Overview
Your class decides your abilities, fighting style and role, and every class belongs to one race. There are now 17 classes across six races. Each race has its own look: Winged Elves wear small white or black plumes on their heads, and the Untamed keep animal features. Whatever you choose, your first steps take place in Celestial Vale (see the Beginner's Guide).
The six races
| Race | Origin | Capital | Flying gear |
|---|---|---|---|
| Human | Born from the spirit of Pan Gu; creative and adaptable | Etherblade | Aeroswords |
| Untamed | Wild animals that grew into thinking beings; can take animal form | City of the Lost | Aerobeasts |
| Winged Elf | Children of gods and Humans from the Golden Age; can fly from birth | City of the Plume | Wings |
| Tideborn | Ancient sea folk descended from the Wavewalkers; live on land and under water | City of Raging Tides | Magic Wings |
| Earthguard | Souls of the dead trained by Radiance to fight the wraiths; marked by a third eye | Tellus | Kites |
| Nightshade | Reapers made by the Divine Child Cangyan, who came by a fleet of flying ships | Dawnglory (a floating city) | — |
The 17 classes
| Class | Race | Role | Added in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blademaster | Human | Melee physical fighter with many weapon types; crowd control | — |
| Technician | Human | Ranged physical damage with firearms; mobile, uses traps | Wings of Rebirth (2019) |
| Wizard | Human | Ranged magic of Fire, Water and Earth; high burst damage | — |
| Barbarian | Untamed | Tough melee tank with high HP; can turn into a tiger | — |
| Venomancer | Untamed | Magic user who fights with battle pets and debuffs; fox form | — |
| Wildwalker | Untamed | Melee cudgel fighter; switches between human and Snow Ape forms | The Wildwalker (2021) |
| Archer | Winged Elf | Ranged physical attacker with bows; high crits and mobility | — |
| Cleric | Winged Elf | Healer with buffs and resurrection; deals Metal damage | — |
| Edgerunner | Winged Elf | Melee Sword Shield fighter; switches between physical and all five elements | Wings of Rebirth (2019) |
| Assassin | Tideborn | Fast dagger fighter; stealth and single-target kills | Rising Tide (2009) |
| Psychic | Tideborn | Ranged magic with Soulforce and strong status effects | Rising Tide (2009) |
| Bard | Tideborn | Zither player who deals Water damage, heals and protects with Melodies | Song of the Surging Waves (2024) |
| Seeker | Earthguard | Blade fighter mixing melee and ranged; area damage and stances | Genesis (2011) |
| Mystic | Earthguard | Healer and damage dealer who summons creatures and plants | Genesis (2011) |
| Bloodspirit | Earthguard | Melee fighter with Paired Scythes; fast, mobile, Bloodsoul abilities | Soul Resonance (2026) |
| Duskblade | Nightshade | Very mobile saber fighter; fast attacks, combos and control | Eclipse (2014) |
| Stormbringer | Nightshade | Ranged caster of Metal and Water who can cast many skills while moving | Eclipse (2014) |
Race traits worth knowing
- Humans have no special racial ability, unlike the shapeshifting Untamed or the flying Winged Elves. The Technician class is female only.
- Untamed classes are tied to one gender: all Barbarians are male and all Venomancers are female. Their animal form raises defence and opens a different set of skills.
- Winged Elves are the only race that can fly from birth; their wings only show while flying. The Edgerunner is male only and has black plumes.
- Tideborn meditate in a mermaid-like tidal form, Earthguard can have an optional third eye, and Nightshade meditate in their reaper form.
Choosing a class
Every class can progress through solo content, so there is no wrong choice. In groups, classes with healing, buffs, debuffs or tanking are useful even before their gear is complete, while pure damage classes gain more from strong equipment. Pick the class whose look, playstyle and role you enjoy, and check the main attribute it uses on the Stats and Attributes page.
Sources
- PWpedia: Races
- PWpedia: Classes
- PWpedia: Human
- PWpedia: Untamed
- PWpedia: Winged Elf
- PWpedia: Tideborn
- PWpedia: Earthguard
- PWpedia: Nightshade
- PWpedia: Expansions
- PWpedia: Beginner's Guide
Game pictures: © Perfect World Entertainment / Arc Games · arcgames.com
