The Early Access class selection
ArcheAge Chronicles starts Early Access with Warrior using Longsword and Greatsword, Ranger using Longbow and Hatchet, Berserker using Axe and Shield and Warhammer, and Mage using Elemental Staff and Wavesword. You can switch between your class’s two weapons during combat.
Choose the class whose weapon pair interests you, then explore the individual weapon traits. Each weapon has a separate trait tree, so sharing a class does not mean sharing the same build. Additional weapons are planned for later updates.
Compare every starting class and weapon pair
| Class | Weapons | Combat Mechanics | How to Access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Warrior | Longsword and Greatsword | Longsword emphasizes parries and counters. Greatsword builds Resolve for heavy attacks. | Choose Warrior at character creation. |
| Ranger | Longbow and Hatchet | Longbow provides ranged pressure and pursuit. Hatchet brings mobile, lightning-based melee. | Choose Ranger at character creation. |
| Berserker | Axe and Shield and Warhammer | Axe and Shield builds Bleed and includes chain attacks. Warhammer builds Burn and stores Thunder for heavy attacks. | Choose Berserker at character creation. |
| Mage | Elemental Staff and Wavesword | Elemental Staff uses ranged spells, Retain and Energy Core. Wavesword uses close-range frost and Freeze. | Choose Mage at character creation. |
Warrior: Practice counters or build Resolve
Warrior suits players who enjoy responding to enemy attacks in melee. Longsword rewards parry timing and counterattacks, with Closing Clash and Bladeburst among its named moves. Its blood-focused path also offers an approach that spends your HP for damage and drains health back.
Greatsword builds Resolve toward heavy attacks such as Final Cleave, Rampage and Warrior’s Cry. Consider this weapon if you enjoy looking for an opening before committing to a heavy blow. Try the Longsword’s reactive fighting and the Greatsword’s resource-building rhythm before choosing which tree to develop.
Ranger: Move between archery and lightning melee
Ranger combines Longbow range with mobile Hatchet combat. The Hatchet’s lightning-based moves include Stormsplitter, Overcharge and Shocking Kick. This makes Ranger worth considering even if archery is only part of what you want from a class.
Longbow’s named skills include Rapid Fire, Fire Arrow, Aimed Shot and Ice Arrow. Choose Ranger if you want to practice ranged pressure while also learning fast melee. When comparing its weapons, pay attention to which fighting distance you enjoy maintaining and whether switching between them feels useful to you.
Berserker: Apply Bleed or store elemental power
Berserker offers heavy melee with different mechanics across its weapons. Axe and Shield builds Bleed and uses a chain, with Shield Slam, Brutal Crash and Reel In among its named skills. Consider that combination if shield-backed aggression appeals to you.
Warhammer builds Burn and stores Thunder toward attacks such as Meteor Hammer and Galactic Impact. Its appeal is the buildup toward heavy elemental strikes. When trying Berserker, compare the Axe and Shield’s pressure with the Warhammer’s buildup and release, then develop the approach you enjoy sustaining.
Mage: Store spells or fight with frost
Mage’s Elemental Staff casts fire and lightning from range. Retain stores spells so they can be recast without incantation, while Energy Core builds toward Shooting Star. Choose this side of the class if preparing and releasing spells sounds enjoyable.
Wavesword moves Mage into close-range frost combat, including Freeze and named moves such as Tidal Rend and Thundersnow. Try it if you want a melee spellblade alongside ranged casting. Mage has no healing weapon in the Early Access starting selection, so choose it for its spell and frost combat.
Choose a class and plan your next trait investment
- Start with the mechanic you want to practice: Warrior’s parries, Ranger’s ranged pressure or fast melee, Berserker’s protected aggression, or Mage’s spellcasting and frost melee. Use that preference to choose your first character.
- Try both available weapons before judging the class. Compare their attacks and resource mechanics, then decide which weapon you want to develop first.
- Open the Traits menu and inspect your preferred weapon’s branches. Each weapon has its own tree, with stat boosts, new skills and changes to existing skills; investment in Longsword does not also advance Greatsword.
- Pursue Raeven’s Coilstones when you need more trait points. These are found near powerful bosses, including bosses in the open world, hidden encounters and quest encounters; character levels provide stat points separately.
Greatsword illustrates how traits can change your plan. Its damage branch offers Armor Break and changes Sunder into Sweeping Slash with a broader cleave, while a defensive branch offers Pummel Strike, usable while guarding and granting a damage-absorbing shield. Inspect those choices according to how you want to fight.
Account for launch balance changes and future additions
Treat demo impressions as a preview of how the weapons feel. Announced Early Access adjustments include rebalanced Wavesword attack power and growth scaling, a reworked Longbow Fire Arrow, and tuning for Warhammer, Hatchet, Elemental Staff lightning skills and Berserker’s Forceful Lunge. Personal rankings from the demo do not establish measured damage or balance rankings for the launch build.
XLGAMES plans a third weapon for every class, introduced through later updates, with Warrior’s Gladius announced for the first update. Expanded gender selection is also planned, beginning with a female Warrior in December. Choose your starting class around its available weapon pair while treating these additions as future options.