Black Desert Online class tier list for PvE (2025)

Any Black Desert Online tier list will be somewhat hit-or-miss, especially when it comes to PvE. There are ways to mathematically stress-test which classes and specializations perform better in specific endgame areas. However, calculating that would eventually boil down to something one-dimensional, like how much Silver can you farm per hour with this specific Succession/Awakening in the endgame?

There are, at the time of writing, 29 base classes in Black Desert - and many of them can further diversify into Succession/Awakening that have start contrasts. In this tier list for BDO Classes, we'll try to break down how the classes do in the early (pre-Graduation), mid-game, and high-end (380+) scenarios.

Now, to go back to what I said in the beginning, there will be some nuances you need to account for. This tier list will prioritize mobility and DPS, but not survivability, and classes that do well in the endgame grindspots will also be prioritized.

A good example to give here is Shai, the designated support class - she can be easily A-tier in some grindspots, but in others she will greatly struggle, especially solo.

Finally, you can use this BDO tier list to pick what class to try and play, but if it's not straight-up D-tier, your personal preferences and a class's style points also carry some weight.

Best and worst Black Desert Online classes: Tier List (2025)

Musa might as well be the face of BDO with how good he is at every stage (Image via Pearl Abyss)

This tier list is divided into four ranks: S, A, B, C, and D tiers. What each tier means has been explained in its specific segment.

This Black Desert Online tier list is based on how well the classes fare (Awakening or Succession variant, where applicable) in all stages of the PvE experience, but with greater emphasis on endgame. To recap, here's our criteria for evaluating a class in this tier list, ranked in order of importance:

How well it does in endgame grindspots, as well as the 250-350 range (mid-game)
How well it does pre-Graduation of Season
Overall DPS ceiling (note that we'll consider only the best potential after min-maxing Crystal, Life Stone, and Add-on setups), area of effect for ease of mobbing, cooldown and other possible hiccups, resource restrictions, and mobility (and also survivability, but that is given less importance).
What if you don't want to min-max, though? Then it will still be pretty close, but in some cases, your mileage may vary. This is very much a specialist's tier list, meaning you have to really get into the class, both with gearing and gameplay.
We will also list the overall complexity of utilizing a class to its fullest potential. While you can master any class, playing high-APM classes in a grindy game causes fatigue.

S-Tier

Witch is pretty good right now (Image via Pearl Abyss)

Those belonging to the S-Tier are the most powerful in Black Desert Online. They offer massive damage output, great survivability mechanics, and impressive combat versatility. If you care about picking the most broken meta stuff, these are the top dogs.

Class	Early-game	Mid-game	End-game	APM/Complexity
Musa Awakening	SS	S	S	Moderate
Wizard Awakening	A+	S	SS	Easy
Witch Succession	A+	A	SS	Hard
Witch Awakening	A	A+	SS	Easy
Ninja Succession	A+	S	SS	Hard
Dark Knight Succession	A+	A+	S	Hard
Striker Succession	A-	A+	S	Hard
Mystic Succession	A	S	SS	Hard
Mystic Awakening	A	A+	S	Easy
Nova Awakening	A+	SS	S	Hard
Sage Awakening	A+	SS	SS	Hard
Maegu Awakening	B+	A+	SS	Hard

A-Tier

The ol' faithful (Image via Pearl Abyss)

A-tier classes are strong enough to dominate most in-game scenarios. They are not exactly the top-of-the-meta like the tier above, but if you're picking up BDO for the first time with the intent to do all PvE content, you can't go wrong with these classes. They are versatile, present huge DPS potential, and more often than not generally fun to play.

Class	Early-game	Mid-game	End-game	APM/Complexity
Warrior Succession	A+	A	A	Easy
Warrior Awakening	A+	A	A+	Moderate
Sorceress Succession	C	A	S	Hard
Tamer Awakening	A+	A+	A+	Easy
Berserker Succession	SS	A+	A	Moderate
Maehwa Awakening	SS	A	A+	Moderate
Valkyrie Awakening	A+	A+	A+	Hard
Wizard Succession	A+	A	A+	Hard
Kunoichi Succession	B+	A	S	Hard
Striker Awakening	A+	A	A+	Moderate
Lahn Succession	A+	SS	A	Easy
Lahn Awakening	A+	A+	A	Moderate
Archer	SS	S	A+	Hard
Hashasin Awakening	A-	S	S	Moderate
Hashasin Succession	D	C	A+	Hard
Woosa Awakening	A+	A+	A+	Hard
Maegu Succession	S	SS	A	Easy
Dosa Succession	A	A+	A	Easy
Dosa Awakening	B+	S	A+	Easy
Deadeye	A	A+	A	Moderate

B-Tier

One of the newer classes, but how much of her hype is recency bias? (Image via Pearl Abyss)

B-tier in this BDO tier list basically stands for the average. Classes in this tier are not the strongest in the current meta, but they are still viable options in the game. They excel in specific scenarios and are not the most well-rounded overall. However, mastery of these classes can set you up for great success.

Class	Early-game	Mid-game	End-game	APM/Complexity
Sorceress Awakening	C	A	A+	Hard
Ranger Succession	SS	A	B+	Easy
Ranger Awakening	C	B+	A+	Hard
Tamer Succession	SS	A+	A	Moderate
Beserker Awakening	A+	A+	A+	Hard
Musa Succession	S	A	A	Hard
Kunoichi Awakening	A	A	A	Moderate
Ninja Awakening	A	A	A	Hard
Dark Knight Awakening	S	A+	A-	Moderate
Shai	D	A	A+	Easy
Drakania Succession	A	A+	A	Moderate
Sage Succession	A+	S	A-	Easy
Woosa Succession	S	A+	A-	Moderate
Scholar	A-	A+	A-	Moderate

C-Tier

B-tier is the average, so C-tier means a little behind the curve. These Black Desert classes are less powerful or adaptable than we'd prefer. Usually, they will have flaws or restrictions that make them bad in one way or another. These are still somewhat salvageable overall: pick them if you're really into what they offer thematically. Just don't expect to be as efficient as the average meta chaser.

Class	Early-game	Mid-game	End-game	APM/Complexity
Guardian Succession	C-	A+	C	Easy
Nova Succession	C	A+	B	Moderate
Corsair Succession	A+	A	C	Easy
Corsair Awakening	A-	B+	B+	Hard
Maehwa Succession	A+	B+	B	Easy
Guardian Awakening	C	A+	B+	Easy

D-Tier

Being placed in D-tier means these Black Desert classes are in dire need buffs, having fallen far behind the curve. Maybe Pearl Abyss will be kinder to them in the next BDO patch that does a lot of balance-surgery, but for now, they're ill-advised options to pick or ascend into.

Class	Early-game	Mid-game	End-game	APM/Complexity
Valkyrie Succession	D	D	C	Easy
Drakania Awakening	A-	C	B+	Hard

That's it with the Black Desert tier list for PvE as of July 2025. Stay on Sportskeeda for more MMO news and guides.

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Edited by Siddharth Satish