Among Elden Ring Nightreign’s eight character classes to choose from, there’s one class that’s arguably best-suited for beginners: Wylder. This is a jack of all trades class that’s perfect if you’re trying to learn the basic mechanics of the game. If you’ve played previous soulslike games before, Wylder will feel the most comfortable before you start experimenting with other classes.
Wylder is available from the very start of Nightreign, and doesn’t need to be unlocked.
Ability: Sixth Sense
Sixth Sense is Wylder’s passive ability. It allows him to resurrect himself if he falls. This ability can only be used once until it is restored by passing a Site of Grace. It’s an incredibly useful ability that can often save your expeditions from failing.
Sixth Sense won’t save you from death by status effects like Poison or Madness. The attack you’ll be resurrecting yourself from must be a lethal hit from an enemy. When the ability activates, you’re revived on the spot without losing any Runes. It won’t restore you to full health, however, so be sure to heal up before getting back into action.
Ability: Claw Shot
Claw Shot is Wylder’s character skill. It lets you close the distance between you and your enemies. Claw Shot pulls smaller enemies in, staggering them and opening them up for additional attacks. On larger enemies, however, Claw Shot will propel Wylder forward. The momentum can be used for powerful jump attacks.
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It has some extra functions too. While the ability only latches onto a single target, it can hit other enemies on the way there. It can also be used to stagger enemies with raised shields, causing them to drop their guard momentarily. However, the Claw Shot will drop when hitting a shield, so you’ll have to run up to the enemy instead.
Claw Shot also synergizes well with Wylder’s Ultimate Art, Onslaught Stake. Since Onslaught Stake is a close-quarters attack, being able to get up close with Claw Shot puts enemies in range for the attack.
Ability: Onslaught Stake
Wylder’s Ultimate Art is Onslaught Stake, which sees him unleashing a gigantic explosion right in front of him, pushing him away. If you defeat an enemy with Onslaught Stake, the attack will only take 75 percent of your gauge, incentivizing you to use it more often.
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Onslaught Stake can also be charged up to create an even bigger and more powerful explosion. When fully charged, the attack can cause massive stance damage to enemies and make bosses stagger. Wylder will also plant his feet into the ground to prevent himself from being pushed away from the blast.
Like with other Ultimate Arts, Onslaught can be used defensively. If any of your teammates are downed, have them crawl towards enemies so that you can take them out while also reviving your teammates at the same time.
An overview of Wylder’s attributes
- HP: A
- FP: C
- Stamina: B
- Strength: A
- Dexterity: B
- Intelligence: C
- Faith: C
- Arcane: C
Wylder’s stats are well-rounded; he can be proficient in pretty much all melee builds, but his excellent Strength attribute scales the best with large weapons like greatswords. While his Dexterity isn’t as high as Ironeye’s, he’s still capable of using ranged weapons like bows and crossbows as backup options. However, close-range is where Wylder succeeds the most often.
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Wylder also has a great HP stat along with good Stamina, making him the perfect candidate for dealing consistent damage up close. His Intelligence, Faith, and Arcane stats are average so it’s not recommended for him to use any weapons that scale with magic.
Throughout your expedition, you might come across passive buffs that can provide you with additional Claw Shot charges or increase your Stamina, all of which are helpful for Wylder to grow stronger. You’ll also have a peace of mind knowing that you can take a bit of extra risk because you have Sixth Sense in your back pocket just in case of emergencies.
Elden Ring Nightreign is available now on PS5, Xbox Series X, and Windows PCs.