Pillars of Eternity 2 Deadfire has a total of 11 completely different classes. This means that learning all of them at once will take a lot of effort and will be very consuming. However, knowing all of them is important as it will allow you to be of maximum effectiveness when fighting. That is where our Pillars of Eternity 2 Deadfire Classes Guide will help you.
Our Pillars of Eternity 2 Deadfire Classes Guide will tell you about all of the classes that are a part of Pillars of Eternity. Everything from their stats to their subclasses to their abilities will be covered.
Pillars of Eternity 2 Deadfire Classes
The Classes are all different from one another in stats. Although the main difference between the classes lies in their abilities and subclasses, the statistics themselves are something that you should be aware of as they can outline where you are strong or weak.
| Class | Health | Accuracy | Deflection | Fortitude | Reflex | Will |
| Barbarian | 46 Base +16 per level | 20/20 | 15 | 30 | 20 | 15 |
| Chanter | 40 Base +10 per level | 20/20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 25 |
| Cipher | 38 Base +8 per level | 20/20 | 20 | 20 | 15 | 30 |
| Druid | 40 Base +10 per level | 20/20 | 20 | 25 | 25 | 20 |
| Fighter | 42 Base +12 per level | 20/20 | 25 | 20 | 20 | 15 |
| Monk | 42 Base +12 per level | 20/20 | 20 | 20 | 25 | 25 |
| Paladin | 42 Base +12 per level | 20/20 | 20 | 25 | 15 | 25 |
| Priest | 40 Base +10 per level | 20/20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 25 |
| Ranger | 42 Base +12 per level | 20/20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 |
| Rogue | 40 Base +10 per level | 20/20 | 20 | 15 | 30 | 20 |
| Wizard | 38 Base +8 per level | 20/20 | 20 | 15 | 20 | 30 |
Let’s take a look at each of the individual Pillars of Eternity 2 Deadfire Classes and how you can best use them in fights.
Barbarian
The main role of the Barbarians is as a Crowd Controller but they can also work as a Defender. They usually charge enemies head on and have no sense of fear. Their Carnage ability along with a high Intellect will ensure the AoE damage is maximized and has a good radius.
Remember that they have 3 subclasses. The Berserker which have amazing damage but may attack enemies, the Corpse-Eater which will instill fear into the enemies and the Mage Slayer, which is trained in tracking down any enemy which utilizes magic and killing it.
For your starting abilities, you should go for the Barbaric Yell as it is easy to perfect and will Shake enemies (-5 Resolve and -3 Power Level). You can hit multiple enemies with it and have a guaranteed advantage for the next 12 seconds.
Frenzy is also good and can be put to better use if you are more familiar with the series and understand how to take advantage of the 15 seconds that you will have. However, newer players should definitely go for the Barbaric Yell.
On their own, the Barbarian class lacks the healing and defense tools, so it’s highly advisable to team them up with Chanter class to provide buffs or a Priest class for support tools.
The Barbarian class’ skills allow you two points each in the following categories:
- Athletics
- Stealth
- History
- Intimidate
- Survival
Chanters usually utilize their chants and knowledge of legends and tales. All effects differ according to the “Phrases” chanted out that have varying buff and debuff effects.
Chanter
Chanter usually either works as support or is used for crowd controlling purposes in the fights. Chanters usually utilize their music and make up things that are limited only by your imagination.
They can do anything from strengthening their allies in a particular way to weakening their enemies to summoning various different creatures that can help you during the battle. Chanters have the ability to stay behind and make a difference without ever being directly involved in a conflict.
They have 3 different Subclasses. Beckoner can summon different creatures to help you in battle (they will obviously be weaker than your regular units), Skalds can use battle songs in close combat and help you in that regard and Troubadours can grant your team passive bonuses to assist them in fights.
You have a lot of different starting abilities to choose from when playing as a Chanter. We would recommend taking the ‘But Deny Daret’s Ghost, He Would not Rest’ as the phantom can be particularly useful or the ‘Thrice Was She Wronged, and Thrice Justly Avenged’ as it deals a fair amount of AoE damage and can damage multiple units.
A high Intellect level increases the active duration of the Phrases chanted, and also increase the radius where its effects take place.
This class is well-rounded when it comes to both melee and ranged situations. They work decently with any other class especially those that face the enemy head-on like the Barbarian and Paladin class.
The Carnage class’ skills allot you two points each in the following categories:
- Arcana
- Bluff
- Diplomacy
- History
Cipher
Ciphers are best used for either Crowd Controlling or as Strikers. Their main ability is to manipulate others. This means that your Ciphers will be able to control enemy units and cause soul explosions.
They have 3 different Subclasses. Ascendant uses focus accumulation to deal bonus damage to enemies, Beguilers use illusion and manipulation to confuse the enemies as much as they can and Soul Blades are extremely offensive creatures who use spirit whips and are easily aggravated when in combat.
The Ascendant state has the most focus energy and the fastest way to gain it, which the class depends upon. The duration for such a state can be increased by having a high Intelligence level.
The best starting ability to select is Eyestrike as it can be incredibly useful for a sticky situation. However, you can also go with Soul Shock as it serves 2 different purposes with a single ability, by shielding your teammates and eventually dealing damage.
Just like the Barbarian, this class focuses almost entirely on offense so you need to pair up with a defense or support-oriented class for the best results. Either of the Druid, Priest or Chanter classes will complement the Cipher class.
The Cipher class’ skills allot you two points each in the following categories:
- Mechanics
- Sleight of hand
- Bluff
- Insight
- Metaphysics
Druid
Druids are quite versatile in combat. They best work as a Crowd Control but they are also pretty good as a Striker or as a Support. They can be very dangerous in the hands of the right player. Druids usually use nature as much as they can due to their ancient roots and will use ancient magic as much as they can in battle.
They have 3 subclasses. Fury uses Lightning bolts as much as they can whereas Lifegivers try to heal and support their teammates. Lastly, the shifters change the way they look and use it to their advantage.
Druids can change into beasts that the player will have chosen at the Character Creation screen. Under this mode, the player is granted different attacks and abilities in combat, most of which focus on AoE damage.
For the starting abilities, it is best to go for Talon’s Reach due to the massive damage that it deals or the Sunbeam that deals a little less damage but ends up blinding the enemies in the area of effect.
The Taste of Hunt ability can be executed from long range and will damage the enemy while healing you in the process.
Due to the versatility of the class, Druids can work well with their a support-focused class like Chanter or an offense-oriented one like Barbarian.
The Druid class’ skills allot you two points each in the following categories:
- Alchemy
- Explosives
- Metaphysics
- Religion
- Survival
Fighter
As it is quite obvious, the fighter can be used either as a defender or as a striker. They are the frontline during combat and will usually be used to soak up the damage from the enemy attackers so that the damage dealers can do their thing while they are protected.
They can also serve to hold important positions and the meat of this class lies in knowing about the different weapons, their types, and abilities.
The 3 subclasses for Fighters are as follows. Blade Jacket can use any weapon and thus, they use an assortment of them to inflict damage when in battle. Devoted use only a single weapon and have complete mastery of it so they are incredibly skilled with that weapon but not that good with anything else. Lastly, Unbroken are the best defenders and can be used as a tank due to their shield.
You can either select Knock Down as a starting ability (knocks down enemies, duh) or Disciplined Barrage (Gives you Aware and Concentration for 15 seconds). Both of them are great and select the one that you believe you can utilize more during combat.
In the Fighter class, Proficiency is an important attribute that will increase the damage output for most of your passive abilities and let you use your weapons’ Modal Abilities.
A well-rounded and resilient class, The Fighter can cope up and partner with any other class in the game for favorable output.
The Fighter class’ skills allot you two points each in the following categories:
- Athletics
- Explosives
- Intimidate
- Streetwise
- Survival
Monk
Monks are another class that can be used either as a Striker or as a Defender. They have bodies that normal men just cannot possess. They have amazing speed and resistance to pain.
Monks focus on unarmed combat where they make use of “Transcendent Suffering” to absorb a portion of the incoming damage to in turn increase the accuracy and damage of their own attacks when inflicted upon the enemy. This is thanks to the “Wounds” they’re able to create upon taking damage.
The subclasses include Helwalker that only get stronger with damage, Nalpazca that have unique abilities that they can consume at a cost of rational thinking and Shattered Pillar which develop by harming others around them.
The best starting ability to select as a monk would be Forces of Anguish that pushes back units and knocks them down, as it will allow you to utilize your monks for longer as they will be protected this way. Mortification of the Soul would be great for the Helwalker, as it will only make it stronger.
Using the Empower ability is highly favored since it will grant you 5 Wounds from the damage taken, for highly damaging strikes of your own.
Preferably, Monks should pair up with support classes like the Chanter and Druid since the Monk class lacks in the healing and assist department.
The Monk class’ skills allot you two points each in the following categories:
- Alchemy
- Athletics
- Insight
- Metaphysics
- Religion
Paladin
Paladins can work as a support or as a defender. Paladins have a god that they devote their lives to and they are willing to die for their beliefs.
The main tool in the toolbox of the Paladin class is the use of “Auras” that grant multiple buffs in an AoE-type radius to the allies. A high Intellect level can increase the circle of these Auras.
The subclasses for the Paladins are 5. The Bleak Walkers enjoy violence and fighting whereas the Darcozzi Paladini takes care of their house along with their values and they are willing to die for them. The Goldpact Paladini are a form of mercenaries that evolved into Paladins.
They have absolutely no moral dilemmas and are willing to do anything in order to succeed. Kind Wayfarers are used to help the oppressed and are willing to help any race regardless of their values and beliefs. Lastly, the Shieldbearers of St Elega are all about honor and try to maintain diplomacy rather than fight.
For your starting abilities, it is best if you either take Lay on Hands as it allows a unit of yours to get +20 health every 3 seconds, which is surely a tide turner of the battle. Alternatively, you can also go for Sworn Enemy that will increase the damage on an enemy and will make it more vulnerable.
The Flames of Devotion is also an excellent ability that offers +10 Accuracy bonus on attacks.
Being such a strong class, the Paladin is often described as one which can multi-class or pair up with almost any other class.
The Paladin class’ skills allot you two points each in the following categories:
- Arcana
- Athletics
- Diplomacy
- Intimidate
- Religion
Priest
The Priest is purely a support-based class. The priest can be used to support your team. There are many different types of priests who worship various different gods and their lifestyles. Priests can be used to establish religious groups and they are integral to almost every single group of fighters.
Priests utilize special prayers and miracles to assist their teammates with various buffs and bonuses including health regeneration and attack damage output.
For your subclasses, you have Berath that are known for being rational and emotionless (they celebrate the death and have no feelings), Eothas which believe in hope and light and are known for being completely anti-evil and always having a pure state of mind.
You also have Magran who are known for their courage and their bravery in battle. The Skaen and his followers are into torture and its various different forms along with spying and staying hidden. Lastly, the Wael have secret rituals and an assortment of weird practices.
The best starting ability to have is Restore as it can heal allies in a specific area. Along with that, you can go for Holy Power that gives your allies in an area a strong status for half a minute.
It goes without saying, Priests cannot cause any significant damage on their own, so they employ the help of crowd-control classes like Barbarian and Paladin.
The Priest class’ skills allot you two points each in the following categories:
- Alchemy
- Arcana
- Diplomacy
- History
- Religion
Although they can have a pet companion for better results, it should also be noted that losing one will result in negative effects and penalties which reduce the accuracy and other stats of the Ranger class.
Rangers
As you would know by the name, rangers are all about fighting various different enemies. Either they can be a striker or they can be a defender. They are all about fighting on the battlefield along with their pet companions and they have the power to simply destroy everyone.
They have 3 different Subclasses. The Sharpshooter is able to attack from a range and use his pet companion to distract the enemy from the battle. A Ghost Heart can summon dead pets to help them fight the enemies and the Stalker can receive additional bonuses for the amount of time that they spend with their companions.
The best starting ability is the Wounding Shot as it can deal with raw damage to a target for a fair amount of time. However, any of the companions will work and you should go for the companion that best suits your playing style.
Other abilities increase the accuracy and Crit chance for the Ranger class. It’s best to use close-quarter classes that aren’t shy from taking the foes head-on. Some good examples include Barbarian, Fighter, and Paladin.
The Ranger class’ skills allot you two points each in the following categories:
- Alchemy
- Survival
- Diplomacy
- Stealth
- Bluff
Rogue
Think of the rogue as an assassin. It works as a Striker but rather than going all in and attacking enemies from the front, the rogue bides its time and patiently waits for the opportunity to arise. They play dirty and they only care about winning.
This class relies entirely on sneak attacks and backstab, both of which perform massive damage and can one-hit kill most of the foes. Some attacks can also be launched from a decent enough range.
The assassin subclass is all about stealth and assassination. The assassins will try to take out enemies from behind and will be useless in other forms of combat. The streetfighter can take on large enemies at once and will get extra bonuses for when they are surrounded by enemies or wounded. The trickster, on the other hand, will rely on illusion and magic to deceive enemies and then turn them into dust.
For your Starting Abilities, you can select any one of the two, as they are both very good in combat. However, I prefer Escape because of its disengaging prowess.
Rogue is a class of its own (no pun intended) not getting particularly hindered or favored by any other class. With that said, you can pair the class up with anyone of your liking.
The Rogue class’ skills allot you two points each in the following categories:
- Mechanics
- Stealth
- Bluff
- Insight
- Streetwise
Wizard
Wizards have ancient knowledge of the spells and they use it to wreak havoc across the battlefield. Remember that a wizard in the hands of the right player can easily destroy a large portion of the enemy’s army.
Wizards are restricted to a particular school of magic, so they can only cast spells that belong to the corresponding school. Grimoires are what wizards use to cast spells before learning them for additional bonuses.
Most of the spells are instantaneously cast so that’s the strength for the class. The active duration of the spells can be lengthened by having a high Intellect level.
Wizard has 5 subclasses. Conjurer relies on magic whereas the Enchanter uses charm to distract the enemy. The Evoker learns destructive spells whereas the Illusionist learns tricks to confuse and daze the enemy. Lastly, the Transmuter changes shape and form to defeat the enemy. Each of these subclasses has 2 types of spells that they are unable to learn, so be careful of who you select.
There are a ton of different starting abilities that will be different for each subclass. It is best to simply go for the one that you feel like will mesh well with your play style.
Wizards can serve as excellent support classes for the martial-arts and offense-based classes including Barbarian, Fighter, Paladin, and Ranger. The Wizard class’ skills allot you two points each in the following categories:
- Arcana
- Explosives
- History
- Insight
- Metaphysics
That is all we have for our Pillars of Eternity 2 Deadfire Classes Guide. Let us know if we missed something using the comments section below!
