Best Elden Ring starting classes

991 duels later, Samurai is still #1 in the Elden Ring starting class ranking, with Vagabond close behind at 1312 ELO points.

Samurai dominates with 1370 ELO points and a 78% win rate across 23 duels, but the 58-point gap separating it from Vagabond signals a clear divide at the top. Hero rounds out the podium at 1275 points, while Warrior and Bandit complete the top 5. The ranking reveals a sharp preference for physical combat classes: players gravitate toward katanas, greatswords and axes over magic-oriented builds. At the bottom, Prophet languishes at 1093 points with a 30% win rate, and Wretch closes the list at 1074 points despite winning 35% of its 26 duels. The faith-based and utility classes struggle to convince the community, suggesting that early-game melee prowess matters more than versatility in this vote.

The ranking draws from 991 duels judged by 46 players across all 10 starting classes. It was updated on 12 October 2026 and reflects the community's current preferences for beginning a playthrough. Head to the Elden Ring TopList to cast your own votes: each duel you judge sharpens the ranking and brings your favorite class closer to the top.

Updated on October 12, 2026

How this ranking is computed

Every duel won lifts a contender and every loss drops them, by an amount that depends on the opponent's strength: beating the leader is worth more than beating the last. It is an ELO, the same principle as in chess. Duels are not drawn at random — an adaptive entropy sort puts the least predictable match-ups first, which settles the ranking far faster than a full round robin. A worldwide ranking is only published past 30 completed plays. Known limit: a contender who has faced few opponents keeps an approximate score, and the bottom of the table moves more than the podium.

How our rankings are made →