There’s no character creation here. No spreading stat points or min-maxing attributes. When you start a run, you pick a Nightfarer. This choice sets your passive traits, active skill, ultimate art, and playstyle. Some are built for beginners. Others are brutally punishing unless you master their quirks.
If you’re thinking about using Guardian, Revenant, or Iron Eye, this guide will help you decide.
S Tier – The Most Reliable Nightfarers
Ironeye – Consistent, Safe, and Surprisingly Powerful
If you’re even remotely unsure who to pick, Ironeye is the default recommendation. He’s arguably the most beginner-friendly class, but still holds his own deep into high-tier runs.
His kit revolves around rapid ranged damage and mobility. His passive ability, Eagle Eye, boosts item drop rates for the whole party. While it may not seem significant, it can be quite beneficial in the early stages. His skill, Marking, creates a weak spot on enemies. This allows you and your allies to deal a lot of damage, especially to bosses. And his ultimate, Single Shot, fires a massive arrow through everything in its path. Time it right and you’ll chunk down multiple enemies—or land a devastating hit from halfway across the map.
He also has strong survivability despite a lower HP pool. He stays at a distance and doesn’t depend on FP for damage. This means you are rarely in danger. His dash skill helps him move through enemies and change position safely.
Iron Eye’s real strength? He can revive downed allies from range just by dealing damage. No FP. No close proximity. Just quick and effective support.
Raider – Durable Brawler with AoE Utility
Raider is for players who want to be in the thick of combat swinging big weapons, shrugging off hits, and controlling space.
His passive, Fighter’s Resolve, gives flinch resistance, letting him continue attacks even while being hit. His active skill, Retaliate, charges a counterattack. If you get hit while it’s charging, you release a powerful blow that can stagger enemies or break a boss’s guard. His ultimate, Totem Stela, slams a stone pillar into the ground. This pillar blocks projectiles and boosts nearby allies. Teammates can climb it for a high-ground advantage.
He’s not flashy, but he’s incredibly effective. Tanky enough to stay in melee range, strong enough to carry damage, and supportive enough to contribute team-wide.
Raider also has S-scaling in Strength, making him the most effective heavy weapon user in the game.
A Tier – High Potential, Higher Skill
Executor – Parry-Based Duelist with a Beast Form
Executor is a parry god. He uses a katana, and nearly every part of his kit is built around deflection. His passive and active systems create the Suncatcher. This is a special energy mechanic. It powers up when you time your perfect parries.
When done correctly, this helps you avoid attacks without losing stamina. You can also charge high-damage counterattacks and become almost untouchable against bosses. Once you activate his ultimate, he changes into an Aspect of the Crucible Beast. He gets a new moveset, more HP, and a melee form that hits many enemies at once. It’s flashy and deadly and can even revive allies by roaring near them.
The catch? If you’re not being targeted, you can’t deflect. That limits your damage and identity in group play. But solo? This class shines.
Recluse – Elemental Mage with Wild Combos
Recluse is a fragile spellcaster with enormous potential if you’re willing to learn her. She has the highest FP pool of any class, but one of the lowest HP totals. Her gameplay focuses on gathering elemental energy from both allies and enemies. She uses this energy to create surprising effects with her active skill, Magic Cocktail.
This cocktail system creates a rotating set of random spells. Sometimes it’s a freeze. Sometimes it boosts your speed. Every fourth cast triggers a bonus effect. It’s weird, flexible, and powerful if you memorize the good combos.
Her ultimate, Soulblood Song, marks a target. While that mark is active, damaging the enemy restores HP and FP for the entire party. It can even resurrect downed players if timed well.
If you enjoy creating theories or love different spells, Recluse offers strong utility and damage. However, it lacks good defenses.
Revenant – Necromancer Support with Summons and Invulnerability
Revenant is another caster, but one built around summons and survival. Her passive lets her automatically raise the spirits of defeated enemies. These minions pull aggro, buy you space, and do light damage. You also get to manually summon one of three spectral family members:
- Helen – fast but fragile; high burst
- Frederick – slow, tanky; breaks guards
- Sebastian – holds position, absorbs damage
These choices let you adapt to different bosses and situations. Her spells get stronger with Faith. In general, incantations do more damage than most sorceries in Nightreign. This is especially true when your summons distract the enemies.
Her ultimate, Immortal March, revives downed allies and grants 15 seconds of invincibility to the team. Used correctly, it can bypass entire boss phases.
She’s hard to use early. Low HP, no FP regen unless you stock Starlight Shards, and clunky melee when out of juice. But she’s unmatched in late-game support.
B Tier – Great for Learning, but Not Long-Term
Guardian – The True Tank
Guardian is a wall. He starts with the highest HP in the game, a greatshield, and a halberd. His passive, Steel Guard, improves block stance. His skill, Whirlwind, pushes enemies away and deflects projectiles, making it an excellent way to protect teammates.
His ultimate, Wings of Salvation, lets him leap and slam the ground. This creates a healing zone that revives allies inside and blocks incoming damage.
The downsides? His dodge is terrible. He’s slow. His damage is usually the lowest in the group. And in well-organized parties where no one dies, his revive-based ultimate goes to waste.
Guardian works best with randoms. In high-level coordinated teams, he just doesn’t bring enough.
Wylder – Safe, Balanced, and a Bit Boring
Wylder is the jack-of-all-trades pick. His passive, Sixth Sense, lets him survive a fatal blow once per expedition (and resets at Sites of Grace). His skill, Clawshot, is a grappling hook that pulls enemies or lets you swing across terrain. His ultimate, Onslaught Stake, is a big explosive bolt that deals massive stance damage.
He’s extremely forgiving. Easy to pick up. But once you learn the game, his ceiling is noticeably lower than others.
If you don’t know what to choose, Wilder’s a great safety net. Just don’t expect him to carry a team.
C Tier – High Skill, Low Return
Duchess – Stylish Rogue with Invisibility and Rewinds
Duchess looks amazing. She flips, sidesteps, and blinks across the battlefield. Her passive, Magnificent Pose, improves dodge i-frames and movement speed. Her skill, Restage, lets her replay the last few seconds of damage she dealt, basically doubling her burst if timed right.
And her ultimate, Finale, turns her entire team invisible for 10 seconds. That can let you reposition, escape, or line up backstabs. Sounds amazing… but rarely matters.
She has very low HP. Her utility is niche. And if your team isn’t coordinating perfectly, she ends up feeling fragile and ineffective.
You can make her work. But for most players, she’s just too risky.
Final Verdict
Elden Ring: Nightreign doesn’t just ask you to pick a class—it asks you to live it. Your choice defines your run, your role, and your chances of survival.
- Start safe? Pick Iron Eye or Raider.
- Want high-skill mastery? Try Executor, Recluse, or Revenant.
- Just exploring the game? Wilder and Guardian will keep you upright.
- Feeling bold? Then go full rogue with Duchess, just don’t say we didn’t warn you.
