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There is, as always, room for opinion. Somebody’s favorite character is going to be at the bottom of this list and somebody else’s least favorite is going to be at the top. That’s a good problem as Tainted Grail: Conquest has done an excellent job balancing the cast. However, some feel a bit more “balanced” than others.
Updated on May 1st, 2022 by Hodey Johns: It’s no exaggeration to say that Tainted Grail: Conquest is in fierce competition for the best deckbuilding roguelike game out there. The only thing holding it back used to be its popularity due to being an Indie title, but once it hit Game Pass, players were treated to a title unlike any other. One of the beautiful parts of the game is how every build is viable. This list has been reshuffled based on the current leaderboard and community consensus, but don’t feel at all bad if a favorite class is lower on the list; having a class that just seems to work for each individual player is part of the magic. Aside from a few switches, charts have been added to each section to help players get a better idea of what each class is all about.
10 Necromancer
One reason this game is being recognized as one of the best RPGs on Game Pass is due to its balanced character system. So the Necromancer can be great, yes. But it has a nasty mechanic that doesn’t appear to fit in with the rest of what the character is all about.
Investing in summoned units is nearly impossible to avoid since the game shoves upgrade cards down the player’s throat at every level. But the Necromancer has an incentive to kill these summoned units and turn into a Lich, which negates many of the cards and their uses. The Lich form is strong, but not enough to justify wiping all allied support, tanks, and damage off of the map.
9 Berserker
Players that want to really get immersed into RPGs on PC will see Tainted Grail: Conquest as one of the best games out there. A character that is designed to take hits and dish it out harder at low health fits the grittiness and tone of the game well.
Unfortunately, staying at 25% health or less is a tough place to be. At 26% health, the Berserker doesn’t get any benefits and is set up to die. Below this threshold, there are benefits, but it’s hard to justify losing health to get there. There are runes that give an extra two energy that don’t require being on the brink of death.
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7 Blood Mage
If players got to choose exactly what cards and runes they get, the Blood Mage might be the best character in the game. But that’s part of the fun, roguelike experience; the game is different every time. Without the right gear, the Blood Mage is in trouble.
That’s not to say that there is no value in the class. After leveling up the villagers and being able to better “control” some of the luck elements of the game, the Blood Mage gets more and more appealing. But be warned that early on, this class just harms itself consistently for too little upside.
6 Wyrdhunter
The first class in the game is, appropriately, ranked right in the middle. As the premier character of the game, there is a great deal of upside to the Wyrdhunter. It’s never out of place on offense or defense and has means of handling single bosses and large mobs.
The only reason it isn’t higher is due to a low-but-safe ceiling. The class just plain isn’t capable of putting up the numbers that any of the classes higher (and some of the classes lower) on this list can put out. The Wyrdhunter is a safe pick for anybody looking for a standard run without too many surprises.
5 Summoner
The best of the Moonring faction (the casters with minions) is the Summoner. The Necromancer and Blood Mage have drawbacks that are devastating enough for inexperienced players to outright forbid themselves from using them. No such drawback exists for the Summoner.
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The ultimate ability can be used frequently for free promotions for the minions. And it charges simply by playing the game normally, so there is no need to go for a strange build with rare cards. Players unlock the Summoner early and it can easily carry them through until each class is unlocked.
4 Apostate
The Apostate, much like the Blood Mage, is in the running for the best class in the game with the right cards and runes. Leaderboards are dominated by Apostate players who can take out the final boss in two turns (and there are rumors of less).
The need to have ideal cards both front and back makes it hard to see this kind of result consistently. There are ways of removing cards from the deck, but they are expensive and rare. The Apostate will be the top class in the game for those who have great luck and have maxed out the village abilities that remove cards from the deck.
3 Pathfinder
Tainted Grail: Conquest is all about offense and defense. Have a bad offense and enemies get too strong to defend against toward later rounds. Have a bad defense and the character will always be on the brink of death; always one unlucky round away from losing.
The Pathfinder turns offense into defense, allowing players to “tank” through runs with shocking efficiency. The damage output after blocking all attacks for a few rounds is on par with pure damage dealers. The Pathfinder starts off great and gets even better with almost any upgrade.
2 Zealot
Given the depth of the game, players will absolutely want to see this RPG get a sequel. Maybe by that point the community will finally recognize the power of the Zealot. Each run starts off strong and only gets stronger. Hardly any class rewards leveling up more.
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The benefit of the Zealot is that by forfeiting attacks, it gains charges of an undeniably strong ultimate ability. That might not sound appealing, but think about how many arrows are discarded due to lack of energy. These cards are never “wasted” since they charge up the ultimate and allow the Zealot to grab ahold of a powerful arrow with no energy cost to fire.
1 Sentinel
After losing enough rounds in this roguelike game, players are going to naturally be wondering what class is capable of winning without the need for highly upgraded cards, runes, or villagers. The Sentinel answers that call and is capable of victory without a single upgrade.
Dealing extra damage with every attack, damage scaling gets out of control after only a few levels. But this isn’t a rookie-only class. With upgrades to armor and a few toxic cards, the Sentinel feels like playing as the boss and the game’s toughest bosses feel more like the poor souls with no hope.
Tainted Grail: Conquest was released on May 27th, 2021, and is available on PC.
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