A unique class system that hides some complexity here’s what you need to know about the Archetypes in Remnant 2.
The dimensions the crystal in Remnant 2 drags you into are incredibly dangerous places. There are a lot of exotic and strange creatures wandering around these foreign and bizarre locales and all of them want to take a bit meaty chunk out of your hide if they’re given the chance.
Thankfully there’s a solid class system known as Archetypes available that lets you spec into a range of unique, useful, and downright powerful builds. Whether you’re creating the ultimate scavenger for solo play or filling a role in a squad through co-op, there’s a lot of variety available for everyone's particular play style. There are plenty of them to get through, so here are the Archetypes in Remnant 2, explained.
Updated on May 4, 2024, by Mohamed El Ouardighi: With Ritualist from the Awakened King and now Invoker from the Forgotten Kingdom, the second DLC for Remnant 2, here's an updated version of our all archetypes guide that includes Invoker.
What Are Archetypes?
For those new to the series, Archetypes are essentially a class you choose for your run through the game. In total, there are ten of them and you can create up to five new characters at one time, so you can have a nice collection of scavengers ready to go for any occasion if you’re dedicated enough.
Each one of them is unique, unlocks their own types of perks and powers according to their play style, fills a particular role in a team and their starting gear is all distinct. For example, the Medic starts off with a hefty machine gun, whilst the Hunter gets a bolt-action rifle and the Gunslinger gets a surprisingly solid six-shooter to play around with. You can also collect other weapons as the game goes on, or buy them from Brabus.
How To Change Your Archetype
It’s incredibly easy to choose your Archetype in Remnant 2. It’s something you do almost at the start of the game, you just have to clear the Tutorial and intro sequence first, then after arriving at the Hub, speak to Ford.
Exhaust all his dialogue and he’ll then tell you to go speak to Wally. This strange chap can be found by the crane near the water. He’ll give you your first Archetype, or as he calls it a “Path”. Other Archetypes can be unlocked either through secret methods in certain worlds or by speaking to certain NPCs like Mudtooth or buying special items from the vendors in the Hub.
You can also reset your character's progress by purchasing an Orb Of Undoing from Wally as well as switching out your Archetype from the Archetype Menu whenever you unlock a new one.
The Archetypes
As mentioned previously, there are ten Archetypes and whilst you can pick the main four options (or five if you pre-ordered to get the Gunslinger), some of them are hidden away and you can miss them if you’re not aware.
Some of the abilities of the Archetypes are also arguably a lot better than the others, so it can be quite tricky to figure out which one is going to pay off the most in the long haul. So to help you with your choices, here’s a brief rundown of each one.
You can also bring in a Secondary Archetype on top of your equipped one allowing you to take advantage of their abilities except for their Prime Perk . To unlock a Secondary Archetype, level up your current class to level 10 then use the Archetype Menu to switch them out.
Alchemist
An elemental tinkering Archetype that excels at boosting stats and buffing their bros with various vapor clouds that add unique effects. It's a great Support Archetype that is also hidden away and requires a run-in with a sewer monster in Losomn in order to unlock.
The Alchemist's perks are good for increasing damage resistance but the three Vapour clouds of Stone Mist, Frenzy Dust, and Elixir Of Life add a lot of versatility. They're ok on their own, but they work best in a group as they can drop some really powerful buffs right before a boss fight, and you'll always need it.
Engineer
Another of the unlockable Archetypes, the Engineer loves their big guns and they're an absolute god in small, confined dungeons. This turret-tossing, heavy weapon expert can Overlock themselves, which not only gives you infinite ammo but also enhances fire rate and gives a healthy 25 percent to ranged damage. So they're quite a beast.
Found on N'Erud at the Eon Vault in the fog, it's tricky to find but this Gatling-wielding demon is worth it. As a final selling point, the Engineer can also put down three types of turrets. These are the Vulcan, Flamethrower, and Impact Cannon Turrets and they're great for holding chokepoints or reinforcing the team during a wave of monsters.
The Engineers Turret can be incredibly useful in boss fights as they not only deal a lot of damage but also draw aggro away from you whilst they're active.
Summoner
Classes that let you toss out a lot of distracting minions are always tons of fun and the Summoner Archetype in Remnant 2 does just that. Another of the hidden Archetypes in the game, the Summoner requires picking up the Faded Grimoir at the Bloodmoon Altar in Yaesha, then giving it to Wally. It's a little pricey, but they're worth the investment.
Primarily a support Archetype, the Summoner can spawn two of three different types of Root Minions. Their Perks then compliment their utility further by applying buffs to team hit points as well as granting life-steal or spawning healing auras. They struggle a little on their own, but they're great in a team as their minions are pretty tanky and can cause a lot of distracting chaos.
Invader
The Invader is another of the hidden Archetypes in Remnant 2. They're unlocked by going on a bit of a side quest as well as taking down a special boss. But they're worth the extra steps as they're an absolute powerhouse of damage and they're ideal for solo players or endgame high-level adventures.
Think of them like a Dungeons And Dragons Rogue. The Invader is about creating decoys, exploiting perfect dodges, and using a teleport skill to phase into battle whilst dumping a healthy 300 percent damage. You need to keep moving to use them effectively, plus their various perks and skills require a lot of micro-management. So they're perfect for players looking for a fairly advanced Archetype.
If you're standing still with The Invader, you're doing it wrong. Keep mobile and teleport as often as you can .
Challenger
The Challenger Archetype in Remnant 2 is a hammer, and every problem to them is a nail. It just needs enough whacks. They're a bulwark against damage and take a lot of punishment whilst leaving piles of corpses in their wake. They're available right from the start and are always a welcome sight in any party.
The Challengers' perks are where the fun begins as they provide things like brief invulnerability, 40 percent ranged and melee damage, a buff that reduces damage dealt by enemies as well as reducing stamina regeneration delay and buffing damage whenever Relics are used. Their abilities also range from deadly stomps, receiving a massive buff to damage resistance, or being able to enter into a berserk fury. It's some fun toys that can turn any Challenger into an unstoppable Gladiator.
Handler
If you're looking for a solid all-rounder that comes with a fuzzy good boy, then the Handler is where you should start. This Support Archetype is all about using their dog to buff the party, revive downed allies, boost revive speed, and raise damage resistance.
They're a great addition to any team and their dog is perfect for drawing aggro or dispatching at targets like a fuzzy angry missile. They can do well on their own, but they work better when combined with a group. Also yes, you can pet the dog.
The Handler's Dog Revive is a great Second Wind for solo-players .
Hunter
A long-range deadeye that can deal out death with ease, the Hunter is another starting Archetype that can be picked after the tutorial ends. Their gimmick is dealing a lot of damage in precise hits to weak points as well as marking targets for the team.
The Hunter's perks focus on extra weak spot damage, 50 percent boosts to ammo drops, faster reload speed, and extending the duration of skills, speaking of. The Hunter's skills add a variety of buffs to range and weak spot damage with each of the three powers providing varying methods and ranges for marking targets. They can also cloak themselves with their Hunters Shroud.
Medic
The lifeline that can keep a party alive, especially in the higher difficulty settings, the Medic Archetype is your standard healer and it's always worth having one on your crew or as your second Archetype. Available from the start of the game, it's easy to get up and running with this deadly Doctor.
The Medics' perks are primarily focused on healing, as you would expect, and they can also buff damage, increase Relic efficiency and Relic use speed. Their abilities are equally strong as they can create a Healing Spring, provide a Healing Shield, or pop off a full party instant revive. So it's a solid selection of Healer toys to tinker with.
Relics are items such as the Dragon Heart . So faster healing animations are a great bonus.
Gunslinger
The rootin', tootin', shooting damage dealer on the team. The Gunslinger is your classic cowboy that comes with a lot of great perks for preserving that ammo pool and putting out the pain.
The Gunslingers Perks are all focused on enhancing fire rate, ranged damage, and reload speed as well as boosting ammo pick-ups. Plus their skills are suitably Western-esque as they feature a hammer fan of their revolver for multi-target or single-focused big number damage, enhanced draw speed, or turning all their firearms briefly into fully automatic monster mulching machines. They're extremely good at crowd control, keeping the team's ammo reserves high, and doing big crit damage on tough targets.
Explorer
The Explorer is available after you finish the campaign. That's quite the Herculean effort, but it's worth it for the best farming class in the game. The Explorer's abilities are more niche, but when you're grinding the endgame they're incredibly useful.
For starters, their perks focus on increasing item drop yield and item rarity, providing stackable buffs as well as minor boons to ammo capacity and damage. Their abilities are also pretty strong as they enhance movement speed, reveal nearby treasure, or spawn a fountain that provides a random buff.
It's highly recommended to have this class as either your main or secondary Archetype at all times in the endgame. Mainly because their movement and farming buffs make clean-up and power leveling a lot quicker.
Archon
A super secret class that was initially only found by data miners who dug into the depths of the game, the Archon is potentially one of the most powerful and difficult Archetypes to get in the game. This alien-looking character is the epitome of support and is all about utility and buffing Mod generation.
To unlock the Archon you’ll need to beat the game and have quite an eclectic collection of items to craft the required engram. But it’s worth it. The Archons trick is that they constantly generate Mod Power and whenever a Mod is used, you’ll get a 50 percent Mod Regen for a few seconds. This amount increases the stronger they become, so you’ll be able to pop off those bizarre weapon abilities pretty often. Their Perks also reduce Mod requirements, buff team Mod regeneration, and using Relics also gives a nice chunk of 200 Mod Power for both your weapons.
All in all, a pretty spectacular support class, and their abilities can summon Slow fields, buff friendly damage, or turn them into their Havoc Form whereby they can fire lightning at a fast casting rate and raise energy shields whilst teleporting around to evade attacks.
The Archon is the most time-consuming Achetype to unlock , so save it for postgame adventures.
Ritualist
The Ritualist is a surprisingly strong Archetype that’s all about big AOE’s and crippling debuffs for crowd control or using buffs on themselves from the statuses they inflict in order to deal nasty amounts of damage to one big juicy target. It’s a pretty versatile class that requires thinking ahead, but put them in a group and they’ll help clear house with ease.
For example, their active skills are Eruption, which creates an explosion that deals damage, increases status effect damage, and resets any current Status Effects on a target. There’s Miasma which casts an AOE burst of Bleeding, Burning, Coroded, and Overloaded at once. And finally, Death Wish, whichdrains 300 percent of your health but increases damage by 35 percent, and 10 percent of that is used as Lifesteal as well.
Then there are also solid perks like Wrath, Terrify, Dark Blood, and Purge which mess with Status Effects on enemies and do a bunch of unique and detailed damage types. So all in all, it’s a great class worth having in your team, especially in some of the more minion-heavy boss fights.
The Ritualist, like a few other secret classes, requires some extra steps to unlock . Namely finding an item in a specific area of Losomn known as the Cursed Effigy Engram . We have an in-depth guide on how to unlock The Ritualist ( available here ).
Invoker
Remnant 2 consistently delivers fresh content with each DLC release, and the Invoker Archetype is no exception. It's a potent class that offers numerous possibilities for creating powerful builds. The Invoker focuses on skill usage, reducing cooldowns, and doubling skill charges through its Prime Perk, Visionary. Other perks enhance elemental damage, increase skill damage, and even extend skill duration.
Speaking of skills, the Invoker offers a diverse range. For offense, there's Way of Kaeula, which unleashes a Tidal Wave to damage all enemies in its path. On the flip side, Way of Meidra provides support by allowing you to heal your allies. Finally, Way of Lydusa applies the Brittle effect, boosting critical chance and damage for both ranged and melee attacks. It also lets you generate sand devils through damage or kills, which can be consumed to cast a sand blast, damaging a wide area upon skill reactivation.
Of course, Remnant 2 always hides its secrets well, and the Invoker is no exception to that. So, if you want to unlock it, we have a guide on how to do so .
Which One Suits Your Needs?
Now that everyone is up to speed on the classes and what they do, it’s worth breaking them down a little bit further to provide you with the best recommendation for your particular play style.
Whilst you can hit the end of the game with each one regardless, if you’re dipping into Adventure Mode where you can re-roll worlds again and again for endgame content, having the right role can often matter, especially in a party of players. So here are recommendations for each Archetype and their particular role.
Tank
The enemies in this game really like to rush you down, so having someone who can stand out front, draw aggro, and take the hits can make the game so much easier. Whilst you can load up on trinkets and rings to buff your armor, having a dedicated big-boy destroyer on the team can trivialize some pretty tough sections.
For those looking for all-out aggression and violence, it’s worth using the Challenger. This buff lad packs a lot of punch with their powerful perks and superb skills. So they're the best option for those who like to play as the tip of the spear.
DPS
The creatures you’ll come across out in the wilds of those far-off worlds can take a lot of damage. Whilst the majority of them will have weak points to exploit, your trigger finger will get tired quickly as you laboriously chip them down. That’s why having a DPS demon on the team definitely matters.
For those that like to see those big damage numbers pop you have a couple of options. For starters there’s the Gunslinger, with a high ammo reserve, buffs to fire rate, and a Revolver fan blast that can hit multiple targets or use one big high-powered shot, it’s great at absolutely deleting tough enemies. The Hunter is also a good choice as they focus on weak point crits, have increased damage for standing still, and are generally all about putting a lot of pain into as few hits as possible. Though they’re not too great if anything gets too .
Finally, there’s the Invader, who's great for fast attacks and stealthy ambushes. Though they melt quickly if they're pinned, they're an absolute damage-dumping machine in the right hands.
Healer
Whilst you can technically make any Archetype a pseudo-healer with the right weapon mods, nobody does it better than the Medic. Since their whole class is about big heals, they’re borderline mandatory if you’re playing on the higher difficulties.
Though the Summoner has some handy healing abilities, they pale in comparison to the Medic. Also, they’re the only Archetype that comes with a revive ability. It’s a move that rezzes an entire party and with how often entire wipes can come out of nowhere, especially on higher difficulties, the Medic is probably one of the most useful Archetypes in Remnant 2.
Support
For those who prefer to hang back and help out the team, there are a lot of good picks worth looking into. The best picks amongst them are the Archon who dramaticallyboosts team Mod Power, the same with The Ritulaist's minion-melting debuffs. Finally, The Handler is great as well as this doggy duo can be incredibly useful in a pinch and The Ritualist. The Handlers team buffs are perfect for those who like to lend a helping hand. Plus, their pet psycho with teeth can draw a lot of aggro if you're getting swamped. The same applies to the Summoner and the host of minions that they can bring in.
But if you're looking for a Support class that can stand on their own or help push the firing line then look into the Engineer. Their turrets and heavy weapons are great for putting out plenty of suppressive fire. This is perfect for some of the more tanky monsters or players that prefer to hide behind destructible shields that you can whittle down.
On a final note, if you want a lot of defensive buffs then consider the Alchemist, or if you want to enhance your team's return from farming drops then use the Explorer.
