Demon’s Souls has nine playable classes, chosen at the start of the game upon character creation. Whether a player chooses to be a Thief or a Wanderer, Demon’s Souls is pretty open-ended about class restrictions. For the most part, the only major difference between each class is its starting equipment and stats.
Nevertheless, choosing the right class at the start will propel a player into the game more quickly than if they spend time figuring out their preferred playstyle. When starting the game for the first time it’s a good idea to stick to the basic classes, though more skilled players can make proper use of more niche classes, too.
Updated November 28, 2021 by Erik Petrovich: Demon’s Souls was a smash hit as a PlayStation 5 launch title, bringing players back to the game that launched the Souls series with a significant facelift. While the remaster wasn’t made directly by FromSoftware, it has all the same gameplay elements as the original PlayStation 3 title, though everything feels more fluid and looks much prettier. Before choosing a class, get a feel for the equipment and special items each starts with - the Priest, for example, starts with almost no Grass-based healing but comes with a Talisman for miracles, while the Hunter starts with far more arrows than a Thief. Ultimately, the best class in Demon Souls is the one you feel most comfortable playing, so give them all a try at least once.
10 Priest
- Starting Equipment: Chain Mail set, Mace, Talisman of God, Heater Shield
- Starting Items: 3x Crescent Moon Grass
- Major Stats: Faith, Intelligence, Endurance
Priests in Demon’s Souls are in a bit of a weird spot. They start off with decent armor, a good shield, and a Mace for bashing and staggering opponents, but their reliance on Miracles leaves some players wanting. Miracles have never been top-tier in FromSoftware games, and Demon’s Souls is no exception.
Though the class starts with only three Crescent Moon Grass, it comes with a talisman for casting miracles which gives them a decent head start on the health restoration front. However, it’s not as powerful as other classes that also have access to Miracles later on in regular progression – though few great builds actually make use of them in the first place. It’s not the best class Demon Souls has to offer, and even though it’s ranked last here, it’s still fun to play.
9 Soldier
- Starting Equipment: Plate Armor set, Broad Sword, Short Spear, Soldier’s Shield
- Starting Items: 10x Crescent Moon Grass, 4x Soldier’s Lotus, 20x Bolt
- Major Stats: Strength, Vitality, Endurance
The Soldier class in Demon’s Souls is a bit of a jack-of-all-trades but a master of none. It starts with OK stats all around, a Broad Sword, Short Spear, and Soldier’s Shield alongside a Plate armor set, and higher physical stats than magical stats.
There aren’t many downsides to the Soldier class except that it just isn’t altogether that exciting. It’ll get a player through the game, but it’s going to be a bit run-of-the-mill for the first few hours of gameplay.
8 Barbarian
- Starting Equipment: 2x Club, Wooden Shield
- Starting Items: 5x Crescent Moon Grass, 3x Soul Remains
- Major Stats: Strength, Vitality, Endurance
The Barbarian class is considered by some Demon’s Souls fans to be the “deprived” class of the game. As there is no class that outright starts with nothing, the Barbarian comes closest in Demon’s Souls starting out with just a club and a wooden shield.
However, the Barbarian has the highest Strength of any starting class in the game. When paired with Two-Handed weapons like Greatswords, Barbarians make for brutally destructive characters. Unfortunately, though, the lack of armor makes them squishy at the start of the game.
7 Thief
- Starting Equipment: Black Leather set, Dagger, Short Bow, Buckler Shield
- Starting Items: 8x Crescent Moon Grass, 20x Arrow, 10x Throwing Knife
- Major Stats: Dexterity, Endurance, Luck
Thieves in Demon’s Souls have the highest Luck stat of any class in the game, which makes a lot of the game a bit less grindy. They start with the Dagger, Buckler shield, the Short Bow, and the lightweight Black Leather set.
Thieves work best with light armor as less encumbrance changes how fast and how far players can roll. Thieves are very squishy, especially at the start of the game, and it’s important to get out of combat quickly rather than sit and take blows.
6 Magician
- Starting Equipment: The Wizard’s Robes set, ShortSword, Wooden Catalyst, and a Leather Shield
- Starting Items: 6x Crescent Moon Grass, 6x Fresh Spice
- Major Stats: Magic, Intelligence, Dexterity
The Magician class is considered by many to be one of the hardest classes in Demon’s Souls to start with. It has low stats in pretty much every department except Magic and Intelligence, making them incredibly soft throughout most of the game.
What the Magician lacks in survivability it makes up for with its access to spells. It starts with the Flame Toss attack and Water Veil self-buff, as well as the Short Sword, Leather Shield, Wooden Catalyst, and the Wizard’s Armor set.
5 Hunter
- Starting Equipment: Leather Armor set, Battle Axe, Long Bow, and a Leather Shield
- Starting Items: 10x Crescent Moon Grass, 50x Arrow, 10x Augite of Guidance
- Major Stats: Dexterity, Strength, Endurance
The Hunter class in Demon’s Souls is a kind of Ranger-like class, with access to both close combat and ranged combat equipment. The Battle Axe is a hard-hitting one-hander, while the Long Bow gives the Hunter access to ranged physical damage before any other class.
It has little access to magic or miracles, but it makes up for that with good combat stats like Strength and Agility as well as a very high Luck score.
4 Wanderer
- Starting Equipment: Leather Armor set, Falchion, Dagger, Hard Leather Boots, and a Wooden Shield
- Starting Items: 6x Crescent Moon Grass, 2x Soldier’s Lotus
- Major Stats: Dexterity, Endurance, Luck
The Wanderer class very much like the Thief class except instead of access to Magic abilities it has a higher Dexterity stat. It starts with the fast-swinging Falchion and Dagger, a Wooden Shield, Leather Armor, and even a set of Hard Leather Boots.
All things considered, the Wanderer is the better choice for players who want to make an Dexterity-reliant build, while the Thief is better for those who want build their Intelligence throughout the game.
3 Knight
- Starting Equipment: The Fluted Armor set, Long Sword, Mail Breaker, and a Kite Shield
- Starting Items: 6x Crescent Moon Grass, 4x Half Moon Grass, 1x Noble’s Lotus
- Major Stats: Strength, Intelligence, Endurance
The Knight class in Demon’s Souls is characterized by its ability to take damage in the early game and use spells other classes don’t have access to. It starts with the Long Sword, Mail Breaker, and Kits Shield, along with the heavy Fluted Armor set.
It’s arguably the best starting class for Demon’s Souls beginners as it has access to basic magic and miracles, which can make recovering from fights a fair bit easier. The downside of the Knight is its lack of Vitality and Endurance compared to other melee classes.
2 Royalty
- Starting Equipment: The Wizard’s Robes set, Silver Coronet, Rapier, Silver Catalyst, Fragrant Ring, and a Buckler shield
- Starting Items: 4x Half Moon Grass, 3x Royal Lotus
- Major Stats: Magic, Dexterity, Faith
The Royalty class is the only class in Demon’s Souls that starts out at Soul Level 1. It comes with the Silver Catalyst, the Rapier and Buckler combo, the Mana-recovering Fragrant Ring and the Mana-expanding Silver Coronet headpiece.
It’s a fantastic class to start the game with, though it does have the lowest stat totals of any of the nine options. However, the Silver Catalyst makes it one of the best choices for players who want to use Magic, as its mana regeneration capabilities outrank the Magician class.
1 Temple Knight
- Starting Equipment: The Mirdan Armor set, Halberd, Talisman of God, and a Heater Shield
- Starting Items: 3x Crescent Moon Grass
- Major Stats: Strength, Endurance, Faith
The Temple Knight is similar to the Knight class except with less access to magic, more reliance on Faith, and higher starting defense. The Halberd is a great long-reach weapon, and the Heater Shield is a 100% damage blocking shield usable from the very start. It also has access to Miracles from the very start.
The Heal miracle is available through the Temple Knight’s Talisman of God, which makes early fights much more manageable. Because it starts with a half-decent armor set in the form of the Mirdan Set, and it’s one of the easiest classes to start Demon’s Souls with (and therefore considered by many to be Demon’s Souls’ best class).
Demon’s Souls is available exclusively for PlayStation 5
