Ragnarok: The New World hands you eight fully realised jobs on day one, and this page is the map to all of them. Seven of them are classic Ragnarok lines carried forward, from the swing of a Swordsman to the spellbook of a Mage, and the eighth is the Druid, a shapeshifter built specifically for this launch. Every class can grind levels, farm gear, contribute to an MVP hunt and hold its own in PvP, so there is no wrong pick. What follows is the fast tour: a table you can scan, a one-line read on each job, and a link out to its full build guide when a class earns a spot on your shortlist.
Two jobs sit at the top for launch: Mage for the fastest leveling and Gunslinger for chasing world bosses early. The rest are strong mains with their own niches, and the Druid is the wildcard. Because of Job Freedom, none of this is a permanent choice. Read the tour, pick a starter, and bank the others later for free.
The full roster at a glance
Here is every job in one view: its second-job advancement, the role it fills in a party, and its provisional launch tier. Tap through to any build guide when a class catches your eye.
| Class | Advances to | Role | Tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gunslinger | Firearms line | Ranged burst DPS | S |
| Mage | Wizard | Magic AoE nuker | S |
| Swordsman | Knight | Tank & melee DPS | A |
| Archer | Hunter | Safe ranged farmer | A |
| Acolyte | Priest | Healer & support | A |
| Druid | Karnos → Alitea | Melee / ranged / caster | A* |
| Thief | Assassin | Crit burst melee | B |
| Merchant | Blacksmith | Economy & cart DPS | B |
The damage dealers
If your instinct is to be the one putting numbers on the screen, four jobs compete for that seat, each in a different flavour.
- Mage becomes the Wizard, and it owns the fastest leveling curve in the game. Fire Wall pens a whole pack in place while Meteor Storm and Storm Gust deliver the burst; because magic leans on Intelligence, it slips past much of the early physical-defense wall.
- Gunslinger is the ranged physical specialist, swapping between firearms and shuriken for enormous single-target damage. Its mobility lets it reposition mid-fight without dropping uptime, which is why early players rate it the premier world-boss racer.
- Thief graduates into the Assassin, trading a slower start for crit, poison and cloaked burst. Gear it toward the 193 attack-speed ceiling and it turns into a genuine PvP threat. Patience is the price of admission.
- Merchant and its Blacksmith advancement fund the whole server through vending and forging, then pivot into cart-driven melee once Cart Revolution and the mech options come online. It ramps slowly, but its zeny keeps everyone else geared.
The frontline and the farmers
Some jobs are defined less by peak damage than by where they stand, anchoring a fight or grinding safely at a distance.
- Swordsman advances to the Knight and becomes the wall a guild war is built around. Bowling Bash, Pierce and a deep health pool let it soak pressure and break enemy lines; it levels a beat behind the casters but catches up as its refines climb.
- Archer turns into the Hunter, the safest solo class on a dangerous map. Three directions: the ADL auto-attacker, the trap-laying controller and the falcon-focused pet build, all keep you firing from maximum range while threats stay far away.
Support and the shapeshifter
The last two jobs sit at opposite ends of the design: one keeps a group breathing, the other is a whole toolkit crammed into a single body.
- Acolyte becomes the Priest, the healer, reviver and buff engine every serious dungeon and GvG roster wants. A Battle Priest variant swaps some of that support for holy area farming, so soloing between groups is never off the table.
- Druid is the headline newcomer, a shapeshifter with a Werewolf melee form, a Bird-Man ranged form and a Human nature-mage form on one job line. Its skill ceiling is high, its free-player value higher still since one build spans several roles, and its advancement through Karnos and then Alitea adds world-tree defense and heavier elemental magic.
One character, every job
The single most important thing to understand before you pick anything is Job Freedom. Your account-wide progress, base level, gear, cards, pets and unlocks, rides with one character, while the active job on top of it can change whenever you like. Every swap resets your stats and skills at no cost, letting you rebuild cleanly for the new role. In practice that means you can grind out levels and zeny as a Mage or Gunslinger, then slide into a Swordsman for guild war, a Priest for a raid, or a Druid when you fancy something weirder, all on the same character. It is why "which class should I main?" is a softer question here than in the original game: your first pick is really just your first chapter.
Choosing your first class
With the safety net of free swaps, the smart move is to lead with whatever gets you comfortable fastest, then branch out. Chase speed and you want the Mage; want to feel safe soloing, take the Archer; itching to tag world bosses immediately, go Gunslinger. If guild warfare is the whole reason you are here, a Swordsman pays off directly, and the Druid rewards anyone who enjoys juggling roles inside one job. Whatever you open with, treat our class tier list as the meta companion to this page, then dive into the matching build guide from the roster table above for its stat spread, skill order, and gear-pacing tips.
Common questions
How many classes can I actually play at launch?
Eight. The SEA launch ships Swordsman, Mage, Archer, Acolyte, Thief, Merchant and Gunslinger from the classic job lines, plus the brand-new Druid. Every one of them can level, farm, chase MVPs and fight in PvP. None are half-finished.
Do I have to pick just one class forever?
No. Job Freedom lets a single character learn all eight jobs, and every swap refunds your stats and skills for free. Your class here describes what you are playing right now, not a permanent commitment.
Which class is the easiest to start with?
Mage for pure speed, Archer if you want the safest solo experience. Both level cleanly, forgive rough gear and reach endgame without fuss, so they make the gentlest first mains.
Where does each class end up, and is there a second job?
Yes. Every classic line advances once: Mage to Wizard, Swordsman to Knight, Archer to Hunter, Acolyte to Priest, Thief to Assassin, Merchant to Blacksmith. The Druid follows its own path, advancing through Karnos and then Alitea.