Look, picking your starting class in Dark Souls 3 isn't the life-or-death choice some veteran players make it out to be. It's really not. If you spend three hours staring at the character creator screen because you're worried about "bricking" your build, you're overthinking it. Seriously. Your starting class is basically just a kit—a small bundle of stats and gear to help you survive Cemetery of Ash without getting your teeth kicked in by Iudex Gundyr.
By the time you reach the Boreal Valley, your starting stats will be a distant memory. But, those first few hours? They're brutal. If you pick a class that doesn't vibe with your playstyle, you're going to have a bad time.
The biggest misconception is that classes in Dark Souls 3 are like traditional RPG roles. They aren't. They are foundations. A Knight can become a powerful sorcerer. A Deprived can end up as a heavy-armored tank. It's all about the math of the "soul level" and how many points you’re "wasting" on stats you don't actually need for your endgame vision.
The Knight is Honestly Too Good
If you want the easiest path through the early game, just pick the Knight. It’s almost a meme at this point in the FromSoftware community. Why? It's the armor. The Knight starts with the Nameless Knight set, which provides decent physical absorption, but the real MVP is the Longsword.
The Longsword is arguably one of the best weapons in the entire game. You can literally beat the final boss with a refined or heavy-infused Longsword without ever feeling underpowered. Plus, the Knight starts with a 100% physical damage reduction shield. Being able to block a hit and not take chip damage is a godsend for new players who haven't mastered the "panic roll" yet.
Wait, there's more to it than just gear. The Knight has the most "efficient" stat spread for almost any physical build. With low Luck and decent Vigor, you aren't wasting points. Luck is basically a dead stat unless you are specifically going for a hollow/bleed build, which, let’s be honest, got nerfed pretty hard in the later patches of the game’s life cycle.
Why the Mercenary is a Trap for Some
Then there’s the Mercenary. People see those dual blades—the Sellsword Winblades, as the community calls them—and think they’re going to be a spinning whirlwind of death. And they are! But there’s a catch. You have no defense.
The Mercenary starts with high Dexterity, making it the go-to for "Dex" builds. The Sellsword Twinblades have the highest DPS (damage per second) in the game when paired with the right buffs like Lightning Blade or Crystal Weapon. However, if you can’t time your dodges, you’ll be seeing the "You Died" screen more often than the actual gameplay. It’s a high-skill, high-reward pick. If you’re a veteran of Bloodborne, you’ll feel right at home. If you’re coming from a slower RPG, it’s going to feel like playing a rhythm game where the notes hit back.
Magic Classes: A Rough Start for a Huge Payoff
Choosing a magic-based class like the Sorcerer or Cleric is playing the game on "Hard Mode" for the first four hours. I’m serious.
Sorcerers start with low HP and a tiny dagger. Your primary offense is Soul Arrow, which takes time to cast and leaves you wide open. In the High Wall of Lothric, those fast-moving hollows will close the gap before you can even finish your animation. It’s frustrating. You’ll feel weak. You’ll feel like you made a mistake.
But then, it clicks.
Once you rescue Orbeck of Vinheim and start finding scrolls, the power scaling goes through the roof. By the time you hit the Grand Archives, you’re basically a walking nuke. The Cleric is similar but focuses on Miracles. Most people think Clerics are just healers. Wrong. While their early game is a slog of slow maces and basic heals, late-game miracles like Sunlight Spear or Lightning Stake can melt bosses in seconds.
Pyromancy is the middle ground. The Pyromancer is widely considered the "easy mode" for magic because fire damage is incredibly effective against almost every early-game enemy. Most of the gross, pus-covered monsters in Lothric absolutely hate fire. They’ll writhe in pain, giving you free hits. If you're torn between swords and spells, Pyromancer is the way to go because it scales with both Intelligence and Faith, giving you the most versatility.
The Deprived: For the Purists and the Min-Maxers
We have to talk about the Deprived. You start at Level 1. You have a club. You have a wooden plank for a shield. You’re wearing a loincloth.
It looks like a joke, but it’s actually the most flexible class for veteran players. Every stat starts at 10. This is a double-edged sword. It means you aren't "specialized" in anything, which is technically inefficient if you want to cap your build at Soul Level 120 for PvP. However, for a first-timer who doesn't know what they want to be, the Deprived allows you to pivot into any build once you start finding gear. There is a certain primal satisfaction in beating a giant armored boss with nothing but a wooden stick. It forces you to learn the mechanics. No armor to hide behind. No spells to cheese from a distance. Just you and your club.
Understanding Stat Requirements and Weight
When looking at classes in Dark Souls 3, don't just look at the names. Look at the numbers.
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- Vigor: This is your health. Every class needs this. Don't listen to the "glass cannon" crowd until you've finished the game at least once.
- Endurance: This is your stamina. If you run out, you can't roll. If you can't roll, you're dead.
- Vitality: This governs your equip load. This is the "hidden" stat that ruins many builds. If your equip load goes over 70%, you "fat roll." Your dodge becomes slow, heavy, and useless.
- Strength/Dexterity: These are your "scaling" stats. Check the weapons you find. If it has a "C" in Strength, put points there.
Most people ignore the Thief class because they think daggers are weak. While true in a straight fight, the Thief starts with a high Luck stat and a Bandit’s Knife. This knife causes "Bleed." Once that bleed meter fills up on an enemy, they lose a massive chunk of flat percentage health. It’s a niche playstyle, but against bosses with huge health pools like Vordt or even the Dancer, it can be surprisingly effective.
What You Should Actually Do
Stop worrying about the "best" class. There isn't one. There's only the best class for right now. If you want to feel powerful and safe, pick the Knight. If you want to melt things with fire and don't mind being a bit squishy, pick the Pyromancer. If you want a challenge and a clean slate, pick the Deprived.
The real secret? You can resit your stats later. Once you reach the Cathedral of the Deep, you’ll find an NPC named Rosaria. She allows you to reallocate all your points (up to five times per "journey" or playthrough). This means even if you start as a bulky Warrior, you can eventually turn into a master Sorcerer. You aren't locked in. The only thing you can't change is your starting base stats, which only matters to the top 1% of competitive players.
Actionable Next Steps for Your Build
Don't just pick a class and wing it. Follow these steps to ensure you don't hit a wall:
- Prioritize Vigor immediately. Regardless of your class, get your Vigor to 20 before you touch anything else. Having a bigger health bar is the most forgiving thing you can do for yourself.
- Find the Broadsword or Claymore. If you started as anything other than a Knight, these two weapons are found early in the High Wall of Lothric and can carry you through the entire game.
- Watch your Equip Load. Stay under 70.0%. Even 70.1% will give you the heavy roll. Take off a piece of armor if you have to. Being naked and fast is better than being armored and slow in Dark Souls 3.
- Infuse your weapon. Talk to Andre the Blacksmith. Early on, a "Fire" or "Raw" infusion is amazing because it removes stat scaling and gives you flat damage, allowing you to focus on leveling your Health and Stamina instead of Strength or Dex.
- Test the moveset. Don't just look at the damage numbers. Swing the weapon. If you hate the way it feels, you won't enjoy the game, no matter how "meta" the class is.
Ultimately, Dark Souls 3 is a game about persistence. Your class is just the flavor of your struggle. Pick the one that looks the coolest to you, grab your weapon, and prepare to die—a lot. It's part of the charm.