Numerous leaks have unfortunately revealed a lot more about Elden Ring than FromSoftware wanted. Enemies, biomes, combat mechanics, and even the character creator tool have slowly trickled into the light after the massive datamine during its network test in November last year. Thankfully, there was still a part of the promotional content that the publisher could control – the reveal of two new character classes which will be available at launch. According to a tweet by the game's official handle, the Vagabond is a "knight exiled from their homeland to wander. A solid, armor-clad origin", while the Hero is "at home with a battleaxe, descended from a badlands chieftain." Not much else has been revealed about the two, besides the brief intros and images. The Vagabond looks like a knight whose glory days are behind them. Their armour is rusty and caked with dirt, covered only by a tattered cloak. A greatsword appears to be their weapon of choice, but there's also a short sword sheathed around their waist. The Hero looks like a quintessential barbarian, with a battleaxe and light hide armour that barely protects their torso.
As for the characters we do know about, five classes were available to try out during the network test. The Bloody Wolf looks like your everyday Souls character with a greatsword, medium armor, and a round shield to parry enemy attacks, while the Champion is a tank that focuses on heavy weapon damage and magical abilities. The Enchanted Knight excels in the Strength and Intelligence department, but their key attribute is a shield that absorbs 100 percent damage.
The Prophet – as the name suggests – is a magic focussed, ranged character with a penchant for Incantations. They also score the highest points in the Mind stat. Lastly, the Warrior is a high risk, high reward driven, close-combat specialist. Their high Endurance rating allows you to roll out of the way of enemy attacks while staying close enough to counter. You can check out our detailed guide for each of them before making your choice once the game launches.
Elden Ring is less than a month away – it launches on February 25 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.