Vagabond

The Vagabond is a knight who lost their home and now wanders the Lands Between in a full suit of plate. It is the closest thing Elden Ring has to a textbook sword-and-board starter: heavy armour, a reliable sword, a proper shield and a polearm for when you want a bit more reach.

In the opening hours the Vagabond feels forgiving. With 15 Vigor it has the biggest health pool of any starting class, so you can afford a few mistakes while you learn enemy patterns. The Longsword and Heater Shield let you block, poke and counter at a steady pace, and the Halberd is there when you want to hit from further away.

Strength 14 and Dexterity 13 point it towards a physical build that can go either way. The flip side is that its casting stats are low across the board, with Arcane at just 7, so it has nothing to offer a sorcery or incantation player at the start. That is easy to fix with levels later, but it begins as a pure fighter.