Solo play requires a totally different set of skills than the team adventures in Dark and Darker. You need to know exactly when to get aggressive and when to hide — or even retreat. You also have no one to talk to or take advice from during solo matches. That’s why it’s important to stay as vigilant as possible, taking into account the latest patch, which brought some significant changes to all the classes. Our guide will provide you with the best solo classes tier list in Dark and Darker, including all the latest buffs and nerfs.
Best Solo Classes Tier List in Dark and Darker
Here’s a quick breakdown of our tier list of the best solo classes in Dark and Darker:
- S-Tier Solo Classes
- A-Tier Solo Classes
- B-Tier Solo Classes
S-Tier Solo Classes
Ranger
Ranger has been drastically buffed in the September 28, 2023 patch, making it truly the best class for solo play. Now, all Penetrating Shots grant an extra 25% armor penetration bonus, and the cooldown has been reduced to 24 seconds. The Multishot cooldown was also reduced to 28 seconds from 35, which is great for dealing with a group of enemies.
I suggest canceling the reload animation right before firing for instant quiver replenishment. Also, be sure to extensively use Bear Traps in dark rooms, as well as hide them inside corpses. Lastly, don’t forget to retrieve your arrows from the corpses whenever you can after shooting your enemies.
Rogue
Rogue, on the other hand, has been significantly nerfed! But it still remains one of the best classes for solo play in Dark and Darker, which proves what a fantastic solo class it is. Although much of its damage has been reduced, it got a new Hand Crossbow Mastery perk, and its base Resourcefulness has been increased. But I was especially happy to see that it no longer breaks stealth when bumped during pickpocketing, and its Trap Detection skill has also been improved.
A-Tier Solo Classes
Barbarian
This is the best solo class for beginners, as it has the highest HP and melee damage of all the characters. If you have an Axe Specialization, you can now deal more physical damage by 10%. If you equip the Iron Well perk, you also get the highest magic resistance in the game. But be sure to avoid heavy two-handed weapons whenever you can, as these typically perform terribly against faster classes like Ranger and Rogue. Although your ranged options are limited as a Barbarian, it’s surely a great class to learn how to play Dark and Darker.
Fighter
Fighters can use almost any weapon in the game — except a few unique weapons. Since it also has access to a shield, it’s another great class for beginners, allowing you to protect yourself from incoming physical and magical damage. It may not be as effective against magic projectiles, but it deals really well with arrows.
Also, don’t forget to use the Barricade ability, which allows you to gain +50 armor rating when standing in a defensive position, turning you into an impenetrable wall. Lastly, this class has the widest choice of armor gear, allowing you to balance both speed of movement and various defensive stats.
Cleric
Right now, Cleric is a much more preferable solo class than it was prior to the patch, due to buffs to Strength and Agility. Of course, Cleric is indispensable for teams, being able to heal and revive players, but healing is just as important in solo play. You may not have the highest damage in the game as Cleric, but your spellcasting will come in very handy.
In PvP, this is especially important, as often you find yourself waiting for that incoming attack. So use this window to charge your spells, dealing more damage or healing for more HP. But most importantly, don’t forget to buff yourself before each encounter.
B-Tier Solo Classes
Wizard
Wizard was once an excellent solo class, but Ironmace has nerfed this class to the ground in the last few patches. Its Haste and Invisibility bonuses have decreased, while its spellcasting times have increased. But the biggest blow for me was the damage reduction to the Fireball spell. Taking into account that Wizard still has the lowest base HP in the game and that it’s generally a very slow class, there’s just no way you can be effective as Wizard in solo mode anymore.
Warlock
The newest class, Warlock has a few new perks and spells, but it’s still an extremely raw class for both solo and team play. Some of its damage has been increased in the last patch, but not by much. However, there are a few redeemable qualities to this class, such as the ability to drain health from NPCs and hide from various sources of damage using Phantomize.
But it’s still highly vulnerable to ranged classes, and there’s not much you can do about it. Ranger and Rogue can easily take over Warlock’s slow speed of movement and spellcasting to put a few strategic arrows right in the bullseye.
Bard
Bard is predominantly a support class, which makes it the least attractive option for solo play. Although it has a versatile set of skills, Bard lacks the focus to compete against other classes, which makes it slow both in PvE and PvP. In the latest patch, it also got a bit too dependent on gear and various attributes, making it even more unreliable for solo adventures.
That’s it for our tier list of the best solo classes in Dark and Darker. Stay tuned for more DnD tips and tricks articles right here.
