Ashes of Creation has 8 different class archetypes for you to play, so it can be hard to quickly figure out which one is best for you.
While the classes are largely fairly standard fare in their role and power fantasy, it’s still hard to choose! The game gives you a brief rundown, sure, but it’s mostly flavor text.
So, in this guide, we’ll give you a breakdown of each class to help you pick the best for you.
Best Class To Play – Ashes of Creation
Summoner – Unmatched Versatility
Starting off, we have the Summoner, which is a class that’s ideal for anyone who wants versatility.
Thanks to the variety of Vessels (pets), the Summon can essentially fit any role. You can spec into being a Tank, DPS, or Support player. It all depends on which Vessel and secondary Archetype you pick!
However, this versatility does have a bit of a cost: this class is very complex. You’ll need to learn how to manage all of your Vessels and resources to play optimally. Plus, you’re extremely limited if your Vessel gets taken out.
So, in summary, this is a complex class that is hard to play effectively and not recommended for beginners. However, it’s by far the most versatile of all classes if you can step up to the challenge of mastering it.
Cleric – Sustained Healer
If you’re looking to pick up a healer class, the Cleric is what you’re looking for!
As a Cleric, you would offer yourself and your allies the best sustained healing possible. Your healing alone can change the tide of battle, making your party win fights that they wouldn’t otherwise.
Aside from healing, you can also cleanse debuffs and provide buffs to your party. Of course, this is vital to keep frontliners such as Tanks alive!
The downsides of this class are that it lacks any notable damage output and has poor defenses. It’s almost purely a healer class. This also means that we only recommend this class if you’re going to be playing in parties, as solo play is pretty rough.
That aside, the Cleric is a powerful healer and asset to any team. You won’t have trouble joining parties that seek a Cleric at any point in the game!
Ranger – Ranged DPS and Utility
Want to dish out damage while staying at a safe distance but without playing a caster? Ranger might be your best bet, then!
The Ranger excels at applying marks on enemies, which apply various debuffs and effects. These aren’t beneficial just to the Ranger, but also to the entire party.
What’s more, Ranger also brings some utility in the way of traps and abilities that can snare and root enemies. That makes the class great for crowd control, and their Disengage ability can also help them stay at a safe distance.
On top of that, the Ranger can also provide a variety of buffs to allies. Increase their movement speed with Stride and give them a chance to reflect damage with Thorns. All of that while doing pretty good damage on your own!
As for the Ranger’s issues, it’s mainly a pretty rough class to play solo. It relies a lot on kiting enemies and is extremely vulnerable in melee range, so you’ll need allies to peel for you. At the same time, it doesn’t offer quite as much utility in groups as a Cleric or Bard, though the damage makes up for that.
Nonetheless, the Ranger is a solid choice if you want a versatile DPS and utility class!
Bard – Pure Support
We already talked about the Cleric, being the pure healer. But if healing isn’t your favorite way to play support, the Bard might be better for you!
The Bard is all about applying extremely impactful buffs and debuffs through performance. Empower your allies and weaken your foes to ensure that each encounter goes smoothly.
What really makes the Bard shine is that they don’t just buff one aspect of a party. Instead, they can buff everything. That includes DPS, tanking, and even healing. There is not a single thing that the Bard can’t amplify for a party!
The issue with this class is, of course, that it’s not great for solo play. Do not pick this class if you don’t intend to play with groups consistently. Other than that, though, Bards are one of the most wanted and useful classes to play.
Mage – Spellcasting DPS
Use the elements of fire, frost, and lightning to decimate your foes from range. The pure spellcaster DPS option, if that’s what you’re looking for!
The Mage is capable of dishing out massive damage, mostly in the form of burst damage from range.
Their damage output is also great for both single targets and crowds, thanks to their powerful AoE options. Plus, the different elements can apply statuses that help with crowd control!
Defensively, the Mage also has access to a powerful Blink teleportation ability. This makes repositioning easier, which is a crucial part of staying alive.
After all, staying alive is the most challenging aspect of playing as a Mage. This is a pure glass cannon class, so you have to be careful timing your casts and ensuring that you position yourself properly. You can not take much damage at all.
If you want to dish out insane damage and don’t mind being squishy, the Mage is perfect for you!
Fighter – Agile Melee DPS
The Fighter is the one class you want to play if you want to just go all in on melee combat. There’s nothing else that matches them in that regard!
As a Fighter, you have some of the best mobility in the game. You want to be in melee range at all times, and you’re given more than enough tools to close the distance and get in the middle of a brawl. Fighter even has innate resistances to movement-impairing effects to match.
You’ll also get stronger the longer you stay in a fight, thanks to the Momentum mechanic. It gives you stat bonuses as you land hits on targets. This allows you to dish out great damage the longer a fight is.
What’s more, your mobility and innate defenses also allow you to play as a bit of an off-tank. Not quite as resilient as a proper tank, but it’s the second-best thing!
The Fighter’s main weakness is its lack of ranged options and requiring excellent positioning, being purely a melee class. This also makes the class a bit weak in PvP if the other players coordinate to protect their backline, which should be your main target.
In short, this class is ideal for anyone who just loves rushing into a fight and cleaving through foes in melee range.
Tank – Stalwart Frontline
The Tank is the only class that fits the full role of being a tank, as its name implies. So, it’s for you if you just wish to be an indestructible frontline!
As the Tank, your role is the same as a standard MMORPG tank. You’re the vanguard, drawing aggro from enemies and surviving while the other party members provide support and damage.
To allow for this, you’ll have the ability to negate and mitigate damage that would kill squishier classes without a scratch. Plus, you can even redirect the damage your allies would take to yourself, keeping them safe from harm!
You’ll also have ways to taunt enemies and generate threat, drawing their attention to you. The Tank has a lot of options to control the battlefield and the flow of battle.
Of course, as a Tank, you’re focused mainly on defense. That means that your damage output is subpar and solo play can be very slow. We recommend this class mainly for groups.
Also, note that you have a high responsibility in group play. It is your role to protect the other classes and properly control enemies to mitigate danger, after all.
Rogue – Stealthy Melee DPS
If the Fighter was a bit too savage for you, the Rogue gives you a more technical and stealthy melee DPS option.
As a Rogue, your game plan mostly revolves around the Advantage mechanic. Catch foes off guard with your skills to gain Advantage. Then, look for the right opportunity to strike with skills that consume it, such as Backstab.
This makes the Rogue a more slow-paced burst damage melee character than anything. You have to be careful with positioning as you’re quite squishy, but this is rewarded with massive damage on priority targets.
If you don’t mind being pretty squishy and prefer a stealthy approach to combat, the Rogue is perfect for you!
So, there you have it. That’s our breakdown of all of the 8 class archetypes in Ashes of Creation, hopefully this helps you pick the best one for you to play. Do you want more help with starting the game? Well, we can help you pick the starting region! Check out our guide on which starting region to pick.
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