7
Pyromancer uses magic but doesn’t rely too much on miracles or sorcery. You start with a basic Pyromancer weapon and spell. You will also be equipped with an axe and shield.
Use your axe early on in the game and keep leveling your character. However, the later is a bit tricky.
Make sure to keep a balance between intelligence and Faith to improve pyromancy spells. You will also need to work on Dexterity and Strength to boost melee attacks.
Focus on Attunement as well to level up your FP gauge. As a starting gift, go with the Divine Blessing, it replenishes HP and can cure poison ailments.
Cleric
- Level: 7
- Vigor: 10
- Attunement: 14
- Endurance: 9
- Vitality: 7
- Strength: 12
- Dexterity: 8
- Intelligence: 7
- Faith: 16
- Luck: 13
Choosing a Cleric isn’t a band idea, however, make sure you know what you are getting into. A Cleric can be an excellent support character during coop play as it can heal and buff, use spells and place negative status effect on opponents.
You start your game with high Faith stat and a moderate Strength stat to help you in combat. You will also have a talisman and two miracle spells at your disposal along with a basic axe and shield.
Cleric can heal with miracle spells and doesn’t rely on Estus Flask. Healing items in Dark SOuls 3 are a few and far between so a Cleric has an edge.
Use Fire Gem as a starting gift.
Deprived
Deprived starting stats are:
- Level: 1
- Vigor: 10
- Attunement: 10
- Endurance: 10
- Vitality: 10
- Strength: 10
- Dexterity: 10
- Intelligence: 10
- Faith: 10
- Luck: 10
Dark Souls 3 is already a challenging game but if you want to make it next to impossible, go with Deprived. This class starts at level 1 and has nothing to offer to players. Deprived has low damage club and a shield that won’t last very long.
The good thing is that you are completely free to craft your character the way you want. However, that will take a while and a lot of knowledge of how things work in Dark Souls.
Deprived is not recommended for newcomers or casual Dark Souls players. Deprived are reserved for skilled players and to those we recommend going with Cracked Red Eye Orb as a starting gift, this will give you four chances to invade players.
