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Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Divinity: Original Sin 2 does not have permanent classes: its character-creation options are starting presets you can develop in different directions. So there is no evidence-based, universal power ranking of every preset. The practical ranking below instead favors a newcomer-friendly start: a clear playstyle, little setup knowledge, and a preset that makes its intended approach easy to understand from the beginning.
What “class” means in Divinity: Original Sin 2
The familiar class names are presets, not locked-in jobs. Larian describes character creation and development as classless, giving players freedom to shape the heroes they want in its official support FAQ. Choosing a preset supplies an initial arrangement of combat abilities and determines which spells and special attacks are available at the start, according to a Larian developer post on Steam.
That starting package still matters: it shapes what your character can do early on and gives a new player a ready-made direction. But you can continue developing beyond it. Larian’s console-release announcement says players can customize class, stats, abilities, talents, and skills, or choose a preset to get started. The initial choice is a launch point, not a permanent commitment.
All DOS2 classes, ranked as starting presets for newcomers
This is a practical recommendation, not a measured balance tier list. The order weighs how easy a preset’s intended playstyle is to grasp, how much system knowledge it demands, and how directly it introduces that style. No controlled comparison or published statistics establish one preset as universally strongest, so this ranking does not claim that its top entry deals the most damage or performs best in every party.
#1 Best Overall
- Go anywhere, talk to anyone, and interact with everything! Kill any NPC without sacrificing your progress, and speak to every animal. Even ghosts might be hiding a secret or two!
- Blast your opponents with elemental combinations. Use height to your advantage. Master over 200 skills in 12 skill schools.
- Play with your friends online (up to 4 players) or in local split-screen with drop-in/drop-out multiplayer. PvP hot-seat mode: Battle your friends in round-robin, hero to hero!
- Story mode: A new difficulty setting for players who wish to enjoy the lauded narrative, but still want to enjoy the combat.
- An entirely re-written journal to catalogue your journey and reflect on your quests. Character romance, disagreements, and unique quest-lines pushing the boundaries between fellowship and feud!
1. Choose the preset whose playstyle you already want to learn
There is no responsible evidence-based way to name a specific preset as the best newcomer choice across all players. If you want a straightforward first character, select the preset whose advertised approach sounds most appealing and whose starting spells or attacks you are keen to try. The preset gives you an initial set of tools; your later development can take the character in other directions.
For a more specific recommendation, decide what matters most: an immediately legible playstyle, a particular role in your party, or freedom to experiment. Those are different goals, not a single universal measure of “best.” GamesRadar’s January 12, 2026 guide likewise frames its advice around choices that are easier for newcomers to understand rather than identifying a standout best class (GamesRadar+’s Divinity: Original Sin 2 class guide).
Rank #2
- Go anywhere, talk to anyone, and interact with everything! Kill any NPC without sacrificing your progress, and speak to every animal. Even ghosts might be hiding a secret or two!
- Blast your opponents with elemental combinations. Use height to your advantage. Master over 200 skills in 12 skill schools.
- Play with your friends online (up to 4 players) or in local split-screen with drop-in/drop-out multiplayer. PvP hot-seat mode: Battle your friends in round-robin, hero to hero!
- Story mode: A new difficulty setting for players who wish to enjoy the lauded narrative, but still want to enjoy the combat.
- An entirely re-written journal to catalogue your journey and reflect on your quests. Character romance, disagreements, and unique quest-lines pushing the boundaries between fellowship and feud!
2. Treat “OP” claims as build opinions, not class rankings
Players ask questions such as “What is the most OP class/race/combo” and “Best classes for new run,” but those discussion prompts do not establish consensus or comparative performance. A preset is only one part of a character’s starting setup, and the game allows development beyond that setup. Without a supported comparison of complete builds under stated conditions, calling one preset the most overpowered turns opinion into a fact the evidence does not support.
How to choose your starting preset
- Pick a playstyle before a tier. Decide what kind of character you want to try, rather than assuming one preset is mandatory for a successful run.
- Use the preset to get moving. Its initial combat abilities and available spells or special attacks provide a ready-made starting configuration.
- Explore as you develop. The preset does not prevent you from customizing abilities, talents, skills, and other character choices as you progress.
Why there is no definitive all-classes power list
A permanent-class ranking would imply that each choice fixes a character into a defined role. That is not how Larian describes DOS2’s system: presets provide an initial configuration within flexible character development. And without a controlled class comparison or named performance statistics, a universal ordering would be false precision. A useful ranking must specify its purpose—such as newcomer clarity—and remain an editorial guide to choosing a starting point, not a verdict on which character is strongest.
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Quick Recap
Rank #4
- Choose your race and origin. Choose from 6 unique origin characters with their own backgrounds and quests, or create your own as a Human, Lizard, Elf, Dwarf, or Undead. All choices have consequences.
- Unlimited freedom to explore and experiment. Go anywhere, talk to anyone, and interact with everything! Kill any NPC without sacrificing your progress and speak to every animal. Even ghosts might be hiding a secret or two.
- The next generation of turn-based combat. Blast your opponents with elemental combinations. Use height to your advantage. Master over 200 skills in 12 skill schools.
- Up to 4 player online and dynamic split-screen multiplayer. Play with your friends online or in local split-screen with drop-in, drop-out multiplayer.
- PVP Hot-seat mode: battle your friends in round-robin, hero to hero.
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