Stranger of Paradise Class Guide: What is the Best Class for You? In this Stranger of Paradise Class Guide, we’re going to dive into all of the 8 Basic Jobs of the game and touch upon the Advanced Jobs that they eventually evolve into. If you’re new to Stranger of Paradise and you’ve been wanting to know more in terms of how different Class playstyles are, then this Guide is for you!
Best Beginner Classes in Stranger of Paradise
- Swordsman
- Swordfighter
- Marauder
- Mage
- Lancer
Stranger of Paradise Class Guide: What is the Best Class for You?
Stranger of Paradise features more than 25 classes, which are spread out as Basic, Advanced, and Expert Jobs. The higher the tier of a certain Job, the more specialized its abilities become. As such, you’re able to take on higher levels of content. What makes the Combat exciting is the player’s ability to freely swap between 2 jobs. If you’ve played Nioh, then it’s a familiar spin on that game’s Combat Stance System, allowing you to change how you approach encounters.
When you equip 2 jobs, you’re not restricted to pairing 2 of them from the same tier. This means that you don’t necessarily have to pick, say a Ronin and a Marauder, which are both Basic Jobs. You can mix and match and even include an Advanced Job in your rotation. Of course, this will depend on the playstyles you prefer and the jobs you want to level up first.
Job progression is a lot more straightforward than in most action RPGs. By slaying creatures and finishing missions, you’ll acquire points that you can use in Job Trees to learn new Abilities and unlock passive skills. At the bottom part of this tree, regardless of the class, you’ll notice Advanced or Expert Jobs. Additionally, you’re going to need to unlock these nodes for 2 jobs, in some cases, before you can change your class. For instance, under the Lancer Job Tree, you’re able to choose between a Dragoon or Monk.
It’s also worth mentioning that you don’t have to invest in every node, which will lead you to either Advanced Job. As long as you have enough points, you’re able to access them faster. In the next sections of this Stranger of Paradise Class Guide, I’ll be going through the Basic Jobs, their respective Advanced Jobs, and the best classes to pick for beginners.
Stranger of Paradise Class Guide – Swordsman
The Swordsman is a powerful melee class who wields a Greatsword to deal heavy damage against bosses and mobs. This catches them off-guard and may even kill some of them as a result. However, due to the size and weight of the Greatsword, you won’t be as agile compared to the other classes. The Swordsman specializes in executing Spinning Slash, which provides a Stamina bonus to protect against physical damage. With this job ability, you’ll be able to deliver a lot of heavy blows in quick succession to clear out groups of enemies and destroy their formation while inflicting huge damage in the process.
To effectively reduce the amount of break damage you take, you’re going to have to successfully guard yourself from incoming attacks, especially when the enemy is about to hit you.
The Swordsman can become a Berserker, Warrior, or Knight. As a Berserker, you’re able to hold your ground since you’re not susceptible to being staggered and your overall damage improves. However, this can be tricky to play, especially if you’re quite dependent on potions since you won’t be able to use them while the Berserk Ability is active. The Berserker Advanced Job can be accessed if you unlock this node under the Marauder Job Tree as well.
On the other hand, the Warrior does a decent amount of damage while having the ability to perform War Cry. Doing so not only damages the hostile creatures around you but also restores a portion of your HP, making it hard to put you down. You can switch to the Warrior Job if you also unlock its corresponding node under the Ronin Job Tree.
Lastly, you can opt to become a Knight who can damage multiple enemies in one fell swoop. This is due to the shockwave the job unleashes as a result of successfully guarding one’s self from incoming attacks. You’re able to access the Knight if you also invest points into its node via the Swordfighter Job Tree.
The Swordsman is the perfect beginner melee class if you enjoy a hack-and-slash type of combat and you don’t mind piloting a relatively slower and less mobile class. You’ll be able to deal huge powerful blows anyway and you can take a higher amount of damage without suddenly dying.
Stranger of Paradise Class Guide – Swordfighter
The Swordfighter is another melee class but this time around, you’re going to be more agile and mobile since you’re going to wield a Sword, which is a lighter Weapon. This comes at a cost, however, since you’ll be inflicting lesser overall damage. Moreover, you can also equip a Shield to further mitigate the damage you receive.
What makes this job unique and beginner-friendly is the ability to automatically parry attacks thanks to Interception. You simply have to activate it and wait for the enemy to perform Basic and Purple Abilities and then watch your Swordfighter fight back. Interception provides bonus Agility, which means that you deal greater break damage when you execute critical hits or when you attack enemies by targeting their backs.
In addition to the Knight, the Swordfighter can turn into a Red Mage, provided that you also unlock its corresponding job node under the Mage Job Tree. As a Red Mage, you’re able to cast two spells in quick succession.
The Swordfighter is a good and simple melee class if you’re looking for a playstyle that provides a decent balance between dealing enough damage and having good mobility.
Stranger of Paradise Class Guide – Ronin
The Ronin is an enhanced version of the Swordfighter in the sense that you’re able to deal greater damage with your Katana in melee range. However, you don’t have a Shield to reduce the damage you take. Iai-Giri is the Ronin’s Job Ability, which allows you to charge your weapon as soon as you unsheathe your Katana. This lets you rush towards targets to deal devastating slashing damage at the same time. In fact, you can activate Iai-Giri as you’re approaching enemies to take them by surprise.
The Iai-Giri provides a Strength bonus, which considerably improves break damage. What enhances this even more is the Slash Break Damage passives that are available in the Ronin’s Job Tree. Additionally, this job also has MP-reducing passives, thereby decreasing the amount of MP you consume upon activating powerful action abilities.
The Ronin can also become a Samurai. The Samurai can use their Meikyo-Shisui Ability to further improve the restoration rate of their MP when they use Basic Attacks and successfully parry incoming hits.
If you want to play as a highly mobile class with the ability to deal great break damage and the lack of defense doesn’t concern you, then the Ronin would be the right job for you.
Stranger of Paradise Class Guide – Pugilist
The Pugilist is an effective close-range combatant who strikes creatures in rapid succession with their Knuckles. For your punches to land successfully, however, you need to be within point-blank range of them. Pugilists have good mobility, allowing them to engage enemies quickly.
Their Job Ability is the Explosive Fist, which lets them deliver a series of rapid and hefty blows, one after the other. As such, you increase the chances of staggering hostile creatures. The drawback to Explosive Fist is your tendency to single them out, thereby leaving you open to the attacks of the others around you. Furthermore, this ability provides an Agility bonus similar to the Swordfighter, so you’re rewarded for executing critical hits.
Pugilists also have passives that let them improve the restoration rate of both their Break Gauge and MP, the latter of which is specifically enhanced when they perform Basic Attacks.
The Pugilist can become a Thief or a Monk. As a Thief, they’re able to steal a Purple Ability from the enemy straight away simply by charging towards them, without the need to use Soul Shield. You can gain access to this Advanced Job by also unlocking its respective node under the Duelist Job Tree.
Comparatively, the Monk needs to save enough MP, which they’ll use to restore a portion of their HP as well as their Break Gauge back. And the longer this particular ability stays active, the higher their break damage will be. The Monk can be accessed by investing points into its job node under the Lancer Job Tree.
If you intend to fight like a martial artist who is adept in close-range encounters and has impeccable agility, then the Pugilist is the right class you’re searching for.
Stranger of Paradise Class Guide – Marauder
The Marauder is an upgraded version of the Swordsman such that they’re able to reach farther enemies thanks to their trusty Axe and deal huge burst damage. But because of this heavy weapon, they tend to have a slower attack speed as well.
What makes Marauder highly effective is the Upheaval Ability because it also inflicts status effects on enemies to reduce the damage they deal. It’s also a great ability to engage enemies from a certain distance. Additionally, the longer Upheaval’s charge time is, the more debilitating the ailment will be. Note that this also grants a Strength bonus, thereby increasing the amount of break damage you deal.
The Marauder is a resilient class because they take lesser damage and they gain back some HP as long as they’re able to deal great damage, which is always the case.
Now in addition to the Berserker, they can become a Dragoon. Dragoons can make a high jump and then follow through with devastating piercing damage. You can gain access to this Advanced Job by also unlocking its respective node under the Lancer Job Tree.
The Marauder is an excellent beginner class if you want to deal massive damage in addition to controlling the battlefield. This is due to your Combo Abilities, which can stagger enemies.
Mage
The next Basic Job on our Strange of Paradise Class Guide is the Mage, which is predominantly a spellcaster who utilizes different elements to their advantage. While casting spells from a safe distance, they recover a certain percentage of their MP. The longer the cast time is, the more potent the spell will be. They can also inflict considerable damage in the melee range using their Mace and Shield, making them quite versatile fighters.
On top of the Red Mage, the Mage can become a Black or White Mage as well. The Black Mage is an offense-oriented Advance Job that can cast a wider variety of powerful elemental spells. Conversely, the White Mage is able to support the party by buffing them and helping them recover from taking too much damage.
The Mage is a good beginner class to invest in if you want to play as a hybrid character. To safely cast spells from afar, remember to use Resonance in order to divert the enemy’s attention away from you.
Duelist
Duelists are capable and fast melee fighters with the ability to execute numerous critical hits thanks to their Daggers. What makes them formidable opponents is their Weak Spot Ability. With Weak Spot, Duelists can easily close the gap between themselves and their enemies while inflicting critical hits regardless of that same enemy’s orientation. Moreover, this ability provides an Agility bonus to further improve break damage.
Aside from the Thief, there are no other Advanced Jobs for this class.
The Duelist is the class for you if you enjoy high-speed combat up close while dealing critical hits. They even have skills to boost critical damage and to imbue their Daggers with venom to further weaken the enemy.
Lancer
Last but not the least is the Lancer, which is a hybrid class. They’re able to initiate combat from a distance by throwing their Lance at a target. As such, you effectively deal considerable piercing damage especially when the weapon is charged longer so much so that you can kill an enemy outright. This action is also known as Lance Hurl and it provides an Agility bonus for enhanced break damage. Additionally, the Lancer has passives to raise the recovery rate of their Break Gauge as well as skills to deal piercing, slashing, and strike damage.
Aside from the Dragoon and Monk, there are no additional Advanced Jobs for this class.
The Lancer can efficiently kill enemies thanks to the damage they deal. If you want to play a versatile and beginner-friendly class that inflicts any type of physical damage from any distance, then the Lancer is perfect for you.
If you enjoyed this Stranger of Paradise Class Guide, be sure to check out our Stranger of Paradise Review and our Getting Started Tips and Tricks. What did you think of this guide? What classes are you looking forward to trying out first? Let us know in the comments below!
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