Lords of the Fallen best class and all starting classes explained

The Lords of the Fallen best class is a question up for debate, but an important one to answer. In the opening hours of a playthrough in Hexwork’s new Souls-like RPG, choosing the right starting class for you will have a major impact on your experience and progression. So what is the best starting class in Lords of The Fallen? And for that matter, what’s the worst?

Here, we’re going to cover the Lords of the Fallen best class. Keep in mind this is based off of our experiences during playthroughs for our Lords of the Fallen review. The answer might not be the same for everyone. Starting class alone also won’t determine everything – check out our advice for the best starting weapons too if you’re struggling to decide.

Best class in Lords of the Fallen to start the game with

The best class in Lords of the Fallen is the Partisan. Here are the class’ stats and starting equipment. Then we’ll break down our reasoning for our choice.

• Strength: 13
• Agility: 12
• Endurance: 12
• Vitality: 12
• Radiance: 8
• Inferno: 8
• Starting equipment: Flail, Partisan Crossbow, Partisan Shield, Riveted Bolts, Unripe Berries, Sanguinarix, Partisan medium armour.

On the face of it, this may seem like a very strange choice, so let’s break it down a bit. There are a few reasons we’ve chosen Partisan over some of the more flashy or intricate starting classes available.

• It’s easy to learn
• It prioritises health
• It’s highly versatile
• It’s well-equipped
• It’s easy to build upon

An easy class to learn

Starting classes in Lords of the Fallen are divided into two types: basic and advanced. Arguably, all the advanced classes are a step above the basic ones, but there’s a condition to that. They’re all harder to learn. Sure, late-game, they can shine, but for the start of a playthrough – especially for first playthroughs – they’re a greater struggle to get to grips with.

Comparatively, the Partisan’s relatively mundane nature makes it pretty easy to come to grips with the fundamentals of the playstyle quickly, helping you start your game off on the right foot.

A class with a priority on HP

From the outset, something you’ll quickly become aware of regardless of class is how squishy your protagonist is. Everything, including the most mundane mobs, can deal serious damage, with more powerful foes obliterating large chunks of your health bar with every hit.

Partisan is the class which offsets this asymmetrical advantage best, having the highest starting vitality stat of any of the classes in game at 12. Knowing how to heal in various ways can help to reduce this issue with other classes, but the additional health of the Partisan still goes a noticeable way to improving your survivability.

A versatile class

Many of the starting classes specialise in one way or another, but this is less so the case for the Partisan. With a 13 in strength, 12 in agility and 12 in endurance, and the aforementioned vitality, it’s well balanced to handle a variety of weapons and exert overall solid performance, mitigating its slightly lower attack power. Combined with its starting equipment, the Partisan can be played defensively, from range, or offensively, depending on player preference.

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Did you know?

Your gear all has weight to it, and your carry capacity for this is controlled by the Weight stat. You can increase this stat by levelling up either Endurance or Vitality.

Good class starting equipment

Those different playstyles are largely supported by a fantastic starting arsenal. The Partisan begins with a flail, crossbow and a shield, as well as some unripe berries. The shield is a necessity for blocking and parrying, and the Partisan’s is one of the better starting ones. The crossbow meanwhile is a fantastic ranged weapon, outputting serious damage and boasting a fairly reliable range. The flail, while a bit weak, has wide swings that can tackle multiple opponents at once, and a reasonable speed for its size. The unripe berries greatly boost stamina capacity and regeneration for a time, making them a good utility item to have on-hand in early boss fights.

You can add onto some of these benefits fairly quickly too. Some of the best rings like the Mineowner’s Ring are found very early into the game, and boast a fantastic synergy with consumables like the Unripe Berries.

An easy class to build on

Lastly, there’s the due consideration of how your chosen starting class might evolve. Because of the Partisan’s versatility, it’s very well-suited to allow player freedom in stat distribution and levelling up. You’ve got a leg-up in vitality, strength, endurance and agility, so any weapons, armour and abilities revolving around these stats are easier to reach for in the early game. And if you do find yourself wanting to invest in a radiance or inferno build, you can always grind out some levels at the best farming spots, or pick another class if magic is a priority for you.

All Lords of the Fallen starting classes explained

Now, while we might have outlined our pick for the best class in Lords of the Fallen, it still won’t be for everyone. For that reason, let’s go over what all the possible classes are, and give a basic summary of what each one focuses on. That way even if you disagree with our choice, you’ll have a clear picture of which class might better suit your playstyle.

Hallowed Knight

Stats and equipment:

• Strength: 12
• Agility: 8
• Endurance: 15
• Vitality: 11
• Radiance: 9
• Inferno: 8
• Starting Equipment: Hallowed Knight Sword, Hallowed Knight Shield, Sanguinarix, Medium Briostone, Hallowed Knight armour.

You can think of the Hallowed Knight as your heavy infantry class. Their massive focus on endurance allows this class to sustain offensive or defensive postures for longer, outlasting their enemies. Their Hallowed Knight sword is also a pretty good weapon, retaining enough viability in later game that it even made our list of the best weapons. The slower speed and lack of potent ranged options leaves this class effective in most one-to-one situations, but at a disadvantage in wide open areas or against large groups of enemies.

Udirangr Warwolf

Stats and equipment:

• Strength: 16
• Agility: 10
• Endurance: 13
• Vitality: 10
• Radiance: 8
• Inferno: 8
• Starting equipment: Udirangr Longsword, Throwing Axes, Udirangr light armour, Sanguinarix, Fire Salts

If your a souls veteran with the more refined understanding that large bonk = superior playstyle, this might be the class for you. The Warwolf is a heavy sword-wielding class, capable of dealing out monsterously high damage. The size and reach of his weapon allow him to easily handle multiple targets at once. The obvious trade off is reduced mobility and vulnerability to damage. You can still dominate from mid-range with your throwing axes, but at long range, or against elite single targets that won’t go down in a few hits, consistent precision and skill is required to make this class survivable by any metric.

Mournstead Infantry

Stats and equipment:

• Strength: 12
• Agility: 14
• Endurance: 12
• Vitality: 11
• Radiance: 8
• Inferno: 8
• Starting equipment: Mournstead Infantry Spear, Light Buckler Shield, Javelin, Sanguinarix, Large Briostone, Mournstead medium armour.

Think of the Mournstead Infantry as your medium weight, world-wary class performing feats well above his paygrade. The Mournstead Infantry is a class designed to prioritise crowd control and pacing to keep you alive and safe. The spear is arguably the best starting weapon in the game, granting superior reach and surprising multitarget management. It’s an easy enough class to learn and you’ll find most engagements a bit easier, but it does lack both range and versatility, putting you at a more serious disadvantage when you lose the upper hand in an engagement.

Blackfeather Ranger

Stats and equipment:

• Strength: 11
• Agility: 13
• Endurance: 11
• Vitality: 10
• Radiance: 8
• Inferno: 8
• Starting Equipment: Blackfeather Ranger Axe, Blackfeather Ranger Bow, light shield, Blackfeather Ranger light armor, Sanguinarix, Ammunition Pouches.

Remember the Silver Knight Archers from Dark Souls? Well this is the closest cosplay you’re getting out of the starting classes. The Blackfeather Ranger emphasises ranged capabilities over all else. With a strong starting bow, plenty of ammunition, and a pretty agile melee weapon for enemies that get too close, there’s a surprising versatility to this class. Don’t expect crazy damage or good survivability if you choose this class though.

Exiled Stalker

Stats and equipment:

• Strength: 9
• Agility: 16
• Endurance: 11
• Vitality: 11
• Radiance: 8
• Inferno: 8
• Starting equipment: Two Exiled Stalker Daggers, Throwing Knives, Sanguinarix, Poison Salts, Exiled Stalker light armour.

The go-to assassin class, the Exiled Stalker is perfect for anyone wanting speed and precision. The daggers, while low on damage, are some of the fastest weapons in the game, and pair together excellently to make for a deadly dual-wielding experience. In one-on-one engagements, the Exiled Stalker is practically unmatched, and you’ll be able to go toe-to-toe with most enemies fairly easily, though you’ll still need to take care with elite enemies. The Exiled Stalker does struggle severely when handling multiple enemies at a time though, as the class is ill-suited for crowd control.

Orian Preacher

Stats and equipment:

• Strength: 10
• Agility: 8
• Endurance: 9
• Vitality: 11
• Radiance: 18
• Inferno: 8
• Starting equipment: Orian Preacher Hammer, broken light shield, radiant catalyst, Sanguinarix, Manastone Clusters, Orian Preacher Robes.

If you were hoping to do a run as a more violent iteration of the Pope, this is the class for you. The Orian Preacher commands Radiant magic, which deals holy damage. His starting spell is pretty powerful for the early game, and the hammer is a surprisingly capable weapon as well, lending this class unusually good versatility. Because of his long and close range capabilities, the Orian Preacher is well positioned for dealing with most threats. However, his poor mobility, endurance and light armour leave him at a dangerous disadvantage when caught on the back foot, especially against particularly powerful enemies. While there are plenty of amazing spells for this magic type later in the game, such as support spells that render upgrading the Sanguinarix a less pressing priority, you’ll of course start out with just the one.

Pyric Cultist

Stats and equipment:

• Strength: 9
• Agility: 8
• Endurance: 11
• Vitality: 9
• Radiant: 8
• Inferno: 18
• Starting equipment: Pyric Cultist Staff, inferno catalyst, Sanguinarix, Manastone Clusters, Pyric Cultist Robes.

This is the go-to class choice for arsonists. The Pyric Cultist is your pyromancer class and boasts an exceptionally strong starting inferno spell that can rip through most enemies at range. Whether fighting multiple targets or single elite enemies, you’ve got a serious advantage here. The trade-off is a serious vulnerability at close range. While the staff has great reach, it has mediocre damage, and your health and light armour leave you in a bad position if your back is against the wall. You’ll want to find blacksmith Gerlinde as fast as possible and start upgrading gear if you choose this class.

Dark Crusader

Stats and equipment:

• Strength: 12
• Agility: 8
• Endurance: 14
• Vitality: 14
• Radiance: 11
• Inferno: 8
• Starting equipment: Paladin Issacs’s Sword, Radiant Burst Parchment, Paladin’s Pendant, Paladin Armor Set.

The Dark Crusader is undoubtedly the strongest starting class. With solid strength, great endurance, high vitality, and a powerful weapon with great reach and damage, it’s perfect for dealing with single targets, crowds, and mid-range fights, though does struggle with long-range. Why didn’t we pick this as the best starting class in the game then? Simply put, you’ve got to unlock the Dark Crusader before you can play him. There are two ways to do this. One is to complete a quest in-game which will unlock the class for new game plus and future playthroughs. The other way is to buy the class as a DLC. For a first playthrough then, it’s only really available as a pay-to-win feature, which misses the spirit of choosing a class to begin with.

There are a lot of options available to you when you begin a game, with a focus on variety to allow for all sorts of playstyles. Whether you fancy a bow, daggers, holy damage or fire damage, or even a broken bucket, there’s a starting class for you. Don’t forget though that once you pick, you aren’t locked in. Later in the game, you can respec your character to change up your stats. And since you can collect the gear of all starting classes throughout your journey, you can recreate a different class verbatim if that’s what you want.

Lord

Stats and equipment:

• Strength: 12
• Agility: 8
• Endurance: 13
• Vitality: 13
• Radiance: 8
• Inferno: 22
• Starting equipment: Lord Mask, Lord Gauntlets, Lord Leggings, Lord Armor, Ring of Bones, Ring of Duty, Lord Axe, Lord Catalyst

The Lord class is one of the unlockable classes in the game. To obtain it, you must complete the game by getting the Inferno Ending. If that is done, you will be able to start with this class on your next playthrough. The Lord class comes with great armor, a powerful catalyst, and rings that increase your equipment load, vitality, and endurance. You even get powerful spells right from the start.

Putrid Child

Stats and Equipment:

• Strength: 8
• Agility: 8
• Endurance: 10
• vitality: 12
• Radiance: 15
• Inferno: 15
• Starting equipment: Putrid Child Sword, Putrid Child Catalyst, Putrid Child Arm Wrappings, Putrid Child Mask, Putrid Child Leg Wrappings, Putrid Child Robes, Pendant of Parting

Another one of the unlockable starting classes, the Putrid Child class becomes available after you beat the game by achieving the Umbral Ending. This class starts off with lighter armor but makes up for it by having a list of great starting spells as well as a powerful starting Catalyst. On top of that, you get a pendant that spawns mines to help you deal additional wither damage.

Radiant Purifier

Stats and Equipment:

• Strength: 12
• Agility: 10
• Endurance: 13
• Vitality: 14
• Radiance: 18
• Inferno: 8
• Starting Equipment: Radiant Purifier Polearm, Radiant Purifier Catalyst, Radiant Purifier Hat, Radiant Purifier Trousers, Radiant Purifier Gauntlets, Radiant Purifier Robes, Empyrean Pendant

The last of the unlockable classes is the Radiant Purifier. This class is unlocked by achieving the Radiance Ending in Lords of the Fallen. After that, the class becomes permanently unlocked. Similar to the Orian Preacher class, this class focuses on Radiance magic and is really good at it. You get powerful starting spells, a good catalyst, and a pendant that increases your holy damage.

What’s the worst starting class in Lords of the Fallen? – Condemned

As shown, not all classes are created equal. But for the masochists among you, is there a worst starting class to pick in Lords of the Fallen?

The answer is a resounding yes. The Condemned is by far the worst starting class, and not by accident. The Condemned’s stats and starting equipment are:

• Strength: 9
• Agility: 9
• Endurance: 9
• Vitality: 9
• Radiance: 9
• Inferno: 9
• Starting equipment: Broken Bucket, Rock, Sanguinarix, prison rags.

It’s probably little surprise that these stats and weapons make the Condemned incredibly weak. You’ll struggle against even basic enemies, let alone crowds or elite foes. This is purposeful though, as the class is designed for those who want a harder start to the game. The game itself warns to “pick at your own risk”, as the Condemned offers a greater challenge for players who seek it.

That covers our pick for the Lords of the Fallen best class, as well as an overview of all starting classes, and the worst one of the bunch. If you’re still getting to grips with the early game, we’ve got plenty of guides to help you. From the basics like how to switch weapons, an area progression route and general tips and tricks, to later mechanics and activities like how to upgrade weapons, how to upgrade the Umbral Lantern, or how to beat the Spurned Progeny we’ve got you covered.

Are magic classes good in Lords of the Fallen?

Magic classes have some excellent potential in Lords of the Fallen. They’ve got tremendous damage output, but are typically highly vulnerable in close quarters combat.

Does starting class matter in Lords of the Fallen?

Your starting class may have an effect on your earliest few hours, but ultimately isn’t too important, as farming levels to alter your character isn’t particularly difficult.

How do you get the Dark Crusader starting class in Lords of the Fallen?

To get the Dark Crusader starting class in Lords of the Fallen, you need to buy the deluxe version, or buy the class as a separate add-on.