Lineage 2 classes and races
Lineage 2 classes are the fixed profession paths a character follows as it levels, each tied to one of six playable races and unlocked in stages through a branching class tree.
You pick a race and a starting archetype at character creation, then commit to a first profession around level 20, a second around level 40, and, in most chronicles, a third at level 76 or above. The result is roughly thirty distinct endgame classes divided into damage dealers, tanks, healers, buffers, and support, so the question of “which class” is really a question about which of those roles you want to play, and on which version of the game.
How races and classes fit together
Every character in Lineage 2 begins as a member of one of six races: Human, Elf, Dark Elf, Orc, Dwarf, and the later-added Kamael. Race is not just a skin. It sets your starting stats, your available archetypes, and therefore which classes you can eventually become. Humans are the generalists with the widest tree, Elves lean toward speed and support, Dark Elves toward aggressive magic and melee, Orcs toward raw physical power and shamanic buffs, Dwarves toward crafting and item collection, and Kamael down their own self-contained line. Because races and classes are locked together this tightly, most players decide the two at once. If you want to be a healer, for example, you are choosing between a Human Bishop, an Elven Elder, or a Dark Elf Shillien Elder before you ever leave the starting village.
Within a race, your first fork is between the fighter (physical) and mystic (magic) archetypes. A Human can start as a Fighter or a Mystic; a Fighter later branches into warriors, knights, and rogues, while a Mystic branches into wizards and clerics. That same fighter-or-mystic split exists for Elves and Dark Elves. Orcs split into fighters and shamans, Dwarves are fighters only, and the Kamael handle the split through their own male and female soldier lines.
The class tree, stage by stage
Progression through the tree happens at set breakpoints, and each step is a deliberate choice you make at a quest NPC, not an automatic upgrade.
- Base class (level 1 to ~20): you are a generic Fighter or Mystic learning the fundamentals.
- First profession (~level 20): your first real identity. A Human Fighter, for instance, becomes a Warrior, a Knight, or a Rogue.
- Second profession (~level 40): the class most people mean when they name a class. The Warrior line splits into the dual-wielding Gladiator and the polearm Warlord; the Knight line into the Paladin and the Dark Avenger.
- Third profession (level 76+): the “awakened” endgame title on retail-style chronicles, with the strongest skills. A Gladiator becomes a Duelist, a Paladin becomes a Phoenix Knight, and so on.
The table below shows how a single starting choice fans out across the tree for the Human race, which is the clearest example because it carries every role.
| Archetype | First profession | Second profession | Primary role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fighter | Warrior | Gladiator / Warlord | Melee damage |
| Fighter | Knight | Paladin / Dark Avenger | Tank |
| Fighter | Rogue | Treasure Hunter / Hawkeye | Dagger / archer damage |
| Mystic | Wizard | Sorcerer / Necromancer / Warlock | Nuker / summoner |
| Mystic | Cleric | Bishop / Prophet | Healer / buffer |
Roles: what each class is actually for
Class names matter less than the job the class does in a party or when farming alone. Lineage 2 is built around grouping, and a classic party wants a tank to hold aggro, one or two damage dealers, a Bishop to heal, and a buffer such as a Prophet, Warcryer, or Sword Singer to stack song and dance effects. Understanding these buckets makes every race page easier to read.
- Tanks: Paladin, Dark Avenger, Temple Knight, Shillien Knight. They hold hate and survive raid bosses.
- Melee damage: Gladiator, Warlord, Tyrant, Destroyer, and the dagger classes like Treasure Hunter, Plains Walker, and Abyss Walker.
- Ranged and magic damage: the archer classes (Hawkeye, Silver Ranger, Phantom Ranger) and the nukers (Sorcerer, Necromancer, Spellhowler).
- Support and healing: Bishop, Elven Elder, Shillien Elder for healing, plus buff-focused classes such as Prophet, Sword Singer, and Blade Dancer.
- Utility: the Dwarven Bounty Hunter for spoiling materials and the Warsmith for crafting, both central to the trade economy.
The summoner and buffer classes deserve special mention for solo play, because a good pet or a self-buff stack lets you farm without a party. Which class farms best depends heavily on your build and gear, and it also depends on how skills are learned and enchanted, so it is worth reading up on Lineage 2 skills before you commit to a main.
How classes change across chronicles
The class list is not identical on every server, because Lineage 2 has run through many chronicles and the rules shift between them. On the older retail timeline, Interlude is the reference point most veterans know: six races, the third-profession classes, subclass and noblesse systems, and the buff-heavy party meta. The High Five chronicle refined that same era. Later official branches diverged more sharply.
- Classic is a back-to-basics relaunch that slows leveling and restores the grind-heavy party feel of the early game.
- Essence streamlines the class list, removes the strict need for a support-class buffer, and adds systems aimed at solo and semi-idle play.
- Aden is another modern official branch tuned around a compressed leveling curve.
- Lineage 2 Revolution is the mobile spin-off and uses its own simplified four-race, auto-play class system rather than the PC tree described here.
Because of this, always check which chronicle a server runs before planning a character. A build that dominates on Interlude may not exist in the same form on Essence, and a class that farms well on Classic may behave differently on a modern Aden update.
Choosing your first character
For a first character, weigh three things: the role you enjoy, whether you plan to play solo or in a group, and the chronicle of your chosen server. If you want reliable solo farming, a summoner or a self-sufficient melee class is forgiving. If you want to be wanted in every party, a healer or buffer never sits idle. If you love the trade side of the game, a Dwarf is the backbone of the economy. Aggressive magic and hybrid melee players gravitate toward The Lineage 2 Dark Elf, whose Spellhowler and Bladedancer are staples of both farming and mass PvP. Whatever you choose, remember the tree is a long commitment on classic-style servers, so it pays to understand the whole map of races and classes before you take your first profession.