In Vermintide 2, choosing a class is only half the battle. Once you've selected one of the four classes, you then have the choice of specializing with that class or branching out into another career. Each class and career has a particular niche in battle and can be very useful, both for you as an individual, as well as your team.
While any class/career can be used to devastating effect, there are some that are better suited for the task. Whether it’s devastating abilities, team support, standalone potential, or simple convenience, here are how the Vermintide 2 classes and careers stack up right now.
Updated February 5th, 2022 by Matthew Mckeown: Vermintide 2 has gone through a lot of changes since it first appeared on our screens back in early 2018. This suitably grim and gruesome Warhammer hack and slash game took everything that made its predecessor successful and then improved upon it a hundredfold.
With multiple map packs, a fun roguelike mode with the Winds of Magic, and a multiple map spanning adventure mode into the fabled Chaos Wastes, the game is now absolutely packed full of co-op carnage. With a new Career in the form of the Warrior Priest, there’s never been a better time to try out Vermintide 2. There's been a lot of Career rebalancing going on since the last update, so for beginners just getting started, or Veterans that have missed a few nerfs, here’s every Class and Career Ranked in terms of usefulness.
19 Battle Wizard
The Battle Wizard is perhaps the weakest pick in the game due to the fact that the other two careers at Sienna’s disposal are much better choices. Pyromancer is brutal against single targets and Unchained is an absolute beast. Battle Wizard does have some interesting AOE spells, but the real hindrance comes from the buffs.
They only trigger while she’s not actively damaging opponents, which many argue is the point of a fighting intensive game like Vermintide 2. Battle Wizard is the default class for Sienna and remains available throughout the game. Her role is to corral enemies into manageable groups and deal damage to them all simultaneously. It’s a lot like herding cats. But, if it's done well, it can turn the tide of battle.
18 Huntsman
The Huntsman is one of the weakest ranged classes in the game and has the annoying requirement of needing to land headshots to do damage. However, the regain ammo perk for each headshot is handy. If you make a go of this class, you’ll want to equip firearms, spam the stealth abilities, and work on your aim. Getting consistent headshots makes this class more useful, whereas missing them makes it a liability.
The Huntsman Career is unlocked after Kruber reaches level seven as a Mercenary. It’s a different role from the Mercenary, as a Huntsman Kruber is expected to fight from afar with ranged weapons. He’s shed some of his defensive abilities, which means mobility and evasion are key to staying alive.
17 Foot Knight
The Foot Knight is a mix of support and tank that causes it to pale in comparison to specialists. The tank side has good stamina and defense bonuses but can’t hold a candle to the Zealot or Ironbreaker. The Auras are decent support for teammates, but it’s nothing compared to the Mercenary.
There is also a problem of low DPS output with this class. Having said that, smashing the front lines can be very satisfying. The Foot Knight career is available after reaching level 12. It comes after Mercenary and Huntsman. Foot Knight leans into the Mercenary’s inherent abilities. This role is more aggressive and the support lent to allies is more passive, so it's best for players who want to fight more and support less.
16 Sister Of The Thorn
Sister Of The Thorn is a premium class reserved for Kerillian with the DLC. It makes her a master at crowd control thanks to a wall of thorns that can box enemies in. This makes for great synergy with classes like the Pyromancer or Grail Knight that can obliterate waves of enemies.
Unfortunately without a heavy damage dealer, the Sister Of The Thorn is merely delaying the inevitable. She can keep a horde of enemies at bay, but strong opponents can burst through the thorn wall and cause serious havoc. The key is to work in tandem with crowd killers or buy time for healers to get everyone back on their feet.
15 Shade
Shade is a ruthless assassin with insta-kill abilities against standard opponents and a 50% buff to damage against stronger foes. Positioning is key, and being caught flatfooted has some serious repercussions. But, if she can maintain her stealth, she can weave through the enemy lines, assassinate someone or do some serious damage, then slip away. This is probably the best class for boss killing.
The Shade career is unlocked after level 12 and comes after Handmaiden and Waystalker. The Shade is a boss and special unit killer, plain and simple. She’ll dart in and out of battle slicing and dicing where she can, but her true role is to plant her daggers in the backs of those making the most trouble for her allies.
14 Mercenary
The Mercenary is a great support class. It has phenomenal crowd control abilities and provides a hefty health bonus for nearby allies. Put a halberd in the Mercenary’s hands to damage opponents at range, deal great crit chance buffs, and kite enemies for maximum effect.
The Mercenary is Kruber’s default class and is available for the entire game. The Mercenary is best if played aggressively while fighting in close quarters alongside allies. His role is to back up the other frontline fighters both with steel and supportive abilities.
13 Ranger Veteran
The Ranger Veteran is the class that will perform most consistently over the course of the entire battle. It’s not really specialized for crowds, bosses, or single targets, making it decent in any given fight. This isn’t bad by any means, as it’ll be useful at all times, it just means the Ranger Veteran won’t ever really shine.
It’s easy to pick up, has great support abilities, and smoke bombs are an easy way to get out of sticky situations. It’s neither a good pick nor a bad pick. It's merely the safe pick. Ranger Veteran is the default class of Bardin. Ranger Veteran is versatile to every situation, which is how it should be played. You should fight from afar if the frontline is holding its own and rush forward if it falls.
12 Waystalker
There’s nothing inherently wrong with the Waystalker, it’s just that there are better Vermintide 2 classes that push this one down in usefulness. This class has great ammo capacity and is well suited to use either bows, daggers, or a mixture of both.
The passive healing ability is great when it triggers but isn’t something that can be relied upon, as it only triggers when her health is below 50%. Waystalker is the default class of Kerillian and is meant to hang back and fight from a distance. Thanks to passive health regen, Kerillian stays alive by retreating to a safe distance to heal and fire more arrows. The daggers should only be used if she runs out of arrows, and that should never happen.
11 Unchained
The Unchained class has taken Sienna’s magical prowess and turned it inward to make her a powerful melee fighter. She can tank a lot of damage with damage reduction buffs, and the hits that do get through only make her stronger by filling her Overcharge.
When full, Overcharge can be used for a 60% damage buff or to flatten surrounding foes with The Living Bomb. It does take some careful management, but she has a lot of potential with this class. Unchained is unlocked at level 12 after Pyromancer. Sienna is now a melee fighter that can tank a lot of damage and resist elemental attacks. She tanks long enough to trigger The Living Bomb, but waiting any longer is pointless, and unlike tanks, she may have to pull back and recharge every now and then.
10 Outcast Engineer
This new premium career is unlocked by purchasing the respective DLC and can be used immediately. Outcast Engineers are masters at bolstering the team’s weak points. They can act as ranged fighters, perform crowd control, and act as temporary tanks.
This career seems primarily built to work as a cog in the greater machine that is a well-oiled team. Unfortunately, that cog doesn’t work well on its own. The Outcast Engineer is not solo-friendly which means that if the team falls apart, the Outcast Engineer will be quick to follow.
9 Pyromancer
The Pyromancer is frighteningly effective against single targets. Fire Staves are the best choice when it comes to melting opponents with her powerful spells and Burning Head is great for hard-to-target enemies. The issue with Pyromancer is facing crowds. Her strategy is to pick them apart one by one and she lacks reliable kiting methods to stay safe while doing this. A strong tank teammate is almost a requirement.
The Pyromancer is unlocked at level seven after Battle Wizard. Sienna abandons some of her crowd control abilities in favor of raw damage through more direct spells. She’s basically a magical assassin that’s meant to be paired with a tank. Her job is to take out whoever threatens her and her tank companion.
8 Handmaiden
The Handmaiden is a bit squishy, but only if her opponents can hit her. She has excellent dodge and fast stamina regeneration, allowing her to bob and weave around her opponents. With a spear in her hands, she can Dash into opponents, dealing awesome damage and applying the bleed effect. Then, it’s a matter of dodging and striking while bleed whittles away at the enemy.
The Handmaiden is unlocked after level seven and requires Waystalker. This class is melee-focused, but not necessarily a close-quarters fighter. The spear has reach and it should be used as much as possible. The key is constant mobility and keeping enemies at spear’s length
7 Witch Hunter Captain
The Witch Hunter Captain is a strong warrior that can turn the tide of battle and do serious damage when used properly. When using firearms for headshots and a melee weapon like a flail for crit damage bonuses, they can be powerful fighters. But, their best bonuses and utility come from moving around on the battlefield, applying debuffs to enemies for their teammates to follow up and sweep away.
This constant mobility can be annoying for some players, which is why this class ranks just a bit lower than others. Witch Hunter Captain is the default class of Victor. The Witch Hunter Captain needs to overwhelm his opponents with damage and tagging. It’s a dance of swords and dodges that, when done well, will be incredibly successful.
6 Slayer
The Slayer has excellent DPS and can wade into battle with terrifying effects. He is a bit squishy, however, and requires a player to keep him on the move using abilities like Leap to jump in and out of battle. It’s a rather straightforward career: when health is maxed out, go in with swinging dual axes or hammers. When health is low, Leap out and use stun to back off and recover health.
Bardin can become a Slayer after level 12 after Ranger Veteran and Ironbreaker. The Slayer abandons ranged capabilities to dive into the fray, dealing damage however possible. The key is to keep attacking and don’t stop until the enemy lies dead at Bardin’s feet. Out damaging enemies is key to survival.
5 Bounty Hunter
The Bounty Hunter is largely considered a 'fun' class thanks to the variety of builds and playstyles. He receives a range crit every ten seconds, has lots of ammo capacity, and Locked and Loaded is great for punishing enemies that are stacked up in front of him. The caveat is that he lacks the ability to force enemies to cluster up. This results in the Bounty Hunter waiting for opportunities to exploit or having a talented crowd control teammate on hand to create those opportunities.
Bounty Hunter unlocks after level seven and the class Witch Hunter Captain. With the Bounty Hunter, Victor loses some of his mobility in favor of better defenses. His fighting style is converted to using pistols at mid-range. Getting too close to the enemy is favorable to stepping too far out of range. He’s meant to deal with anyone that breaks through the frontlines.
4 Zealot
Most players generally agree that the Zealot is a very strong Career. At full health, he can take a surprising level of punishment and his heavy attacks cannot be interrupted in any way. His true strength comes as his health starts to slowly drop whenever attacks get through. That punishment fuels a variety of perks and special abilities that make him more and more dangerous. Then, at the end, Heart of Iron kicks in to prevent death via a lethal blow, letting him slip away to recover.
Zealot can be chosen after level 12 and after Bounty Hunter. The Zealot rushes into battle with a fiery ferocity that can’t be matched. It’s all about tanking blows, dealing heavy attacks, and crushing anyone that breaks through Victor’s armor. A retreat should only occur before the final bit of HP slips away. Amongst all the Vermintide 2 classes, this one is a great pick.
3 Ironbreaker
The Ironbreaker is the traditional tank, and he’s very good at it. On top of the incredible armor he can wear is a lot of damage resistance and the ever-powerful stun resistance. He even has the ability to shrug off any attack once every 20 seconds.
The key to Ironbreaker is drawing foes in, using abilities, and laughing as they try to do any kind of meaningful damage before they die. The Ironbreaker career is available after level seven. It comes after Ranger Veteran. Ironbreaker loses the ranged capabilities of Ranger Veteran and becomes a brutal tank. The key to this career is to grab the enemies’ attention and keep it on Bardin.
2 Warrior Priest Of Sigmar
The most recent addition to the roster, Warrior Priest of Sigmar is a solid and safe choice for a support class in Vermintide 2. With his new weapons, the Reckoner Great Hammer or for those that prefer the portable touch, the smaller Skull-Splitter Hammer and Blessed Tome combo he can deal a good amount of damage on his own, but he’s better used in a group.
He has no ranged weapons, poor mobility, and can’t chunk bosses as easily as his other Careers can, but Warrior Priest is still a brutal damage dealer that can handle hordes if he gets separated and has a relatively high skill level for those willing to invest time in him. Plus his new ability, the Comets Gift can bring a doomed run back from the edge and it’s as close to a dedicated healer as you’re going to get.
1 Grail Knight
Grail Knight is another premium class that’s reserved for Kruber. With proper positioning, the Grail Knight is a force to be reckoned with as he can obliterate waves and Chaos Warriors in one hit. The key to remember with this career, though, is that proper positioning is a requirement.
Without being in the right spot at the right time the Grail Knight is a frail Foot Knight and its abilities are largely wasted. It can work in solo, but it’s much easier to pull off with tanks and crowd controllers keeping the enemies distracted and locked down.