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The Best Classes for New Players

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The reason I recommend certain classes over others is based on a tier list I made a while back but never uploaded. So here it is, the tier list of classes that I would recommend for new players to play. Remember, these are always just suggestions. I always want to preface these with that note because I think everybody should just play the class that they want to play.

Importance of Enjoyment in Gameplay

I think that especially in Lost Ark, from my experience, most people don’t actually end up maining the class they started with. Most people kind of drop that class or like put it later in their list of alts, and don’t end up playing it as their main later on. That is why I always say just play the class that looks fun to you and what you think you’ll enjoy because most likely, you’re probably going to play something else later anyway.

Just play something that is fun, enjoyable, and something that will keep you interested in the game because I think that’s very important for any new game. Find something that’s fun for you, so you can keep your interest in the game. If the class is not fun, right, you’re probably going to drop the game soon despite maybe some of these other classes being better for you or more fun to play. Just pick the class that is fun and enjoyable for you, and that’s kind of what it is at the end of the day.

Listening to Recommendations

But, of course, this discussion will go over a list of classes that I recommend because I think that especially for somebody who hasn’t played a class before, even as an experienced player, if you’ve never played the class before, if you’ve never looked into the class before, it’s really hard to tell what the exact nuances of the classes are.

It’s good to kind of hear like, “Hey, this is why somebody recommends a class or doesn’t recommend a class.” Then you can listen to that, be like, “Okay, I understand that this is an issue, but I’m okay with it, so I’m still going to make this class.” That’s kind of all I want you to do with this article: take into account some of the things I say, and if you still want to make

Class Tier Recommendations

That class, go and do it. This is a game for fun, and you should play the characters that look fun to you. Like I said, this discussion was made a while back; I think a month ago, so Breaker wasn’t even out yet at that point. So, where I would put Breaker now is what I said in the last discussion. I think Sora Breaker probably belongs in C tier, probably around the bottom of a C tier, and Bra King Breaker probably in D tier. So, I wouldn’t recommend either of them for a new player, but again, if you want to play it, go ahead.

Specific Class Analysis: Support and DPS Challenges

So, I think he was right with these; he was right with the supports. Don’t do it, just don’t do it. The DPS supports—don’t do it; it’s no bueno, just don’t do it. I would love more than anything to have the DPS Paladin work, but it just doesn’t work at the moment. But yes, EO SFUS, D tier, easy D tier. Again, we talked about this earlier, but unfortunately, it’s a very hard class to play. Yes, you can just press buttons and do stuff with it, but you’re actually doing ZDPS, literally. People who know how to play the game and have been playing for a while can’t play this class, so I would definitely not recommend a new player play this class.

Advanced Class Play Techniques

Now, the other thing is GT, also D tier. You are a class that really needs to understand how the flow of the fight works. If you pop your GT at the wrong time, it’s kind of the same thing as missing your surge—it’s not good. The other thing is that you need to know the windows to Bonk. If you don’t know the right windows, you’re doing no damage. The other thing is you also need to know how to front attack.

Front attacking is harder to do than back attacking. That’s because of that; it’s a little bit harder. It’s not super bad because you don’t really have to land too much in the front; it’s only your perfect swing and your whatever that earth crack move is. Those are the only one or two you really need to land in the front, but for the most part, perfect swings are really hard to land because of that.

Class Suitability for New Players

So, I don’t think that this is a good class for a new player. We talked about Striker as well; I don’t think Striker is very good for a new player. We might put it in SE tier; we can move it again later depending on what happens with this list. But I talked about this earlier: Striker is a class that has specific spec thresholds, and if you’re not able to hit those thresholds, you’re not going to be able to play the class well. You’re not going to be able to get your moves out in a clean rotation.

Understanding Build Requirements

There are specific spec requirements that you need for your character. Some of them are not very high, but if you want to be able to do it, you’re going to have to have the knowledge of, like, okay, if I want to use this build that people recommend, I need to have these stats. You can’t just go and copy and paste a build from, for example, a low-profile source. So, on top of the fact that you need wealth runes right, you need wealth runes to be able to make Striker work, and for the most part, a lot of these people don’t have the wealth runes you need to do horizontal content. A lot of new players haven’t done that yet.

Challenges with Advanced Classes

Then there is these classes, right, of course, he put these down here. I agree, Arana is definitely not a new player-friendly class. It’s the same with Searge Death Blade; I would not recommend this class to a new player either, but at the same time, I would also not recommend Re Blade. I think that both these classes are really hard to play and really hard to do good damage on. How did I know this? Because I actually had a friend who was a new player try to play Re, granted this was pre-change Re, but the concepts are still the same, and he did Z DPS. R significantly harder than Searge, I think they’re both just down here.

Technical Requirements for Optimal Play

I agree, significantly harder for Searge, and also the other thing is, again, these classes require high spec to make work, right? Unfortunately, if you don’t have high spec, some of these things just don’t work out, so that’s why I’m putting that there. Palin, S tier of course.

Support Class Evaluations

I think his supports are pretty on point; his ratings for supports are pretty on point. BAU he put in B, and then for artists he put an A, which I agree with. He was trying to learn how to do back attack, missing all the skills, basically, and also I think there’s some rotational stuff that he couldn’t get down either. So, that was that. I think his supports made sense where he put them.

Challenges for New Players with Transformation Classes

New players get gated a lot, and everything that you can do as a new player to prevent yourself from getting gated is necessary, which includes choosing classes. Most you can do as a new player is try to do as much as you can to prevent yourself from getting GED, and one of those things is your gems.

Unfortunately, transformation classes have a higher level of requirements than regular classes for gems. For example, if you’re using a super Makoko Express, it only gives you level eight damage gems at the end. If you’re trying to apply to a con party with level eight damage and cooldown gems as a Di and Legacy Scouter, you’re just not getting into those parties.

Requirements for Advanced Gameplay

Those people are gating you instantly; it doesn’t even matter if they’re like, oh you know, like you’re not getting a party. Just buy two gems for a few thousand gold, yep, easy, right? For a new player? No, they need good spec and wealth runes exactly. You also need good quality accessories for these classes.

If you don’t have good quality accessories, if you don’t have the wealth runes for them, you’re not going to be able to transform quickly enough, and you’re just doing even less damage than they normally do, and they already do lower damage than a lot of the other classes. They’re not doing terrible damage, but they’re not doing amazing damage, especially.

Class Suitability for New Players

If you have low-level gems, I would definitely not recommend these classes for a new player. I might even put them as far as D tier, for example, because these classes, while easy to play, have a large requirement to be able to get into endgame raids. This isn’t the same as back in the day when we were doing bird, for example. Back then, these classes were overpowered; they were crazy strong. But at the moment, that’s not where we’re at in the game anymore. We need these characters to have level nine, level ten gems for even normal A Con. New players aren’t going to be able to get that.

Hunger Reaper Class Review

Hunger Reaper, I might put in C. It’s better than before, but again, you’re quite a bit squishy, so you might falter quite a bit. So, Hunger Reaper maybe at the top of C, something like that. Co, again, just don’t play this class as a new player, a returning player, or a current existing player—this class is unfortunately really bad right now; it is in a bad place.

High-Performance Classes

ELC, sure, we’ll put in S tier. I agree, this is an easy S tier. You don’t have to do much, and it still does damage. Your bird does a lot of damage for you, and the class is straightforward to play. Pistolier, B tier, it is a fairly easy class to play but is also very squishy. But also, I personally think it gets gatekept a lot. A lot of people don’t think that other than me, but I think so, but B tier for that.

Support and Damage Classes

We found the other support, damage battle support, not real. I agree, Mayhem Slayer, we can put in S. I agree, PS should go in C. These are just hard to play classes, or not like relatively hard to play classes, and also squishy. You don’t want this to go here. Mayhem Slayer, it’s a pretty straightforward class, not much requirements, no real rune requirements other than Gawins.

They made the Red Dust window a lot easier, so that’s also very nice. It is a little bit slow though, but you’re pretty tanky, survivable too, so I think it’s either S tier or top of A tier, something like that. You don’t think Mayhem belongs in the same tier as Predator? Sure, we can take it down again. I think it’s either top of A tier or S tier with that. Predator Slayer also an S tier, pretty straightforward class, doesn’t have much requirements for runes, stats, things like that. You can kind of say Oaba. The only real thing that you have to worry about is the back attack, which you know.

Introduction to Predator Slayer

It isn’t super hard for someone new to the game. It involves a learning curve, but it’s a good way to learn. The best method to master back attacks is by playing Predator Slayer. All you need to focus on is hitting from the back, without other complications. Some believe Mayhem is easier than Predator, but I think they’re comparable. Both classes are straightforward and easy to play.

Assessing Robust Sfist

I would place Robust Sfist in C tier, possibly at the bottom, because it isn’t as challenging as EO. However, most new players will struggle with this class. They likely lack the necessary stats, specs, and runes. You need CJ, quick recharges, and perhaps gems. Although level seven cooldown gems are sufficient for Robust, managing the hype is crucial. This class is ineffective outside of its hype phase, which new players need to understand.

Complexity of Knight’s Edge Soul Eater

Outside of hype, using movement skills or dashes is challenging, which can disrupt your rotation during hype. Landing Spirit bombs will also be nearly impossible for newcomers. Despite some opinions, I do not think Soul Leader Knight’s Edge is suitable for new players. It may rank at the top of C or bottom of B tier. This class demands attention to the meter and precise rotation, which can be overwhelming for those unfamiliar with the game.

Challenges with Knight’s Edge Soul Eater for New Players

Knight’s Edge Soul Eater is challenging for new players because they are not used to a class with such a strict rotation. Additionally, you have to worry about your meter. As a new player, you might not be hitting all of your skills, and if you don’t know how the boss moves, missing your skills means you’re doing absolute zero damage. You can’t fill up your bubbles effectively.

If you miss a move during a fight, it ruins your entire rotation. You literally have to spend all these moves to get your meter back, and now look at our next rotation—it’s actually compromised. For these reasons, I wouldn’t recommend Knight’s Edge Soul Eater for a new player; it’s quite challenging.

Assessing Barrage Artillerist’s Accessibility

Barrage Artillerist might be okay, but again, you need specific specs and wealth runes. While it’s relatively easy to play this class, in order to perform well, you kind of need the specs and the wealth runes. Granted, it might not feel that bad if you don’t have all those runes, but it will feel very clunky to play. However, I’ll keep it at B tier because it is a fairly straightforward class to play. It’s not super hard, but there are requirements that might make it feel clunky if not met.

Positioning Punisher Slayer in the Class Hierarchy

Punisher Slayer, I’m going to put down here in D tier as well. These classes aren’t really ordered, maybe something like this. All these are just challenging. I don’t even want to order these; they are all quite difficult. Again, the only reason why I’m putting them down here is because of the costs and the gatekeeping.

Play style-wise, these are okay. I might even move them back up here. But Punisher Slayer, I think, is D tier because you need specific specs and runes, and on top of that, the class is hard to play. Actually doing well with Punisher Slayer is hard for players that know how to play the game. If you don’t know how to play the game and you don’t have the runes and the spec for the class to make thresholds work, it’s actually doomed. I don’t know if the gatekeeping for Barrage is that bad for these classes.

Adjusting Class Rankings

Considering that logic, we might even move it down to the top of C. I think you’re right; we do have to take that into account as well. So, I’d move it down to C because people are likely going to want a level 10 BR gem. ESO Striker I would put above Death Blow Striker for sure. I’d place ESO Striker at B. Unfortunately, you do need some wealth runes, but their wealth rune requirements aren’t as severe as Death Blow’s. Death Blow actually has some really bad ones. ESO doesn’t require the highest level wealth runes, which isn’t as bad. Literally, I can play ESO Striker with about 1500 spec, using my crit ring, and that’s totally fine. So, the wealth rune requirements for ESO Striker are not that bad, placing it in B tier.

Evaluating Wind Fury Aeromancer and Drizzle

This one I would place in A tier or even S tier for Wind Fury Aeromancer. Drizzle, I’d probably put in B. It is a spec class, after all. While most of your skills are fairly easy to land, your main damage source, Sunray or whatever it’s called—the Solar Beam move—is actually pretty hard to land all the hits.

So, I put it in B for that reason. FI, I would put in A tier. It’s a very flexible class that provides a lot to the party, so you’re not really going to get gatekept as much. Also, it’s a very straightforward, easy-to-play class. The only thing is that you have to get pretty close to the boss, and you have to sniff it, pretty much, to be able to hit the boss and do any damage. For that, we kind of take it down a little bit from S tier to A tier.

Challenges with Lunar Reaper

Lunar Reaper, I agree, is an absolute nightmare class for new players. You need wealth runes, you need spec, and you need good hand coordination to play this class. It’s a meter generation class; you’re squishy and it’s literally one of the worst classes to play as a new player. If you’re going to play a Reaper, I’d recommend Hunger Reaper. It’s still not amazing—again, you’re very squishy—but play style-wise, learning how to play is not very hard. You’re likely going to die a lot, but play style-wise, it’s not a difficult class to play.

Assessment of TTH Class

TTH, I don’t play this class, but you put it in B. We’ll just keep it there. I kind of agree. You don’t need exceptional hand coordination to play this class, but you’re still as squishy as any other Gunslinger. However, you have a lot of cooldowns, actually a very high cooldown class unless you’re playing something like Dominion Swiftness. But most people aren’t playing that.

Class Suitability for New Players: TTH and Enhanced Weapon Dead Eye

Let’s be real, TTH can be placed in B tier. The main consideration is that you’re probably not going to be doing much damage on this class as a new player. You don’t have many of the necessary gems or skill points, but it’s not that bad. TP VHC mentions that people gatekeep TTH, but I feel TTH is rare enough that people don’t really care too much about them. If you think that TTH gets gatekept a lot, we might need to downgrade it. You’ll do much damage on most gunners, to be fair. True, I agree. I would also agree with his placement of Enhanced Weapon Dead Eye. You actually need to master the positioning to do any damage, and Dead Eye is a hard class to play. You have to rotate between three guns, know how to back attack and position well.

Evaluating Tie Scrapper and FMH Soul Eater

Tie Scrapper, honestly, I might put in S tier. It was placed in A tier because you have to worry a bit about meter swapping back and forth, but I don’t think that’s a big hurdle to get over. I’m okay with putting it in A, but in my opinion, I think it’s an S tier. FMH Soul Eater falls between B or C tier.

The reasoning for this is that it is a spec-reliant class. Does it have any spec thresholds? I don’t play FMH, so I’m not sure if there are any thresholds you need for this class. You need a certain amount of hit, a certain amount of spec to make it work. You also need runes, which is why I wouldn’t recommend it for new players. You need spec, you need runes, and it’s just tough. 1800 specs are way better, so for that reason, I’d probably put it down here.

Challenges with Knight’s Edge

Even though I’ve placed Knight’s Edge higher, I still don’t think you should play Knight’s Edge as a new player. It’s very hard to play. I might even say that Knight’s Edge is a little bit better, but man, it’s hard. Missing your anchor makes you do zero damage, and that’s easy to do. Again, I think both of these classes are around the same, honestly. I might even take it down again. As someone who plays Knight’s Edge a lot, I just know the struggles, and I’ve seen people struggle with this class so much. I would.

Comparing FMH and Knight’s Edge

I would not recommend either of them for new players. FMH might be easier to play than Knight’s Edge, but the stat requirements for FMH are significantly higher. This includes both rune and stat requirements, so I would place them both at the same tier and level for different reasons. However, neither of these classes are particularly friendly for new players.

Challenges with Master Summoner

Master Summoner is a difficult class to play. It’s a complex class that also requires specific specs and wealth runes. Any class that needs a substantial number of wealth runes is generally not recommended for new players. For example, while ESO doesn’t require much in terms of wealth runes, that’s why I’m placing it higher. However, similar classes like F5W or ESO Waraner, which also require wealth runes and likely have spec thresholds, are probably not advisable for new players.

Difficulties with BT Zerk and Control Classes

BT Zerk is also down here because it’s a spec class and can be clunky to play. Even current players who are familiar with the game sometimes struggle because you need to time your Z skills precisely, and you need substantial specs—it’s not great. Control, I might put in B tier. The main thing you need to worry about is hitting the back. It’s not the strongest class, which is why I wouldn’t rank it as high as Bo or S with Tai, but it’s still a very straightforward class. All you need to focus on is hitting the back.

Realities of Playing Control as a New Player

Hunger Control is strong if you have significant uptime, but unfortunately, as a new player, you’re probably not going to achieve that. Thus, you’re likely not going to be doing as much damage. Control’s effectiveness is limited, and although it’s not terrible, you won’t be maximizing damage. Control has issues, yes, but as a new player, you’re probably not going to reach the performance ceiling where Mana becomes a significant issue.

Understanding the Challenges with Reflux Class

Reflux is generally known in the community as a class that does not do much damage. So, if you’re not managing the boundless Mana efficiently, you’re likely doing very low damage. Most people cannot deal significant damage with it, and if you’re a new player, you’re likely going to do even less. I don’t think the class is weak if you’re skilled at it—one of my friends with a 1600 spec Reflux Sorcerer does 2,122 million on Sonl. Reflux is strong, but most people can’t play the class effectively. As a new player, how can you expect to do any damage if it’s already known for low output?

Evaluating Shock Scrapper and RH Classes

Shock Scrapper is clunky; it’s a spec class that may be at the top of the barrier for new players. I don’t play this class, so I can’t say for sure, but I believe it’s a barrier to entry. However, it is a fairly straightforward class. RH is a hard one because I think fun attack classes are generally hard to play. They are survivable and tanky, but I’m not sure I’d expect a new player to be able to do significant damage with this class. Fortunately, they don’t have to worry about spec thresholds or wealth runes. I would probably place RH in B or C tier. C is the tier where I start not recommending new players try these classes.

Adjusting Class Recommendations Based on Player Skill

I think you’d be okay with RH at the bottom of B. It’s hard to front attack, but it doesn’t have those crazy requirements. Ideally, you want to have high spec, but having lower spec means you’re just giving up some damage. Most new players might be getting around 1730-1750 spec, which I think is okay. Death Strike is probably here. There are some requirements to it in terms of skill in play, but it’s not a bad class for a new player. I might even push it up a little bit more. The barrier to entry is pretty low, accessories aren’t that expensive, and it’s not a super difficult class to pilot. The only issue is that it gets tricky when you miss your Z ability, but it’s not unrecoverable.

Positioning Pinnacle Glaver

Pinnacle Glaver I would also put in B tier. The reason being is that while it presents some challenges, it does not impose the high barriers typical of more spec-intensive classes. It allows for some leniency in performance, making it a viable option for newer players who are still learning the intricacies of the game.

Assessing Pinnacle Glaver’s Role and Effectiveness

Pinnacle Glaver is a relatively hard class to play; it’s not easy, but you don’t need wealth runes or a specific spec threshold to make the class effective. Using only level sevens is completely fine for this class, which brings great synergy to the party, ensuring that you are a desirable teammate.

It also offers good utility, stagger, and destruction capabilities. The main challenge you’ll face is timing your Shackling Blue Dragon window, the Red Dragon Horn, and the Starfall Pounce. Despite being an entry class, these aspects make it complex, yet it doesn’t require much to be effective. For these reasons, I place it in B tier and would rate it higher than Control due to less gatekeeping.

Challenges with Scouter and Skill Point Requirements

Scouter is considered relatively hard to play. I haven’t personally played it, but feedback suggests it requires good manual dexterity. It does need a lot of skill points; however, you can manage with fewer points, setting your skills at level 12. This will result in less damage but is not the worst setback. Therefore, I position it similarly to Blue Lancer, indicating that it’s manageable.

Evaluating Blue and Red Lancer Classes

Blue Lancer is a decent choice as you’re fundamentally a Gun Lancer, and parties generally appreciate having you for your synergy and tankiness, despite not expecting high damage output. Blue Lancer’s survivability and utility make it a solid option. Red Lancer, while a bit harder to play due to its front-attacking nature, still offers good synergy. It’s not as difficult as other classes, but its role in front attacks makes it challenging. Nevertheless, gatekeeping isn’t a significant issue for Red Lancer due to its utility, but it is a harder class to master, so it’s placed slightly lower than Blue Lancer in the rankings.

Assessing Fe and Its Popularity

I don’t think gatekeeping for Fe is terrible, primarily because not many people play FB. Despite this, it’s not a terrible class, but if you were to ask me where I’d realistically place it, I’d likely place it lower. It’s a fact that not many people engage with this class, which might seem unreal. If pushed for a specific placement, I would put it in low B, as it’s generally agreed that FB can deal decent damage and is easy to manage.

Challenges and Perceptions of Playing FB

The truth is, there’s a reason why this class isn’t widely played: it’s clunky and doesn’t perform well unless played skillfully. It has a good foundational performance, but to reach higher effectiveness, one needs to play it well. This leads me to place it even lower because it’s underplayed for a reason. FB at level 10 isn’t going to deliver significant DPS, which is part of why it’s seldom chosen. This class, while not exceptionally difficult to enter, still requires finesse to manage effectively, particularly with Mana issues, which aren’t as severe as in other classes but still present a challenge.

Final Placement of FB in Tier List

Given these factors, I’d position it lower in the tier list. While FB doesn’t provide significant synergies, which restricts its higher placement, the barriers to entry are not overly high. You can play the entry variant of the class reasonably well, but it’s not widely popular, leading to its lower placement. This class still suffers from Mana issues, although not as acutely as others, which is something to consider if you’re deciding whether to play FB.

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