Comprehensive guide on what class you should start with :

First time playing Dark souls 3 or even a souls game and you're unsure about what class you should pick? Or you're a veteran who wants to start a new character, already have a build in mind but don't know which class is is the most appropriate? Then you've come to the right place :)

Introduction

DISCLAIMER : I am not native in english, so please do not be shocked if you see spelling errors. I do invite you to correct me if you find some :)


Please note that this guide, except for the beginners part, is only about finding which class allows you to reach the stats for certain builds while having the lowest SL possible (for coop/pvp matching).


Greetings fellow unkindled ones, and welcome to this Dark souls 3 class guide.


I'll start by explaining what your class represents in Dark Souls 3, for those of you who may not know. You choose your class when creating your character and it CAN NOT be changed in any way later in the game. While you will be able to reallocate your skill points, you will still invest from the starting stats of the class you picked. So even though your class choice will not have a huge impact (especially in pve), it's irreversible nonetheless, so you should pay attention >:)


Your class will determine the following factors :

- Your starting gear : As opposed to what beginners might think, this is the least important aspect. Why? Because every single piece of gear or spell you get from a starting class can be obtained later in game, without exceptions. So starting equipment is only meaningful for beginners who might have a tough time early on if they pick their class poorly. See more about that in the section on that subject.

- Your starting soul level : It varies between 1 and 10, the lower you can get it with the same stats, the better. Not much more to say about that. It's strongly linked to the next and last factor, starting stats.

- Your starting stats : Now here it gets interesting. Something you should note is that for any class in Dark Souls 3, if you sum up all the stats of a given class and then subtract the SL, you always get 89. That means that if you want to invest in every single stats, well, surprise surprise, there is no "best" class, they'll all end up equal. However you're very rarely gonna want every single stat. So you should always look for the class that has the least "wasted" points in stats you don't care about while having the lowest SL possible.


READ THIS : For the following sections, except the one for beginners, I'll present things like that :
[Aspects of the build/stats you'll invest in] : [best class(es) suited for that]

If it's not specified otherwise, I'll always assume you invest at least some points into vigor and stamina (at least 16 in each).

If you feel like something is missing, let me know in the comments please, I highly appreciate constructive criticism.

Classes for newcomers :

Here I'll assume you've never played a souls game before, if you have, well the stat system is similar to previous titles, so you can directly go to the other sections.

Now I will present each class, and wether or not I recommend choosing it :

Knight : Has some good sturdy armor, a great shield, and litterally one of the best weapons in the game (not even kidding, the long sword, as boring of a weapon as it might sound, is a top tier pvp weapon, and is also great for pve). And he also comes with solid stats designed for physical combat, but enough attunement to use 1 spell. I'd say it's the best class to start with if you know nothing about the game, having a shield that blocks 100% of physical damage is very valuable when you don't know the game.

Mercenary : Comes with dual wielded swords, a decent shield and rather light armor. While he is not a bad choice, the knight pretty much outclasses him, so I suggest choosing mercenary only if you want to have fun early on with dual blades, or want to go specifically into dexterity (note that you will find these and other dual weapons quite early in the game).

Warrior : Quite similar to the knight, though he has slightly weaker starting gear (slower weapon, no 100% block on the shield and lighter armor), but if you want a pure physical character and do some pvp later, this is the best class you can pick, as he has the best stat investment for that out of all the classes.

Herald : Quite good armor, average weapon and good shield, and also starts with a healing spell. If you want extra healing early on, this is a solid pick. Note that you can very easily get the same healing spell within the first 30 minutes of play, so do not overestimate this asset.

Thief : Light armor, a shield I would only recommend to experienced players (used for parries, not blocking) and a pretty weak weapon. However he has a bow, which is extremly helpful for taking the aggro of one enemy at a time. Once again, note that you can find bows very easily early on. Overall I would not recommand this class to a new player, not because it's bad, but because the others are better.

Assassin : Good weapon that can be quite hard to get (compared to others), light armor, and a parry shield like the thief. Also starts with a spell that, while it is good, I would not recommand beginners to use it, as it encourages skipping enemies, which kind of ruins the experience in my opinion. Like the thief, I don't advise this class for beginners.

Sorcerer : Weak weapon, parry shield, very light "armor" (he has a robe, which the game still considers being armor). But he starts with offensive sorceries. He's your pick if you want to play as a sorcerer, but if you've never played a souls game before, I'd advise you stick with a melee build, as it's overall more versatile and more consistent (with magic, some bosses will be super easy while some will be hell, whereas with melee, it's quite balanced).

Pyromancer : Decent weapon, mediocre shield, good armor (for its weight). But starts with fireballs. Which are great. I'd say he is about as good as the knight for beginners, and even better if you intend to use pyromancies.

Cleric : Good weapon, weak (and ugly) armor, mediocre shield. He's basically the herald but even more oriented towrds faith. He starts with a stronger healing miracle. If you want a bit more healing early on, go herald. If you're sure you want to go into faith, take the cleric.

Deprived : Good old deprived. Crap shield, pretty good weapon though, no armor. Early game will be a ♥♥♥♥♥, I recommend him only if you want a specific build for which his stats are best (he starts with 10 in each stat while having the lowest Soul level). Only pick him if you want more challenge or know that deprived is the best class for the stats you seek.

Pure melee

Quality only, no spells, no vitality : Warrior

Quality, no spells, with vitality : still Warrior

Quality with at least 10 att and 12 vit : Knight

Pure strength with more than 9 dex, 10 in att and 15 in vit : Knight

Pure strength, no spells, no vitality : Warrior

Pure strength, no spells, with vitality : You guessed it, Warrior

Pure dex, no spells, up to 14 vitality : Mercenary (if you want exactly 14 vit, both are equal)

Pure dex, no spells, more than 14 vitality : Knight

Pure dex, no spells, no vit, up to 12 strength : Mercenary (more than 12 strength, go Warrior)

Luck only, no spells : Warrior

Luck with quality : Warrior (same with luck dex and luck str)

Pure casters

Int, att : Sorcerer

Glass canon, int only (with or without att) : Sorcerer

Int, att, dex and/or str : Sorcerer

Int, fth, att : Pyromancer

Glass canon int and fth : Pyromancer

Faith without much intellegence, no matter the other stats, is almost always gonna be Cleric,
Except in some cases where Deprived might be better (like if you want very low att).

Hybrids

You have way too many combinations of stats here, so I can't list them all. If the one you want is missing, let me know and I'll add it!


Dex and fth :

• No att and no 10 or less strength : Deprived
  
  
• at least 15 att (2 slots) and at least 12 Strength : Cleric
  
  
• att and strength both at 11 or 12 : Mercenary

Str and fth :

• Dex 10 or less : Cleric
  
  
• Dex at 11, 12, 13, 14 or 15 : Pyromancer or Cleric
  
  
• Dex at 16 or more : Mercenary

Int and dex :

• 13 or more att : Sorcerer
  
  
• Otherwise Mercenary

Int and str :

• Less than 16 att and no dex : Pyromancer
  
  
• Otherwise Sorcerer in most of the cases

Any combination with at least 14 int and 14 fth : Pyromancer

[ハルテック]

Deprived - The true class!

[4MUL8ers]

thanks for the info

[Nyan]

Instructions unclear. Meme unclear. Send help.

[Red Claw]

Yeah I know the meme, but I thought you were using it to say the pyro didn't get his fireball.

[Farlhos]

(Dude, its a meme, like, duuud. Example: Instructions unclear. Firelink shrine bonfire didnt ilt Insctuctions unclear. Dark sword stuck in the pussy.)

[Red Claw]

@Кадгар Hmm yes he does get the fireballs, what do you mean?

[Farlhos]

Inscturctions unclear. Pyromancer didnt got fireball at the start.

[Red Claw]

Fine I will now change the club from mediocre to pretty good x)
@Angelhood, you are absolutely right, however if you don't intend to use his vitality, you're still better off picking warrior and levelling attunement a bit. Though if you will need both attunement and vitality then yes Knight is superior. Thank for the insight I will update the guide

[Nyan]

Deprived's club is gr8 m8

[Praise The Meme!]

@Red Claw Everything is powerful in the hands of a good player ;)