Elden Ringhas significantly fewer starting classes than mostDark Soulsgames so far, but they offer a good amount of variety. On one end of the spectrum, there’s the spellcasting Prophet who uses their high Faith to blast enemies away with Incantations. In the middle there’s the Champion and Enchanted Knight, which each offer a solid balance between spellcasting power and martial prowess. On the more martial end,Elden Ringplayers will have two options. Either they can pick up the highly dexterous scimitar-wielding Warrior, or they can opt for a more traditional heavy class called the Bloody Wolf.
Most classes inElden Ringhave a little bit of versatility to them, encouraging players to switch between weaponry and spellcasting or melee and ranged weapons, but the Bloody Wolf is a tanky martial class through and through. That’s not a bad thing; on the contrary, the Blood Wolf creates a strong homage toa number ofDark Soulsclassesthat defined the feel of combat in FromSoftware’s flagship series. Anybody who loves the heavyweight, armored, melee-centric gameplay thatDark Soulsencouraged will want to try playing the Bloody Wolf class inElden Ring.
RELATED:Elden Ring’s Champion Class is Essentially a Dragonborn
The Bloody Wolf’s Dark Souls Roots
Heavy weapons and armor are one of the main archetypes ofDark Soulsgameplay.Thefranchise is filled with dangerous enemies and challenging combat, so there’s a lot of merit in heavy-duty player characters that can tough out the blows of bosses, protect themselves with parries and rolls, and then dish out major damage with Strength-based weapons.Close-range, tankyDark Soulsbuildslike these put a lot of onus on the player’s skill and determination, but that only makes them more rewarding to play.
The Bloody Wolf honorsDark Soulsby givingElden Ringplayers a great way to lean into that playstyle. With a Strength of 16 and a Vigor of 14, the Bloody Wolf is a natural tank. The high Strength score makes the Bloody Wolf deadly with weapons like its starting Bastard Sword, butElden Ringalso bases the player’s equip load off of Strength. Thus, Bloody Wolf’s Strength score lets it wear some ofElden Ring’s strongest armor. The result is anElden Ringcharacter that could stand up to some of the most dangerousDark Soulsenemies.
RELATED:Elden Ring: Soulslike Newcomers Should Play the Prophet Class
Elden Ring’s Heavyweight Class
The Bloody Wolf’s limited defensive skills are pretty emblematic ofDark Souls' patterns too. The Prophet class can keep itself safe with the Heal Incantation, and all the spellcasting classes have strong ranged and area-of-effect attacks that help clear out enemies. The Bloody Wolf relies on the tried and trueDark Souls’skills of parrying and rollingfor protection. Bloody Wolves have access to strong shields they can parry with, and they have a reliable roll too. Without much skill in magic, the Bloody Wolf encouragesElden Ringplayers to master the foundational mechanics ofDark Soulsthat FromSoftware’s newest game inherits.
The future ofDark Soulslooks uncertain due to FromSoftware’s increasing focus on projects likeSekiro: Shadows Die Twice.There hasn’t been a newDark Soulsgame since 2016. However,Dark Souls' influence lives on through the plethora ofSouls-like games inspired by it,like the alchemicalThymesia,as well as FromSoftware games likeElden Ringthat imitateDark Souls. The Bloody Wolf’s playstyle shows thatDark Soulslives on, and if there’s noDark Souls 4around the corner, at leastElden Ringdelivers a similar experience.
Elden Ringreleases June 07, 2025 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
