Best Elden Ring Starting Class — All 12 Compared (v1.17)

Which class should a new player pick?

Pick for the opening hours, not the endgame — classes are starting kits, and respec unlocks at Rennala in Liurnia. With that said, three openings stand out:

• Samurai — the community’s best pick for a reason: the Uchigatana carries an innate bleed and stays viable for dozens of hours, and the Longbow solves pulling on day one.
• Vagabond — the tanky opener: highest starting Vigor, a real shield, and a straightforward sword-and-board that forgives mistakes while you learn dodge timing.
• Astrologer — the ranged opener: Glintstone Pebble deletes early enemies from safety, at the cost of a squishier body.

New as of patch 1.17, the Tarnished Pack adds two more origins — worth knowing even if you never start as them, since their gear is collectible on any save (see the Tarnished Pack guide).

Heavy Knight vs Idus Knight — what did the DLC add?

Heavy Knight is the cleaner specialist — 17 Endurance and 15 Strength skip most of the early equip-load struggle, and the Hefty Scimitar’s broad sweeps suit players who want fewer, bigger hits. Idus Knight is the more versatile origin — 15 Dexterity opens the Keen affinity immediately, 11 Faith makes early incantations cheap, and the Idus Sword’s thrusting moveset answers shielded enemies from minute one. Its weakness is 10 Vigor: level health first.

How do I choose between the classics?

Match the class to how you want fights to feel, then lean on respec later:

• Melee, aggressive → Samurai or Warrior (dual-scimitar powerstancing)
• Melee, defensive → Vagabond (100% physical block from the start)
• Magic → Astrologer (sorceries) or Confessor/Prophet (incantations, mixed melee)
• Bleed/arcane → Bandit (highest Arcane) — feeds builds like our best bleed build
• Hard mode → Wretch: level 1, club, nothing else. Only if you know.

What about stats — what do I level first?

Regardless of class: Vigor to ~40 before anything fancy. Early damage comes from weapon upgrades (+X) and Ashes of War, not from stat scaling — but a hit you survive beats a hit you dodge-fail. After Vigor, push your weapon’s scaling stat, then Endurance for equip load.

For where these choices lead, see the progression route — and if you are brand new, start with the beginner guide.