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.

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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

Remnant 2 - An Example Of A Player Multiclassing Challenger and Gunslinger

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?

Remnant 2 - Promotional Image From Remnant II Website Showing 3 Different Classes Challenging A World Boss

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:

Archetype Icon	Class Name	Stereotypical Class Comparison
	Gunslinger	Ranged DPS, Burst-Damage DPS, & Self-Buffing DPS
	Hunter	Sniper, Assassin, Thief, & Sharpshooter
	Challenger	Tank, Melee DPS, Bruiser, & Berserker
	Handler	Summoner, Buffer, Summon-Based DPS, & Offtank
	Medic	Healer, Support, & Dual-Type Support/DPS

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.

Name	Type	Description
Loaded	Prime Perk	When Activating any Gunslinger Skill, both weapons are instantly reloaded and gain infinite reserve ammo on all weapons for 8 seconds.
Ammo Reserves	Archetype Trait	Increases Ammo Reserves by 50 percent (5 percent at Level 1)
Swift Shot	Damage Perk	Gain 15 percent Fire Rate, 25 percent Ranged Damage, and 5 percent Crit Chance for all Fire Arms. Damage increases with the Gunslinger’s level.
Posse Up	Team Perk	Ammo Pickups awards 30 percent additional ammo per player with the bonus split equally among teammates and also causes Ammo Box to drop additional ammo on the ground.
Quick Hands	Utility Perk	Firearms gain 10 percent Reload Speed. The bonus is doubled if the magazine is empty.
Slight of Hand	Relic Perk	Using a Relic reloads equipped Firearm and increases Ranged Damage by 15 percent for 10 seconds.
Wrangler 1860	Long Gun	A lever-action Hunting Rifle.
Western Classic	Handgun	A single-action classic Revolver.
Scrap Hatchet	Melee Weapon	A Hatchet Melee Weapon made from scrap.

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:

Name	Type	Description
Dead to Rights	Prime Perk	Dealing 55 Base Ranged Weakspot Damage extends the duration of active Hunter Skills by 3.5 seconds. This can extend Skill timers beyond their initial duration.
Longshot	Archetype Trait	Increases the ideal range of weapons by 6 meters, with the Weapon Range Bonus being +600 at Level 10 (+60 at Level 1).
Deadeye	Damage Perk	Gain 40 percent Ranged Damage, 15 percent Weakspot Damage and 5 percent Ranged Critical Change. Damage increases with Hunter Level.
Return to Sender	Team Perk	Kills due to Weakspot and Critical Hits increase Ammo drops by 50 percent and double the chance of Ammo drops.
Urgency	Utility Perk	Firearms gain 15 percent Reload Speed and 15 percent increased Movement Speed after a Kill. Lasts 5 seconds.
Intuition	Relic Perk	Using a Relic extends the duration of any active Hunter Skill by 10 seconds. Effect degrades with each subsequent use. Weakspot Kills against Marked enemies increase the speed of the next Relic usage that occurs within 15 seconds by 5 percent. Stacks up to 10 times.
Huntmaster M1	Long Gun	A high-powered bolt-action Hunting Rifle.
Repeater Pistol	Handgun	A high fire-rate Semi-Automatic Hand Gun Pistol.
Steel Sword	Melee Weapon	A long sharp bladed Melee Weapon made from car leaf springs.

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:

Name	Type	Description
Die Hard	Prime Perk	When receiving fatal damage, the Challenger becomes invulnerable for 3 seconds and regenerates 100 percent of Max Health. Can only happen once every 10 minutes. Resets at Worldstone or on death.
Strong Back	Archetype Trait	Reduces Encumbrance by 10 at Level 10 (Reduces by 1 at Level 1).
Close Quarters	Damage Perk	Grants a 35 percent increase to All Damage to enemies within 10 meters. Damage bonus tapers off until 20 meters. Critical Chance is increased by up to 10 percent. Damage increases with Challenger level.
Intimidating Presence	Team Perk	After activating a Challenger Skill, enemies within 10 meters deal 10 percent less damage for 15 seconds with an additional 2.5 percent damage reduction per enemy affected. (Max 10 percent).
Powerlifter	Utility Perk	Both the Stamina cost increase for each weight bracket and Stamina Regen Delay are reduced by 50 percent.
Fear of Danger	Relic Perk	Using a Relic within 10 meters of an enemy grants 2 stacks of Bulwark and 10 percent Increased Damage for 10 seconds.
AS-10 ‘Bulldog’	Long Gun	A fully-automatic Drum-Fed Shotgun that’s beloved by the fanbase.
Silverback Model 500	Handgun	A short-barreled six-shooter Handgun.
Iron Greatsword	Melee Weapon	A giant broadsword Melee Weapon made from railroad tracks.

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:

Name	Type	Description
Bonded	Prime Perk	When Handler is downed, Companion will attempt to revive them at 50 percent Max Health. Can be used to revive allies with Command. Downed ally must have a Relic Charge.
Kinship	Archetype Trait	Reduces Friendly Fire Damage Dealt and Received by 80 percent at Level 10 (reduces by 8 percent at Level 1).
Pack Hunter	Damage Perk	Gain 30 percent Ranged and Skill Damage, and 5 percent Ranged and Skill Critical Chance while Companion is active and within 25 meter of the player. Damage increases with Handler level.
Spirit of the Wolf	Team Perk	Increases Movement Speed by 10 percent. All allies with 10 meters of the Handler gain the Handler’s Movement Speed (if faster). Reduces the Stamina cost of actions for allies by 15 percent.
Teamwork	Utility Perk	Handler and Companion gain 30 percent increased Revive Speed. While Handler or Companion are reviving, they receive 50 percent less damage.
Best Friend	Relic Perk	Using a Relic fully restores Companion health and grants them 25 percent Damage and 35 percent Damage Resistance for 15 seconds.
Blackmaw AR-47	Long Gun	A medium capacity fully automatic Rifle.
Tech 22	Handgun	A small-caliber, medium-capacity Automatic Pistol with a suppressor attached.
Rusted Claws	Melee Weapon	Old canine training braces converted into claw Melee Weapons.

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:

Name	Type	Description
Regenerator	Prime Perk	After restoring 250 Total Health to allies, regain a spent Relic charge. Resting or Respawning at a Worldstone resets healing accumulation. Each additional player increases this healing requirement by 50 percent.
Triage	Archetype Trait	Increases Healing by 50 Percent at Level 10 (5 percent at Level 1).
Invigorated	Damage Perk	Grants a 25 percent increase to All Damage and 5 percent Critical Chance. Damage increases with Medic Level.
Benevolence	Team Perk	Increases Relic Efficacy by 15 percent and heals nearby allies for 30 percent of the total healing value, increasing to 60 percent for any ally below 35 percent Max Health.
Backbone	Utility Perk	Increases the hits Medic can take before losing Grey Health by 2.
Benefactor	Relic Perk	Increases Relic Use Speed by 20 percent. Relic Use gains -1 Stagger.
XMG57 ‘Bonesaw’	Long Gun	An experimental creation made by welding together two different guns, a Heavy Machine Gun with long reload time and a high capacity, but can also overheat.
Service Pistol	Handgun	A standard-issue sidearm pistol that’s designed to be the most ‘basic’ of basic weapons.
Steel Flail	Melee Weapon	Unorthodox Melee Weapon that converts momentum into destruction. Has a unique Charge Attack.

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.

Remnant 2

Platform(s): PC, PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
Released: July 25, 2023
Developer(s): Gunfire Games
Publisher(s): Gearbox Publishing