Choosing the right starting class in Lords of the Fallen is crucial to shaping your early experience. While no class permanently locks you into a playstyle, some offer smoother progression than others. This guide will break down all available classes, their strengths, weaknesses, and which playstyles they suit best.
Understanding Starting Classes
Your choice of starting class determines your initial stats, gear, and playstyle, but not your long-term potential. Any class can evolve into a powerful build, but some classes provide an easier or more efficient start than others. Below, we analyze each class and how they perform through the first boss fight, Pieta.
Hallowed Knight: The Defensive Option
- Pros: Comes with a shield, decent all-round stats.
- Cons: Blocking feels weaker due to Wither damage, making dodging and parrying more effective.
The Hallowed Knight is a standard choice but doesn’t particularly excel in any area. It’s designed for defensive play, utilizing a shield for blocking and parrying. However, Lords of the Fallen leans heavily into dodging as the preferred defensive method, making the Hallowed Knight less ideal for new players trying to avoid unnecessary damage. While not a terrible pick, there are better options depending on your playstyle.
Udirangr Warwolf: The Strength Monster
- Pros: Hard-hitting, strong poise damage, ideal for aggressive players.
- Cons: Requires stamina management, benefits more from two-handing than blocking.
The Warwolf is a powerhouse. This class thrives on high-damage, heavy attacks, and rewards players who prefer dodging over blocking. Two-handing the greatsword maximizes damage, and a Strength/Endurance stat investment (2:1 ratio) ensures effective stamina use. If you enjoy timing big attacks between enemy swings, this is an excellent choice.
Partisan: The Balanced Fighter
- Pros: Versatile, balanced stats, excellent for experimenting with different playstyles.
- Cons: Doesn’t specialize in any one area.
Partisan is a stronger alternative to Hallowed Knight. With better DPS from the flail and an efficient moveset, it allows for both blocking and parrying while excelling with two-handed combat. If you’re unsure which playstyle suits you, Partisan provides flexibility.
Mournstead Infantry: The Parry Master
- Pros: Buckler makes parrying easier, spear provides reach and precision.
- Cons: Requires skillful timing for success, weaker against enemies that can’t be parried.
For players who love precise combat, Mournstead Infantry is a fantastic choice. The buckler’s forgiving parry timing makes learning enemy attack patterns more manageable, and the spear offers a solid balance of range and speed. While not beginner-friendly, this class teaches invaluable skills for later in the game.
Blackfeather Ranger: The Agile All-Rounder
- Pros: Decent mix of agility and defense, versatile axe and shield setup.
- Cons: Not as specialized as other classes, moderate difficulty.
The Blackfeather Ranger is a hybrid of the Knight, Partisan, and Infantry classes. Its axe offers fast strikes, and the shield allows for defense. While it doesn’t stand out in any one area, it’s a viable choice for those who want flexibility.
Exiled Stalker: The Fast-Hitting Assassin
- Pros: Extremely fast attacks, high DPS, excellent for crowd control.
- Cons: Low defense, no real blocking capability.
If you want to be a high-speed, high-damage assassin, Exiled Stalker is for you. Dual daggers allow for rapid attacks, making it one of the best classes for applying consistent pressure. While labeled an “advanced class,” it’s surprisingly forgiving, thanks to its agility and endurance-friendly stamina cost. Investing in Agility and Endurance (2:1 ratio) enhances its strengths.
Orian Preacher: The Paladin Hybrid
- Pros: High Radiance, strong hammer, spellcasting potential.
- Cons: Slow weapon, tricky spell management for beginners.
A Radiance-based warrior, the Orian Preacher wields a massive hammer while casting holy magic. Strength and Radiance scaling make it a powerful hybrid, but early on, its slow attack speed and learning curve may deter new players. Mastery of spellcasting swaps is essential, but if you can handle the complexity, this class shines later in the game.
Pyric Cultist: The Inferno Mage
- Pros: High Inferno magic damage potential, grows stronger over time.
- Cons: Weak start, reliant on consumables for mana.
The Pyric Cultist is a pure Inferno magic user but struggles early due to a lack of mana recovery options. While spells can be effective against Pieta and some mobs, the reliance on consumables limits its sustainability. Melee options are underwhelming, making this an advanced choice that improves significantly with progression.
Condemned: The Ultimate Challenge
- Pros: Full customization, rewarding challenge, forces mastery of mechanics.
- Cons: Weakest start, requires extensive skill development.
The Condemned is the ultimate blank slate, starting with equal stats and minimal equipment. While it’s by far the hardest beginning, it allows for maximum customization later. Surprisingly, the dual-wielded broken buckets are effective due to fast attacks and decent stagger potential. Playing as Condemned forces rapid improvement in dodging and general combat awareness.
Choosing Your Class: What’s Best for You?
- For Beginners: Partisan, Blackfeather Ranger
- For Strength Players: Udirangr Warwolf, Orian Preacher
- For Agility Players: Exiled Stalker, Mournstead Infantry
- For Magic Users: Orian Preacher (Radiance), Pyric Cultist (Inferno)
- For Challenge Seekers: Condemned
Final Thoughts
No matter which class you choose, remember that Lords of the Fallen allows for adaptability. Leveling up can refine any class into a playstyle that suits you, and with time, you’ll develop the skills necessary to thrive. While the game features a summon system to assist with tough fights, learning core mechanics on your own will make future battles far more manageable.
What class did you choose, and how did it work for you? Let us know in the comments and share your experiences!
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