Last updated: 5 September 2026

Lords of the Fallen II Best Starting Class — What We Actually Know So Far

Your starting class sets your initial stats and gear in every Soulslike, and it's a natural thing to want to plan ahead for. The problem: as of September 2026, Hexworks has not shown or named Lords of the Fallen II's starting classes in any of its ten 'Lifting the Veil' dev-diary episodes or its Summer Game Fest 2026 trailer. What follows is what's actually confirmed about build variety, a clearly-labelled look at the 2023 original's class system for context (since the sequel is a direct continuation of that game, not a reboot), and general advice for choosing well once real class details arrive.

01What Hexworks Has Actually Confirmed About Classes and Builds

Across its dev diaries, CI Games has described Lords of the Fallen II as offering 'wide-ranging build flexibility' with 'numerous weapon classes, combat styles, armor, and character design options' for customising your Lampbearer. Confirmed new weapon types include a katana (revealed in the Summer Game Fest 2026 'Battle for Thorngar' trailer) and scythes, alongside the series' existing weapon variety.

What hasn't been shown: specific starting-class names, their stat spreads, or their starting equipment loadouts for the sequel. No preview footage or interview to date walks through a character-creation or class-select screen for Lords of the Fallen II.

If you see a guide (including earlier versions of this one) confidently naming sequel-specific classes like a 'Hallowed Knight archetype' or a 'Warwolf archetype' with detailed sequel stat priorities, treat it with real scepticism — those names come directly from the already-released 2023 original, and nothing in official pre-release material confirms they carry over unchanged, under the same names, or at all.

02For Context: How Classes Worked in the 2023 Original

Lords of the Fallen II is a direct, story-connected sequel — not a reboot — so the first game's systems are a reasonable (if unconfirmed) starting point for guessing at the sequel's approach. The 2023 original shipped with nine starting classes, each defining a starting stat spread and loadout, with full freedom afterward to invest level-up points into any attribute regardless of your starting pick:

• Hallowed Knight: sword and shield, highest starting Endurance — the game's own beginner recommendation.
• Udirangr Warwolf: sword and throwing weapons, highest starting Strength, heaviest starting weapon — high damage, less forgiving.
• Partisan: flail, shield, and crossbow, balanced Agility and Strength.
• Mournstead Infantry: spear and shield, Agility-focused.
• Blackfeather Ranger: axe and bow, Agility-focused.
• Exiled Stalker: dual daggers, highest starting Agility.
• Orian Preacher: hammer, shield, and catalyst, highest starting Radiance — the game's other commonly-recommended beginner pick, thanks to an early offensive Holy spell.
• Pyric Cultist: staff and catalyst, highest starting Inferno.
• Condemned: minimal gear, lowest starting stats across the board — a deliberate challenge-run option, not a first-playthrough pick.

The attributes behind these classes were Vitality, Endurance, Strength, Agility, Radiance, and Inferno. None of these class names or attribute names have been individually re-confirmed for Lords of the Fallen II — this section exists to show you what the franchise's baseline looks like, not to claim it will repeat exactly.

03One Fabrication Worth Correcting Directly: 'Wither' Is Not a Stat

Some pre-release guide content (including earlier drafts of guides on this site) describes 'Wither' as an attribute you invest level-up points into, tied to Umbral survivability. That's incorrect even for the 2023 original: Wither is a health mechanic, not a levelling stat. Certain hits — including your own blocked attacks — turn a portion of your HP bar grey; landing hits back recovers it, and taking further damage before recovering it loses that health permanently. There has never been an investable 'Wither' attribute in this series, and nothing in Lords of the Fallen II's previews suggests one has been added.

04How to Think About Your First Build, Given the Unknowns

Until Hexworks reveals Lords of the Fallen II's actual class select screen, here's advice that should hold up regardless of the exact names it uses:

• Favour survivability over raw damage for a first playthrough. In the 2023 original and across the Soulslike genre generally, a higher HP pool and stamina bar buys you room to learn enemy timing — this is unlikely to stop being true.
• A shield-and-melee loadout is traditionally the most forgiving entry point. Blocking gives you a defensive option that doesn't require perfect dodge timing, which is why the original's shield-and-sword class was its most recommended beginner pick.
• A Holy/Radiance-style caster with an early self-heal is traditionally the most forgiving magic entry point. The original's highest-Radiance class doubled as a solid beginner pick specifically because of early access to offensive and supportive Holy spells — expect a similar 'easy magic' option to exist in some form, even if its name changes.
• Avoid the 'blank slate, minimal stats' class on a first run. Every game in this style has one aimed at experienced players doing challenge runs; if the sequel includes an equivalent, save it for a repeat playthrough.
• Remember class choice usually isn't permanent. The original allowed full respeccing of level-up points via an NPC later in the game; starting class only ever locked your stat floor, not your build. There's no confirmation yet that the sequel keeps this exact respec system, but nothing in previews suggests classes will be a hard, permanent lock either.