ArcheAge Chronicles Class Tier List

ArcheAge Class Tier List Quick Overview:​

• Warrior and Mage are the strongest classes in ArcheAge Chronicles. Warriors are self-sufficient, simple, and consistent, while Mages offer great damage and utility without sacrificing their mobility.
• Berserker and Ranger are A-tier in ArcheAge Chronicles. Berserker is the easiest class in the game, and it offers unique tank capabilities, even if it lacks damage. Ranger is a good class that relies on switching between ranged and melee weapons to achieve maximum efficiency, but it requires a bit too much work for what it offers.
• All classes in the game are viable, and the gap between the S-Tier and the A-Tier is rather small. You can achieve great results by playing the class you simply like best.

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ArcheAge Chronicles Best Class Tier List

Before I get to the tier list itself, let me provide some context. When we talk about ArcheAge Chronicles, we have to state the obvious: the game is still being developed, patches can change a lot of things rapidly, and the classes don’t even have all of their weapons available yet. The game is also rather fresh, so the meta will likely shift a few more times before settling down.

​With all that in mind, I believe that the devs did a pretty good job at balancing the classes — some of them might feel a bit better, but all four of them are viable and strong enough to get through the game’s content without any real issues. If you really want to play a certain class, or even focus on a specific weapon that I consider lackluster, you can do it, and it won’t result in a bad experience.

​However, if you truly want to pick your character class optimally, here’s what I think about the ArcheAge Chronicles classes so far.

Tier	Class
S-Tier	Mage, Warrior
A-Tier	Berserker, Ranger

S-Tier Classes in ArcheAge Chronicles

Warrior

To me, Warrior is the epitome of consistency in ArcheAge Chronicles, and I believe that most players will find success with this class. It is much more intuitive than ranged classes, but still has enough nuance to make it interesting compared to something like a Berserker. It also deals good damage, protects itself through parries, and sustains itself through lifesteal mechanics. To put it simply, you’ve got most of your bases covered by default, and resource management shouldn’t be much of a problem.

​As a Warrior, you get access to a Longsword and a Greatsword, with Gladius becoming available in December.

​In ArcheAge Chronicles, the Longsword is somewhat of a finesse weapon, rewarding Warriors for successful parries and a good understanding of their enemies’ intentions. It is also your best dueling weapon due to its ability to consistently create openings most other classes can’t achieve. I’ll also add that this is probably one of the best weapons in both PvP and PvE.

​As for the Greatsword, this is your shonen protagonist weapon — massive, heavy, and deadly. Unlike the Longsword, it requires a bit of time and space to be effective, but boy, does it sting once the hit lands. While you can use it on its own, many warriors tend to combine it with a Longsword: create an opening with a parry, switch to a Greatsword and smack them. It’s also a great AoE option that offers a bit of protection as well.

​Essentially, Warriors strike the perfect balance between offense and defense. The class is easy to learn, yet there’s always something to master. If you are a solo player, it’s probably your best choice. It performs very well in any type of content and makes you feel a lot more confident going into any fight compared to ranged classes like Mages or Rangers.

Mage

Mage is probably the hardest class to play in ArcheAge Chronicles. That doesn’t necessarily say a lot — most other classes are pretty simple and straightforward, so the overall game complexity is not super high. Still, you’ll have to learn to play the class efficiently, which is something you wouldn’t have to bother with if you chose a Berserker, for example.

​Your two weapons are the Elemental Staff and the Wavesword. The third, currently unavailable option, is the Vitality Staff — most likely a healer weapon, since the game currently features zero representatives of this role.

​Using the Elemental Staff is about what you would expect from playing the basic Mage archetype in any other MMORPG: you cast fire spells to deal lots of AoE damage. To add a little spice, you get a combo system called Energy Core, and that enables you to cast — you guessed it — even deadlier spells. This is the foundation of what the class represents in the game so far.

​However, things get a bit more interesting thanks to your second weapon. With Wavesword, Archeage Chronicles developers clearly tried to enable Mage gameplay that doesn’t revolve around purely ranged combat and spellcasting. Equip it, and you’ll be able to fight in melee range, freezing your enemies in the process and moving around rather quickly thanks to dashes. Damage-wise, you’ll lose compared to Elemental Staff, but the combined utility and mobility make it rather useful.

​The thing with Mage is that you’re going to heavily invest in your DPS, and you are definitely the squishiest character in the game. While you do have mobility tools like Blink and the aforementioned dashes, you have to be smart about using them, since mistakes are costly. If you play solo, switching becomes somewhat mandatory, so you’ve got to get good at using both weapons, constantly thinking about your positioning and finding good opportunities to use your Elemental Staff safely.

​As far as numbers go, Mage seems strong, but it requires you to jump through a hoop or two to get basically the same results as Warriors can get rather easily. The ceiling is probably higher, sure, but the consistency is lower. If you’re fine with that, I won’t stop you from playing it — it’s certainly one of the coolest classes in the game right now.    

A-Tier Classes in ArcheAge Chronicles

Berserker

I’ve said that Warriors are simple to understand, but Berserkers are as straightforward as classes get in ArcheAge Chronicles. The name speaks for itself, really — you just want to rush into combat and do your best to stay alive while tanking a bunch of damage and swinging at your enemies in close range. You don’t have to worry about positioning, mobility, or parrying — you just stand there and fight until you can’t.

​As a Berserker, you have two weapon options available to you: Axe and Shield and a two-handed Warhammer, with Greatshield not currently available in-game. Presumably, the latter is going to make you the ultimate full tank, which is something that is currently absent from the game.

​Axe and Shield is all about tanking hits while stacking bleeding damage on your enemies. You rush in, block, attack, and then repeat this to infinity until the enemy is dead.

​Warhammer is the only weapon in this tier list that I can confidently call underpowered. The idea here is similar to the Warrior’s Greatsword, with the added benefit of some elemental effects. The reality is that it’s not really usable most of the time. Unless your opponent actually moves like a turtle, or is too distracted by something else, landing a hit with this is very difficult, and it leaves you very exposed.

​Essentially, you will likely be using Axe and Shield most of the time, and that lack of versatility alone could move Berserker down a tier — the rest of the class’s weaknesses just make it easier to justify this decision.  

​Berserker is incredibly forgiving by design, which is why it’s certainly the easiest class in the game. The problem is that you have to pay for that simplicity — your damage output is probably the lowest in the entire game, meaning that you won’t be progressing through it as quickly as other characters. I could say that your mobility is also not in a good place overall, but it’s not as important when you’re this beefy.

​Sure, you are an integral part of any raid since you are basically the only thing that is close to a tank, but the solo experience is not as good, unless you're fighting a low-damage boss. Also, Berserker is arguably the dullest class in the game, so it only fits players who are fine with that.

Ranger

Same as with the Mage, in ArcheAge Chronicles you get a classic Ranger archetype with a bit of an added flavor through a second weapon choice. This is your definitive agile ranged damage dealer that relies on smart positioning and movement to consistently dish out lots of damage while staying at a safe distance.

​Ranger gets two weapon options: the Longbow and the Hatchet, with the Crossbow coming to the game sometime later.

​The Longbow is about what you would expect — a ranged weapon with both quickdraw and precision options, designed to provide everything you would want to have when you fight at a distance. That even includes some CC through Ice Arrow and Crescent Kick.

​The Hatchet, however, is a different beast entirely, enabling you to fight in close range, parry enemy attacks, and be super mobile. I would argue that this is by far the flashiest weapon in the game, and seeing a skilled player use it is awesome. That said, it is also the most difficult to master, and Ranger isn’t exactly known for tankiness, so it’s somewhat similar to the Mage in that regard.

​I feel like this comparison is important, so let’s expand on it a little more. With the Mage, you get great heavy bursts and utility, while also having mobility tools. The Ranger is very similar, but you have to work for it even harder than the Mage does, all while getting similar results — so why bother?

​The answer is, of course, that Rangers are cool as hell, and the power difference is not substantial enough to render them a bad class, even if Mage is probably a better overall choice. Ask yourself this: do you enjoy the Ranger playstyle? You do? Then you should absolutely stick with it, especially if you are willing to get good with the Hatchet.

 

 

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