Which Class Should You Pick First?

Remnant 2’s Class system is a massive departure from how it worked in the original game, Remnant: From The Ashes. In this sequel, the Starting Class or ‘Archetype’ that players pick has a lot more impact than it did previously with the Scrapper, Hunter, and Ex-Cultist as it’s a Class they’ll be stuck with for quite a while once they start their adventures across all the Realms the Worldstones are connected to.

Additionally, outside of the 5 Starting Classes, there are 7 more hidden Archetypes for players to find throughout their runs and choose to start their next character as, if they so desire. So with that in mind, let’s go over what Archetype players should start out with first in Remnant 2, both from a playstyle and mechanical point of view.

Updated December 4th, 2023 by Jacob Buchalter: Between the time this guide originally came out and now, dedicated players have fully explored every last line of code, nook, and cranny in Remnant 2. There have been entire discords dedicated to finding hidden Archetypes through data mining, absurdly complex paths for finding secret guns (such as the Anguish) and more. All that said, when a player first starts out in Remnant 2, which a lot of Xbox Game Pass subscribers will be doing soon, they’ll be faced with the same decision as always which is what starting class to pick? So, let’s go over the starting classes again, making sure to integrate any new info found, so that players have all the info they’ll need to make an informed decision.

Archetypes & Starting Classes Overview

How Multiclassing Works & Differences Between Primary And Secondary Archetypes

Before getting into anything else, players should know that there are more Archetypes in Remnant 2 than just the starting ones, far more in fact. And, this matters because players will be able to un-equip and equip different Archetype items into their Engram slots after a certain amount of progress is made at the start of the game. They’ll have two Engram Slots overall, one for their ‘Prime’ Archetype (AKA their ‘main’ class) and one for their Secondary Archetype.

The one key difference between these Engram Slots is that, when the second Archetype is equipped, players will receive all the Skills, Perks, and even the Trait of that second Archetype, but they won’t receive its Prime Perk, as that is exclusive to their Archetype slotted into the Primary Engram Slot.

As an example of how Multiclassing works: If a player has Medic as their Primary and Hunter as their Secondary, they’ll have access to the Archetype Traits, Perks, and Skills of both Classes, but the only Prime Perk they’ll have active is Medic’s.

How this relates to which Class they start with is that it basically determines which Prime Perk players will start with, as they won’t be able to switch for at least an hour or so. For reference, these 5 starting Archetype Prime Perks are; Die Hard, Dead to Rights, Regenerator, Bonded, and Loaded.

Which Archetype Should I Pick?

Next up let’s go over each Class individually, what choosing them as the Starting Class grants the player, and what type of players/people would likely gravitate towards that class. However, before that, let’s just give a succinct overview of each Remnant 2 Class in a few words for people who just want the simplest of simple answers:

Gunslinger

The Quick-Draw Gun Specialist

Let’s start things off with the Gunslinger, the Class that any player who pre-ordered Remnant 2 will have access to as a starting Class (and one that the Ultimate Edition players got even earlier access to). The Gunslinger is a Class built around the classic idea of a ‘Western Cowboy’, as it starts with:

The tables for each Class’s starting Traits and Perks either use a non-descript X for aspects that change when that Class levels up, or use the numbers that Perk/Trait would have at Class Level 10. Basically, assume that any bolded text in the Descriptions below are aspects of the Perk/Trait that may change based on Archetype Level.

The Gunslinger is a DPS class that tears through Ammo Reserves in exchange for high overall DPS and weapon handling. Thankfully, the Ammo Reserves Trait is built to counteract this while the Loaded Prime Perk also helps with Ammo Capacity (and also works for allies in co-op as well). Overall, the Gunslinger Class is the one players should pick if they’re fans of Westerns or Cowboys in general, prefer faster play styles that prioritize high attack speed with lower damage per hit, or players who like the gunplay side of Remnant: From the Ashes more than the Weapon Mods/Skills side.

Hunter

Stealth, Crits, & Long Distance Sniping

Next up is the Hunter, which appears to be ‘designed’ to be the game’s Sniper class or Thief class. All of the promotional material has shown this class taking out unaware enemies from afar or using invisibility to dip in and out of gunfights. And, while that may be the ‘intended playstyle’ of this Starting Class, there’s a lot of wiggle room thanks to the general usefulness of this Archetype’s Perks and Skills. Hunter starts with:

The Ideal Weapon Range increase of the Archetype Trait is a big part of why this Class is a lot more flexible than players might have initially expected and is a great argument in favor of starting with this Class.

After 10 levels, players can then switch to a different Primary Archetype and make Hunter their Secondary if they’re not fans of the playstyle, but this way they’ll get the maximum Ideal Range bonus either way which will make every weapon in the game feel a lot better to use by default. The Hunter Class is the best option for FPS Veterans (AKA Counter-Strike and Valorant pros), players who love sniper-type Classes, or players who have bad situational awareness (or have friends with bad awareness) as the Hunter’s Mark Skill helps compensate for this.

Challenger

The Tank & Close Range Specialist

Moving on to the closest thing to a ‘tank’ starting Class in Remnant 2, the Challenger Class. The Challenger is pretty much the classic example people think of when they imagine a Dark Souls veteran trying to play Remnant. It’s a Class that starts with an Armor Set following a very medieval-esque aesthetic, has an emphasis on melee combat, and Skill/Perks focused around close combat. Specifically, it starts with:

Anyone who tried a full melee build in Remnant: From the Ashes or likes the world of Remnant, but has less love for the gunplay, should try out Challenger since the dev team at Gunfire Games was exceedingly ambitious with fixing the issues around melee combat in this sequel.

It’s both the best close-range option and the go-to tank option for any co-op party. In general, the Challenger Class is the best choice for Melee Combat lovers, Tank/Bruiser Class veterans in RPGs and MMOs, or players who love close-combat Guns and/or Heavy Armor.

Handler

The Earliest ‘Summoner’ Class

Not only is the Handler Class the most popular starting class overall (likely because it comes with a Dog), but it’s also the starting Archetype that has a little bit of everything in it. The dog companion functions as a pure attack dog, an aggro-pulling tank, or a healer, depending on which Skill the player has equipped. Additionally, the players themselves can build the Handler in vastly different ways based on their play style. It’s a Class that starts with:

In general, the Handler is meant to be a Support-type Class alongside the Medic, but with more of a focus on team buffs and general utility than healing. The Handler Class is a perfect choice for players who love dogs or animals in general, enjoy playing summoner-type Classes in games (AKA Mechromancer in Borderlands 2), and just overall newer players to the Remnant series.

Medic

Support With A Lot Of Options For Offense

And for the last of the selectable starting Classes in Remnant 2, let’s go over the Medic. Like Healers in most other games, the Medic is primarily a class built around healing allies whenever needed. But, where Remnant 2 separates its Medic Class from other Healers is that it also innately buffs an ally’s ability to heal themselves, as well as rewards the Healer for doing their job thanks to the Regenerator Prime Perk. It starts with:

After reading all of this Class’ Perks, Traits, and starting Weapons, it might seem a bit different than one might expect for a ‘healer class’. And it’s true, the Medic does have some emphasis on general survivability and a few damage buffs, and this is primarily so it can still be a worthwhile choice in a purely solo playthrough.

That said, this Class is still not recommended for any players who don’t plan to use the online aspects of Remnant 2 much. Players who love to support, play Healers in MMORPGs, or want to play a Class that will make a co-op playthrough fun for everyone, check out the Medic.