Demon's Souls has ten 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.

RELATED: Awesome Side Quests Hidden In Demon’s Souls PS5

Nevertheless, choosing one of Demon's Souls' best starting classes will propel a player through game more quickly than if they spend time figuring out their preferred playstyle with a sub-optimal one. When starting Demon's Souls 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 May 12, 2023 by Erik Petrovich: In the hands of good players, every Demon's Souls classes can perform well, but when it comes to Demon's Souls' best starting class for beginners, it's a bit nuanced. The Priest, for example, has the potential to be one of the best Demon's Souls classes, but in the hands of someone new to FromSoftware's game design, it will likely not go well. Spend some time going over each of these ten Demon's Souls classes, their starting equipment and otherwise, as it will likely determine the direction a player's build goes. The truly indecisive – or those who don't care and want to get into Boletaria faster – can instead make a gut decision based on each class' flavor text.

10 Priest

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.

A soldier of the church that believes in the God of this world. This is a tough character that is equipped with chain mail and shield. They can heal themselves with miracles, but their lack of dexterity makes them poor at handling advanced weapons.

9 Soldier

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.

A low-class soldier that always stands at the frontline of battlegrounds. This is the standard soldier type with especially high vitality and hard armor. Besides a straight sword, they are equipped with a spear, thus broadening their battle style.

8 Barbarian

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.

A person from a primitive civilization. Out of all the classes, they have the highest Soul level, vitality, endurance, and strength, but their initial equipment is the worst. They have no armor and their only weapon is a club.

7 Thief

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.

RELATED: Demon's Souls Remake: Best Weapons To Use Early On

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.

They are hired by royalty and engage in dirty jobs. This character is good at sneaky tactics such as surprise attacks, ambushes, and critical attacks after parrying. They have very good luck.

6 Magician

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.

A commoner that officially learned spells. They have already learned two spells, called "Flame Toss" and "Water Veil". Since their weapon is small and they lack in defense, they don't do too well with hand-to-hand combat.

5 Hunter

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.

A specialist at outdoor activities. Their specialty is making long rang sniping attacks with a long bow. They are also equipped with leather armor and a battle axe, so they are well balanced overall.

4 Wanderer

The Wanderer class is 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.

RELATED: Tips To Make An Overpowered Mage In Demon’s Souls PS5

All things considered, the Wanderer is the better choice for players who want to make a Dexterity-reliant build, while the Thief is better for those who want build their Intelligence throughout the game.

A lightly equipped soldier that continues an aimless journey. They have especially high dexterity and are skilled at using a curved sword. They also have high luck, but because their initial equipment is shabby, they are weak to attacks.

3 Royalty

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.

A person of royal descent who has officially learned spells. They use the spell "Soul Arrow." Their Soul level is the worst and begins as 1, but they are the only class that begins equipped with a rare ring.

2 Knight

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.

A knight class of a rather advanced area of southern Boletaria. This is a character that is equipped with hard metal armor and shield, and thus, excels in defense, but because they have low luck, it will be difficult to obtain items.

1 Temple Knight

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).

A special knight that protects the temple of God. They are heavily clad soldiers wearing white armor with the name of the now lost first temple and mow down enemies with halberd. They can heal themselves with miracles as well.

Demon's Souls is available exclusively for PlayStation 5

MORE: Demon's Souls: Best Souls Farming Locations