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Lost Ark Tier List for PVP and PVE – Best Classes
Welcome everyone to our tier list for Lost Ark.
Before we start, I would like to say that we believe that people can play any game in a non-meta way and be amazing.
We have seen everything from one trick players of underrated champs to non-fotm classes.
To learn how to play the newest mage sub-class, check out our Lost Ark Arcanist guide.
Our PVP tier list was created with the help of several expert players: Neeko2lo, Katana Zera, Blinkz, and Sh1chisu, check them out!
Click below to jump to a section:
PvE Tier List
Remember that the player is more important than the selection. This is doubly so for Lost Ark. Everything can do great damage and is viable and awesome, so pick what you enjoy and master it.
That being said, we love tier lists. Everybody loves talking about what they think is strong- it’s human nature. For me, it’s the strong intellectual discourse that comes from contextualizing all options and understanding what is best in what situation.
I find that deep-diving into those discussions leads to a strong mastery of the game, which makes it easier to understand the direction changes will affect the evolution of gameplay.
For PVE Lost Ark players, here is your class tier list:
| Tier | Classes |
|---|---|
| S | Bard, Destroyer, Gunlancer, Paladin |
| A | Arcanist, Glavier, Gunslinger, Striker, Wardancer, Artillerist, Shadowhunter, Berserker, Deathblade, Scrapper, Sorceress |
| B | Deadeye, Soulfist, Sharpshooter |
Below, this infographic organizes the PVE tier list by difficulty of picking up each class:
S-Tier
In Lost Ark, S stands for support. Jokes aside, classes in this category bring unique contributions to the group content you are doing and are almost always effective, regardless of the skill level of the player.
That doesn’t mean that a top tier player can’t get way more out of it – it just means that the average joe will still bring a lot to the table. You can see that the classes currently in S-tier just have a ton of versatility.
Paladin
Paladins are a tanky support class that is amazing at optimizing group DPS in the right hands. They can protect the party and cleanse debuffs and their support is constant with great uptime.
On top of that, they do damage and they can counter the boss easily with one of two counters available to them. The one downside is that his actual healing is lacking unlike the other support class in the game.
Paladins can be effective with minimal decision-making, and thus are easy to pick up.
Bard
Bards do excellent AOE damage, and although they are squishy, the buffs that they provide have high utility, including a powerful damage buff.
They can do more healing than the other support class, the Paladin, and afford the player a more versatile playstyle based on their chords and the decisions you make there.
Due to that and the fact that you have to anticipate mechanics with her CC shield, rather than react with cleanse, make her a harder character to play effectively, although still effective in the hands of a beginner.
Gunlancer
Gunlancers are the tankiest class in the game, and on top of that they can do amazing damage. The fact that they can support their team makes them incredibly versatile as well.
A good Gunlancer can shield their team, debuff and break the boss’s armor, stagger and counter the boss, and use their taunt to stop the boss’s deadly moves all while being an invincible damage machine.
A bad Gunlancer can do damage and die less than another class- there’s a lot of decision-making with this class.
Destroyer
A durable melee class that needs to uses slow hitting melee attacks at the perfect distance to demolish their enemies. Destroyer’s can be difficult to play against some bosses because of how hard it can be to line up your attacks at that right distance but it’s extremely satisfying when you do.
This class is perfect for player’s that want to feel like a powerful warrior. If this class appeals to you and you enjoy the playstyle then go for it. All classes in Lost Ark are viable regardless of their spot on a list.
A-Tier
Most classes in A-tier are pretty equal in power level, with some of these being a little easier to get value out of and others a little more effort required. Whatever you pick here will excel in PVE content.
Arcanist
Arcanist has good damage (or maybe insane damage if cards are good) and her crit synergy is the best one out there. However, she has nothing else, only very little stagger and weak point.
She’s not S for little utility and very squishy to the point where you feel any hit you take, and the class is VERY difficult to learn or to master. She’s not anywhere below because the damage is actually good (but only if you play correctly, otherwise it is non-existant).
Glavier
Glavier is the first new class being added to the Western version of Lost Ark. It’s the 4th martial artist and stands apart due to its signature weapon and stance swapping.
This placement is based on high-level player perceptions from the Korean and Russian versions of the game but we will adjust accordingly based on Western players after its release.
Berserker
The squishiest warrior class in the game has very high damage and is easy to pick up and play. However learning when to commit with the long animations and cooldowns makes this deceptively hard to master, so there is plenty of depth.
Due to the nature of Mayhem, this class is one of the most budget friendly in the game allowing you to use cheap potions for max efficiency.
Sorceress
Being the class that is most familiar to players coming from other games who want to play as mages, Sorcerers are easy to pick up and play.
You have plenty of AOE and single target damage, and can burst with the best of them if you set up the Ignition playstyle.
If more mobility is your thing, Reflux still allows you to do damage while having room for error. Learning boss mechanics and the animation canceling will go a long way to mastering the class and being effective.
Deathblade
Very powerful melee damage dealing class with multiple playstyles and a great synergy for other melee players. You have the choice between two playstyles, Surge and Remaining Energy.
Both are strong and the former is super easy to pick up and play, and cheap to make effective over the long term.
It’s hard not to think this class is always useful and super effective in the hands of a master.
Shadowhunter
Powerful class with high self-sustain because of its awesome demon form. There are two ways to play the class- maximizing uptime in demon form build or a non-transformation build.
Both have their advantages and disadvantages, but you need to make sure you set up the class properly for each.
Although it’s relatively simple to pick up and play, this means that getting the most of it requires proper planning.
Scrapper
Extremely well-rounded class that has a lot of variety across her two playstyles, but still has a straightforward kit that feels good to play.
She can do it all: good damage, good stagger, great mobility, resilient, strong weak point damage, and one of the best counters in the game. What’s not to like?
Wardancer
This super agile class can be very comfortable to play and has high damage. Not as straightforward as her Scrapper counterpart, her true potential comes from her 6-second major damage buff window, so a lot of your play will be built around that if you want to be sweaty.
That means you really have to know when to hold your skills and how to do the rotation, and thus may find yourself auto-attacking a lot. This class also scales well with gear as they get into T3.
Striker
The male counterpart to the Wardancer with a key difference: he is not bound to that same 6-second damage window that she is.
His Esoteric Flurry playstyle is relatively easy to play and not as reliant on gear as the Deathblow setup, which can scale well into the later tiers.
Great damage output and top-of-the-line counters make this an effective class to play for most players willing to put in the time and effort.
Gunslinger
The female counterpart to the Deadeye with three guns that give this class plenty of versatility.
Her Peacemaker build allows her to play a style that uses all three weapons, and her shotgun feels great because unlike the Deadeye she can be effective at all angles.
She can even play a mid to long range build that ignores the shotgun in favor of the pistols and sniper rifle.
A great class for players that want a challenge and be flexible enough to attack from any range and angle.
Artillerist
If you wanted to be a ranged Gunlancer, this class fulfills that dream, with high personal defense and excellent stagger damage.
Although they are reliable and likely won’t die, their damage can be a little unreliable. They have burst that functions much like the Sorc, in the sense that it has to be set up and can miss due to the delay and boss movements.
When players don’t know the boss well, this class can end up being more difficult to excel at.
B-Tier
These classes can be just as powerful as the rest but the average player will have trouble getting the most value out of them. They just require more effort to perform compared to their counterparts.
Soulfist
The class that is famous for the Spirit Bomb. The iconic Soulfist ability does the most damage in the game but takes 5 seconds to prime, leading to many frustrating misses.
With two distinct playstyles and both ranged and melee specialization, mastering this class can feel a little clunky, but it does have great scaling into the later tiers. However, if you do master it, you will be doing some of the highest damage in the game.
Sharpshooter
If there is one class that is hell-bent on being a ranged damage dealer in the classic way, this is it. Unfortunately, Lost Ark boss mechanics do require you to go into melee occasionally.
Additionally, the Sharpshooter’s two strongest skills require you to be stationary which means that you need to carefully assess the situation before committing.
That leaves you with an easy class to enjoy that doesn’t excel in one specific area, but mastery will make you similarly effective to other ranged damage dealers.
Deadeye
A ranged damage class that focuses on being in melee range and positioning well so they get the proper damage modifier from Shotgun back attacks.
Deadeyes are a very challenging class to play, and can be satisfying to master. Despite that effort, it may feel like you would just have equivalent results of a more simple class.
If the class really vibes with you and you enjoy the playstyle though, don’t feel like you shouldn’t invest in it! Just like everything else in Lost Ark, the top tier potential of all classes is in the same stratosphere, this one just has a tough climb!
PvP Tier List
This tier list is focused on solo queue ranked, as no other modes are in the game for competitive players.
It does take into account team dynamics, but coordinated teams are the exception not the norm in most of the PvP at the moment. This is not a tier list for the upper echelons of play and world tournaments.
This is also not an end all be all tier list, but merely a place to put discussion up so people can understand the strengths and weaknesses of classes and how they are perceived in the meta.
The result was obtained through the work of several experts: Neeko2lo, Katana Zera, Blinkz, and Sh1chisu.
For PVP Lost Ark players, these classes and rankings are for you:
| Tier | Classes |
|---|---|
| S | Paladin, Gunslinger, Deathblade, Bard, Sorcerer, Shadowhunter |
| A | Arcanist, Destroyer, Glaivier, Soulfist, Gunlancer, Striker/Wardancer, Berserker, Artillerist |
| B | Deadeye, Soulfist, Sharpshooter |
Below, this infographic organizes the PVP tier list by difficulty of picking up each class:
S-Tier
The classes here are the ones that you will probably see more often because they are easy for players to grasp and get some good results because they don’t need good coordination to do well in a 3 v 3 environment. They also need good coordination to counter them, usually.
Deathblade
One of the easiest classes to play and get results on. She has tons of protection and ways to get out of trouble, her skills have big hit boxes allowing her to easily get damage in, and she is fast enough to go in or out of the skirmish easily.
This makes her great in all situations: isolated combat and team fights. Oh and she has great burst damage.
As a melee, she has to commit and can be punished by players who know how they work and can see the setup coming. If her cooldowns are wasted in the commit, it will take her a while to be effective again.
Paladin
Very strong support that can do some great DPS too with their strong identity skill. They have lots of knockdowns, and hence are definitely the most offensive of the support classes.
They are made to be plaid aggressively, and use their damage mitigation skills to help their team.
Their lack of super armor skills makes them vulnerable to better players who can lock them down during their critical skills. Since they have to be melee to be effective, it presents opportunities for the enemy to do that.
Gunslinger
Can do damage up close or far away, but is much better at range. This makes her a very safe and effective class to get results with. Playing against these classes for the first time in the arena may feel like playing against Dante from Devil May Cry. Great players can 100-0 players caught out alone with their combos quite easily.
However, they are fragile, and good teams can make sure to protect their teammates and peel/interrupt the gunslinger who overcommits. They also don’t do much to support their team, but we all know that more damage is the best support right?
Bard
This is the definitive heal support class of the game. As a backline pure support with a huge amount of healing and damage reduction skills. They have a buff that allows their team to have CC immunity, making them invaluable in team arena engages/retreats.
Very fragile that when caught out can take lethal damage. If the player isn’t experienced in enemy knowledge they may use their best cooldowns at the wrong time and not have them up for critical events.
Sorcerer
She is an amazing ranged enabler with tons of CC to help her team control the battlefield. She is very safe, and although she doesn’t have burst she has consistent damage she can land for great damage throughout the course of the match.
A master sorceress can do top damage, peel, and take almost no damage, this class is for you.
Novice sorcerers who go ham can get caught out easily, and since this class lacks mobility it can be very punishing for such a fragile class.
Shadow Hunter
Unlike the other assassin subclass, the Shadow Hunters feels like a bit of a hybrid class with ranged damage and peel. This allows her to stay safe and still be effective.
Don’t think she doesn’t have great mobility and melee burst because of this – she does. Can be totally unstoppable in demon form and more fit for a harassment playstyle than her counterpart.
She has fewer super armors outside of Demon Form, and that makes her a bit more vulnerable to interrupting and punishing.
A -Tier
Classes here are just as strong as the S-tier classes. They just are either harder to get the most value out of or have exploitable weaknesses that require team comps built around them to mitigate.
Arcanist
Arcanist has very good CC, damage, zoning, and solid mobility. She can also 100-0 people if the cards are good. However, she isn’t S because of too much RNG and her difficulty level to play correctly. Even though she has a lot of CC it is difficult to catch people with it because it is not instant.
Destroyer
Destroyer has an extremely strong Identity, is very punishing with amazing damage, good amount of shields, along with immunity and CC. It generates a lot of pressure, especially with the Enduring pain skill. Its biggest downside, of course, is that it’s very slow, but if you watch Yie or Elr you can see its potential.
Glavier
Melee class that does extremely high damage if they can catch you but they can sometimes have difficulty starting combos players because their main engage doesn’t have a super armor.
They have great mobility as well as a parry gives them some good defensive options to bait opponents. It’s a class that really lets you express your own individual skill and style.
Soul Fist
Amazingly well-rounded class with great melee burst and ranged peel. She also has great mobility and team defensive buffs too! One of the hardest classes to play effectively, but unstoppable in the hands of a master.
Not a great duelist because of her lack of super armor, making her easy to interrupt. She has clear times when she is strong and weak because of how her identity skill works. She’s a wet noodle when it’s at stage 1, and insane Super Saiyan when it’s max.
Gunlancer
No surprise here on what they do in PvP. They are a very tanky support that excels at protecting and peeling off their team. Their infinite super armor makes them able to do what they want too.
They even have some great damage to boot with their surge cannon.
This is a slow and immobile class that struggles if you play around it. It is a master of counter-engaging and almost worthless at engaging.
Striker/Wardancer
These two classes are very similar in that they have low cooldowns and plenty of opportunities to do something, and can be more limited by mana rather than cool downs. Very fun to play since they have plenty of mobility and opportunities. Striker tends to be more damage and damage reduction focused, and striker is a bit more mobile.
They have to commit, and they don’t have that many resistances, so they can easily be caught over-extended, which is very dangerous.
Berserker
The Berserker is a class that feels very satisfying IF you can get into someone’s face and do big damage. They are masters of opportunity and you need to use their immunity skills at the right time to do the deed.
Their shoulder charge is quick and sets them up real well, and is the bane of newer players since it’s hard to react to.
However, all of the above makes them predictable and kiteable. This is especially true considering they have long cooldowns and high mana costs, meaning that they get less chances to do their job.
Artillerist
This is the tankiest ranged class and their defensive nature makes them hard to engage on. They have some of the highest damage combos in the game, and can really take advantage of newbies who are more likely to overcommit and get caught out of position.
They really excel in well-supported teams. Despite their tankiness they don’t have much super armor, and this makes them very vulnerable to being interrupted during their high commit combos. Their immobility makes them more likely to be out of position.
B -Tier
Classes here can still be as strong as the rest. They likely have a class that fills a similar function more easily or without their weakness in the higher tiers. They also require more learning to get to the same point on the value chain.
Deadeye
Is a more limited version of the Gunslinger who is only effective at melee and not ranged. Although this makes them less safe and versatile, if, in their right opportunity state, they can really wreak havoc just like their Gunslinger counterpart.
They have all the same weaknesses as the Gunslinger. They are fragile and if caught overcommitting, will be punished severely.
Scrapper
The ultimate rush-down character. They have a ton of mobility skills and can get in close, knock you down, and do some big burst damage. Can hold their own vs anyone in 1v1.
Just like other Martial Artists, they have to commit to do work. This allows them to get caught overextended easily. Combine this with needing a lot of setup for the burst, and it makes it hard to be effective vs good teams.
Sharpshooter
This class feels more like a ranged enabler that can set up themselves and their team for success. They are great at peeling and they are very slippery themselves. Their biggest damage comes from Snipe, which is a long-range charge-up that does HUGE damage when it crits making it feel a little RNG.
Can feel inconsistent in their playstyle because of the amount of setup needed to land their best moves. They have several key moves that, if interrupted, make them ineffective for a long period of time.
Methodology
Let’s talk about how this tier list is set up. There are three tiers: S, A, and B. Classes are placed in each tier based on a number of factors:
Class Difficulty
- Think skill floor and skill ceiling. How hard is the class to be effective with and how hard is it to master?
Class Versatility
- How much can the class do? Is it easily replaceable? Is it always useful or sometimes? Do other classes do the same role and bring more?
Overall Power Level
- If it actually is the case that the class is just so much stronger than others, this will be noted. Current Lost Ark is pretty well balanced from our understanding, but it could be the case that future patches may change depending on the content that needs to be tackled.
If you agree/disagree with anything or want to have a good discussion, feel free to let us know in the comments below or come join our Discord and chat!
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