Best Starting Class for
Switch 2 Beginners
Last updated: August 11, 2026
Can't decide which class to pick? We rank every starting class specifically for first-time Elden Ring players on Nintendo Switch 2. Not "which is meta" — which will give you the smoothest, least frustrating introduction to the Lands Between.
Tarnished Edition — the Switch 2 exclusive package, out August 28, 2026 for $79.99 with the base game and Shadow of the Erdtree — ships with 12 starting classes. The original 10, plus Heavy Knight and Idus Knight. Both new ones are genuinely good first picks, so they're ranked here alongside the rest.
Twelve classes on the selection screen. Two of them didn't exist before Tarnished Edition.
First: What Do These Stats Mean?
A class is just eight numbers and some gear. Learn the numbers and the choice makes itself.
| Stat | What it does | Care as a beginner? |
|---|---|---|
| Vigor | Your HP, plus fire resistance. | Yes, above all else. It's the difference between dying in 2 hits or 4. |
| Mind | FP — the blue bar that fuels spells and weapon skills. | Only if you cast. |
| Endurance | Stamina and equip load — how much gear you carry before your roll turns slow. | Yes. Low stamina means you swing twice and can't dodge. |
| Strength | Lets you wield heavy weapons and raises their damage ("scaling"). | For your one weapon only. Don't spread points. |
| Dexterity | Scaling for fast weapons. Also speeds up casting. | Same deal — pick STR or DEX, not both. |
| Intelligence | Unlocks and powers sorceries. Boosts magic defense. | Sorcery builds only. |
| Faith | Unlocks and powers incantations, including healing. | Faith builds only — but that healing is a nice safety net. |
| Arcane | Item drop rates, plus bleed/frost/poison buildup speed. | Strong, but too subtle for a first run. |
Tier List Summary
| Rank | Class | Tier | Beginner Score | One-Line Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vagabond | S | 9.5/10 | The "easy mode" starter. High HP, great weapons, forgiving. |
| 2 | Heavy Knight NEW | S | 9.5/10 | Highest Endurance in the game. A walking wall. |
| 3 | Samurai | S | 9/10 | Bleed katana carries you to mid-game effortlessly. |
| 4 | Idus Knight NEW | A | 8.5/10 | Agile melee that also casts and summons. Flexible. |
| 5 | Warrior | A | 8/10 | Fun dual-wield action; fragile but rewarding. |
| 6 | Confessor | A | 8/10 | Shield + healing miracle = safe start. |
| 7 | Astrologer | A | 7.5/10 | Great if you want magic; squishy until you invest in HP. |
| 8 | Hero | B | 7/10 | Big damage but slow. Patience required. |
| 9 | Prophet | B | 6.5/10 | Faith casting is powerful but has a slow start. |
| 10 | Prisoner | B | 6/10 | Complex spellblade playstyle. Not beginner-friendly. |
| 11 | Bandit | C | 5/10 | Tiny dagger, paper armor. Skilled hands only. |
| 12 | Wretch | C | 3/10 | Punishment class. Only for veterans doing challenge runs. |
The Two New Classes
Heavy Knight NEW
Starting level 10. Bulky steel plate, an oversized scimitar, and the highest Endurance of any class in the game (17).
| VGR | MND | END | STR | DEX | INT | FTH | ARC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | 8 | 17 | 15 | 11 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
That 17 Endurance is the headline. It buys you a long stamina bar and enough equip load to wear real armor without slowing your roll. Every other class has to earn that with level-ups. You start with it. Add 14 Vigor and 15 Strength and you can swing most of the big early weapons on day one.
The trade-off is magic. With 7 Intelligence and 8 Faith, spells are off the table unless you respec later.
Pick it if: you've never played a Souls game, you want a shield, and you'd rather tank a hit than dodge it. On handheld it's the most forgiving start available.
Idus Knight NEW
Starting level 7. A lightweight knight from the land of Idus — new lore in Tarnished Edition. Built for agility, and unusually it handles early incantations and summons right out of the gate.
| VGR | MND | END | STR | DEX | INT | FTH | ARC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 12 | 11 | 13 | 15 | 8 | 11 | 6 |
15 Dexterity with 11 Faith is an interesting spread: fast weapon scaling, workable FP, and enough Faith for a healing or fire incantation next to your sword. Summons take pressure off you while you're still learning movesets — that's worth a lot.
The catch is 10 Vigor. Thin HP bar, and you'll feel it. Fix it immediately: first several level-ups all go to Vigor.
Pick it if: you like moving fast, want to sample everything, and can stomach a squishy opening act.
#1 Vagabond — The Best First Choice
Level 9. VGR 15 / MND 10 / END 11 / STR 14 / DEX 13 / INT 9 / FTH 9 / ARC 7
- Why it's #1: Highest starting Vigor (15) means you survive mistakes. Real armor, real shield, and the halberd is one of the best early weapons in any FromSoftware game.
- Playstyle: Slow, methodical melee. Block or dodge, then counter. You're a knight — you don't need to be fancy.
- Switch 2 bonus: Heavy armor means less need for precise dodging, which helps on handheld where timing feels different.
- Downside: Slow roll if you wear every starting piece. Put a few levels into Endurance early.
#3 Samurai — The Meta Starter
Level 9. VGR 12 / MND 11 / END 13 / STR 12 / DEX 15 / INT 9 / FTH 8 / ARC 8
- Why it's this high: The Uchigatana's innate bleed is arguably the best starting weapon effect in the game. Bleed procs deal %HP damage that shreds bosses. The longbow gives you ranged options day one.
- Underrated perk: 13 Endurance, second-highest of the original 10. Comfortable stamina from the start.
- Switch 2 bonus: Fast weapons love a stable framerate. In Performance mode the Uchigatana feels superb.
- Downside: 12 Vigor versus Vagabond's 15. You'll feel squishier for the first few hours.
#5 Warrior — The Action Hero
Level 8. VGR 11 / MND 12 / END 11 / STR 10 / DEX 16 / INT 10 / FTH 8 / ARC 9
- Why it ranks high: Twin scimitars put out serious damage when both connect. Highest starting Dexterity (16), so any DEX weapon you find is instantly usable.
- Catch: Light armor and 11 Vigor. Get greedy with attacks and you get punished hard.
- Verdict: Fine first pick if you're coming from Devil May Cry or Nioh. Not ideal if you need forgiveness.
Classes That Need More Experience
Confessor (#6) — Solid but Unremarkable
Level 10. VGR 10 / MND 13 / END 10 / STR 12 / DEX 12 / INT 9 / FTH 14 / ARC 9
Shield, straight sword, healing incantation. Nothing excels, nothing fails. The healing is the real draw — fewer trips back to a Grace to refill flasks. 10 Vigor is the weak spot, so fix that first.
Astrologer (#7) — Powerful But Fragile
Level 6. VGR 9 / MND 15 / END 9 / STR 8 / DEX 12 / INT 16 / FTH 7 / ARC 9
If you know you want to cast, this is the pick — 16 Intelligence and 15 Mind is a real caster loadout. Glintstone Pebble will carry you through Limgrave from a safe distance. The price: 9 Vigor and 9 Endurance, the most fragile non-Wretch start in the game. And holding a caster's distance is harder on a handheld screen than you'd expect — things close the gap before you register them.
Hero (#8) — Slow and Steady
Level 7. VGR 14 / MND 9 / END 12 / STR 16 / DEX 9 / INT 7 / FTH 8 / ARC 11
Highest Strength of the original 10, second-highest Vigor, a battle axe and a big shield. Tougher than people expect. But recovery frames are long — every swing is a commitment you can't take back.
Prophet (#9) — Faith With a Slow Runway
Level 7. VGR 10 / MND 14 / END 8 / STR 11 / DEX 10 / INT 7 / FTH 16 / ARC 10
16 Faith is the highest in the game, with healing and fire from the start. Great ceiling, rough opening: 8 Endurance is the lowest of any class, so you get a short stamina bar and almost no room for armor. You'll be rolling around in cloth, out of breath after three swings.
Prisoner (#10) — The Spellblade Puzzle
Level 9. VGR 11 / MND 12 / END 11 / STR 11 / DEX 14 / INT 14 / FTH 6 / ARC 9
Thrusting sword in one hand, glintstone staff in the other. Coolest class here on paper. In practice, splitting points between DEX and INT keeps both halves mediocre for a long time. Fantastic second playthrough.
Bandit (#11) — Low Level, High Skill Floor
Level 5. VGR 10 / MND 11 / END 10 / STR 9 / DEX 13 / INT 9 / FTH 8 / ARC 14
Level 5 is the lowest start except Wretch. Veterans love that — a lower start means a lower final level for the same stats, which matters for matchmaking and min-maxing. As a beginner you won't notice.
What you will notice: a Great Knife and a shortbow. The dagger is fast and hits for almost nothing, so you have to get uncomfortably close and stay there, wearing leather. 14 Arcane is the highest of the original 10 — better drops, faster bleed — but that's not something a new player can leverage yet.
Wretch (#12) — Don't Do This To Yourself
Level 1. Every stat at 10. A club. A loincloth.
The appeal is total freedom — no wasted points. But "build anything" is useless when you don't yet know what you want to build.
Why Heavier Armor Matters More on Switch 2 Handheld
Most class guides skip this, and it genuinely changes the recommendation.
The Switch 2 screen is 7.9 inches at 1080p — a 120Hz HDR panel with VRR, and a lovely one. It's also small. Elden Ring asks you to read an enemy's wind-up and roll on a specific frame, and that's much easier on a 55-inch TV than on something in your hands on a train. Screen-filling boss attacks, camera-swallowing giants, night in Caelid: all of it costs you reaction time in handheld.
Two ways to buy that time back. More HP, so a mistimed dodge costs health instead of your run. And more armor, which absorbs more per hit and gives poise so small attacks don't stagger you mid-swing.
Both point at the same classes: Heavy Knight, Vagabond, Hero. That's why Heavy Knight jumps to S-tier for handheld players — its 17 Endurance is free forgiveness.
Decision Flowchart
60-Second Class Picker
- Played a FromSoftware game before?
- No → Go to Q2
- Yes → Pick whatever fits your style. Any class works.
- Do you want to cast spells?
- Sorcery (INT) → Astrologer
- Incantations (FTH) → Prophet for pure casting, Confessor for casting with a shield
- A bit of magic and melee → Idus Knight
- Pure melee → Go to Q3
- Big slow weapons or fast agile ones?
- Big & slow → Vagabond, Heavy Knight, or Hero
- Fast & agile → Samurai, Warrior, or Idus Knight
- Playing mostly handheld or docked?
- Handheld → lean heavier: Heavy Knight or Vagabond
- Docked on a TV → anything above is fine, dodge timing is easier to read
- Still stuck?
- Easiest overall → Vagabond or Heavy Knight. Flip a coin.
FAQ
Are the two new classes better than the original 10?
Can I change my class later?
Which class is best if I want to use summons?
I think I picked wrong. Should I restart?
Where to Go Next
New Classes Deep Dive
Heavy Knight and Idus Knight in detail — gear, stat math, and how they play early.
Read the guideArmor for Beginners
Which sets to wear, how equip load works, why plate suits handheld play.
See armor picksFinal Word
You cannot "mess up" your class choice. Elden Ring is incredibly flexible. Respec exists. Your starting class determines your first 5-10 hours, not your entire 100-hour journey.
Want one answer and no more reading? Heavy Knight if you're playing handheld, Vagabond if you're on a TV. Both hand you HP, armor, and a weapon that works. Pick what sounds fun and start playing.
Chose your class? Get the proven beginner build →
Want to optimize visuals? Graphics Settings Guide →