The best starter classes in Aion 2

"Best starter class" doesn't mean "strongest class". It means the class that lets you make mistakes while you learn boss patterns, resource management and flight. The strongest class in the hands of someone who doesn't know the game yet performs worse than a mediocre class played calmly.

The ranking, with the reasoning#

1. Templar — the safest pick#

The Templar has the highest error tolerance in the game: shield, damage reduction, control tools. When you make a mistake you survive and correct it. When a DPS makes one, they die.

It also solves the most annoying problem in a new MMO: finding a group. Tanks are always scarce. You queue and you go.

The cost: low solo damage. Killing a single mob takes longer than with any DPS.

2. Chanter — the hybrid that doesn't corner you#

The Chanter heals, buffs the group with mantras and deals decent damage alone. It's the only class that doesn't force you to choose between "useful in a group" and "self-sufficient".

It's also the best class for learning the game: you juggle heals, buffs and damage together, so you quickly understand what's actually happening in a fight.

3. Cleric — if you already know you'll play grouped#

Instant queues, a role that's always wanted, high error tolerance because you heal yourself. But solo levelling is slow and repetitive.

Take it if you already have friends playing, or if you enjoy the support role. Don't take it because "healers are always in demand": true, but you'll still spend dozens of hours alone.

4. Spiritmaster — the best solo class#

Counterintuitive: the Spiritmaster is complex, but it's also the most self-sufficient class. The summon keeps the enemy busy while you stay at range. In practice you carry a personal tank everywhere.

The complexity is real — you manage two entities at once — but it's strategic complexity, not execution complexity: you have time to think.

The three to save for later#

Assassin#

Demands precise rotations, a correct opener from stealth, and pattern knowledge to survive ground mechanics. It has the highest PvP ceiling in the game, which is exactly why you should play it once you already know the game.

Sorcerer#

Huge damage, minimal durability, long casts that have to land in the right windows. A Sorcerer who misplays position dies before the spell finishes. Enormously fun as a second character.

Brawler#

Added in Chapter 1, built on chains of very close-range strikes. High difficulty, and on top of that it'll be the class with the fewest guides available at western launch.

What about the Gladiator?#

It sits in between. Takes less punishment than the Templar, deals more damage, and can cover two roles: tank when needed, AoE DPS when the group already has one. If the Templar feels too passive and the Assassin too punishing, the Gladiator is the compromise.

Three things to know before deciding#

• Faction doesn't limit class. Elyos and Asmodians play the same nine classes.
• You're not locked in from minute one. Your character starts as an Adventurer and picks a class after the tutorial.
• The current level cap is 50, raised from 45 in Chapter 1. It's a long road but not an endless one: a second character is recoverable, especially since secondary content scales with your level.

In one line#

If you have no idea what to pick and want to stop reading: Templar if you'll play grouped, Spiritmaster if you'll play solo, Chanter if you don't know yet.