All classes in Black Desert go through numerous changes frequently. One class might be great for PvE content while it is considerably horrendous in PvP. Others may be decent in both areas whereas some we just have to scoff at—looking at you, Succession Nova. 

1. Awakening Drakania (Absolute Best)

Drakania wields a two-handed sword and has the heart of a dragon. She is a close-quartered to mid-range class consisting of two awakening skill sets—Dragonblood & Hexeblood.

She excels in both 1v1’s and large-scale PvP. She deals immense amounts of damage whilst fully protecting herself, and has numerous life-stealing abilities. Her skill set is unique compared to most classes, she can transfer between stances such as Hexeblood for CC abilities to Dragonblood for protection.

Why Drakania Is Great for PvP:

• AoE - If you have a problem in one general direction, just remove that direction entirely.
• Lifesteal - More survivability in PvX content.
• Protection - Many abilities with forward guard and superarmor.
• Tanky - Drakania is passively tanky as is with the additive of her protective abilities.

Choose Drakania if you enjoy:

• Fantastic Movement
• Dominating in PvP
• Sustainability
• High Damage Output

2. Succession Berserker (Best)

Berserker is a bruiser class and is one of the initial characters released alongside the game. He uses his dual axes and iron buster to obliterate mobs.

He is a great choice for PvP content, he is simple to play, has easy combos, and is a hybrid Tank/DPS. Among his specialties he has amazing agility; you wouldn’t expect someone of his size to be this nimble. Berserker fits the role in small and large-scale PvP.

Why Berserker Is Great for PvP:

• Grabs - He has a decent grab range to capture runaway targets.
• DPS - Many abilities with forward guard and superarmor.
• Tanky - He is exceptionally tanky, bolstering a high base health amidst his passives.

Choose Berserker if you enjoy:

• Tanky Classes
• Participation in all PvP Content
• Sustainability
• High Damage Output
• Two Excellent Grabs

3. Awakening Sorceress (Fantastic)

Sorceress is a magic-melee class who wields a scythe. She has a complex move-set similar to Hash. She may feel clunky at first, but once understood you can chain her movement almost indefinitely with a watchful eye over her stamina. 

She has numerous AoE abilities, self-buffs, and life-steal skills. Sorc can also be considered close to mid-range depending on which with her skill enhancements you choose. If you want an evasion class with near-infinite I-frames; Sorceress is the class for you.

Why Sorceress Is Great for PvP:

• I-Frames - Anger other players by I-framing out of everything. She is one of, if not the best at it.
• Self-Buffs - Increase AP/DP and sustainability for both PvP and PvE.
• Satisfying Movement - Chain movement loops for constant I-frames and faster travel.
• Her Sustainability - Who needs an infinite pot when you can regain your health by casting 1-2 abilities?

Choose Sorceress if you enjoy:

• Evasive Abilities
• Great for 1v1’s 
• Self-Sustain
• Self-Buffs
• Teleporting

4. Succession Lahn (Good) 

Lahn uses a crescent pendulum as her primary weapon and a noble sword as her sub-weapon. She has many CC skills, protective traits, and great agility. She excels in both PvP and PvE as she has high base damage. Lahn is undoubtedly one of the best classes for movement on the battlefield.

Her abilities are simple, easy to learn, and have massive coverage over an area outputting great AoE for any type of threat. 

Why Lahn Is Great for PvP:

• Flight - Again, this makes for unique strategies or rotations since she can cover a tremendous distance in such a short time or disappear at a moment's notice.
• Evasive - The distance in which she evades is fairly wide, enabling you to dodge attacks or loop around behind the target.
• AoE - Some of her abilities cover large areas providing a relatively safe distance between her and her target. 
• DPS - Great damage output for all content (PvX)

Choose Lahn if you enjoy:

• Being able to fly
• Partaking in 1v1’s and Node Wars
• Sustainability
• Self-Buffs
• Lots of evasive abilities

5. Awakening Striker (Fantastic)

Striker is a melee class known for his close-quarters combat abilities. He was originally a male-only class, but Mystic was later released as Striker’s female counterpart.

Striker uses martial arts techniques and wields gauntlets as his primary weapon. He excels in quick, powerful combos, high mobility, and crowd control abilities, making him effective in both PvE and PvP encounters.

Why Striker Is Great for PvP:

• AoE Abilities 
• High DPS - Fire off various abilities in rapid succession
• Mid-Ranged Grabs - Amazing for grabbing players out of their I-frames or keeping them at bay.

Choose Striker if you enjoy:

• Evasive Abilities
• All PvP Content - 1v1’s to GvG’s
• Sustainability
• High Damage Output
• Multiple Grabs

6. Awakening Hashashin (Fantastic)

Hashashin is an assassin class and master of the desert. He can manipulate the sands to his will, allowing him to cloak himself inside his tornadoes and fend off foes.

I personally love Hash and I think he has one of the best move-sets in the game. He is fun and has fluid movement you can cycle through as long as you maintain his stamina. His combos can get complex and require days of practice, although he is gratifying when mastered. 

Why Hash Is Great for PvP:

• Ability to disappear and reappear in an instant.
• DPS - Cast countless whirlwinds for the best damage output or to stress your enemy.
• Some of his skills cast illusions to play tricks on foes.
• Cyclones - His ‘tornadoes’ help disorient and are additive to his damage output. He can also teleport between some of them.

Choose Hashashin if you enjoy:

• Fast & Fluid Movement
• All PvP Content
• High Damage Output
• Teleportation

7. Succession Mystic (Great)

Succession strengthens Mystic's melee combat skills, allowing for obliterating combos and powerful strikes. Like Striker, she focuses on utilizing her martial arts prowess, making her a prominent force in close-quarters combat. 

Her PvP encounters are considerably fast-paced with her evasive abilities and crowd-control skills. She outputs her damage tremendously faster in Succession than in her Awakening. Mystic is a defensive class with lots of healing abilities.

Why Mystic Is Great for PvP:

• Sustainability - Numerous abilities have innate life-steal.
• Superior Defense - High base damage reduction.
• Satisfying Movement - Chain movement loops for constant I-frames and faster travel.

Choose Mystic if you enjoy:

• Close-up Melee Combat
• 1v1’s and GvG’s 
• Sustainability
• Crowd Control
• High DPS
• Martial Arts

8. Awakening Guardian (Great)

Guardian is a heavy melee class that wields a jordun and shield. Known for her superior strength and resilience, she excels in close-quarters combat, delivering powerful blows to her enemies, as well as ranged attacks with her massive AoE.

She is a high-damage class with the trade-off of having slow-casting animations. Her AoE can nearly cover the entirety of Heidel’s arena itself. 

Why Guardian Is Great for PvP:

• Face-Tanking - High Base Damage Reduction.
• AoE - Perfect for removing two cardinal directions simultaneously.
• Sustainability - Guardian also has numerous life-steal abilities

Choose Guardian if you enjoy:

• AoEs that seemingly terraform the land around you
• 1v1’s and GvG’s
• Self-Sustainability
• Self-Buffs
• High Defense
• Tanky Classes

9. Awakening Musa (Decent)

Musa is a class with high DPS and superior maneuverability. He’s perfect for those who love speedy gameplay. His dash allows him to get in and out of combat instantaneously; if you have a skill cooldown, you can just run away, wait for it to recharge, and then resume bashing your opponent.

Musa doesn’t have many AoE abilities, instead, he is more frontal-focused and boasts higher damage output as compensation.

Why Musa Is Great for PvP:

• Fast Movement  - Dash out of harm's way indefinitely.
• Reliable CC’s
• DPS
• Highest Single Target Damage

Choose Musa if you enjoy:

• Successive Dashes
• 1v1’s or T1 Node Wars
• Frontal DPS
• High APM

10. Succession Maehwa (Decent)

Maehwa is Musa’s female counterpart with the same fundamental abilities. She uses a blade as her main weapon and a horn bow for her off-hand, she possesses lots of successive dashes for adrenaline-inducing gameplay.

She has numerous AoE abilities, self-buffs, and life-steal skills. Sorc can also be considered close to mid-range with her skill enhancements. If you want an evasion class with near-infinite I-frames; Sorceress is the class for you.

Why Maehwa Is Great for PvP:

• Fast Movement  - Dash out of harm's way indefinitely.
• DPS (Succ Musa is Slightly Better)
• High Single Target Damage 

Choose Maehwa if you enjoy:

• Rapid Dashes
• 1v1’s or T1 Node Wars
• Frontal DPS
• High APM

Find this guide helpful? Check out our other guides:

• Black Desert Guide – 25 Tips & Tricks
• Black Desert: Best Ways To Make Money (Top 10 Ways To Earn Silver)
• Black Desert PvE Class Tier List [Strongest and Weakest Classes Revealed]
• Black Desert Fairy Guide - Everything You Need To Know About Fairies!