Wartales – Best classes and how to use them (2024)

Tactical RPG Wartales sees you putting together a band of companions to explore a medieval sandbox world, taking on quests and gathering loot as you level them up. But the crux of the game is the turn-based battle system, so read on to find out the best classes and how to use them in Wartales.

Wartales best classes guide - how to use them

There are seven basic classes in Wartales, with the seventh (the Pugilist) being introduced in the Belerion Archipelago DLC. The Archer is your classic ranged unit, the Ranger and Pugilist are your thieves or assassins, Warriors and Swordsmen can be tanks or AOE DPSs, Brutes are AOE damage dealers, and Spearmen are specialist damage dealers who have an element of range.

Each is broken into three different specializations when they reach level two or three, allowing you to better personalize your companions to suit your playstyle. There is no perfect blend as many combat styles can prevail if you build the right team, while terrain and party size are also important factors. However, each class has its strengths which I'll cover below.

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Wartales combat basics

After taking the initial setup and environment into account, for me there are two key elements to combat, turn order and engagement. The way turn order works allows you to identify threats and do your best to have the battle play out on your terms. Engagement builds into this, as you pair up the best matches for you to succeed while flanking those engagements with your squishier damage dealers. If you can do this, you should be on your way to a win each time.

Wartales Brute guide

A Brute with heavy armor and a two-handed mace is an absolute killing machine, as long as you’re clever in your troop positioning. They work best when hitting multiple enemies, but their movement isn’t the best so you need to be precise if you want to miss also hitting your allies! Medium armor gives you more range but also makes survival trickier. Going Vanguard at level two is nice here, as you get the Relentless Charge skill. This does damage in a straight line and also gets you out of engagement without penalty.

Wartales Swordsman guide

Swordsmen make great tanks, either as sword-and-shield or two-handed sword-wielders. You want them on the front line to take advantage of skills including Encouragement (Protection to allies in a 6m area), Defensive Stance (next hit to them does -70 percent damage), and Taunt. Very slow in heavy armor, but they can take a punch. You can also skill them differently to do more damage or inflict debuffs, but I’ve found the tanking options are a stronger fit for the Swordsman in most cases.

Wartales Warrior guide

The Warrior is a jack-of-all-trades fighter, with the ability to go either one or two-handed with an axe being their weapon of choice. They don’t quite have the tankiness of the Swordsman or the all-out hammer blows of the Brute. But being between the two makes them perfect for engagement duties. Their medium armor makes a shield a solid option, especially as they still do vicious damage with a one-handed axe while having great movement speed. I prefer the Berserker build, as the Rampage attack adds Fury, giving your next hit an extra 50 percent damage.

Related: Wartales Profession Bonuses, Explained

I like to mix up the three fighting classes purely to be able to use any cool weapons you find along the way. Aves, swords, and maces can only be wielded by each specific melee fighting class, so mixing it up ensures you can use all the best weapons you come across.

Wartales Pugilst guide

The Pugilist was introduced as part of the first Warlates DLC. It falls somewhere between the Brute and the Ranger, offering a relatively low armor unit that deals massive damage. They're more complex to play than the Brute as they have offensive and defensive stances that give different bonuses you can alter each round. Their other main feature is hitting multiple times which can add up to some immense damage.

I like to have at least two Pugilists in a party of 10 or more, and always at least one. Try to make them fast so they can quickly get to high damage but low armor enemies, who they'll take care of in a round without an issue. They may not look great on paper, but in the long run, no other class can put out more damage. At level 3 specialization my preference is The Bruiser, as the Skullbreaker attack allows you to ignore Guard while you can also wear medium armor.

Wartales Ranger guide

Before the introduction of the Pugilist, the Ranger was my favorite class. I still like to have one ranger to pair with each engagement companion I have (above). They then roam the battlefield causing havoc, finishing off opponents with backstabs and weakening them with poison.

Make sure to have at least one Strategist, as the Smokescreen ability is one of the best early abilities once you’ve mastered it. It has a 10m area effect and causes all opponents in the area to disengage, giving your companions who were engaged with them an attack of opportunity. In a tight space, this can be devastating.

Rangers are also great for engaging with enemy Archers, thanks to their fast movement speed. Taking away Archers is key to winning your engagement choices, as they often have knockback which can break engagement, allowing a unit to switch opponents. Also, they often just have a punch attack at close range, so your rangers don’t have to worry about having weak armor. As Rangers do Dexterity-based damage, they’re great for the Thief and Alchemy professions. Tinker is also a good fit, as it raises your Crit chance.

Wartales Archer guide

While I’m not mad keen on the Archer class, I wouldn’t want a party that didn’t have one. One is essential if you want to control your animals in combat, thanks to their level-five skill Beast Mastery. If you also go Beastmaster at level three you can give adjacent animals an attack of opportunity too.

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I like to use an Archer to tidy up situations I don’t like the look of. A bow with Vicious Shot (or the Hunter skill Recoil Shot) can break an engagement you don’t like by knocking an enemy back two meters.

But my personal favorite is taking Infantryman at level three, which allows you to target a nine-meter area with Barrage and shoot the first three enemies that enter it. This is great in battles where the enemy starts in two blocks, allowing you more time to take out one while the archer covers where the second black will be coming at you from.

Wartales Spearman guide

Some players love the Spearman, but I’m not especially keen. Their armor isn’t great, but they do high damage. They have the same ability as the Archer to knock enemies out of unfavorable engagements and do more damage doing it. However, they need to be much closer to the action so mobility is key. Also like the Archer, they can be effective at blocking a chokepoint if you’ve split the enemy forces up. But their relative squishiness needs this to be backed up with an Archer.

You can certainly build a battle strategy around spearmen thanks to their high damage output. Much like the Archer, they tidy up messes in a support role. While the fact they’ll be on the front lines but not engaged also makes them viable for healing and buffing. The better range of the Archer makes them my preference, but I’d take a spearman before a second Archer.

If you're looking for more Wartales guides take a look at Wartales Bar of Soap – where to get and what it does or How to get free companions in Wartales right here at Pro Game Guides!

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