The Lords of the Fallen Dark Crusader class guide: Attribute distribution, weapons, armor, and more

The Lords of the Fallen, CI Games and Hexworks' upcoming souls-like action role-playing title, is easily one of the most anticipated games of 2023. Coming fresh off the heels of another souls-like release, i.e., Lies of P, which was a resounding success, The Lords of the Fallen has a lot to live up to.

And with the game's looming release date, fans are finally looking forward to their pre-orders for both the Standard and the Deluxe Editions to secure exclusive bonuses. Among the many such pre-order bonuses is the starting class - the Dark Crusader, alongside the weapons, armor, and more.

Much like the Hallowed Knight starting class, which is the standard Knight class in the base game, the Dark Crusader is focused on strength, trading agility for pure DPS and the ability to wield heavy artillery. Here's an in-depth look at the Dark Crusader starting class in The Lords of the Fallen.

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The Dark Crusader class boasts some of the most powerful early-game weapons in The Lords of the Fallen

The Lords of the Fallen's marketing has heavily featured the Dark Crusader as its mascot, with multiple trailers, even the game's opening cinematic, showing the starting class as the quintessential "hero" of the story. As such, it is quite surprising to see the same character being a starting class, albeit locked behind the $80 Deluxe Edition or completion of the main story.

While the Dark Crusader class is available to those who purchase or pre-order the Deluxe Edition, it's also an end-game unlock for Standard Edition owners. Once you finish the game with any one of the endings, you can access the Dark Crusader starting class on a fresh new character save.

The Dark Crusader is the only class in The Lords of the Fallen that starts at level 14, the highest for any starting character. Additionally, the Dark Crusader has the most amount of "Vitality" stat out of all other starting classes, making it optimal for newcomers to the souls-like genre, as well as those who seek a tankier build to focus on pure DPS.

The in-game description of the Dark Crusader states:

"A Paladin of the Dark Crusaders, an elite military order in service to the Church of Orian Radiance, spreading the teachings of the church and Orius via whatever means necessary. A physically powerful class suitable for those who favour a more aggressive approach."

The weapons, armor, and accessories you get with the Dark Crusader class are as follows:

Weapons

• Paladin Isaac's Sword
• Radiantburst Parchment
• Throwing Hand

Armor

• Paladin Helm
• Paladin Armour
• Paladin Gauntlets
• Paladin Leggings
• Paladin's Pendant

Starting items

• Sanguinarix
• Umbral Lamp

All-in-all, the Dark Crusader is a fantastic starting class for anyone looking to go for a strength-focused build featuring plenty of room for experimentation with heavy weapons as well as armor sets. Additionally, having the extra vitality helps out against some of the early-game bosses, including Pieta and the Congregator, as well as the toughest early-game elite enemies.

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The Lords of the Fallen is scheduled to be released on October 13, 2023, for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Windows PC.