Lost Ark is full of classes to try in both PvE and PvP, and our tier list can help you decide exactly which ones to use for the MMO‘s different challenges.
Having the right class is essential to get the best experience in Lost Ark, especially as each is best suited to different roles. Whether you’re taking on Kazeros Raids or wanting to prove yourself against other players in the Proving Grounds, you’ll have to consider each when picking your class.
Best Lost Ark classes for PvE
Lost Ark is primarily PvE-focused, containing numerous endgame raids and activities such as Chaos Gates and Field Bosses. For that reason, your choice of class should be based primarily on how it performs in PvE, with a secondary consideration for PvP.
Every class is viable in endgame, though some will naturally perform better than others due to having higher skill floors and lower skill ceilings than others.
Mayhem Berserker, for example, has a very low skill floor and ceiling, making it easy to pick up and perform well with. Arcanist, on the other hand, while one of Lost Ark’s strongest classes, has one of the highest skill floors and ceilings, requiring a substantial amount of time investment and game knowledge to perform well with.
Whichever you decide to play, every role has two Class Engravings to choose from. These enable completely different playstyles and can vary wildly in damage output.
The tier list below takes both Engravings into account to deliver an overall rating. Check out our individual class guides for more information.
| TIER | CLASSES |
|---|---|
| S | Paladin / Artillerist / Artist / Breaker / Arcanist / Bard / Sorceress / Summoner / Soul Eater / Deathblade / Wardancer |
| A | Berserker / Destroyer / Gunlancer / Gunslinger / Slayer / Glaivier / Scrapper / Soulfist / Striker / Deadeye / Aeromancer |
| B | Shadowhunter / Reaper |
| C | Machinist / Sharpshooter |
Up in the S-tier is Paladin. This excellent Support class ensures your party’s main DPS can deal as much damage as possible in PvE. Their skills provide consistent damage buffs to the whole party and reduce damage with shields and healing abilities.
Paladin, and supports in general, has consistently been one of Lost Ark’s strongest classes. If you enjoy buffing and healing other players, Paladin, Artist, and Bard are the three classes you’ll want to consider.
Regardless of whether you choose Full Moon or Night’s Edge, both of Soul Eater’s Class Engravings are incredibly potent in Lost Ark’s current Tier 4 endgame, matched only in raw damage output by Breaker. Following a substantial rework, Wardancer performs well in Tier 4 with an accessible playstyle.
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Machinist and Sharpshooter, while more than capable of performing well in endgame PvE, remain bottom of the bunch due to both having considerably less survivability than other roles. For that reason, both require more encounter knowledge than most to avoid taking unnecessary damage.
Best Lost Ark classes for PvP
These are the best Lost Ark classes for PvP-oriented players:
| TIER | CLASSES |
|---|---|
| S | Paladin / Gunslinger / Deathblade / Shadowhunter |
| A | Destroyer / Slayer / Glaivier / Striker / Wardancer / Artillerist / Bard / Artist / Sorceress / Summoner / Reaper |
| B | Berserker / Gunlancer / Reaper / Deadeye / Machinist / Sharpshooter / Aeromancer / Arcanist |
| C | Soulfist / Scrapper |
When it comes to PvP, many may be a little baffled to see the Paladin at the top of the table. However, it’s essential to every 3v3 composition, skyrocketing up the tier list, but it also performs incredibly well in 1v1 brawls due to the balance between its offensive and healing abilities.
Also in the S-tier is Gunslinger. They may have low defense but have quick, cancellable abilities that grant unparalleled mobility – a quality that’s of utmost importance to avoid opponents’ attacks in PvP.
Rounding out the top three PvP classes is Deathblade, whose fast-paced combat and Assassin-style damage leave her foes in ribbons as she struts into the sunset without a scratch.
In terms of classes to avoid in PvP, we’d advise against the Soulfist and Scrapper.
Scrappers have high HP and solid mobility but their attack range is very short, and they’re limited when it comes to self-protection which can make them an easy target in PvP scenarios if you’re not careful.
Soulfist is also at the bottom of our rankings due to its high skill ceiling that’s difficult to master. It’s got solid mobility but so do a lot of other classes, and unless you’re looking for a challenge to get to grips with, we’d advise against it for PvP.
That’s our Lost Ark tier list of the best classes for each mode! Don’t forget to check out our rundown of characters and advanced classes while you’re here.