Lords of the Fallen (2023) › Guides

Lords of the Fallen: What's the Best Starting Class?

by Junior Miyai on 14 October, 2023

If you’re just getting started on your journey through Lords of the Fallen, you may have been hit with some choice paralysis early on. You are presented with nine starting classes, all with different weapons and stats, and are unsure which one to pick. While you will be able to change up your stat spread later on in the game (via a rare item given to an NPC), those looking to get the best head start possible will want to read on below for our best starting class guide.

Starting Classes in Lords of the Fallen (2023)

It should be noted that this is for first-time players, or newbies looking to try other classes, and not for those who have beaten the game already. Also, what one player may consider easiest or “most fun” doesn’t necessarily translate to other players. Experiment and find which one you gel with the most — this just outlines your choices for you. 

With that said, our advice on this page will help you to make an informed decision on the best starting class for you. Here's the classes, some of which are initially exclusive to certain versions of the game, it should be noted:

Hallowed Knight

The Hallowed Knight is perhaps the most “normal” starting class in Lords of the Fallen, with a very simple stat spread that focuses on Strength, Endurance and Vitality — you hit things, they fall down, and should you get hit, it won’t be as bad. Their starting gear is the Hallowed Knight set, which features a sword that scales off Strength and Agility with a C- and E rating, respectively. Pump up that Strength for your first few levels and you’ll be right as rain. The shield comes with a pretty solid starting 46% Physical Damage reduction, which means less Withered health when you take attacks.

In terms of combat attacks, the sword, when wielded one-handed, has a series of quick light attack strikes, while the heavy attack is a lunge attack. Two-handed, the sword’s light attacks become slower and heavier diagonal strikes, while the heavy attack becomes a conal cleave in front of you. The armor set provides pretty high stat value for Physical Resistance, while providing standard protection against Holy, Fire and Wither as well. The class starts with some healing gems and a few throwing grenades as well. Just be wary of their rolling capabilities — all that armor means they won’t roll very far or fast.

Udirangr Warwolf

The Warwolf evokes inspiration from Barbarians in other fantasy media, and for good reason. A heavy two-handed sword, some throwing axes, and medium encumbrance makes this class fantastic for getting in, taking down an enemy or three, and getting back out. The highest Strength starting total out of all of the classes, the Warwolf is more than capable of cleaving through enemies with their Udirangr Warwolf Sword, a longsword designed to be two-handed.

When swung with two hands, the sword’s light attacks chains both diagonal slashes and lunges together in a flurry of quick strikes, while the heavy attack is a quick diagonal cleave that carries you forward a few steps. One-handed, the sword is much slower and much less powerful, but the heavy attack becomes a standard lunge attack if you need to keep some distance between you and your target.

Your ranged weapons are Throwing Axes, which travel at an arc and are refilled with Ammunition Pouches, but the only other items the Warwolf carries at the start are Minor Fire Salts, which briefly enchant your blade with Inferno. Keep in mind that the Warwolf lacks any real defenses on their own — no shield and light armor do not offer much in terms of protection, so if you get hit too often, you can find yourself in the Umbral before long.

Partisan

Unlike the other melee-based options before it, the Partisan features a relatively balanced spread of stats in Strength, Agility, Endurance and Vitality. Coming equipped with a Flail, Wooden Shield and Crossbow, the Partisan offers more flexibility in builds for the near future, allowing you to use most gear with relative ease.

The Partisan Flail has attacks that are slightly delayed from when the attack button is pressed, owing to its heavier weight and impact. The light attack strikes are a combination of crushing downswings and horizontal swipes, while the heavy attack is a heavy smash on the ground immediately in front of you. Two-handed, the Flail offers quicker, rapid strikes in a straight line in front of you, while the heavy attack becomes a conal swipe that carries you forward slightly.

The Partisan Shield offers 42% Physical block protection, but much less in the other departments when compared to the Hallowed Knight Shield. Their armor offers more protection than a Warwolf’s set, but less than the Hallowed Knight set — meeting that middle ground of protection and weight easily. The crossbow does provide accurate attacks at a distance, but carries with it a pretty lengthy reload animation as well.

Mournstead Infantry

Perhaps you wanted a balanced starting character, but weren’t a fan of the somewhat slow Flail? If so, the Mournstead Infantry may be what you want. The class comes equipped with a spear and shield, allowing you to poke enemies at range while keeping your guard up in case they retaliate. When wielded with one hand, the Mournstead Infantry Spear’s light attacks are a simple chain of stabs, while the heavy attack is a slightly more exaggerated stab. Two-handed, the attacks are similar, but deal more damage.

The Mournstead Infantry Shield offers only 38% Block Protection, and slightly less in the other categories when compared to the Partisan Shield, but the armor set is comparable to the Partisan’s in raw numbers. You are still sitting at medium encumbrance, so time your rolls accordingly. Finally, your ranged options are Short Javelins, which do not travel very far, but come out quick and can stagger your opponents a little easier than an arrow can.

Blackfeather Ranger

Now we’re starting to get into some different territory. The Blackfeather Ranger is a class that starts out with a specialization in Agility, which means that more agile weapons are what you’ll be using. The Ranger comes equipped with a light ax that carries some pretty terrible scaling — D in both Strength and Agility — as well as a small shield. The real meat and potatoes of this class is the Bow. While still having a pretty bad D+ scaling, the accuracy and speed this starting bow fires at more than makes up for it.

The Bow consumes Ammo, which can be replenished with Ammunition Pouches, of which the Ranger starts off with two. You will find yourself being more limited by your lack of Endurance than anything else when rapid firing. On the defensive side, the Shield is nothing to write home about, and your armor is pretty poor in all departments, offering slightly more magical protection than anything else. Combined with a medium encumbrance, you will definitely want to keep your enemies at a distance as much as possible.

Exiled Stalker

Officially listed as an “Advanced Class”, the Exiled Stalker goes all-in on offense, with a high Agility stat, throwing knives, and dual-wielded daggers. The daggers light attacks strike fast and hard, but also carry you forward several feet on each attack, making a chain of attacks very difficult to aim accurately. The heavy attack is a dual-weapon thrust that also carries you forward several feet, so care is needed when attacking.

The Stalker sits right on the edge of having a Light Roll, just barely creaking forward into Medium Encumbrance, so it may be worth unequipping your hat or gloves to attain that coveted roll speed. It’s not like the defenses will really help — low values in all defensive stats mean that if you get hit in the first place, it’s gonna hurt. Finally, the Stalker’s throwing daggers are nothing to write home about, they travel reasonably far but at a very slow speed, so you may end up missing your shots more often than not.

Orian Preacher

It’s possible that the Orian Preacher is the “easiest” class to get started with, for several good reasons. For one, their Preacher Hammer strikes very fast and relatively hard, granting stagger on enemies that other weapon types may not necessarily get. For another, the Preacher starts off with the ability to cast Radiant Flare, a bolt of holy magic that travels extremely far in a straight line at decent speeds.

With the Preacher’s high Radiance stat, and starting supply of Manastones, you can bet that you’ll be zapping baddies with relative ease — just be aware that the Preacher has next to no value in terms of defenses, and will take sword strikes pretty badly. The Preacher also starts off with medium encumbrance, so your rolls will require some forethought.

Pyric Cultist

If the Preacher is the “easiest” class to get started with, then the Pyric Cultist is just underneath them. Instead of a Hammer, the Cultist gets a spear to keep enemies at bay with. Much like the Infantry, the spear attacks are nothing but a chain of pokes and stabs, but the difference is that the Cultist’s spear is caked with Inferno scaling, which means you will slightly burn your enemies over time.

Combined with the ability to cast Infernal Orb, which lobs a glob of fire in an arc at a target, and you’ll make short work of any enemy at a distance. Much like the Preacher, however, if an enemy gets too close to you, be prepared to dodge away — the Cultist cannot take hits well.

Condemned

Do you hate yourself? If so, the Condemned is right up your alley. This is a class that the game straight up warns you not to pick if you’re not sure of what you’re doing. This class starts off with purely balanced stats, allowing for the most freedom when it comes to min/max’ing your build. But it comes at a pretty steep price — the difficulty curve skyrockets. Your starting weapon? A pair of buckets, with E scaling. Your ranged option? A throwing rock. You deal the least damage starting out and have the worst defensive options out of the bunch. You also sit at medium encumbrance, which means you don’t even have access to light rolls unless you shed a piece of gear.

It should not be left implied that this class is only for people who truly know what they are doing. While you will inevitably pick up equipment during your exploration of Mournstead, the journey is difficult as is, and picking the Condemned just ratchets up that difficulty several times over.

With all of that out of the way, you should find yourself better informed for the road ahead of you. Mournstead is an unforgiving place, so you'll want to have the best help you can get to overcome it. Best of luck, Crusaders!

Dark Crusader

LordsheFallenDarkcrus.jpg

Do you remember that guy that dies in the game's intro? Well, it's actually a secret class! With the purchase of the deluxe edition, you can get access to it immediately. The class is still unlockable by completing a series of quests regarding the Paladin Isaac who you encounter later in the game. Without the DLC, this seems more as a New Game+ option instead.

The Dark Crusader starts out as one of the stronger melee class in the game, it wields a massive two-handed sword over its back like other soulslike. Notably, this class starts at level 14, which is significantly higher than other starting levels. While it lacks a shield, it comes equipped with an exceptional accessory called the Paladin Pendant, providing a +2 Strength and +3 Endurance bonus. Despite its limited defensive options, it does start with more physical armor than the Warwolf class. One drawback is its limited range options, so if you rely on spells, you won't have access to them until later in the game, meaning you'll need to adopt a melee approach to overcome much of the game's content.