# Is it hard to play Wretch in Elden Ring? - Canonical: https://33rdsquare.com/is-it-hard-to-play-wretch-in-elden-ring/ - Published: 2023-10-22 - Author: Nelson Ayers - Categories: [Business & Worth](https://33rdsquare.com/category/games/worth/) --- To put it simply – yes, the Wretch is undoubtedly the most challenging starting class in Elden Ring. However, with the right strategies and measured patience, even a naked Hollow wielding a club can overcome anything The Lands Between throws at them. In this guide, I‘ll cover why the Wretch lives up to its difficulty reputation and how you can master it to sculpt a truly powerful build from nothing. As a hardcore Souls veteran with countless hours across the series, I‘ve beaten Elden Ring multiple times, including Wretch playthroughs. Take it from my experience – the Wretch isn‘t a class for the faint of heart, but conquering challenges with it offers immense satisfaction. ## Why is the Wretch so challenging to play? The Wretch begins Elden Ring at level 1 as a Deprived class, with all stats evenly set at 10. Without any armor, paired only with the lowly Club and Wooden Shield, the Wretch is severely underequipped for survival compared to other classes. In my first hours with it, I felt very vulnerable, getting one-shotted by standard enemies and struggling to dent health bars on bosses. Its damage output with the Club is punishingly low, forcing you to really learn attack windows and dodge timings perfectly. Early dungeons like Stormveil Castle become grueling gauntlets against dangerous foes when your poor Wretch still hits like a wet noodle. According to community data, the Wretch‘s starting Club has one of the lowest attack ratings in the game, at only 104. Meanwhile, the Vagabond‘s Halberd deals 152 damage right away. This massive gap makes the early game a slog until you can upgrade your gear. Simply staying alive is difficult with low Vigor, Endurance, and no real armor to absorb hits. | Starting Class | Starting Level | Starting Weapon Attack Rating | | --- | --- | --- | | Wretch | 1 | 104 | | Vagabond | 7 | 152 | | Samurai | 9 | 113 | So in summary, you begin Elden Ring as the Wretch with a distinct disadvantage in damage output, defense, and survivability compared to other classes. But this steep challenge ultimately lays the foundation for mastering fundamental combat skills and game mechanics. ## What are the benefits of choosing the Wretch? While the Wretch may seem weak at first glance, its difficulty hides some significant long-term benefits: - **Total build freedom:** With all stats evenly balanced, you can take the Wretch in virtually any direction. Magic, Dex, Strength, Quality, etc – all builds are on the table. - **Sense of achievement:** Starting with nothing but a club and overcoming brutal odds through skill and determination is hugely rewarding. - **Forces mastery of mechanics:** To progress as the Wretch, you must intimately learn dodging, stance breaking, riposting, spellcasting, and more to survive. - **Encourages exploration:** You‘ll scour the world much more thoroughly to find gear and upgrades to boost your power. - **Highly customizable:** Since no playstyle is predetermined, you can respec and change your build anytime. While it may not be apparent in the first 10 grueling hours, the Wretch ultimately offers the most flexibility and customization of any starting class. Your power progression feels genuinely earned through overcoming harsh adversity – something truly special in FromSoftware‘s signature style. ## Starting tips for playing Wretch If you accept the challenge of the Wretch, here are some tips to make your early hours easier: - **Prioritize leveling Vigor** for health first. Having a larger HP pool is vital to staying alive. 20-25 Vigor should be an early goal. - **Dodge, dip, duck, dive, and dodge.** With low defense, avoiding damage through rolling and spacing is key. Study enemy attack patterns. - **Play cautiously and defensively.** Avoid large groups and pulling aggro from too many foes. Lure them out one by one. - **Grab any weapon upgrades you find.** Improving your Club‘s damage helps immensely. Smithing Stones are precious treasures. - **Co-op for difficult dungeons and bosses.** Having a high-level summon makes these much more manageable early on. - **Equip any armor you get** for small protection boosts. Every little bit matters when you‘re naked! Once you‘ve adjusted to the Wretch‘s difficult start and have a few levels and upgrades under your Club, you‘ll be ready to really begin your journey and establish your playstyle. ## Leveling guidance for Wretch A natural question that arises is: What stats should I focus first for my Wretch? Here‘s a quick rundown of priorities for different builds: - **Melee Dex:** Level Vigor to 20+ first. Then prioritize Dexterity, Endurance, and critical skills like Crit, AGI, and Poise. - **Melee Strength:** Same idea, with Vigor first, then Strength, Endurance, and heavy weapon skills. - **Magic:** After Vigor, Int and Mind are key followed by Attunement and Dexterity. - **Paladin/Battlemage**: Level Vigor, Strength, Dexterity, Intelligence evenly, and Mind/Endurance as needed. The key is not spreading your levels too thin early. Find 2-3 stats to focus on first that complement your chosen playstyle, while always investing in enough Vigor to stay alive. Once you‘ve settled on a build, don‘t forget to grab essential talismans like Radagon‘s Soreseal and Godrick‘s Rune for a precious stat boost. These are crucial to offset the Wretch‘s level deficit compared to standard progression. ## Closing thoughts – Embrace the challenge of the Wretch While it certainly lives up to its reputation as the most difficult Elden Ring starting class, I encourage you to embrace the unique challenge the Wretch presents. The grueling early hours forge critical combat skills and game knowledge. And its vast customization empowers you to sculpt your own path and playstyle. If you approach the Wretch with patience, perseverance, and a willingness to learn, it will transform from feeble naked Hollow to mightiest Elden Lord. The deep satisfaction of overcoming great adversity – that is what it truly means to play the Wretch. So don‘t be deterred by its harsh beginning. With the strategies above, you too can succeed with the Wretch and discover its immense long-term potential. See you in The Lands Between, my friend. --- Source: [Is it hard to play Wretch in Elden Ring?](https://33rdsquare.com/is-it-hard-to-play-wretch-in-elden-ring/)