Trials of Mana Class Guide: best classes, class 4 and how to change and reset your class

by RPG Site Staff on 27 April, 2020

One of the things that sets Trials of Mana apart from other games like it is the ability to change your character’s class - and the nature of the game means you'll likely be doing it a number of times.

Changing your class has a number of benefits. You’ll get a new combo out of it, as well as higher stats, a new Class Strike and more skills and stats from levelling up your characters. You’ll also get an appearance change, although that can be changed back from the menu if you prefer.

Trials of Mana Class Suggestions for Best Class

Duran

No matter what class you put him in, Duran will always have some sort of focus on fighting, so which path you go down will change his other functions. You're going to want Duran to be as powerful as possible on the frontlines, as well as giving him some Saber magic to help out the team and augment his own attacks. For this reason, it's a good idea to go for the Duelist class. Additionally, healing with items is quite effective through Trials of Mana, so there's less reason to have him go down the Light path classes.

Angela

As a spell-caster, you might think that Angela would be best suited to some sort of support role, but she's actually well-suited to combat. For this reason, it's a good idea to go down her dark path for the Magus class, which has AOE spells that can absolutely destroy enemies late into the game. Not bad for a character that starts off weak.

Kevin

You're going to want Kevin hitting things as much as possible if you've got him in your team. That's why you're going to want to go down the Dark path whenever you can as both the Brawler and Fatal Fist classes give Kevin the best fighting advantage. Although his light paths do give him some healing capabilities, Trials of Mana gives you enough items to use for healing and revival that it isn't really worth it.

Charlotte

If you can get past Charlotte's voice acting, you'll find that she's a fantastic supporting ally. Pretty much all of Charlotte's options have her in a supporting role and it's good to keep it that way, even if she can be surprisingly useful in combat. Her Sage and High Cleric classes are fantastic choices, as they both focus on healing and removing status ailments. Charlotte is by far the best supporter, so make sure to play to her strengths. However, if you want to just focus on using items for healing, her Dark classes have a lot of status effects and debuffs, which can be great for bosses.

Hawkeye

All of Hawkeye's classes put him in a good position to act as support for the rest of the party, so you're going to want to choose a class that emphasizes that as much as possible. In reality, none of Hawkeye's classes are a bad fit for him. but Ranger and Nomad are both good fits for his support role, His dark classes let you debuff enemies which can also be helpful, so it's really dependent on what you want in battle.

Riesz

Riesz is similar to Hawkeye in the sense that she works best as a support type character, and both of her class paths reflect that. Going down her Dark path will let her debuff enemies, whilst going through her light classes will give her a more supportive role for her allies with buffs. It's going to depend on what you want from her character and who else you have in your party, but Riesz is fairly unique in the fact that her classes change her up quite a lot. Want an attacker? Go for the Fenrir Knight class. Want some positive buff support? Go for anything to do with her Light path.

How to change your Class in Trials of Mana

Actually changing your character’s class is dependent on a few factors. First of all, you’ll need to be at a certain level through leveling up. To advance your class the first time, you need to be Level 18. For the first class change, that’s the only requirement you’ll need. This class change will give you another class strike, as well as finally giving you another combo string.

To change your class for the second time, you’ll first need to reach Level 38. This’ll come naturally by just playing through the game, and grinding really isn’t necessary. You’ll certainly be at the right level by the time you’ve defeated all of the Benevodons.

Next you’ll need a Class Item. Class Items come from ??? Seeds that are dropped by enemies towards the end of the game, as well as being found in some chests. They will drop more and more the later you get into the game, so don’t worry about farming them. They’ll start appearing when you start taking on the Benevedons, and you likely won’t even need them until the end of the boss rush. For more information on these mysterious seeds including some options for farming them, check out our full Trials of Mana ??? Seed guide.

Once you’ve got a ??? Seed, you’ll want to go to an Inn and plant it in the Magic Pot. Doing this will give you a class item for one of the characters in your party. You’ll then be able to use this item in conjunction with being Level 38 to become Class 3. Class 3 gives you another great combo and a new Class Strike.

Class 4 in Trials of Mana remake

Class 4 is a feature that is brand new to the Trials of Mana remake. Once you’ve beaten the main story, you’ll be given a quest to find Spheres that can turn your character into Class 4. Each character is given their own small quest to follow that usually focuses on one boss fight. Once you’ve completed their quest, you’ll get the sphere you need to turn into Class 4, the highest possible class in the game. You’ll get your best class strike by reaching Class 4, which is exactly what you’ll need to take on the post-game.

There are two 4th tier classes for each character - one of the Light half of the class tree and one for the Dark side. So effectively, which 4th tier class you get will be determined by which path you took for the 2nd tier class.

Also new to the remake is the ability to reset your class. Resetting your class requires the Goddess Scales item, which is found very sparsely in chests. You’ll be able to get just one in your main character’s final dungeon, and there are a few more in the post game dungeon but that’s about it so make sure to reset your class smartly. If you want to reset your class path but don’t have any Goddess Scales, remember that New Game Plus carries over your levels, but doesn’t carry over your classes, so that's a good way of restarting things too.

Trials of Mana Classes List

Below is a list of the classes for each character, as well as their affinity - light or dark. Your previous class choices will determine the choices that branch before you.

Duran Classes

Starting Class: Fighter

Class Strike: Cross Cut - A quick leap forward by a damaging cross slash.

2nd Tier Class (Light): Knight - A protector class. Knights are proficient at both attack and defense. They can use shields, weapons, and healing magic to defend their allies.

Locked Ability: Bear it - Defense increased by 10% for 10 sec. at the start of a battle.
Class Stike: Triple Slash - Two slashes in a row followed by a forward thrust damages enemy.

2nd Tier Class (Dark): Gladiator - A class with high attack. Gladiators can't use shields, but they possess great power. They can use fire, water, earth, and wind saber magic to deal lots of damage to their foes.

Locked Ability: Indomitable - Attack increased by 10% for 10 sec. at the start of a battle.
Class Strike: Spin Slash - Enemies in the area of attack get caught up in a huge whirlwind.

3rd Tier Class (Light/Light): Paladin - A stamina-based, defensive class. Paladins can learn saber magic to imbue their allies' attacks with the light element. They're good for support.

Class Item Required: Knight Tag
Locked Ability: Protective Light - Decrease light/dark elemental damage by 10%.
Class Strike: Glint Slash - A blast of holy light energy from the blade causes damage to enemies in the area of attack.

3rd Tier Class (Light/Dark): Liege - A balanced fighting class with good attack and defense. Lieges can also use healing magic to protect their allies and increase the party's survival rate.

Class Item Required: Prince Tag
Locked Ability: Sanctum - 20% chance of increasing healing magic's effectiveness by 100% in battle.
Class Strike: Magic Rend - A damaging slash at a magically bound enemy.

3rd Tier Class (Dark/Light): Edelfrei - Edelfrei are great at attacking and can learn earth, water, fire, and wind saber magic. They excel at fighting techniques, able to strike at enemy weaknesses.

Class Item Required: Battler Tag
Locked Ability: Mastery - Weapon efficiency increased by 15%.
Class Strike: Hollow Slash - A surging power causes damage from the blade as it's wielded.

3rd Tier Class (Dark/Dark): Duelist - One of the most powerful fighting classes, Duelists learn dark saber magic in addition to having a high attack stat.

Class Item Required: Duelist Tag
Locked Ability: Adrenaline Rush - Attack increases after defeating an enemy.
Class Strike: Quakebringer - Blade stabbed into the earth shoots energy at enemies in the area of attack.

4th Tier Class (Light): Divine Hero - One of the topmost Fighter classes. Divine Heroes have the defense of a Paladin and healing of a Liege.

Locked Ability: Super Healing - Heal beyond max HP when receiving recovery effect exceeding it (up to 30%) in battle.
Class Strike: Radiant Rend - Speedy, successive slashes deal massive damage to a magically bound enemy.

4th Tier Class (Dark): Berserker - One of the topmost Fighter classes. Berserkers have the attack power of a Duelist and strength of an Edelfrei. They can take out an enemy with strength and diverse attacks.

Locked Ability: Frenzy - Attack and Defense increased by 2% when normal attacks hits (up to 30%).
Class Strike: Hellion Fury - Fighting spirit surrounds enemy and deals massive damage.

Angela Classes

Starting Class: Magician

Class Strike: Double Slash - Lunge forward quickly and deal damage with a wand.

2nd Tier Class (Light): Sorceress - A class with a variety of spells. Sorceresses can use different types of elemental magic to attack their enemy's weakness.

Locked Ability: Magic Burst - Damage from magic increased by 15% when MP at 100%.
Class Strike: Love Typhoon - Magical heart appears and explodes, dealing damage to the enemy.

2nd Tier Class (Dark): Mysticist - Mysticists are good at hindering enemies and proficient with dark spells. They can learn abilities that use their own HP to increase the damage of their spells.

Locked Ability: Wrath - Magic attacks and magic defense increase if ally faints.
Class Strike: Pummel Star - Magical Stars appear and bombard the enemy, dealing damage.

3rd Tier Class (Light/Light): Grand Diviner - Grand Diviners are great at fighting and learn area attack magic. The can learn abilities that power up their spells to destroy multiple enemies at once.

Class Item Required: Arcana Book
Locked Ability: Refresh - Recover 15% of MP after winning a battle.
Class Strike: Boomerang Spiral - Magic infuses the spinning wand and creates a tornado, dealing damage to enemies in the area.

3rd Tier Class (Light/Dark): Archmage - A varied casting class. Archmages can use a variety of powerful elemental attacks to hit enemies where they're weakest.

Class Item Required: Esotera Book
Locked Ability: Desperation - Recover 40$ MP when HP drops to 10% or below.
Class Strike: Dancing Wand - Wand flies around magicaly and damages enemy from all sides.

3rd Tier Class (Dark/Light): Rune Seer - A magic class with debuff spells. In addition to damaging spells, Rune Seers can also cause status effects. They can also destroy lower-leveled enemies in an instant.

Class Item Required: Rune Book
Locked Ability: Guardian Runes - Status effect resistance lowered by 30%
Class Strike: Ton Shatter - 10-ton weight falls, damaging enemies in the area of attack.

3rd Tier Class (Dark/Dark): Magus - An incredibly powerful magic class. Though Magi have lower stamina, they have very potent magic.

Class Item Required: Omen Book
Locked Ability: Soul Hunt - Magic attack increases by 20% for 30 sec. after ally faints (effect cannot overlap).
Class Strike: Hotshot - Magical bullets fire from the wand and damage the enemy.

4th Tier Class (Light): Mystic Queen - One of the topmost Magician classes. Mystic Queens have the magic variety of a Grand Diviner and the element prowess of an Archmage. They are experts in many kinds of magic attacks.

Locked Ability: Elemental Master - Deal damage regardless of resistant element.
Class Strike: Blessed Pledge - An Angela original: two opposing elements combine for massive damage.

4th Tier Class (Dark): Spellbinder - One of the topmost Magician classes. Spellbinders can annihilate enemies like a Rune Seer with the magical range of a Magus. No one stands a chance against their quick firepower.

Locked Ability: Greed - Recover 3% of MP when receiving damage.
Class Strike: Ton Annihilation - 1000-ton block of ice falls and deals massice damage to the enemies in the area of attack.

Kevin Classes

Starting Class: Grappler

Class Strike: Phenomenal Fist - A hell kick and punch combo damages the enemy.

2nd Tier Class (Light): Monk - A balanced warrior class. Good at both healing magic and fighting, Monks can support both themselves and their allies during battle.

Locked Ability: Indignant - Attack increases if ally faints.
Class Strike: Spin Kick - Enemies in the area of attack get caught up in a whirlwind of kicks.

2nd Tier Class (Dark): Brawler - A class that relies on brute strength. Brawlers learn attack-focused abilities. They do a lot of damage and are good with many weapons when they go forth in battle.

Locked Ability: Mutiny - Attack increases by 15% if HP drops to 50% or below.
Class Strike: Abyssal Slice - Countless hits and a somersault kick combo damage the enemy.

3rd Tier Class (Light/Light): Divine Fist - Divine Fists can use their class strikes in quick succession. They can learn abilities and moves that do extra damage when using class strikes.

Class Item Required: Gold Aura
Locked Ability: Fighting Spirit - Adds 4% of CS gauge for every 5 sec. in battle.
Class Strike: Byakko Wave - A ball of electricity shoots out to damage the enemy upon impact.

3rd Tier Class (Light/Dark): Warrior Monk - An effective and balanced warrior class. Warrior Monks have high attack and healing powers. The can both fight and back up the party.

Class Item Required: Silver Aura
Locked Ability: Ambition - Status effect or stat decrease canceled when using class strike.
Class Strike: Genbu Kick - Attack the enemy with a barrage of super fast kicks to deal damage.

3rd Tier Class (Dark/Light): Enlightened - A self-sufficient warrior class. Enlighteneds can boost their own stats and use their bodies like a weapon. They are perfect as a front line fighter.

Class Item Required: Mage Aura
Locked Ability: Inferno - Invincible for 10 sec. at the start of battle.
Class Strike: Suzaku Aerial - An explosion of fiery energy deals damage to the area of attack.

3rd Tier Class (Dark/Dark): Fatal Fist - A powerhouse warrior class, Fatal Fists are an unbeatable attack class. They can use their class strike "Seiryu Strike" and cause lots of damage in the area of effect.

Class Item Required: Death Aura
Locked Ability: Royal Anger - Attack and defense increase by 10% when HP drops to 30% or below.
Class Strike: Seiryu Strike - An explosion of electrical energy deals damage to the area of attack.

4th Tier Class (Light): Beast King - One of the topmost Grappler classes. Beast Kings have the class strike proficiency of a Divine Fist and the healing abilities of a Warrior Monk. They make use of their high attack and defense.

Locked Ability: Gem - Cannot be knocked back while using a charge attack, opponent's damage decreased by 20%.
Class Strike: Qilin Assault - Rock is thrown into the enemy from above for massive damage.

4th Tier Class (Dark): Annihilator - One of the topmost Grappler classes. Annihilators can press their advantage like a Fatal Fist and power up their attacks like an Enlightened. They can overpower any enemy.

Locked Ability: Evil Spirit - Attack increased by 3% when normal attacks hit (up to 30%).
Class Strike: Dragon Torrent - High-powered energy shoots forward and deals massive damage.

Charlotte Classes

Starting Class: Cleric

Class Strike: Whackbam - A bouncing lunge and damaging attack with a flail.

2nd Tier Class (Light): Priestess - A supportive healing class. Priestesses have a high spirit stat that increases their healing powers. They can use fire, water, earth, and wind saber magic to help their allies with more than just recovery magic.

Locked Ability: Mercy - Adds 10% of CS gauge when casting healing magic.
Class Strike: Jump - Staggers enemy with a damaging attack flail.

2nd Tier Class (Dark): Enchantress - A class for a fighting healer. In addition to healing, Enchantresses can learn attack magic. They are powerhouses that can take down enemies on their own if necessary.

Locked Ability: Distress - Attack and magic attack increases by 10% when affects by a status effect.
Class Strike: Dash - Super fast sprinting does damage in the area of attack.

3rd Tier Class (Light/Light): High Cleric - A super support class. High Clerics can learn many kinds of healing and recovery magic to save their allies.

Class Item Required: Holy Bottle
Locked Ability: Security - 10% chance of no damage when receiving damage.
Class Strike: Chop Slap - A few damaging whacks and a hearty thwack with a paper fan blows the enemy back.

3rd Tier Class (Light/Dark): Sage - Sages are a strong support class that can get rid of status effects and use saber magic on the whole party.

Class Item Required: Salt Bottle
Locked Ability: Magic Bell - Magic attack and magic defense increase when receiving magic damage.
Class Strike: Kersplode - Magicial flail falls on enemy's head and explodes.

3rd Tier Class (Dark/Light): Necromancer - A balanced class, Necromancers know powerful summoning magic for undead monsters. They can learn "Dark Curse" to lower an enemy's stats.

Class Item Required: Ash Bottle
Locked Ability: Repetition - Damage increased by 5% when using summoning magic in succession (up to 30%).
Class Strike: Bombtastic - Inexplicable attack damages enemy from all sides.

3rd Tier Class (Dark/Dark): Warlock - A class that is good at weakening magic, Warlocks can also attack their enemies with the strong "Fetid Breath" spell.

Class Item Required: Curse Bottle
Locked Ability: Life Swipe - Recover 15% of HP when using class strike.
Class Strike: Jumbonk - Mysteriously enlarged flail batters enemy.

4th Tier Class (Light): High Priestess - One of the topmost Cleric classes. High priestesses have the healing powers of a High Cleric and the support of a Sage. They know healing abilities that can help their allies when they're in danger.

Locked Ability: Salvation - Recover 100% HP for all fainted allies when fainted.
Class Strike: Kablooey - Magically enlarged flail falls on enemy's head and explodes for massive damage.

4th Tier Class (Dark): Chaosbringer - One of the topmost Cleric classes. Chaosbringers have the attack power of a Necromancer and the inhibiting magic of a Warlock. They can weaken their enemies and cause status effects to turn the tide of battle.

Locked Ability: Small-fry - Decreases all enemies' magic attack and magic defense when battle starts.
Class Strike: Whamblast - Manipulates the dark power in all things and deals massive damage in the area of attack.

Hawkeye Classes

Starting Class: Thief

Class Strike: Poison Dagger - A damaging two-handed knife attack slices enemies.

2nd Tier Class (Light): Ranger - A cunningly versatile class. Rangers can use magic that causes status effects, as well as attack enemies with traps. They befuddle their foes with tricky moves.

Locked Ability: Item Master - 10% chance of keeping the item when using an item in battle.
Class Strike: Swallow Throw - Throw innumerable knives to damage enemies in the area of attack.

2nd Tier Class (Dark): Ninja - A technique-based, debuffing class. Ninjas use ninja moves and other special attacks that hinder their enemies. They excel at weakening their foes.

Locked Ability: Focus - Magic attack increased by 10% when HP at 100% in battle.
Class Strike: Shadow Slash - Create a copy and slash at the enemy three times per swing.

3rd Tier Class (Light/Light): Nomad - Nomads can learn a wide variety of support magic to help their party come out on top in battle.

Class Item Required: Lucky Dice
Locked Ability: Voltage - Adds a random status increase to all allies at the start of battle.
Class Strike: Dance of Roses - Distract the enemy with a rose before attacking with a dagger.

3rd Tier Class (Light/Dark): Rogue - Rogues can learn powerful trap attacks. Their specialties are versatile, meaning they can attack enemies at any range.

Class Item Required: Destiny Dice
Locked Ability: Plunder - 20% chance of acquiring twice the amount of an item when item is obtained.
Class Strike: Slash Fury - Daggers slice the enemy repeatedly with impossible speed.

3rd Tier Class (Dark/Light): Ninja Master - A strong attacking and debuffing class. Ninja Masters have advanced ninja moves that damage all enemies in the area. They can lead their party to victory.

Class Item Required: Precise Dice
Locked Ability: Life and Death - Attack and Magic attack increased by 10% for 30 sec. with class strike (effect cannot overlap).
Class Strike: Shadow Menace - Disorient the enemy in darkness and bombard them with explosive damage.

3rd Tier Class (Dark/Dark): Nightblade - A devastating attack class. Nightblades have high attack stats and can take out lower-level enemies in a single blow. Their attacks can cause status effects and weaken the enemy.

Class Item Required: Dusk Dice
Locked Ability: Cutthroat - 10% chance of destroying enemy instantly when attack enemy with status effect.
Class Strike: Split Slash - Create a copy and damage multiple enemies in the area at the same time.

4th Tier Class (Light): Wardenkeep - One of the topmost Thief classes. Wardenkeeps have the support skills of a Nomad and the versatile attacks of a Rogue. They learn abilities that automatically strengthen their party.

Locked Ability: About-face - Stat decrease effect swapped for stat increase.
Class Strike: Petal Crossfire - Strike after strike of thrown hidden weapons deal massive damage.

4th Tier Class (Dark): Vigilante - One of the topmost Thief classes. Vigilantes know the hindering moves of a Ninja Master and have the high attack power of a Nightblade. After weakening the enemy, they can take them down with their strength.

Locked Ability: Dark Zone - All enemies' attack decreased at the start of battle.
Class Strike: Shackle Spring - Special chains bind the enemy and a spiritual dagger deals massive damage.

Riesz Classes

Starting Class: Amazon

Class Strike: Whirlwind Spear - A tornado stops the enemy in its tracks before a damaging lunge.

2nd Tier Class (Light): Valkyrie - A strengthening support class. Valkyries can boost all stats to help their allies. They help cover the party's weaknesses by bolstering their strengths.

Locked Ability: Army of One - Adds 1% of CS gauge when normal attacks hit.
Class Strike: Lance Surge - Surging point of the lance causes damage.

2nd Tier Class (Dark): Rune Maiden - A debuffing support class. Rune Maidens can weaken an enemy and make it easier for the party to win.

Locked Ability: Ward Runes - Stat decrease effect time shortened by 40%.
Class Strike: Aerial Lance - A righteous spear thrust from high above the enemy's head deals damage.

3rd Tier Class (Light/Light): Vanadis - A support class with great stamina, Vanadis are a solid presence in the party. They can learn the summoning spell "Freya."

Class Item Required: Brisingamen
Locked Ability: Mana Blessing - Recover 7% of HP for all allies after winning a battle.
Class Strike: Light Lance - Holy power brings down a rain of lances from the sky, dealing damage to the area of attack.

3rd Tier Class (Light/Dark): Starlancer - Starlancers is a balanced class that can support the party by strengthening them in battle. They can learn magic to boost stats and have their own fair share of stamina.

Class Item Required: Evening Star
Locked Ability: Meteor Light - Effect lasts until the battle ends for status increase caused by move.
Class Strike: Meteor Thrust - Create copies with the power of the stars and jab at the enemy with super speed.

3rd Tier Class (Dark/Light): Dragon Master - An attack and debuff class. Dragon Masters can raise their attack power and learn abilities like the powerful summoning spell "Jormungandr."

Class Item Required: Dragoon Band
Locked Ability: Winged Protection - Attack increased by 20% when HP at 100%.
Class Strike: Dragon Rend - A wave of fighting energy in dragon form blasts from the tip of the spear at the enemy.

3rd Tier Class (Dark/Dark): Fenrir Knight - Fenrir Knights can impede enemies by decreasing their stats. They can lead their party to victory.
Class Item Required: Gleipnir

Locked Ability: Persistent Effect - Stat decrease from move effective until battle ends.
Class Strike: Raging Fury - An explosion of the spirit thrust through the lance damages the enemy.

4th Tier Class (Light): Meteorite - One of the topmost Amazon classes. Meteorites have the stamina of a Vanadis and the support of a Starlancer. They are the bedrock of support that leads their party to victory.

Locked Ability: Light of Relief - Recover 10% of HP for all allies when using a class strike.
Class Strike: Elysium Slash - Holy power brings a meteor from the sky, dealing massive damage.

4th Tier Class (Dark): Brynhildr - One of the topmost Amazon classes. Brynhilders can inhibit their enemies like a Fenrir Knight annd have the attack poer of a Dragon Master. They cannot be outmatched in sheer battle knowhow.

Locked Ability: Surprise Aid - Adds 35% of CS gauge for random ally when player uses class strike.
Class Strike: Raptor Lance - Thunder strikes while cloaked in fighting spirit and deals massive damage.

If you’re looking for more Trials of Mana, check out our review here, or check out the Mana-focused episode of The Tetracast where we discuss our impressions at length.