Best Solo and New Player Friendly Classes in Blade & Soul NEO
In Blade & Soul Classic, choosing the right class for solo play can significantly impact your experience. Here’s a breakdown of all seven classes, ranked based on their solo capabilities, utility, and ease of play. This guide will help you decide which class suits your playstyle best.
Once you have picked your class, check out our Leveling and Beginner’s Guide.
1. Blade Master
The Blade Master is a versatile class that excels in both tanking and DPS roles. It’s one of the most beginner-friendly classes due to its straightforward rotation in Draw Stance, which reduces the need for complex stance management. BM’s Hongmoon Block is a game-changer, allowing you to resist up to three damage instances in 5 seconds, making it incredibly safe for solo play. While BM is often expected to tank in parties, this isn’t a concern in solo content. Its defensive capabilities and simple rotation make it a great choice for players who want a balance of survivability and damage without too much complexity.
Pros:
- High survivability with Hongmoon Block.
- Beginner-friendly with a simple rotation.
- Strong defensive capabilities for solo play.
Cons:
- Expected to tank in parties (not an issue for solo).
- Less damage output compared to pure DPS classes like Assassin.
2. Assassin
The Assassin is a high-skill, high-reward class that specializes in stealth mechanics and burst damage. Assassins can easily solo many early-game bosses by staying in stealth, avoiding aggro, and dealing free damage. This makes it incredibly powerful for soloing challenging content. However, Sin is squishier than other classes and requires good management of stealth mechanics, making it harder to play for beginners. Its strength lies in its ability to bypass mobs and deal massive damage.
Pros:
- High damage output with stealth mechanics.
- Can easily kill bosses by avoiding aggro.
- Strong party utility for group content.
Cons:
- Squishier and less forgiving for mistakes.
- Requires learning Perma-Stealth and managing stealth mechanics.
- High APM and skill ceiling.
3. Summoner
The Summoner is the most beginner-friendly class in the game, perfect for players who want a relaxed and effective solo experience. It comes with a familiar (cat) that can taunt bosses, resurrect you, and pin down enemies, providing extra survivability and utility. As a ranged class, Summoner can avoid 80% of boss mechanics designed for melee characters, making it much easier to maintain DPS uptime. It also has the only team-wide healing in the game, which is incredibly useful for solo play. Summoner’s simple rotation and strong survivability make it an excellent choice for new players or those with skill issues.
Pros:
- Beginner-friendly with a simple rotation.
- Ranged gameplay avoids most boss mechanics.
- Cat provides extra survivability and utility.
Cons:
- Lower damage output compared to pure DPS classes.
4. Force Master
The Force Master is another ranged class that’s easy to pick up and play. Its rotation is simple and spammy (left-click, right-click), making it ideal for players who want a low-stress experience. Being ranged allows you to avoid most boss mechanics, and its Ice Block utility provides a safety net for tough situations. While Force Master’s damage output is lower compared to some other classes, its consistent DPS and ranged safety often result in higher overall damage in practice, especially for less experienced players.
Pros:
- Easy to play with a simple rotation.
- Ranged gameplay avoids most boss mechanics.
- Ice Block provides a safety net for tough mechanics.
Cons:
- Lower burst damage compared to other DPS classes.
5. Blade Dancer
The Blade Dancer is a melee DPS class that’s easy to play and offers high survivability. It has multiple invincibility frames and a Grab Utility that extends DPS windows by CCing enemies. While it shares Hongmoon Block with Blade Master, it’s less prioritized in parties, making it more of a selfish DPS class. Blade Dancer’s high damage output and survivability make it a solid choice for solo play, especially for players who enjoy melee combat without the complexity of tanking.
Pros:
- High damage output and survivability.
- Grab Utility extends DPS windows.
- Easy to play with multiple invincibility frames.
Cons:
- Less party utility compared to BM or Sin.
- Melee gameplay requires dealing with boss mechanics.
6. Kung Fu Master (KFM)
The Kung Fu Master is an offensive tank that’s one of the hardest classes to play due to its complex rotations, animation cancels, and tanking responsibilities. It provides Blue Buff, the same as Assassin, for increased crit damage, making it valuable in parties. KFM’s high skill ceiling rewards skilled players with strong damage and tanking capabilities, but it’s not recommended for beginners or those with skill issues.
Pros:
- High damage potential for a tank class.
- Provides Blue Buff for party utility.
- Rewarding for skilled players.
Cons:
- High APM and complex rotations.
- Harder to play for beginners.
- Expected to tank in parties.
7. Destroyer
The Destroyer is a straightforward melee DPS class with a simple rotation (spin-to-win). It’s easy to pick up and play, making it a good choice for beginners who want a no-frills experience. However, Destroyer lacks advanced utility compared to other classes, and its Grab Utility is outclassed by Blade Dancer. While it’s not the most powerful class, its simplicity and high damage output make it a viable option for solo play.
Pros:
- Easy to play with a simple rotation.
- High damage output for solo content.
- Spin-to-win ability is great for clearing trash mobs.
Cons:
- Lacks advanced utility compared to other classes.
- Melee gameplay requires dealing with boss mechanics.
- Often seen as a “bot class” due to its simplicity.
Final Recommendations
- Best for Beginners: Summoner or Force Master.
- Best for Survivability: Blade Master.
- Best for High DPS: Assassin (if you’re willing to learn stealth mechanics).
- Best for Simple Gameplay: Destroyer.
Head over to our Blade & Soul NEO section for more guides.