Lords of the Fallen: Find Your Best Starting Class

Your starting class has a vast influence on your Lords of the Fallen Gameplay; choose wisely

Before embarking on your journey through the realms of Axiom and Umbral in Lords of the Fallen, you must first choose a character class. This decision is crucial to your success and survival.

Which Starting Class is Right for you in Lords of the Fallen?

There are nine base options in Lords of the Fallen, plus four more that can be unlocked for additional playthroughs. Whether you prefer to wield spells of light, swing an axe as a brutish barbarian, or embrace the power of pyromancy, this challenging action RPG offers plenty of ways to play.

Hallowed Knight

The Hallowed Knight class packs a powerful punch with its physical strength and radiant magic – perfect for those who want to mix swordplay with healing and buffs. Starting with a trusty short sword, a medium shield, and some holy grenades, the Hallowed Knight is a force to be reckoned with. And while you don't immediately get a catalyst for casting spells or any Radiance abilities, you'll discover more powerful tools as you journey through the game.

This class is a true powerhouse with high damage output and decent all-around abilities (minus mobility). Who needs fancy footwork when you have a giant shield and stamina to spare?

Udirangr Warwolf

This fierce berserker comes equipped with a long sword, throwing axes, and some consumables to set your weapon ablaze and deal even more damage to your enemies. The Udirangr Warwolf is all about speed and agility. Light armor lets you dart around the battlefield, closing in on your opponents and unleashing devastating attacks before they know what hit them.

But be warned – this is a high-risk, high-reward playstyle, not for the faint of heart! With no shield and minimal protection, you must rely on your lightning-fast reflexes and brutal strength to emerge victorious.

Partisan

This versatile class has a durable shield for defense, a sharp flail for close combat, and a deadly crossbow for ranged attacks. Plus, they come equipped with unique berries that boost stamina regeneration. With the Partisan, you can be a jack of all trades and master of none – perfect for those who want to explore different playstyles and build their character over time.

Mournstead Infantry

This class is the perfect choice for those tight hallways and pesky corners. You'll be unstoppable with a spear that's great for stabbing enemies and mobility that allows you to dodge with ease. And that's not all – the Mournstead Infantry comes with a small shield, chuckable javelins, and a powerful one-time-use healing item that can save your life early on in the game. So, if you're all about speed and mobility but still want the option to block when necessary, the Mournstead Infantry is the class for you.

Blackfeather Ranger

Bloodborne inspired the developers of Lords of the Fallen. The class reminiscent of the Yharnam character wields an axe, a small shield, and a bow and arrows, making it a versatile choice. Additionally, the class has well-balanced stats, making it possible to switch up your build later on without sacrificing the cool armor.

One of the class's most valuable features is its ammunition pouches, which enable you to restock arrows on the go. It is perfect for early game stages when you don't have access to vendors and prefer to keep your distance from enemies.

Exiled Stalker

The Exiled Stalker is an advanced class designed for experienced players in the souls-like genre who want a more challenging build crafting experience. It's a dual-wielding dex build that requires mastery of the dodge roll, as it has no defenses and the lightest of armor. This class specializes in applying status effects to enemies using lacerating knives that bleed from a distance and poison salts that imbue weapons with poisonous attacks.

Later, you'll acquire fast-moving melee weapons that can apply status effects independently, along with various salts or spells to aid the effort. Building into status effects is a complex process that requires dedication, making it a truly advanced class. However, the rewards are well worth it, as watching enemies slowly perish after being poisoned or bled is a highly satisfying experience.

Orian Preacher

The second advanced class in the game is the Orian Preacher, also the first class focusing on magic. This class has a hammer that inflicts holy damage and scales with your Radiance magic stat, but most of your damage output will come from Radiance spells.

The Radiant Flare, a ranged holy attack, is the first spell you will learn and can be cast using your Orian Preacher Catalyst. If you find yourself in a tight spot, you can use the weak shield available to you, but generally speaking, you should maintain distance from your enemies and use your dodgeball to avoid attacks.

Thankfully, you start with a decent amount of small manastone clusters, which will replenish your mana pools when they run out. This will be handy before you can buy these consumables from vendors and have unlimited access.

Pyric Cultist

The Pyric Cultist class in Lords of the Fallen specializes in using fire-based attacks. This class has a unique and impressive appearance when compared to other classes. Starting with a cultist staff that scales with Inferno, your primary magic stat and source of damage will come from the Infernal Orb fireball attack, cast using your Pyric Cultist Catalyst. Since you do not have a shield or much defense from your armor, you must dodge enemy attacks and rely on your fiery magic to emerge victorious.

Compared to the Preacher, this class is advanced, mainly because you have limited access to other Inferno abilities for most of your journey. You will rely on the Infernal Orb long before accessing other skills to support your class. This can be problematic early on, but the starting orb is pretty good.

Condemned

The Condemned is the last standard starting class available in the game. A meme represents this starting class with 9 points distributed equally among all stats. This means that the character has no particular strengths or weaknesses at the start and is essentially a blank slate. At the beginning of the game, the only weapon available to this class is a broken bucket, and the character can only throw rocks.

The class is intentionally designed to be terrible in every way. Still, the advantage is that players can customize their classes to their preferences without working with assigned points. This is similar to the “Deprived” class from Dark Souls. While the start may be challenging, choosing this class is a viable option for experienced players.

Unlockable Classes

Lords of the Fallen is a fantastic game with nine standard starting classes, but did you know there are four secret classes that you can unlock during your adventure? These classes are not meant to be used in your first playthrough but offer a significant advantage to those who open them.

A strength-based Paladin class called the Dark Crusader is one of the secret classes available exclusively to Deluxe Edition owners for their first playthrough. However, completing an optional quest unlocks it for all players. The Dark Crusader class is fantastic as it not only outfits you like the Witch King from The Lord of the Rings but also provides a mighty longsword, heavy armor, and throwable radiant explosives. By wearing the Paladin's Pendant amulet, your Strength and Endurance can surpass your current level.

The other three secret classes can be unlocked by reaching each of the three endings to the game. One is the Radiant Purifier, a more powerful version of the Orian Preacher with three Radiant spells and other advantages. These secret classes are perfect for those who plan on playing multiple game playthroughs or are obsessed with collecting everything.

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