If you’re a new player and wondering which class to choose when you first start Smilegate and Amazon Games‘ Lost Ark, you’ve come to the right place. In this Lost Ark classes tier list, we’ll help you find the right class (or a great pick) for you.
Introduction to Lost Ark Class List
You’ve finally found a new MMO to keep you immersed for 100s of hours, now comes the best part. Creating your character! In typical MMO fashion, Lost Ark presents players with a healthy selection of classes to choose from, each with its own unique traits and playstyles.
There are Assassins for the players that prefer to stay stealthy, Warriors for the attack and strength-focused players, and every class poses some interesting pros and cons to survive in Arkesia’s massive landscape.
Unlike typical MMOs, Lost Ark is pretty unique with advanced classes, thanks to the fact that some are locked behind certain genders. Lore-wise, this makes sense as the Assassin class and Mage class are female while the Warrior class is male. You’ll need to weigh all your options and make the best decision for the type of player you are.
If it’s a bit overwhelming, we’ve compiled a Lost Ark classes tier list to get you on track with the character types that will give you the most fun, versatility and specialities that can take you through the PvE and PvP game environments. So prior to loading up the game, it’s a good idea to give this a good read.
Classes in Lost Ark Explained
Before we get into the Lost Ark classes tier list, there are a couple of things you need to be aware of when picking a subclass. Firstly, there are a total of 15 subclasses with 7 of them being locked to male characters and the remaining 8 being female characters. Additionally, the subclass you choose has a brief tutorial to get you up to speed with the game. The only exceptions are the female Gunner and male Martial Artist subclasses.
In addition to the subclass system, there are up to three options you can choose as your character’s speciality. These specializations are also based on your character’s class and gender, allowing you to further customize your character according to your preferences.
Now that we’ve established the framework of the subclass system, let’s get into the Lost Ark tier list!
Lost Ark Classes Tier List
Best Lost Ark PvE classes
- S Tier: Bard, Gunlancer, Paladin, Berserker, Gunslinger
- A Tier: Deathblade, Striker, Artillerist, Sorceress
- B Tier: Soulfist, Scrapper, Sharpshooter, Shadowhunter
- C Tier: Wardancer, Deadeye
Best Lost Ark PvP classes
- S Tier: Deathblade, Gunslinger, Deadeye, Paladin
- A Tier: Shadowhunter, Sorceress, Berserker, Gunlancer
- B Tier: Striker, Sharpshooter, Wardancer, Artillerist
- C Tier: Soulfist, Scrapper
Best Lost Ark Classes for PvE
S Tier
Bard (Mage)
The Bard is an S tier class due to the fact that it is exceptional in every scenario. Whether you favour PvE or PvP gameplay, this subclass will be a supportive asset to other players thanks to their ability to trigger healing abilities and buffs that boost the stats of their team. A Bard is not worth choosing if you’re a player that favours a lot of damage above all else, but if you’ve got the bigger picture in your head at all times, the Bard is the best possible payoff in a subclass. Although they might not do much damage, Bards work to support other players.
Gunlancer (Warrior)
Playing as a valuable asset in PvE like the Gunlancer (with high HP and defence stats) is an awesome way to build up your confidence as a player in Lost Ark. As the primary tank of the game, you won’t need to constantly worry about checking your health stats and resources, instead, you can focus on the main mechanics of the game and progress from there. The shield draws aggro and protects your team from all manner of debuffs and damage. The Gunlancer is Lost Ark‘s tankiest class.
Paladin (Warrior)
Not enough people are willing to step up and play as a support in Lost Ark. If you’re among the players that refuse to exclusively become a shoulder to lean on, the Paladin is a good choice. Like a mixture between the Bard and Gunlancer, you’ll be able to build towards DPS or support depending on what your team needs in a scenario.
Berserker (Warrior)
The popular choice for DPS lovers in the Lost Ark classes tier list, the Berserker class is an absolute monster that is able to mow through enemies with big swords and large damage outbursts. Enemies in your PvE encounters stand no chance against a Berserker player that is fully committed to the cause.
Gunslinger (Gunner Female)
A Gunslinger is one of the best subclasses for players that enjoy the process of iterating on encounters with different builds and different weapons. The Gunslinger (which relies on fast movement) has three sets of guns (a sniper rifle for distance, a shotgun for close combat, and pistols for mid-range) that are tailored to work at various ranges. By being a versatile subclass, they are able to work advantageously over other subsets of the gunner category. They can be especially difficult to deal with when facing long range foes, and having the ability to hold their own against close range enemies makes them a force to be reckoned with.
A Tier
Deathblade (Assassin)
The Deathblades are a class for the glory hunters in Lost Ark. This anime-esque subclass is one that possesses the ability to control the battlefield, single out enemies and make quick work of them. In PvE, this isn’t too viable but it’s great in team fight scenarios.
Striker (Martial Artist Male)
The Striker Martial Artist class is for the all-rounder. They have the ability to deal respectable amounts of good damage, invoke various buffs and abilities, and even stand out when in the hands of a decent player. They don’t have the manoeuvres of a Wardancer, but they are also not a skill-heavy class to master.
Artillerist (Gunner Male)
The Artillerist (has great damage windows and applies lots of damage buff to enemies) serves as a subclass that can do pretty much anything you ask of him, just be sure not to expect perfection. There are other subclasses if you have a specific gameplay preference in mind. But if you need a multiclass character that isn’t too difficult to pick up, nothing comes closer to the Artillerist in the Lost Ark classes tier.
Sorceress (Mage)
Sorceresses are great with offensive spells and abilities. They are able to deal substantial numbers in terms of damage. However, their lack of supportive abilities makes it hard to move them up a tier. The players that enjoy high damage outputs with magic are sure to enjoy playing as this subclass.
B Tier
Soulfist (Martial Artist Female)
The Soulfist is kind of similar to the Striker, but with the added bonus of ranged attacks combined with melee to quickly deal with enemies. They also lack the versatility of a Wardancer, but the skill-cap is much lower making it an easy pick for newer players.
Scrapper (Martial Artist Female)
As a beginner-friendly subclass, the Scrapper is a viable albeit limited character within the Lost Ark class tier list. They require quite a bit of micromanaging and the payoff is not worth it compared to some of the characters higher on this tier list. Still, it is a powerful martial artist with a good selection of abilities.
Sharpshooter (Gunner Male)
The sniper character in this game is a standout for the fantasy setting. However, his presence is needed as long and medium-range encounters become much more manageable when the sharpshooter (which has high damage output) is in the mix. Wielding a bow and an array of special arrows, it is the ultimate subclass for long-range encounters. In fact, Sharpshooter has a high damage output, a strong stagger ability, and adds a 6% damage increase buff to the whole team.
Shadowhunter (Assassin)
The Shadowhunter may not be as much of a hitter as a Deathblade, but this class is still a top pick for one-on-one encounters with enemies. You also get the ability to turn into a demon and utilize a whole new set of demonic abilities.
C Tier
Wardancer (Martial Artist Female)
The Wardancer (exceptional when used by an experienced player) is a part of the Lost Ark classes tier list that is difficult to play, but the combination of elemental damage and rapid strikes in the right hands can make this subclass the strongest in your lobby.
Deadeye (Gunner Male)
Lost Ark does a great job of mixing sci-fi elements with the fantasy environment. The Deadeye gunner (a ranged damage class that focuses on being in melee range) encapsulates that achievement, but it also relies on charging up his hand cannon during encounters, making him vulnerable more often than any other picks in our Lost Ark classes tier list.
Best Lost Ark Classes for PvP
S Tier
The Deadeye may be a little bit underwhelming in PvE, but the PvP utility in this character is unmatched. Just like the female Gunslinger character, Deadeye is highly useful with mid and long-range encounters in PvP games. Deadeye is also capable of some great crowd control thanks to his range compared to a Gunslinger.
The Deathblade and Gunslinger are also very effective in PvP thanks to high movement speed to kite opponents. With the Deathblade, striking opponents repeatedly allows you to stack up DPS faster than any other character.
A Tier
For PvP A tier characters, the Gunlancer, Berserker, Shadowhunter and Sorceress are all great choices for handling whatever your opponents have up their sleeves. The Gunlancer and Berserker capitalize on their strong defensive and offensive stats to be useful in any scenario. Additionally, the Shadowhunter also works similarly to the Berserker in PvP. With the Sorceress, you’ll get a strong DPS character that has elemental attacks that work potently against streamlined builds.
B Tier
In the B Tier of our Lost Ark classes tier list, we’ve got the Striker (a difficult class that does solid damage) who has the aerial special abilities (aerial attacks), the Sharpshooter with long-range weapons that can be very dangerous for opponents in PvP and both subclasses are extremely fun but unimpressive to an opponent that knows what they are doing.
In the B tier, the Artillerist and Wardancer are also quite impressive as they can initiate supportive buffs in PvP. However, they lack the damage and attack speed needed to compete with the DPS of other subclasses.
C Tier
The Scrapper (an extremely beginner-friendly subclass if you’re looking to experiment with melee combat) and Soulfist are unfortunately the bottom tier subclasses of Lost Ark in PvP. They simply lack the stats to match with faster PvP characters. The Soulfist takes too long to charge her abilities, and the Scrapper lacks the DPS necessary to keep up with opponents.
Two new classes, the Arcanist and Destroyer, are reportedly launching in April and May, but for now, these are still the best classes to choose from.
Now that you’ve read through our Lost Ark classes tier list, you (even as a new player) can make the best choice for you — one that suits your playstyle. Between the variety of classes, you have to decide on which is the best character class for you.
