Lords of the Fallen Best Build for Beginners

There’s a big learning curve to most Soulslikes, and even if you’re a veteran of the genre, picking up a new one still takes some time. Whether you’re used to no-hit running Dark Souls 2 or have never played a Soulslike, understanding what makes a good build for beginners is always useful. Lords of the Fallen is a sprawling, non-linear game, and the important choices you’ll need to make start as early as character creation. Weapons, armor, rings, and throwables all influence your playstyle and determine how difficult your time in Mournstead will be. Here’s everything you need to know about the best build for beginners in Lords of the Fallen.

Lords of the Fallen Beginners Build Playstyle

New players have a harder time anticipating enemy actions and dodging hits than veterans in Lords of the Fallen, so the best build for beginners comes equipped with solid defensive potential. In addition to excellent armor, this build also features a shield to keep the player safe and give them a defensive option other than perfectly timed dodges and parries. It uses a sword and board playstyle, combining quick strikes with defensive movements and careful positioning to maximize the advantage. Though it lacks a bow and Catalyst, it includes some great throwables that make dealing with enemies from a safe distance much easier.

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LotF Beginners Starting Class and Attributes

The best starting class for a new player is the Hallowed Knight. Virtually everything about this build lends itself to beginners. It boasts high starting Endurance and Strength, allowing you to wear heavy armor and equip heavy weapons without tipping the scales too much. The best Encumbrance for new players is Medium, splitting the difference between mobility and tankiness, which is exactly what the Hallowed Knight does. Although this class has limited Agility and Inferno at the beginning, that’s not a big deal. You can increase Agility later on once you’ve reached Skyrest Bridge and found some good farming locations. Inferno, meanwhile, isn’t necessary for this build at all.

The Hallowed Knight’s starting shield, sword, and armor are all decent, so there’s no rush to replace them until you’re ready. You’ll want to devote your early points to Endurance, Vitality, and Strength. That will increase your health, carrying capacity, and DPS, all of which will be important for fighting your way through tough areas later in the game. Spellcasting isn’t a concern for this build, so you can safely ignore Radiance and Inferno. Good starting equipment and a solid stat spread both make the Hallowed Knight a great start for the best beginner build, but as you progress in Lords of the Fallen you’ll want to make some changes. Here are the starting Attributes of the Hallowed Knight:

Weapon and Armor

Unlike the best Paladin build, you won’t be splitting your attention between Strength and Radiance, which makes planning your character’s development more straightforward. For the best build for beginners, a great weapon choice is Fitzroy’s Sword. It will take some time and effort to acquire, so you may want to use the Thorned Crimson Rector Sword or a similar weapon first. Once you acquire it, Fitzroy’s Sword can reliably serve you into the endgame, especially once you start upgrading it. The only real downside of Fitzroy’s Sword is it requires 19 Agility in addition to 17 Strength to yield. Meet those requirements and you’ll have a Quality sword that inflicts Bleed as well as Physical damage.

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In your off-hand, you’ll use the Lucent Sword Shield. This Medium Shield has a Weight of 8.3 and requires 12 Strength to use, which is no problem for a build as strong as this one. Learning to time dodges well is tricky, and having the option to shield tank hits makes this much easier for beginners. For armor, you’ll wear the Weeping Abbess Mitre, Sovereign Protector Armor, Sovereign Protector Gauntlets, and Pieta’s Leggings. This armor combination provides excellent Damage Mitigation and Resistances while still keeping your total weight Medium. Once you learn an enemy’s timing, you can simply put away your shield and switch to a two-handed sword grip for maximum DPS.

Throwables

Whereas other builds in Lords of the Fallen rely upon spells and bows, the best build for beginners keeps things simpler. Most of the time, you’ll use melee weapons. When ranged combat is the better fit, you’ll use some of the best throwables in the game. Three in particular are recommended. First is the Enhanced Radiantburst Parchment. It not only deals Holy Damage to enemies but also heals your allies. That makes it useful for co-op as well as boss fights. Second is the Enhanced Banner Javelin of Protection which provides a useful AoE healing effect when planted in the ground.

The third throwable is the Lump Hammer, and it’s also the most important. It requires 8 Strength and 8 Agility to use, deceptively low requirements considering how powerful this weapon is. It’s a Quality throwable, and it uses 3 Ammunition per throw. That will eat up your ammo quickly, but that’s a fair price to pay for how much damage it does. Paired with high Strength and Slinger’s Ring, the Lump Hammer can one-shot smaller mobs. It even deals significant damage to even the toughest bosses. If you want a ranged option other than throwables, you’ll need a decent bow, because this build isn’t designed for magic.

Pendant and Rings

Help the petrified woman in Forsaken Fen, and you’ll be rewarded with the Pendant of Induration. This Pendant is extremely simple, providing a constant boost to Physical Defense. Other Pendants are stronger in specific contexts. Still, there’s no beating the Pendant of Induration for ease of use and convenience. As part of the best build for beginners, it’s the perfect pick, since learning to reliably avoid attacks is a challenge in Lords of the Fallen. If you’re looking for another practical option, consider the Moth Ring. It increases the amount of Vigor that enemies drop, allowing you to level up faster.

As for rings, there are a few great choices. Boosting your Stamina and Resistances is a safe choice, but this build goes in another direction. Dark Crusader’s Convalescence grants you a brief period of regeneration upon using the Sanguinarix. Automatically patching yourself up and undoing Withering means there’s one less thing to keep an eye on. That’s great for beginners. Pair it with Slinger’s Ring, which causes throwables to deal additional damage. That way you concentrate on dealing damage rather than healing after a significant attack. In general, the fewer things you have to worry about, the better, which is what makes this the best build for beginners in Lords of the Fallen.

Lords of the Fallen is available for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S.