Rogue Legacy 2 is a roguelike formulated around the conceit that each character is a descendant of the player's previous character. While this superficially adds quirky narrative into the game, it also means each character's traits, spells, and other attributes are randomized. During each run, players collect gold and can unlock a handful of permanent upgrades, such as health boosts, damage boosts, and the like; and in-turn these upgrades serve to unlock new character classes. In Rogue Legacy 2, players have very little choice over their character's class and abilities.
As each character is generated randomly, players will need to assess their viability by weighing the character's class against other randomized features. For instance, a Bard - generally considered one of the weaker classes - could be equipped with one of the best traits in Rogue Legacy 2 and come out on top. In general though, classes remain the most important aspect of Rogue Legacy 2, and will often override other traits and abilities in terms of a character's viability.
S-Tier
There are only a handful of classes in Rogue Legacy 2 that can truly be considered S-tier. In order to tick all the boxes, a class should generally have a high health pool (or the ability to recover health quickly), as well as the ability to dish out solid damage.
When picking a randomized character, it's worth considering exactly what the purpose of a given run will be. If it's a run focused on getting as far as possible and defeating bosses, a player's choice might be different from a run is centered around gathering gold. In general though, the best classes in Rogue Legacy 2, are going to excel at either purpose because of their innate survivability.
- Valkyrie
- Boxer
- Astromancer
- Chef
A-Tier
While the A-tier consists of solid choices, they tend to excel more in the early stages of the game. After players have invested in enough upgrades in Rogue Legacy 2, the S-tier choices tend to outshine A-tier due to their remarkable performance in a single category like damage or survivability.
For example, the Barbarian - a class that falls in A-tier - is one of the strongest choices early on due to its health pool. However, as players continue to get deeper into runs, a similar class like the Valkyrie just edges out the Barbarian because of its ability to defend against projectiles. Similarly, while the Ronin is an excellent damage dealer, in terms of raw output it's hard to top a Boxer.
- Ronin
- Barbarian
- Duelist
- Knight
B-Tier
The B-tier consists of either lackluster yet acceptable classes, or in the case of the Mage class, something that could be S-tier or C-tier depending on the build. If a Mage class runs the best relics in Rogue Legacy 2 and comes equipped with the correct spells, it can be absolutely unparalleled. With the wrong set, the Mage can be far too vulnerable to be effective.
Generally, the B-tier is going to get the job done, but never as well as options in the A- or S-tiers. As a result, players should lean toward the higher tiers unless they specialize in one of the B-tier classes, or come across an enticing set of starting features.
- Mage
- Ranger
- Gunslinger
- Pirate
C-Tier
While the C-tier should generally be avoided by beginners in Rogue Legacy 2, they're all viable classes in certain situations. That said, just because a class is viable doesn't mean it's optimal. The C-tier is best left to experienced players or those looking for a greater challenge.
In light of Rogue Legacy 2's recent 1.0 release, all classes, especially in the B-tier and up, are relatively well-balanced. Just because a class is deemed to be C-tier, that doesn't mean it's unplayable. Any of these classes may still outshine the upper tiers given the right circumstances.
- Assassin
- Bard
- Dragon Lancer
Rogue Legacy 2 is available now on PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.