One of the most important questions you’ll have in Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous is: “Which class should I pick for my main character?” Indeed, you’ll probably play for a few hours, change your mind, and restart from scratch to choose something else. Here’s our Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous guide to help you choose the best class for your main character, as well as the archetypes or subclasses.
Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous – Class guide — The best class options for your main character
Technically,all classes in Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous can function well enough, but some are better suited for certain roles, player capabilities, and team compositions. It’s also whyyou’ll want to look at the companions you’ll recruit throughout the campaignas the first five you’ll get — Seelah, Camellia, Lann (or Wenduag), Woljif, and Ember — will determinehow effective your party would be, as well as your character class’ place in it.
Of course, another factor to consider is your experience when it comes to CRPGs and tabletop RPGs:
Bear in mind that Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous allows you tomulticlass or select perks from different classes whenever you level up. As such, even if you started out as a Monk at level 1, you could pick something from, say, the Inquisitor class at level 2. The abilities, perks, feats, spells, and skills you obtain are based on how each class would progress at their level. Likewise, you canretrain/respec your charactersto fine-tune their capabilities.
Best melee classes in Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous
Here are some recommendations for melee and tanking classes in Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous.
Barbarian or Fighter
These two classes in Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous are very straightforward. The former uses theRage mechanic to empower its attacks. The latter, meanwhile,can also try out ranged combatin addition to melee.
For Barbarians, you can go with thedefault option, theMad Dog archetype/subclass(grants an animal companion), or theInstinctual Warrior archetype/subclass.
For Fighters, there are archetypes thatadd proficiencies or weapon boosts like Aldori Defender(dueling swords),Tower Shield Specialist, andTwo-Handed Fighter. A more unique subclass, though, is theMutation Warriorwhich can obtain mutagens akin to anAlchemist.
While not as straightforward as the two recommendations above, the Paladin class in Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteouscan be very useful throughout the campaign. This is primarily due to thetypes of enemies you’d encounter(i.e., undead and those with the evil alignment). You’ll be smiting all day just because you’re able to. Oh, and it goes without saying that you’ll want to follow lawful and good ideals here,probably picking up theAngel Mythic Pathlater.
For the archetypes or subclasses, you could opt for theDivine Guardian(defense-oriented) orMartyr(offense-oriented). TheDivine Hunteris another archetype option, but it’s a bit weird (a Paladin that focuses on ranged combat).
Another option for divine-focused classes is theCleric – Crusader. While it’s true that the Cleric class, in general, tends to stay at the back to channel spells, theCrusader subclass focuses on STR, too, so that it can fight in the frontlines.
The Rogue tends to be the sneaky class in most RPGs. But, the Slayer in Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteoustends to be okay as well thanks to theSneak Attack action. Also, similar to the Paladin, it can get bonuses versus specific types of enemies. In the Slayer’s case, you’ll want theSpawn Slayer subclass.Studied Spawnoptions (Large, Huge, Gargantuan, and Colossal) are amazing since you’ll find yourself battling bigger foes anyway (i.e., beasts, demons, and other monstrous creatures).
Best ranged classes in Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous
Here are some recommendations for range combat-focused classes in Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous.
Ranger – Demonslayer
The campaign of Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous pits you against the demonic denizens of hell. Naturally, you’ll want to pick aclass that has boosts against these types of enemies.
It’s worth noting that demons in the game have their own variants and elemental resistances, soyou want to make sure that your party has the tools to bring them down.
Monk – Zen Archer
Yes, this is the starting class used by your companion Lann. However, in a straight-up evaluation of progression,it’s still got decent perks, along with feats that help with survivability (similar to other Monk options). Perhaps the only downside here is thatyou are playing the same way as another ranged companion. Either you’d multiclass with your main character later, or you’ll have Lann switch instead. Once yourecruit Arueshalaelater, your backline combatants become even more formidable.
Kineticist – Default or Psychokineticist
The reason why Kineticists have such a high difficulty curve compared to other classes is thatthey use the Burn mechanic. Burn uses yourWIS(Psychokineticist) orCON(default and all other archetypes) tomodify or empower your Wild Talents. The problem? You’ll take HP or Will damage when you do this. This is a balancing act most of the time since this damage can only be healed when you rest.
On the upside, you can think of Kineticists as “spellcasters who aren’t spellcasters.” Compared to actual caster classes who have a limit to their daily usage of spells,Kineticists have near-unlimited use for their blasts.
Best support and caster classes in Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous
Here are some recommendations for support and caster classes in Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous. To be clear, though, most options here are for more experienced players (barring a few exceptions). Caster classes need to considera limit to the spells they can use each day, preparing magic they’d like to have in their spellbook, a somewhat lengthy casting time, and elemental damage/resistances.
Think of the Cleric as amultipurpose priest. You’ve got healing spells, buffing spells, domain perks based on your chosen deity, and more. Ideally,you’ll want to stay at the backlineto buff your allies or channel spells.
The Cleric uses WIS as a primary stat. It’s also considered aDivine Caster, meaning it will receive all applicable spells when the class levels up. This is different from anArcane Casterthat needs to select a number of spells when leveling up.
Another option is theOracle class(which uses CHA). However,Oracles tend to have a curse at the start(which provides a blessing and a detriment). The detrimental aspect is more pronounced at lower levels. As you progress, though, the curse will eventually be weakened until you only have the benefits remaining.
Alchemist – Grenadier
Alchemists play a support role in your squad. Several archetype and subclass options allow you to brew potions to boost the capabilities of your allies.
As for the Grenadier, well, as the name implies,you’re going to be making a lot of bombsto make your opponents go boom! Another good pick is the Vivisectionist with itsSneak Attack ability. Background information about this archetype suggests that this is nifty for those who like to role-play as an evil character.
Bard or Skald
Bards and Skalds aren’t what you’d consider traditional spellcasters like Wizards and Sorcerers. But, they still have a support role due tosongs that buff your entire party. Having said that, they can also function asfrontline combatants akin to the Cleric(when built properly, of course). Heck, even the Skald uses theBarbarian’s Rage mechanicto grant buffs to allies.
For theBard, I’m a bit partial to theBeast Tamersince it’s got animal summons. However, you’re better off with theDirge Bardbecause of its perks that can counter the undead, necromancy, and fear.
If you went with theSkald, then theDemon Danceradds flavor (pun intended) thanks toFiendish Maw. You’ll inspire your party to the point where everyone gains a free bite attack. It’s actually fun if you plan to RP as a bunch of crazed demon worshippers.
Whereas most caster classes in Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous use INT as a main stat, mostSorcerersuse CHA (which means they’re okay if your main character is the “face” of the party). Also,the class can cast spontaneously, meaning you don’t need to prep spells in your spellbook. The downside is that your spellbook is rather limited.
Another key feature is thatSorcerers use Bloodlines. These grant additional abilities, feats, and buffs that can be selected as you level up.
For archetype and subclass picks, here are some unique or decent ones:
Speaking of Bloodlines, there’s another class that uses the feature. It’s called theBloodrager, and it fulfills a melee combatant role due to its emphasis on STR and CON.
Since I mentioned Sylvan Sorcerers having animal companions, you can also take a look at ourmounts, animal companions, summons, and familiars guidefor the other classes and archetypes that make the most out of furry, scaly, and ethereal critters.
Jason Rodriguez
Jason Rodriguez is a guides writer. Most of his work can be found on PC Invasion (around 3,400+ published articles). He’s also written for IGN, GameSpot, Polygon, TechRaptor, Gameskinny, and more.
He’s also one of only five games journalists from the Philippines. Just kidding. There are definitely more around, but he doesn’t know anyone. Mabuhay!
