Fans don’t yet know if a potential Bloodborne 2 will ever materialize, but there’s one thing they can say: the original offers more than enough replay value to keep FromSoftware enthusiasts coming back. Diabolically difficult as the game may be, it’s such a thrill to devise a new build and journey back into Yharnam to try a completely different approach.

RELATED: 10 Dark Souls & Bloodborne Memes That Are Too Hysterical For Words

Simply deciding to use a new weapon can make a big difference to how you approach a playthrough, but what if you really want to go for something radical, like a predominantly magic-based character? Whichever playstyle you’re considering, you’ll want to start things off with the right character class. To help with that, here’s a guide to each class’s backstory and stats.

9 Milquetoast

It’s understandable that anyone would be feeling a little milquetoast on stepping into Yharnam’s mysterious streets, but let’s take a closer look at this, the jack-of-all-trades class. Its in-game description reads, “Ordinary, happy upbringing. All attributes average.” This is reflected in the character’s starting stats, of course, with 11 Vitality, 10 Endurance, 12 Strength, 10 Skill, 9 Bloodtinge, and 8 Arcane (plus 300 Blood Echoes and 100 Discovery).

Like most classes, this character starts at level 10 and has 60 stat points in total. If you’re shooting for something specific, a more dedicated class (Cruel Fate for a starting boost to Arcane, for instance) would probably suit you better, but for more versatile builds using multiple different weapons/only dabbling in magic, Milquetoast could be the way to go.

8 Lone Survivor

Well, there weren’t going to be many classes with happy origins in a title like Bloodborne, were there? The first tragic tale is that of the Lone Survivor, which the game describes as the “lone survivor of a lost hamlet. High life essence and vigor.”

Whatever happened to this poor, traumatized soul’s hamlet, they clearly made lemonade out of those lemons. With 14 Vitality, 11 Endurance, 11 Strength, 10 Skill, 7 Bloodtinge, and 7 Arcane (plus 420 Blood Echoes and 100 Discovery), a Lone Survivor trades a little starting Arcane and Bloodtinge for the ability to be a bit harder. If high stamina and HP (the highest starting HP, in fact) while retaining some of that flexibility appeals, this class will suit you well.

7 Troubled Childhood

Next up, there's the sad story of the Troubled Childhood Class. Gamers are told that they “suffered misfortune in youth [but are] highly resilient as a result.” What doesn’t kill you actually makes you an excellent candidate for the use of skill-based weapons.

RELATED: 5 Ways Bloodborne Is The Best Dark Souls Spinoff (& 5 It’s Sekiro)

This class begins with 9 Vitality, 14 Endurance, 9 Strength, 13 Skill, 6 Bloodtinge, and 9 Arcane (360 Blood Echoes and 103 Discovery). Low Strength and Vitality makes them poor choices for those who like slow, hard-hitting weapons, but perhaps the best starter class for users of swift, speedy weapons like the Threaded Cane or Blade of Mercy. You’ll need to 'git gud' and become confident in your ability to evade attacks with that low health, though!

6 Violent Past

The Kirkhammer in Bloodborne

This tragic individual, the game reports, has a “terribly violent past.” This has made them “rash, but stronger for it.” Whichever horrors befell them, they seem to have come out on the other side as the opposite of the Troubled Childhood class. Where they seem tailored towards Skill weapons, Violent Past is all about slow, devastating attacks.

This class’s starting stats are 12 Vitality, 11 Endurance, 15, Strength, 9 Skill, 6 Bloodtinge, 7 Arcane, and 100 Discovery, with 180 Blood Echoes. They’re no great shakes with magical attacks and their gun damage will be lacking with that low Bloodtinge, but they boast the highest starting Strength in the game. For a melee-centric playstyle revolving around crushing attacks with the Kirkhammer and the like, Violent Past is a great choice.

5 Professional

Bloodborne Blade Of Mercy

Like Troubled Childhood, this class is also a tricky one for newer players. Its backstory reads, “born specialist, fit for sleuthing or academia,” but this learned character isn’t the magic expert players might expect them to be.

With 9 Vitality, 12 Endurance, 9 Strength, 15 Skill, 7 Bloodtinge, and 8 Arcane (along with 240 Blood Echoes and the standard 100 Discovery), they’re perfectly suited to wielding Skill-based weapons. Just as with Troubled Childhood, they have low starting HP too, which couples with the combo-centric style of Skill weapons (they’ll have lots of Stamina for attacks with that relatively high Endurance) to make this perhaps more of an expert class.

4 Military Veteran

There’s little room for misinterpretation with the Miltary Veteran. Bloodborne describes them as “experienced in war. A soldier with strength and skill.” Which stats do they excel in? Well… Strength and Skill, funnily enough.

RELATED: The 5 Most Powerful Bosses In Bloodborne (& The 5 Weakest)

This class has 10 Vitality, 10 Endurance, 14 Strength, 13 Skill, 7 Bloodtinge, and 6 Arcane (along with 100 Discovery and 320 Blood Echoes). Again, magic and gun damage aren’t their strong suits, but they have the second-highest starting Strength and Skill (tying with three other classes in the latter case). This gives players a lot of freedom to wield weapons on both sides of the spectrum, as well as so-called ‘quality’ weapons that use an equal mix of both stats (such as the super strong and ever-popular Ludwig’s Holy Blade).

3 Noble Scion

The Noble Scion is among Bloodborne’s most unique and difficult classes to get to grips with. Their backstory makes a Noble Scion player a “scion to a respectable line with faith in your pedigree,” which seems to translate to something of a ranged fighter.

This class has a stat spread of 7 Vitality, 8 Endurance, 9 Strength, 13 Skill, 14 Bloodtinge, and 9 Arcane. They also have a slightly higher than average 103 Discovery and 240 Blood Echoes. The highest starting Bloodtinge –over twice as high as some classes—makes them great for gun damage, or for using the Tricked mode of the Chikage or Bloodletter. If you’re going for a popular Chikage and Evelyn build, Noble Scion would suit that very well and you’ll be tearing through bosses. The class shares the second-highest starting magic proficiency in the game to boot.

2 Cruel Fate

A Call Beyond in Bloodborne

At last, it's the class best suited to fans of the magical weapons of the Dark Souls series. The in-game description of this class is “faced terrible hardships, but now confident in your purpose,” which apparently translates to mage class agogo.

This class has the highest base Discovery of all, at 119, which gives the player a slightly higher chance of item drops from enemies. Besides this, the stat spread is 10 Vitality, 12 Endurance, 10 Strength, 9 Skill, 5 Bloodtinge, and 14 Arcane. These are rather average to middling across the board, though that very high Arcane stat (by starting class standards) is the primary reason to choose Cruel Fate. Arcane builds really don’t have many resources available in the early game, but can be very, very powerful later when Arcane-based weapons and Hunter Tools (the game’s equivalent of magic spells) start to become available. Another one for more experienced players.

1 Waste Of Skin

Finally, it's the class that starts in the weakest position by far. The only one that isn’t level 10 (its only level 4) and the only one that doesn’t have 60 stat points overall (just 54). They begin with a meager 10 Blood Echoes and the backstory “you are nothing. Talentless. You shouldn’t have been born.”

Well, gamers weren't having any of that. Waste of Skin characters should know that they have the most potential of any class. With ‘extra’ points to distribute (being a lower starting level), players have more potential to customize their build as they like. The class starts with 10 Vitality, 9 Endurance, 10 Strength, 9 Skill, 7 Bloodtinge, and 9 Arcane, making it a viable choice for expert players who want to tinker with and perfect their build to their preferences. Don't listen to that snark for one moment.

NEXT: Ghost Of Tsushima: 10 Advanced Tactics Dark Souls Fans Can Use