Which Class & Career Is Best In Vermintide 2?

In Vermintide 2, choosing a class is only half the battle. Once you’ve selected one of the four classes, you then have the choice of specializing with that class or branching out into another career. Each class and career has a particular niche in battle and can be very useful, both for you as an individual, as well as your team.

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While any class/career can be used to devastating effect, there are some that are better suited for the task. Whether it’s devastating abilities, team support, standalone potential, or simple convenience, here are how the Vermintide 2 classes and careers stack up right now.

Updated May 6, 2025 by Jon Eakin: Vermintide 2 has had seven years now to receive updates and content drops. What started out as a jolly good time is now an almost flawless experience. With the release of the Necromancer class, the entire roster of playable classes is now complete. It has been added to this article, along with more info about all the classes, to better help you turn back the tide in the name of Sigmar.

20

Battle Wizard

A Fine Start

The Battle Wizard is perhaps the weakest pick in the game due to the fact that the other careers at Sienna’s disposal are much better choices. Pyromancer is brutal against single targets and Unchained is an absolute beast. Battle Wizard does have some interesting AOE spells, but the real hindrance comes from the buffs.

They only trigger while she’s not actively damaging opponents, which many argue is the point of a fighting intensive game like Vermintide 2. Battle Wizard is the default class for Sienna and remains available throughout the game. Her role is to corral enemies into manageable groups and deal damage to them all simultaneously. It’s a lot like herding cats. But, if it’s done well, it can turn the tide of battle.

19

Huntsman

Rat Season

The Huntsman is one of the weakest ranged classes in the game and has the annoying requirement of needing to land headshots to do damage. However, the regain ammo perk for each headshot is handy. If you make a go of this class, you’ll want to equip firearms, spam the stealth abilities, and work on your aim. Getting consistent headshots makes this class more useful, whereas missing them makes it a liability.

The Huntsman Career is unlocked after Kruber reaches level seven as a Mercenary. It’s a different role from the Mercenary, as a Huntsman Kruber is expected to fight from afar with ranged weapons. He’s shed some of his defensive abilities, which means mobility and evasion are key to staying alive.

Sadly No Horses Here

The Foot Knight is a mix of support and tank that causes it to pale in comparison to specialists. The tank side has good stamina and defense bonuses but can’t hold a candle to the Zealot or Ironbreaker. The Auras are decent support for teammates, but it’s nothing compared to the Mercenary.

There is also a problem of low DPS output with this class. Having said that, smashing the front lines can be very satisfying. The Foot Knight career is available after reaching level 12. It comes after Mercenary and Huntsman. Foot Knight leans into the Mercenary’s inherent abilities. This role is more aggressive and the support lent to allies is more passive, so it’s best for players who want to fight more and support less.

17

Sister Of The Thorn

The Natural Order

Sister Of The Thorn is a premium class reserved for Kerillian with the DLC. It makes her a master at crowd control thanks to a wall of thorns that can box enemies in. This makes for great synergy with classes like the Pyromancer or Grail Knight that can obliterate the Skaven horde.

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Unfortunately, without a heavy damage dealer, the Sister of the Thorn is merely delaying the inevitable. She can keep a horde of enemies at bay, but strong opponents can burst through the thorn wall and cause serious havoc. The key is to work in tandem with crowd killers or buy time for healers to get everyone back on their feet.

16

Shade

Single Target Specialist

Shade is a ruthless assassin with insta-kill abilities against standard opponents and a 50 percent buff to damage against stronger foes. Positioning is key, and being caught flatfooted has some serious repercussions. But, if she can maintain her stealth, she can weave through enemy lines, assassinate someone or do some serious damage, then slip away. This is probably the best class for boss killing.

The Shade career is unlocked after level 12 and comes after Handmaiden and Waystalker. The Shade is a boss and special unit killer, plain and simple. She’ll dart in and out of battle, slicing and dicing where she can, but her true role is to plant her daggers in the backs of those making the most trouble for her allies.

15

Mercenary

Should Really Pay Better

The Mercenary is a great support class. It has phenomenal crowd control abilities and provides a hefty health bonus for nearby allies. Put a halberd in the Mercenary’s hands to damage opponents at range, deal great crit chance buffs, and kite enemies for maximum effect.

The Mercenary is Kruber’s default class and is available for the entire game. The Mercenary is best if played aggressively while fighting in close quarters alongside allies. His role is to back up the other frontline fighters both with steel and supportive abilities.

14

Ranger Veteran

Veteran Versatility

The Ranger Veteran is the class that will perform most consistently over the course of the entire battle. It’s not really specialized for crowds, bosses, or single targets, making it decent in any given fight. This isn’t bad by any means, as it’ll be useful at all times, it just means the Ranger Veteran won’t ever really shine.

It’s easy to pick up, has great support abilities, and smoke bombs are an easy way to get out of sticky situations. It’s neither a good pick nor a bad pick. It’s merely the safe pick. Ranger Veteran is the default class of Bardin. Ranger Veteran is versatile to every situation, which is how it should be played. You should fight from afar if the frontline is holding its own and rush forward if it falls.

13

Waystalker

Stalk From Way Back

There’s nothing inherently wrong with the Waystalker, it’s just that there are better Vermintide 2 classes that push this one down in usefulness. This class has great ammo capacity and is well suited to use either bows, daggers, or a mixture of both.

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The passive healing ability is great when it triggers but isn’t something that can be relied upon, as it only triggers when her health is below 50 percent. Waystalker is the default class of Kerillian and is meant to hang back and fight from a distance. Thanks to passive health regen, Kerillian stays alive by retreating to a safe distance to heal and fire more arrows. The daggers should only be used if she runs out of arrows, and that should never happen.

12

Unchained

Blaze A Trail Forward

The Unchained class has taken Sienna’s magical prowess and turned it inward to make her a powerful melee fighter. She can tank a lot of damage with damage reduction buffs, and the hits that do get through only make her stronger by filling her Overcharge.

When full, Overcharge can be used for a 60 percent damage buff or to flatten surrounding foes with The Living Bomb. It does take some careful management, but she has a lot of potential with this class. Unchained is unlocked at level 12 after Pyromancer. Sienna is now a melee fighter that can tank a lot of damage and resist elemental attacks. She tanks long enough to trigger The Living Bomb, but waiting any longer is pointless, and, unlike tanks, she may have to pull back and recharge every now and then.

11

Necromancer

Soul Sniper

The Necromancer stands out in Vermintide 2 as the only summoner, calling up skeletons to fight against enemies on her behalf. This can feel chaotic if you don’t manage it correctly, adding an extra layer to the game’s complexity.

Where the Necromancer shines is in using the skeletons as a second frontline, keeping enemies at bay and giving you every opportunity to line up your ranged shots perfectly. If you find yourself in melee as a Necromancer, something has probably gone wrong.