Hero Elden Ring Class Guide: Stats, Weapons, Armor

The Hero class is Elden Ring's version of a barbarian, pushing players toward high Strength and HP, but maybe away from armor, speed or magic. It's a decent starter class for new players, provided they're willing to do a lot of rolling around — and maybe a little more dying as they learn enemy patterns. Here's how to build the Hero for success.

Hero Elden Ring Class Guide: Stats

The Hero starts with a whopping 16 Strength, which is ideal — it's the most important stat for the class, and determines its damage-dealing abilities. It also benefits from 14 Vigor, providing some early survivability, and 12 Endurance, giving a little extra stamina.

If you're going for the giant two-handed weapon style of barbarian, you'll want to push Strength to 20 as soon as possible, with small investments in Vigor and Endurance along the way. Endurance will let you swing those huge weapons a few more times, which can be the difference between staggering an enemy and getting blown out by a single missed swing.

Here's a rough idea of how your stats should ultimately look:

• Vigor: 40
• Mind: 9
• Endurance: 50
• Strength: 51 (34 if two-handing)
• Dexterity: 9
• Intelligence: 7
• Faith: 8
• Arcane: 11

Feel free to level Dexterity, Intelligence or Faith if the weapon you want to use requires a minimum threshold to wield. Speaking of weapons...

Hero Elden Ring Class Guide: Weapons

The Hero's starting weapon, the Battle Axe, is a decent option. It's not too heavy, allowing you to wield it one- or two-handed. But the world of massive two-handed weapons is as big as the weapons themselves.

For an early and effective Greatsword, head to Castle Morne on the southern tip of the Weeping Peninsula. You'll have to cross the Bridge of Sacrifice in the south of Limgrave and follow the road all the way south to get there.

Once you've touched the Castle Morne Lift Site of Grace, ride it up and enter the courtyard full of worshipping Misbegottens. Hug the right wall and climb the hill, then follow the wall as it turns right. One or two Misbegottens may follow you, but once isolated they're not much of a threat.

Enter the door on your right, then turn to your left. There you'll find a chest with the Claymore inside.

Alternatively, you can pick up a classic Colossal Sword that's appeared in several Souls titles by heading to the west coast of the Weeping Peninsula. That's where the Isolated Merchant resides, and he'll sell you the Zweihander for 3,500 Runes.

Hero Elden Ring Class Guide: Armor

The Hero's starting Champion set is serviceable, but the more you boost your Endurance the more armor you'll be able to wear while maintaining a medium speed roll. (How fast you roll, and how many frames of invincibility you get during your roll, is determined by how much weight you have equipped.)

If you're looking for a little more protection, farming some of the knights at Gatefront Ruins will likely cause them to drop their armor without too long an effort. Beyond that, you'll want to keep your eyes peeled for other armor opportunities — the right set up for you will depend on the situation in which you find yourself.

Alternatively, you can check out our guides for the Warrior, Samurai, Prisoner, Vagabond, Wretch, Confessor, or Astrologer.