Rogue Legacy 2 best class choice and how to unlock classes explained
Master your runs by picking one of the best classes.
Choosing between Rogue Legacy 2 classes can be a bit overwhelming with so many options available.
Playing a certain class requires you to unlock it with gold coins first. Even then you can’t just pick the same character for every run, as you only get three random classes pulled from what you have unlocked.
You’re not always guaranteed to get a certain one, but this guide will cover the best classes in Rogue Legacy 2 for both general gameplay and boss fights.
If you're looking for more help on how to read those 'thousand whispers' orbs, our Rogue Legacy 2 Memory Fragments page can help.
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How important are classes in Rogue Legacy 2?
As the game follows a roguelite formula, you get to pick a class at the beginning of each run. However, only three randomised options from your unlocked classes are available.
Choosing one of the best classes in Rogue Legacy 2 can often extend your runs through its deadly castle, whereas picking a class with low health/mana for a subpar talent can end your journey without making much progress at all.
Keep in mind that traits are just as important as classes in Rogue Legacy 2. It’s no good picking a character with a large health bar and strong weapon if their health is halved and their weapon is replaced with a peace sign that causes no damage.
Visiting the Blacksmith and Enchantress to get better weapons, armour, and passive abilities is also recommended for extending and making the most of each run. As is upgrading Strength, Dexterity, Intelligence, health, and mana, at your growing Manor.
How to unlock all classes in Rogue Legacy 2
Rogue Legacy 2 has 15 classes to choose from:
- Assassin
- Astromancer
- Barbarian
- Bard
- Boxer
- Chef
- Dragon Lancer
- Duelist
- Gunslinger
- Knight
- Mage
- Pirate
- Ranger
- Ronin
- Valkyrie
To unlock a class, you must spend gold coins, but you must also reach a certain Manor level. The Ronin, for example, costs 2250 gold coins, and your Manor must be at level 48 or higher. Manor level is gained by spending your gold coins on the Skill Tree.
You get the chance to access your Skill Tree at the beginning of each run, and can spend any gold coins you obtained before dying. Charon will take any gold you don't spend when you re-enter the castle, so make sure to unlock as many skills, weapons, or enchatments as possible!
Best classes in Rogue Legacy 2
While most classes have their uses in certain situations, we recommend the Chef, Duelist, Valkyrie and Ronin as the best class in Rogue Legacy 2, as they are effective in fighting both regular enemies, and bosses.
Chef
Although the Chef class has low health and poor mana regeneration, it has an incredible talent, weapon, and critical attack effectiveness.
The Chef uses a Frying Pan as its main weapon, which has a slight delay before hitting, but makes up for this by applying Burn when an enemy is hit. The Frying Pan can also hit projectiles, turning them into fireballs with a mid-range arc, which also causes enemies to Burn.
Hitting enemies once and then getting to safety while Burn does all the work for you is the most effective way to play a Chef. After hitting a projectile, however, you will be Charged for three seconds, meaning if you hit an enemy during this time, it will crit.
- Talent: unless a trait replaces it, the Chef’s talent is a cooking pot for making Stew, which restores health and mana. Even better, the pot has three charges, which can be replenished by picking up food.
- Primary stat upgrade: Intelligence. Will increase the amount of health your Stew restores, magic damage, and Burn damage from both direct hits and fireball damage when projectiles are deflected.
Duelist
The Duelist has average health and good mana, with a great passive ability, and a speedy weapon that applies a lot of crits when used correctly.
A Saber is the Duelist’s weapon of choice, and when used in the air, it’s the quickest weapon in the game. These are called Swings, and they can combo into a ground attack (Lunge) for an effective, speedy combo.
The Saber will crit an enemy if used while dashing. So, you can combo air, ground, dash, and talent attacks to completely destroy opponents in a matter of seconds. It’s a particularly good weapon against bosses, as it can provide the most hits when you get brief openings between their attacks.
- Talent: Duelists have a Combat Roll as their default talent, which deals damage to all enemies you roll through. Combat Roll will also make you Charged for a second after using it, meaning you should aim to hit right after rolling to get a crit. It’s also a very effective talent for avoiding all sizes of projectiles and weapons due to the invulnerability it grants while you are rolling.
- Primary stat upgrades: Dexterity to improve crits, Strength to improve base weapon damage.
Valkyrie
With low health and a slow weapon, the Valkyrie doesn’t seem like one of the best classes in Rogue Legacy 2. However, their useful talent and weapon reach that makes it stand out from the rest.
The Valkyrie's Fauchard (spear) may be a little slower than others, but you can aim its attacks up, down, left, and right. This is effective for clearing out enemies on different levels without getting hurt. Attacking while dashing will also crit an enemy.
- Talent: The Fauchard can also deflect and destroy small and mid-sized projectiles by using the Valkyrie's Deflect talent. This hurts enemies caught in the blast, and a successful deflection will instantly recharge the talent, and restore mana. Consequently, the Valkyrie is very effective against projectiles, especially when magic is used in between deflections.
- Primary stat upgrade: Strength for weapon damage, Intelligence for Deflect damage.
Ronin
A Ronin’s Katana has the longest reach of any weapon in the game, a deadly teleporting talent, and a passive that increases all types of damage. To offset its power, Ronin’s unfortunately have long cooldown periods, low health, and average mana.
The Ronin uses a Katana, which is highly effective against enemies at mid-range, due to the blade’s long reach. Hitting with the tip of the blade produces a crit, meaning Ronin’s are most effective when playing accurately, and defensively.
As the Ronin has the Lone Traveler passive, all types of damage are raised by 20 percent, making it one of the deadliest, but slow, classes in Rogue Legacy 2.
- Talent: to make the Ronin as powerful as possible, make sure to use its Immortal Kotetsu talent. This teleports you a short distance, making it an effective way to retreat from combat, as you are also invulnerable during this time. The talent also damages any enemy you teleport through. Due to its power, there is a five second cooldown to Immortal Kotestsu. However, this is reset if you kill an enemy with the talent, making it highly effective against groups of weaker enemies.
- Primary stat upgrades: Strength for weapon damage, Intelligence for Immortal Kotestsu damage.
If you're looking for more help on how to read those 'thousand whispers' orbs, our Rogue Legacy Memory Fragments page can help.