DOS 2 Classes — All 14 Class Presets Explained

Divinity Original Sin 2 has 14 class presets — 5 mage, 5 survivor and 4 warrior — and none of them are permanent. Every class is a starting package: two combat abilities, a talent, a civil ability, three starting skills and a small attribute bonus. You can edit every part of the preset on the character creation screen, and from Act 2 onward the respec mirror lets you rebuild any character freely. The short version: pick the preset that gets you closest to the build you want — Knight and Ranger for straightforward physical damage, Wizard or Enchanter for magic — but treat the choice as a head start, not a commitment. This guide lists all 14 presets with their exact starting loadouts, explains the three archetypes, and gives the community's read on which are strongest out of the gate.

Official resources: dos2.wiki — Classes · dos2.wiki — Attributes · dos2.wiki — Combat Abilities · dos2.wiki — Talents · Steam store page

The Big Rule: Classes Are Presets, Not Contracts

Official source: dos2.wiki — Classes — "Classes are not a permanent choice. Every attribute, ability, talent, and skill can be changed freely on each level-up, and full respecification is available from Act Two onward via the magic mirror aboard the Lady Vengeance."

What a class preset actually gives you: two combat ability points, one civil ability point, one talent, three skill books, and a 3-point attribute spread on top of a base of 10 in everything. What it does not do: lock your role. The game's official wiki encourages focusing on one damage type (physical or magical) so you strip enemy armour quickly — that decision is yours to make at creation or after respec, not the class's.

The 14 presets split into three archetypes: mage (Intelligence, magical damage), survivor (Finesse, physical damage with bows/daggers/spears and utility magic) and warrior (Strength, physical damage up close).

All 14 Classes — Full Starting Loadout Table

All starting attributes begin at 10, with 3 bonus points distributed per class: Knights and Metamorphs get +2 Strength, Rangers and Rogues +2 Finesse, Enchanters +2 Intelligence, Fighters and Conjurers stack Constitution (+2), and so on — the full per-class breakdown is on the official wiki's Classes page.

The Mage Classes (Intelligence)

Mages destroy magic armour with elemental spells and rely on Intelligence. The five presets:

• Wizard (Geo + Pyro): the classic fire-and-earth nuker. Fossil Strike, Ignition and Searing Daggers are a complete early-game kit, and Geo's Fossil Strike sets oil for Pyro to ignite. The easiest mage to play, and Fane's default.
• Enchanter (Aero + Hydro): the control mage. Rain + Electric Discharge/Hail Strike sets up stuns and freezes — the strongest crowd control in the game. Lohse's default.
• Cleric (Hydro + Necro): a healer with Decaying Touch (which turns healing into damage) and Blood Sucker. Support-first; needs a damage partner.
• Witch (Necro + Scoundrel): the hybrid blood mage starter — Mosquito Swarm and Raise Bloated Corpse deal physical damage and self-heal. Good preview of the endgame Necromancer playstyle.
• Conjurer (Summoning + Leadership): summon-first, with Conjure Incarnate and Elemental Totem adding bodies to every fight. Pet Pal comes with it.

The Survivor Classes (Finesse)

Survivors deal physical damage with finesse weapons and lean on mobility and positioning:

• Ranger (Huntsman + Pyro): the high-ground archer. Ricochet and Elemental Arrowheads are the core toolkit; Huntsman's high-ground bonus is the strongest damage modifier in the game. One of the best early-game classes, period.
• Rogue (Scoundrel + Dual Wielding): backstab crits — daggers auto-crit from behind, and Adrenaline + Backlash is a lethal opener. Sebille's default.
• Wayfarer (Geo + Huntsman): the ranged hybrid — Elemental Arrowheads, Pin Down (a knockdown arrow) and Fossil Strike give it crowd control plus damage. Ifan's default, and a genuinely flexible preset: the Geomancer half makes it pair well with poison arrows or a physical party.
• Shadowblade (Polymorph + Scoundrel): the stealth assassin. Chameleon Cloak (invisibility) + Chicken Claw is the game's most famous utility combo; Guerrilla talent boosts sneak-attack damage.
• Metamorph (Polymorph + Two-Handed): the melee shapeshifter. Bull Horns, Tentacle Lash and Chicken Claw make it one of the most fun presets, and Polymorph's +1 attribute per point pays for itself later.

The Warrior Classes (Strength)

Warriors strip physical armour at close range with knockdowns:

• Knight (Warfare + Two-Handed): the straightforward two-hander. Battle Stomp and Battering Ram are the two best knockdowns in the game, and it scales cleanly into the endgame two-handed build. The best first-time warrior.
• Fighter (Warfare + Geo): sword-and-board — Bouncing Shield and Fortify make it the tankiest preset. The Red Prince's default.
• Battlemage (Warfare + Aero): melee plus shock spells (Shocking Touch, Blinding Radiance). Versatile but split-focus; the community usually recommends specialising one way after Act 1. Beast's default.
• Inquisitor (Warfare + Necro): the self-healing warrior — Mosquito Swarm and Blood Sucker keep it topped up while Battering Ram knocks down. Executioner talent rewards finishing blows.

Which Class Should You Pick?

The community's practical guidance for a first run:

• Best straightforward damage: Knight (physical, easy to build) and Ranger (high-ground damage, safe positioning).
• Best magic entry: Wizard (fire/earth is forgiving) or Enchanter (control wins fights).
• Most fun utility: Metamorph or Shadowblade — Chicken Claw never gets old.
• Strongest late-game platforms: the presets that feed the meta builds — Knight → two-handed crit build, Ranger → high-ground crit build, Wizard → Pyro/Geo nuker, Enchanter → Hydro/Aero control, Rogue → backstab assassin, and the Witch/Wayfarer hybrids into the famous blood-mage and physical-hybrid setups. The full stat plans for those endgames are in our build guide.

Two more notes: the class preset's civil ability (Bartering, Loremaster, Persuasion, Sneaking, Thievery, Lucky Charm, Telekinesis) is part of what you get — worth checking, because Thievery on a Rogue and Bartering on the party's buyer matter. And the preset is only the starting point for any origin companion you recruit — the characters guide lists each origin's default class, and the races guide covers how race passives (Elf + Wizard, Lizard + Battlemage, etc.) change the calculus.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many classes are there in Divinity Original Sin 2?

14 presets: Cleric, Conjurer, Enchanter, Witch, Wizard (mage); Metamorph, Ranger, Rogue, Shadowblade, Wayfarer (survivor); Battlemage, Fighter, Inquisitor, Knight (warrior). Each is a starting package of abilities, skills, a talent and a civil ability — not a permanent class.

What is the best starting class in DOS2?

For a first run, Knight (Warfare + Two-Handed) for physical damage or Wizard (Geo + Pyro) for magic — both are simple, strong and scale into endgame builds. Ranger is the third community favourite thanks to high-ground damage.

Can you change class in DOS2?

Yes. Classes are just starting presets — you can edit everything at creation, and the magic mirror on the Lady Vengeance (Act 2 onward; Act 1 with the Fort Joy gift bag) lets you freely respec all attributes, abilities, talents and skills. Only race and origin are permanent.

What does the Wayfarer class do in DOS2?

The Wayfarer is a Finesse survivor preset (Geomancer + Huntsman) with Elemental Arrowheads, Pin Down and Fossil Strike, the Pet Pal talent and Bartering. It is Ifan ben-Mezd's default and makes a strong physical-damage hybrid with ranged crowd control.

Which class is best for a beginner?

Knight (simple, durable, teaches the armour/knockdown loop) or Ranger (safe positioning, high damage, teaches the high-ground system). If you prefer magic, Wizard. All three have obvious upgrade paths and respec into strong endgame builds.

Related Guides

• Divinity Original Sin 2 Build Guide — Best Builds & Stats
• Divinity Original Sin 2 Characters — All Six Origin Heroes Explained
• Divinity Original Sin 2 Races — Every Race and Racial Skill Explained
• Divinity Original Sin 2 Max Level — The Level 22 Cap and XP Curve
• Divinity Original Sin 2 Review — Verdict and Scores
• DOS 2 Runes — Socketing, Upgrading and the Best Rune Combos

Last updated: August 13, 2026.