Quick answer: The Heavy Knight is Elden Ring's tankiest starting class, added with the Tarnished Pack in Version 1.17 (August 28, 2026). It opens at level 10 with 17 Endurance — the highest of any class in the game — plus 15 Strength and 14 Vigor, and starts with the new Hefty Scimitar (a Strength/Dexterity Curved Greatsword) and the full Steel Armor Set. The best Heavy Knight build leans into that opener: push Vigor to 40 and Strength toward 55, keep Endurance high enough to two-hand the Hefty Scimitar at medium equip load, upgrade the weapon to +25, and swap in a Heavy Ash of War to convert it to pure Strength scaling. It's a poise-focused, stance-breaking melee bruiser that survives the early game better than any other class.
You do not need the Tarnished Pack to play this build — the Hefty Scimitar and Steel Armor Set can both be bought in Limgrave by any character. The Pack only unlocks the Heavy Knight as a selectable starting class. This guide gives you the verified starting stats, the exact gear, a level-by-level stat plan, and the Ashes of War and talismans that make the build sing. All figures are for base game Version 1.17; the Heavy Knight does not exist on older versions.
What is the Heavy Knight class in Elden Ring?
| The Heavy Knight is one of two new starting classes — the other is the Idus Knight — added by the Tarnished Pack, a €4.99 paid add-on that launched on **PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X | S, Xbox One and PC on August 28, 2026, alongside the base-game Version 1.17 title update. It's included by default in the Tarnished Edition** of Elden Ring for Nintendo Switch 2. Bandai Namco describes the Pack as "2 new starting classes – the Heavy Knight and the Idus Knight, 3 customization skins for Torrent, and 4 new armor sets." |
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Flavor-wise, the Elden Ring Wiki calls the Heavy Knight "a knight in bulky steel armor capable of mowing through foes with a substantively-sized scimitar." Mechanically, it's the closest thing Elden Ring has to a pure early-game tank: enormous Endurance, high Strength, and a heavy weapon-and-armor package that lets you trade blows with Margit and Godrick instead of dodging everything.
One thing to internalize up front, the same rule that applies to every starting class: your class only biases the early game. By level 10 every class in Elden Ring reaches 89 total attribute points, and you can respec later. The Heavy Knight's value is a head start toward a Strength/poise build, not a permanent power ceiling.
Heavy Knight starting stats (verified)
Here are the Heavy Knight's exact starting attributes, verified against the Elden Ring Wiki class data for patch 1.17:
| Attribute | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Level | 10 | Ties the Confessor as the highest starting level |
| Vigor | 14 | Third-highest starting Vigor (behind Vagabond 15) |
| Mind | 8 | Very low — this is not a caster |
| Endurance | 17 | Highest starting Endurance of any class |
| Strength | 15 | Second only to the Hero (16) |
| Dexterity | 11 | Enough for most Strength/quality weapons |
| Intelligence | 7 | Minimum-tier |
| Faith | 8 | Minimum-tier |
| Arcane | 9 | Minimum-tier |
| Total | 89 |
Compared to the Hero class, the Heavy Knight has 1 less Mind, 5 more Endurance, 1 less Strength, 2 more Dexterity and 2 less Arcane; Vigor, Intelligence and Faith are identical. That extra Endurance is the whole pitch — it translates directly into stamina and, more importantly, equip load, which is what lets you wear heavy armor and swing a heavy weapon without fat-rolling.
The three low stats (Mind 8, Intelligence 7, Faith 8) are a feature, not a flaw, for a physical build: none of your points are "wasted" on casting attributes you'll never use. That efficiency is exactly why min-maxers like a lopsided opener.
Heavy Knight starting equipment
The Heavy Knight starts with a brand-new weapon and a complete armor set:
- Hefty Scimitar — a new Curved Greatsword exclusive to the Tarnished Pack / Tarnished Edition content.
- Steel Armor Set — Steel Helm, Steel Armor, Steel Gauntlets and Steel Greaves.
You can get this gear without picking the class. The equipment for each new class is also sold by merchants and found in the world. Per the Elden Ring Wiki, the Hefty Scimitar is stocked by a Nomadic Merchant in East Limgrave, easily reached from the Fort Haight West Site of Grace — so a Vagabond or Wretch can buy the same weapon and build the exact playstyle below. What the Pack buys you is the selectable class, i.e. the stat-and-gear head start from level 10.
Is the Hefty Scimitar good?
The Hefty Scimitar is a Curved Greatsword that "scales primarily with Strength and Dexterity." Its in-game description reads: "This curved greatsword demands both strength and dexterity of its wielder, rewarding those capable of mastering it with great, sweeping slashes that mow through multiple foes at once." Key numbers:
- Base attack: 135 physical, with D/D scaling in Strength and Dexterity out of the gate.
- Fully upgraded (+25): 330 physical, with scaling improving to C in Strength (D in Dexterity) — it's a Strength-favoring quality weapon.
- Guard boost 65, 100 critical, and a native Weapon Skill of Spinning Slash — a spin attack that hits everything around you and works beautifully with the sweeping curved-greatsword moveset.
Two practical notes. First, it's a regular (Smithing Stone) weapon, not a Somber weapon — so it upgrades to +25 and, crucially, accepts Ashes of War and affinities. Second, it is genuinely heavy: the Wiki notes you need roughly 30 Endurance to reach medium equip load with the Heavy Knight's full starting kit before talismans. That's the trade-off the class is built around.
Best Heavy Knight build: stat priorities
The build below is early-to-endgame guidance based on widely tested community soft-cap values — not an official FromSoftware tier list. The plan turns the Heavy Knight's opener into a durable Strength/poise bruiser.
Priority order: Vigor → Endurance → Strength.
- Vigor to 40 first. This is the single most impactful investment in any melee build; 40 is the commonly cited first major soft cap for HP. If you're new to how Vigor scales and where the breakpoints sit, we break it down in How Much Vigor Do You Need in Elden Ring. A tank that dies in two hits isn't a tank.
- Endurance to ~25–30. You start with 17, so you're already ahead. Enough Endurance to keep your gear at medium equip load (the roll speed you want for poise trades) and to fuel big two-handed swings. Community testing puts the stamina soft cap around 50, but for most players 25–30 is the practical sweet spot with the Steel set.
- Strength toward 55. Strength has commonly cited soft caps around 20, 55 and 80. Because two-handing multiplies your effective Strength by 1.5, a two-handed Hefty Scimitar wielder gets a lot of mileage out of every point. Around 50–55 Strength is the standard target before the returns flatten.
- Leave Mind, Intelligence, Faith and Arcane alone. A pure physical Heavy Knight has no reason to touch them.
A typical endgame spread lands near Vigor 40 / Mind 12 / Endurance 30 / Strength 55 / Dexterity 15–18, with the rest of your levels topping up whichever of Vigor or Endurance you want more of. Level up with Runes at any Site of Grace — and if you want to reach that spread fast, our best rune farming spots guide covers legitimate early, mid and late-game farms.
Can you respec a Heavy Knight?
Yes. Once you defeat Rennala, Queen of the Full Moon in the Academy of Raya Lucaria, you can respec your attributes at her location using one Larval Tear per reset. So even if you over-invest early, nothing is permanent — respec into a cleaner Strength or quality spread whenever you like.
Best weapons and Ashes of War for a Heavy Knight
The Hefty Scimitar is a perfectly good weapon to ride from start to finish, but because it accepts Ashes of War, you have levers:
- Heavy affinity. Applying a Heavy Ash of War converts the weapon to pure Strength scaling (dropping the Dexterity requirement's relevance), which is ideal once you commit to a Strength build. This is the standard optimization for STR-favoring quality weapons.
- Keep Spinning Slash for crowd control and gap-closing, or swap to a stance-breaking skill like Lion's Claw or a buff skill like Determination / Royal Knight's Resolve for burst damage on bosses.
- Alternative Strength weapons if you want to branch out: Colossal Swords and Greataxes (Greatsword, Ruins Greatsword, Giant-Crusher) all reward the same 55-Strength investment and pair naturally with the Heavy Knight's Endurance. The class is a launchpad for any poise-heavy Strength weapon, not just its starter.
Because you're building for poise and equip load, you also want the right talismans: Great-Jar's Arsenal (raises max equip load), Erdtree's Favor (HP, stamina, equip load), and a poise talisman like Bull-Goat's Talisman to keep your hyper-armor through enemy combos. Pair those with a heavier armor set later (the Bull-Goat set is the classic poise choice) once your Endurance can carry it at medium load.
Heavy Knight vs Vagabond vs Hero: which Strength opener?
If you own the Tarnished Pack, is the Heavy Knight actually the best melee start? Quick comparison of the three heavy-hitters:
<svg viewBox="0 0 640 300" role="img" aria-label="Grouped bar chart comparing starting Endurance, Strength and Vigor for three Elden Ring melee classes. Endurance: Heavy Knight 17, Hero 12, Vagabond 11. Strength: Hero 16, Heavy Knight 15, Vagabond 14. Vigor: Vagabond 15, Heavy Knight 14, Hero 14." xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"> <text x="20" y="24" fill="#ccc" font-family="sans-serif" font-size="15" font-weight="bold">Starting stats: Heavy Knight vs Hero vs Vagabond</text> <g font-family="sans-serif" font-size="12" fill="#ddd"> <text x="20" y="62" fill="#aaa" font-size="13" font-weight="bold">Endurance</text> <rect x="150" y="50" width="255" height="15" fill="#e0508f"/><text x="20" y="62">Heavy Knight</text><text x="411" y="62" fill="#e0508f">17</text> <rect x="150" y="68" width="180" height="15" fill="#7f7f9f"/><text x="130" y="80" text-anchor="end">Hero</text><text x="336" y="80" fill="#7f7f9f">12</text> <rect x="150" y="86" width="165" height="15" fill="#6f7f8f"/><text x="130" y="98" text-anchor="end">Vagabond</text><text x="321" y="98" fill="#6f7f8f">11</text>
<text x="20" y="132" fill="#aaa" font-size="13" font-weight="bold">Strength</text> <rect x="150" y="120" width="240" height="15" fill="#7f7f9f"/><text x="130" y="132" text-anchor="end">Hero</text><text x="396" y="132" fill="#7f7f9f">16</text> <rect x="150" y="138" width="225" height="15" fill="#e0508f"/><text x="20" y="150">Heavy Knight</text><text x="381" y="150" fill="#e0508f">15</text> <rect x="150" y="156" width="210" height="15" fill="#6f7f8f"/><text x="130" y="168" text-anchor="end">Vagabond</text><text x="366" y="168" fill="#6f7f8f">14</text>
<text x="20" y="202" fill="#aaa" font-size="13" font-weight="bold">Vigor</text> <rect x="150" y="190" width="225" height="15" fill="#6f7f8f"/><text x="130" y="202" text-anchor="end">Vagabond</text><text x="381" y="202" fill="#6f7f8f">15</text> <rect x="150" y="208" width="210" height="15" fill="#e0508f"/><text x="20" y="220">Heavy Knight</text><text x="366" y="220" fill="#e0508f">14</text> <rect x="150" y="226" width="210" height="15" fill="#7f7f9f"/><text x="130" y="238" text-anchor="end">Hero</text><text x="366" y="238" fill="#7f7f9f">14</text> </g> <text x="20" y="280" fill="#999" font-family="sans-serif" font-size="11">Source: Elden Ring Wiki (Fextralife) Classes data · base game + Tarnished Pack (patch 1.17). Heavy Knight in pink.</text> </svg>
- Heavy Knight (Lvl 10): Highest Endurance (17), 15 Strength, 14 Vigor. Best for players who want a poise-tank identity immediately and a curved greatsword that hits multiple enemies.
- Vagabond (Lvl 9): Highest Vigor (15), 14 Strength, 13 Dexterity, starts with a Longsword, Halberd and Heater Shield. The best all-around melee opener and the most beginner-friendly, with a shield from hour one.
- Hero (Lvl 7): 16 Strength (highest), 14 Vigor, starts with a Battle Axe. The lowest starting level of the three, so it reaches a target build slightly more efficiently for min-maxers, but with less Endurance.
Verdict: the Heavy Knight is the best pick if you specifically want the tank fantasy — trading hits, breaking stance, wearing heavy armor early. The Vagabond remains the safer default for a first playthrough because of the shield and top-tier Vigor. And if you don't own the Pack, remember you can replicate the Heavy Knight playstyle on any class by buying the Hefty Scimitar in Limgrave.
Is the Heavy Knight build worth it?
For Strength-build players, yes — it's the cleanest tank opener in the game and the Hefty Scimitar is a genuinely strong Curved Greatsword. But be clear-eyed about what you're paying for: the Tarnished Pack sells you the selectable class and stat head start, not a unique endgame weapon you can't get otherwise. If you already have a character and just want the weapon, buy it from the Limgrave merchant and save your money. If you're starting a fresh Strength playthrough and want to begin as a tank at level 10, the Heavy Knight is the best-value way to do it. For the full patch context, see our Elden Ring Patch 1.17 patch notes breakdown.
More Elden Ring guides:
- Elden Ring Tarnished Pack New Classes: Heavy Knight & Idus Knight Explained
FAQ
Do you need the Tarnished Pack to play a Heavy Knight build? No — not for the build. The Hefty Scimitar and Steel Armor Set are both obtainable in the world (the Wiki lists the Hefty Scimitar with a Nomadic Merchant in East Limgrave near the Fort Haight West Site of Grace), so any class can build this playstyle. The €4.99 Tarnished Pack only unlocks the Heavy Knight as a selectable starting class — the level-10 stat-and-gear head start.
What weapon does the Heavy Knight start with? The Hefty Scimitar, a new Curved Greatsword that scales primarily with Strength and Dexterity (D/D at base, improving to C in Strength at +25). Its Weapon Skill is Spinning Slash, and it comes paired with the full Steel Armor Set.
What are the best stats for a Heavy Knight build? Prioritize Vigor to 40, Endurance to about 25–30 (to two-hand your gear at medium equip load), and Strength toward 55. Ignore Mind, Intelligence, Faith and Arcane for a pure physical build. These follow commonly cited community soft caps, not an official ranking.
Is the Heavy Knight good for beginners? It's forgiving thanks to high Endurance and heavy armor, but the Vagabond is still the friendlier first-timer pick because it starts with a shield and the highest Vigor. New players who want a tank should learn to two-hand and trade hits carefully.
Can you respec the Heavy Knight? Yes. After defeating Rennala, Queen of the Full Moon in the Academy of Raya Lucaria, you can respec attributes at her location using one Larval Tear per reset — so no starting-stat choice is permanent.
Is the Hefty Scimitar worth upgrading to +25? Yes. As a regular Smithing Stone weapon it reaches 330 physical attack at +25 with C Strength scaling, and it accepts Ashes of War — apply a Heavy affinity to make it a pure Strength weapon. It's a viable main-hand from early game to endgame.
All stats and item data verified against the Elden Ring Wiki (Fextralife) and the official Bandai Namco Tarnished Pack page for Version 1.17, current as of August 31, 2026.
