Best Starter Class ?

[Hakimoto]

I've tried to numerous times to get into DS but I can never make any progress. What is a good starter class that will keep me alive long enough to see some of the world?

[Castyles]

Pyromancer is easy mode.

[Smellsbad]

I went deprived, because I am a sucker like that. Lol!

[YoshiKombat]

I would say Cleric as far as survivability. You start off with more heals.

[Call Sign: Raven]

Cleric, plus his starting weapon is very OP when two-handed.

[Call Sign: Raven]

Hm, the sorcer is also a good idea. Magic is VERY overpowered in Dark Souls, so that might be a good way to have an easier time. Just make sure you look up on the wiki where to obtain your spells, otherwise late-game will be not fun.

[Σ𝙭1𝙡𝙚]

If you want to easily pass the first 20% of the game without too many deaths (this is dark souls after all) i'd say go for the sorcerer class very op since by now you've probably heard Magic is too over powered in Dark Souls 1

[Generic NPC of Distant Location]

I personally went with a quality build (equal levels in dex and str) so I could use a greater variety of weapons and determine what I like using but also gives me more freedom to adapt if needed. I'm no Dark souls expert but on my first run I didn't have too much trouble.

[JellyPuff]

There's no definitive "best" starting class. Classes don't really matter if you don't intend to min/max for single stat points, because they're not restrictive and let you put stats into whatever.

If i had to pick one, that's the most beginner friendly: Cleric. Good weapon + heal. Though unlike pyromancies and sorceries, miracles can be had almost as soon as you start the game, so you can pretty much go with any class and just add faith and maybe attunement.

Sorcereries and Pyromancies (and Thief to some extend, because of the Master Key) are a bit of a double-edged sword for beginners. You can cheese yourself from boss to boss with spells most of the time pretty easely, but if you start relying on those as well as not getting enough combat practice, some parts will be really frustrating, especially if you encounter enemies with elemental resistances or bosses that don't give you many opportunities to cast spells.

[MOSLEY]

Originally posted by Harrison Ford:

Cleric, plus his starting weapon is very OP when two-handed.

Cleric is the best starting class for beginners IMO. Starting with the heal miracle and a talisman is fantastic. Prioritising the miracle for healing, so that you have more estus remaining for boss fights.

Miracles like sunlight blade also help out significantly with boss fights in the late game.

If you don’t want to go the cleric route then sorcerer can be another good class for beginners. Spells provide a good ranged option that put you at less risk of taking damage. Taking less damage is always good...

There are also a lot of great utility sorceries like hidden body and fall control that can be used to make progressing through areas a bit easier.

It’s worth noting that you shouldn’t dump all your points into faith or intelligence with either of these classes though. Stick to the base requirements for the spells that you want to use and make sure that you’re putting enough points into vitality and endurance so that you aren’t super squishy in PVP.

[Call Sign: Raven]

Let's be sneaky, too. Start as the knight, he begins in the Way of the White and can buy the heal miracle at the beginning of the game. Then, get the free talisman just below Firelink. You'll have armor that you can use the entire game, start with an excellent shield and decent sword, plus poise!

[MOSLEY]

Originally posted by Harrison Ford:

Let's be sneaky, too. Start as the knight, he begins in the Way of the White and can buy the heal miracle at the beginning of the game. Then, get the free talisman just below Firelink. You'll have armor that you can use the entire game, start with an excellent shield and decent sword, plus poise!

Fast rolling is infinitely more valuable than poise. That knight armour will only hold you back, even if it does look better than the potato sack that the cleric starts with. You can also grab the knight set or elite knight set VERY early in the game, if you want to pick those up for some reason.

The knight class is also pure trash for min/maxing. I honestly can't remember the last time I started a character with the knight class.

Typically, you want a warrior for melee builds, sorcerer if you'll have some int, or cleric if you'll have some faith. Bandit/pyromancer can also be good for some more niche builds, but that's about it. The other classes are largely useless.

[Call Sign: Raven]

Originally posted by MOSLEY:

Originally posted by Harrison Ford:

Let's be sneaky, too. Start as the knight, he begins in the Way of the White and can buy the heal miracle at the beginning of the game. Then, get the free talisman just below Firelink. You'll have armor that you can use the entire game, start with an excellent shield and decent sword, plus poise!

Fast rolling is infinitely more valuable than poise. That knight armour will only hold you back, even if it does look better than the potato sack that the cleric starts with. You can also grab the knight set or elite knight set VERY early in the game, if you want to pick those up for some reason.

The knight class is also pure trash for min/maxing. I honestly can't remember the last time I started a character with the knight class.

Typically, you want a warrior for melee builds, sorcerer if you'll have some int, or cleric if you'll have some faith. Bandit/pyromancer can also be good for some more niche builds, but that's about it. The other classes are largely useless.

The knight's armor is solved with one ring and a little leveling for endurance, which benefits every melee class. So you get fast roll and poise, best combo for beginners. Doesn't sound like the OP is trying to make a min/max PvP slayer build. He's just trying to learn the game, and poise helps a ton in the early stages of the game, where wearing armor actually matters. If he has trouble with mobility, he has but to remove the chest piece while wearing the havel ring. Very easy solutions, lol.

[lancealot59]

It honestly depends...my most used classes are warrior, bandit, and pyromancer, but knight, wanderer, hunter, thief, sorcerer, and cleric can all be the best choices as well. Only one that is generally a poor choice (or won't be optimized) is deprived.

[MOSLEY]

Originally posted by Harrison Ford:

Originally posted by MOSLEY:

Fast rolling is infinitely more valuable than poise. That knight armour will only hold you back, even if it does look better than the potato sack that the cleric starts with. You can also grab the knight set or elite knight set VERY early in the game, if you want to pick those up for some reason.

The knight class is also pure trash for min/maxing. I honestly can't remember the last time I started a character with the knight class.

Typically, you want a warrior for melee builds, sorcerer if you'll have some int, or cleric if you'll have some faith. Bandit/pyromancer can also be good for some more niche builds, but that's about it. The other classes are largely useless.

The knight's armor is solved with one ring and a little leveling for endurance, which benefits every melee class. So you get fast roll and poise, best combo for beginners. Doesn't sound like the OP is trying to make a min/max PvP slayer build. He's just trying to learn the game, and poise helps a ton in the early stages of the game, where wearing armor actually matters. If he has trouble with mobility, he has but to remove the chest piece while wearing the havel ring. Very easy solutions, lol.

I doubt he's gonna be landing 10 parries in a row without getting one shot by the Havel knight at SL10 either... He's gonna have to come back later for the ring and won't be able to fast roll with poise until he does. The wolf ring could be a fantastic option in the mean time though.

[Amygdala]

Backstabbing Havel is easier than parrying, still takes forever