Dark Souls III - Classes
The ten starting classes of Dark Souls III. A class only sets the starting stat spread and gear, and every point can be redirected afterwards, so each entry is best read as a starting build rather than a locked archetype. Stat spreads favour melee, casting or hybrid play and determine how early a bu...
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of 10 entries
· updated 2026-09-15
| Name | Description | Role | Starting Gear | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Knight | The sturdiest starting package: high Vigor and Vitality, a straight sword and a kite shield, and enough Strength and Dexterity to use most early weapons. | Frontline melee, sword and shield | Longsword Knight Shield Knight armour set Estus Flask | Starting class at character creation |
| Mercenary | Begins with the Sellsword Twinblades, the fastest sustained-damage weapon set in the game, and a Dexterity spread to use them. | Fast dual-wielding Dexterity damage | Sellsword Twinblades Wooden Shield Mercenary armour set | Starting class at character creation |
| Warrior | A Strength-first start with the Battle Axe and the highest starting Vigor in the game. | Raw Strength brawler | Battle Axe Round Shield Warrior armour set | Starting class at character creation |
| Herald | A spear-and-shield start with a Faith spread that can already cast Heal, making it the most forgiving caster hybrid. | Hybrid melee and support miracles | Spear Kite Shield Talisman Heal miracle | Starting class at character creation |
| Thief | Starts with the Dagger, a Target Shield for parrying and the highest Luck, which raises bleed and item discovery. | Critical hits, bleed and item discovery | Dagger Target Shield Thief armour set | Starting class at character creation |
| Assassin | An Estoc and Target Shield start with enough Intelligence for Spook and a light sorcery dip. | Dexterity duelist with light sorcery | Estoc Target Shield Sorcerer's Staff Spook sorcery | Starting class at character creation |
| Sorcerer | The dedicated sorcery start: high Intelligence and Attunement, a Sorcerer's Staff and Soul Arrow. | Ranged Intelligence caster | Sorcerer's Staff Soul Arrow sorcery Small Leather Shield Sorcerer armour set | Starting class at character creation |
| Pyromancer | Begins with the Pyromancy Flame and Fireball, splitting Intelligence and Faith so that pyromancy scales from both at once. | Fire caster and melee hybrid | Pyromancy Flame Fireball pyromancy Hand Axe Pyromancer armour set | Starting class at character creation |
| Cleric | A Mace, a cleric's sacred chime and the Heal miracle with a Faith spread that can grow into lightning miracles. | Faith healer and hammer bruiser | Mace Cleric's Sacred Chime Heal miracle Cleric armour set | Starting class at character creation |
| Deprived | Begins with a Club and no armour, at the lowest starting level with a flat stat spread. | Blank slate, lowest starting level | Club Plank Shield No armour | Starting class at character creation |
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