Classes and Weapons in ArcheAge Chronicles: Which Class Suits You?

ArcheAge Chronicles is now in Early Access – and your first big decision is your class. Four classes are playable: Warrior, Ranger, Berserker and Mage. Each one wields two playable weapons, plus a third with a finished perk tree that is still locked in Early Access. Below you will find all classes side by side, their weapons and what they are good at, what changed in combat for Early Access, and our take on which class makes the easiest start. Balance may keep changing during Early Access.

All classes compared

Class	Role	Playstyle	Playable weapons	Third weapon (locked)	Main attributes	Race	Perks
Warrior	Front-line fighter	Melee	Longsword, Greatsword	Gladius	Strength 29, Constitution 17	Nuian	168
Ranger	Hunter	Ranged and melee	Hatchet, Longbow	Crossbow	Agility 27, Talent 17	Nuian	161
Berserker	Line breaker	Melee	Axe with Shield, Warhammer	Greatshield	Constitution 26, Endurance 25	Warborn	142
Mage	Elemental caster	Ranged and melee	Elemental Staff, Wavesword	Vitality Staff	Intelligence 30, Talent 20	Elf	158

Attributes are the class’s starting values, and “Perks” counts every node across all three perk trees. Compared with the demo, each class has four to six more nodes, mostly from new stat perks (see below). Two more classes, Occultism and Vitalism, are still not playable in Early Access – their values are not known yet. All 25 weapon types are in our weapons list.

Warrior: timing on the front line

According to XLGAMES, the Warrior holds the line, with raw power matched by defense. With the Longsword you play on timing: Parry deflects blockable attacks, then Counterattack opens a short window to strike back. The second route is the Path of Blood: Crimson Surge costs 350 HP, hits nearby enemies six times and reduces the damage you take while it runs. The Greatsword is about endurance and impact – it builds Resolve, weathers attacks with Brace and unloads the power in heavy blows such as Warrior’s Cry. The Longsword tree gained five new stat perks in Early Access. The Gladius (53 perks) is still locked; XLGAMES says it arrives with the December update.

Pick it if you like standing in melee and landing parries on the beat. Longsword and Greatsword already give you three ways to play.

Ranger: you set the distance

XLGAMES calls the Ranger “far more than a mere archer”: he controls the distance to his target. The Longbow marks, pursues and finishes from afar – Aimed Shot reaches up to 30 m and knocks back at full charge, Ice Arrow builds the enemy’s Freeze gauge, and Crescent Kick counters an attack and wins back room to breathe. In Early Access Fire Arrow is a skill of its own with a 60-second cooldown: a homing arrow followed by an explosive shot. The Hatchet is fast and close: dodge, counter, follow up with lightning. Lightning Rush charges forward and briefly evades attacks on the way. The third weapon is the Crossbow with 48 perks, still locked.

Pick it if you want to stay flexible and switch between ranged and melee. With Agility 27 he is the most agile class.

Berserker: take the hits, break the line

XLGAMES describes the Berserker as “the first to charge into battle and the last to leave it”. He breaks enemy lines, soaks up hits and bolsters allies with his war cry. With Constitution 26 and Endurance 25 he starts highest in both, and at 31.3 he has the highest equipment weight limit. Axe with Shield brings Shield Up against frontal attacks, Brutal Crash for a charge with reduced damage taken, and Reel In, a chain that pulls in human-type enemies (not bosses). The Warhammer plays with fire and thunder, for example through Surging Heat. It is the weapon that changed most for Early Access: more damage, higher SP costs and the new skill Evasive Assault. The Greatshield (49 perks) is still locked.

Pick it if you want to be right in the thick of it and prefer a class that forgives the odd mistake.

Mage: charge up, then unleash

The Mage commands fire, lightning and ice. With the Elemental Staff you charge spells and hold them for later with Retain. Wall of Fire raises a wall of flame, Lightning Pillar hits shocked enemies harder, and Mana Blast fires homing bullets. With the Wavesword you fight in melee with ice and energy blades – many of its skills reduce damage taken, and Ice Crystal blocks frontal attacks and grants a shield. In Early Access the Wavesword leans more on Magic ATK than in the demo. The third weapon is still the exciting one: the Vitality Staff has 59 perks, and Essence Orb heals nearby allies – but it is still locked.

Pick it if you enjoy area damage from range. With Intelligence 30 the Mage is the most magic-focused class, but with Constitution 6 also the least sturdy.

What changed in combat for Early Access

The playable weapons are the same as in the demo, but some of them play noticeably differently:

• New stat perks: Longsword, Hatchet, Axe with Shield and Elemental Staff each gained five nodes. The entry node costs 10 Trait Points (+2.5% damage while your HP is at 70% or more), the four follow-up nodes 5 Trait Points each (+10% Physical or Magic ATK of the weapon, +5% damage to enemies at 70% HP or more, or at 40% HP or less). A full tree for these four weapons therefore costs 30 Trait Points more.
• Warhammer: Many skills hit much harder – Bursting Force II by around 80%, for example – but cost more SP (Bursting Force II 130 instead of 115). New is Evasive Assault for 1 Trait Point: after evading, you follow up with the second strike of Pulverize.
• Longbow: Fire Arrow is a skill of its own with a 60-second cooldown, and the perk Blazing Cinder is gone. Scarlet Arrow now has a 20-second cooldown and reaches 30 m instead of 20 m; only the follow-up shots cost HP. Focus Fire hits around 21% harder and costs 120 instead of 100 SP, Quickdraw only 45 instead of 80 SP.
• Wavesword: All damage skills scale more on magic – around 10% less from Physical ATK, around 29% more from Magic ATK.
• Hatchet: Overload now triggers Discharge, with a 5-second cooldown. In return the Discharge hit is about twice as strong.
• All weapons: Lock-on reaches 40 m instead of 20 m, and melee executions now align attacker and target with each other.

How a single skill changed is shown on its page under Skills.

Trait Points and perk trees

Every weapon has its own perk tree made of active skills, passive perks and stat perks. Some perks are learned automatically, the rest cost 1 to 3 Trait Points, the new stat perks 5 or 10. A perk needs a learned predecessor, and perks in the same choice group exclude each other. You earn Trait Points from quests and above all from Raeven’s Coilstones: 48 of them at 2 Trait Points each, 96 in total, plus 4 from quests. Our Coilstones guide shows where they are. On top of that you get 3 Stat Points per level-up.

Which class to start with?

Our take, based on the values and skills in Early Access:

• You want to take a beating: The Berserker has the highest Constitution and Endurance, blocks with Shield Up and takes less damage while charging. The most forgiving start.
• You want to keep your distance: Ranger with the Longbow or Mage with the Elemental Staff. The Ranger is more agile, the Mage stronger in an area but low on Constitution.
• You like timing: The Warrior with the Longsword rewards clean parries with counters – more demanding, but very direct.
• You want both: Ranger and Mage each carry one ranged and one melee weapon.
• You want to heal: Keep an eye on the Mage’s Vitality Staff. It is still locked in Early Access.

You carry two weapons (Weapon #1 and Weapon #2) and switch between them with Weapon Swap. XLGAMES has not said yet whether you can change class later. So pick the class whose playstyle will keep you hooked. What to do in your first hours is in our Early Access checklist.

Frequently asked questions

How many classes does ArcheAge Chronicles have?

Four are playable in Early Access: Warrior, Ranger, Berserker and Mage. Occultism and Vitalism are known but not playable yet.

How many weapons does each class have?

Two per class are playable, and a third already has a complete perk tree but is still locked: Gladius, Crossbow, Greatshield and Vitality Staff. According to XLGAMES, the Gladius comes first with the December update.

Where do I get Trait Points?

From quests and from Raeven’s Coilstones. Each of the 48 Coilstones gives 2 Trait Points, 96 in total, plus 4 from quests.

What changed for the classes in Early Access?

The weapons are the same as in the demo. New are five stat perks for Longsword, Hatchet, Axe with Shield and Elemental Staff, a stronger Warhammer with Evasive Assault, Fire Arrow and Scarlet Arrow with cooldowns on the Longbow, and a Wavesword that scales more on magic.

Which class is the easiest?

In our view the Berserker: highest Constitution and Endurance, a block with Shield Up and reduced damage while charging.