Applies to: ELDEN RING base game, version 1.16.1 (2025-08-21). A new title update is expected on/around August 28, 2026 to enable the Tarnished Pack; its version number is unannounced. All facts below are verified against Bandai Namco's official Tarnished Pack page.
Quick answer: what are the new Elden Ring classes?
The Tarnished Pack adds two new starting classes to ELDEN RING — the Heavy Knight and the Idus Knight — alongside 3 customization skins for Torrent and 4 new armor sets. It launches August 28, 2026 on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One and Digital PC for €4.99. The same content ships bundled inside the Nintendo Switch 2 Tarnished Edition on the same day. The Tarnished Pack is a small paid add-on — not an expansion and not Shadow of the Erdtree.
If you own ELDEN RING on PlayStation, Xbox or PC and want the new classes, you buy the Tarnished Pack separately. If you're picking up the game on Switch 2, the content is already inside the Tarnished Edition. This guide covers exactly what each class is, whether they're worth a new run, and the questions players keep asking before launch.
What is the Tarnished Pack (and what it is not)
The Tarnished Pack is the extra content from the Switch 2 Tarnished Edition, sold on its own to existing owners on every other platform. Bandai Namco's official news article states it plainly:
"The Tarnished Pack includes the following game content: 2 new starting classes – the Heavy Knight and the Idus Knight; 3 customization skins for Torrent, your spectral steed; 4 new armor sets."
— Bandai Namco Entertainment Europe, official Tarnished Pack article
Note what is not in that list. There is no new area, no new questline, no new boss, and no Shadow of the Erdtree — that expansion is a separate purchase. The Tarnished Pack is a cosmetic-and-convenience bundle: two ready-made character starts, some horse drip, and four armor sets. It's priced accordingly at €4.99 (Bandai Namco notes prices vary by local currency; there is no officially published USD figure — by exchange rate it lands around $5, but treat that as an estimate, not a confirmed price).
The confusion worth clearing up: people call it "the Tarnished Pack DLC," which is technically true — it's downloadable content — but it is not an expansion the size of Shadow of the Erdtree. If you saw the €4.99 tag and worried it was a full-size add-on, it isn't. And if you saw the €4.99 tag and expected it to include Shadow of the Erdtree, it doesn't.
The Heavy Knight: a strength-forward melee start
The Heavy Knight is the first of the two new starting classes. FromSoftware has not published the class's exact starting stats or gear yet, so anyone printing a full stat block right now is guessing. What we can say from the name and the community reveal is the fantasy it's built around: a heavily-armored, strength-leaning melee opener — the "walk in swinging" archetype that a lot of players default to on a first Elden Ring run.
For context on how much a starting class actually decides: in ELDEN RING, your class only sets your starting level, attributes, weapons and gear. It does not lock you into a build. Every character can respec attributes later by giving a Larval Tear to Rennala, Queen of the Full Moon in the Grand Library of Raya Lucaria, and any character can wield any weapon once the stat requirements are met. So the Heavy Knight is best understood as a strong, themed head-start — not a permanent identity.
That's why the class is most appealing on a fresh character. You choose a starting class only at character creation; you cannot convert an existing Tarnished into a Heavy Knight retroactively. If you want to actually play the class, you're starting a new save — which, going by the reaction on r/Eldenring, is exactly what a lot of players intend to do.
The Idus Knight: the light greatsword starter players want
The Idus Knight is the second new class, and it's the one generating the most pre-launch excitement — not because of an official stat sheet (there isn't one), but because the community widely expects it to start with a light greatsword, the nimble two-handed weapon class introduced in Shadow of the Erdtree. That detail is a community expectation, not a confirmed FromSoftware fact — the official page only names the class, not its loadout. Treat it as the strong rumor it is until launch day.
Why does that matter to people? Because until now, the only way to get a light greatsword was to progress into the Realm of Shadow (the Shadow of the Erdtree map). Starting a run with one from level one would be genuinely new. As one player on r/Eldenring put it, they're "psyched to start the game with a light greatsword… tired of waiting until the shadow lands to get one." Another is torn between the Confessor and the Idus Knight for a first-ever playthrough — a good sign that the new classes are pulling in both veterans and newcomers.
The same caveat applies as with the Heavy Knight: the class is a starting loadout, not a locked build, and it's only selectable on a new character. If the light-greatsword rumor holds, the Idus Knight is the more distinctive of the two picks. If it doesn't, both classes are still just curated starts you could otherwise assemble yourself in-game.
Torrent skins and the 4 armor sets
Beyond the classes, the Tarnished Pack includes 3 customization skins for Torrent, your spectral steed, and 4 new armor sets. FromSoftware has not individually named the Torrent skins or the four armor sets, and it has not detailed exactly how you unlock or equip them once you own the pack. Anyone listing specific skin or set names today is working from speculation — we'll update this guide with the official names when they're published.
One genuinely open question the community keeps raising: if you buy the pack but don't pick one of the new classes, can you still get its weapon and armor elsewhere in the world — for example from a base-game merchant like the Twin Maiden Husks or a wandering merchant in Stormveil? That's a reasonable hope (FromSoftware has seeded class-tied gear into the world before), but it is unconfirmed. Until launch, assume the safest way to guarantee access to the new gear is to own the pack; whether a non-class character can find the items in-world is unknown.
Should you buy the Tarnished Pack for the new classes?
Here's the honest framing at €4.99:
- Buy it if you were already going to start a new Elden Ring playthrough and want a fresh reason to — a light-greatsword opener (if the Idus Knight rumor holds) or a heavy-armor strength start is a fun, cheap novelty, and the armor sets and Torrent skins are a bonus.
- Skip it if you're deep into an existing character and have no interest in rolling a new one. You can't apply a new starting class to an existing save, and the classes' real value is the head-start — which an established character doesn't need.
- Don't buy it expecting new content to explore. There's no new map, boss or quest here. If that's what you want, that's Shadow of the Erdtree, which is a separate, much larger purchase.
For the full price-and-value breakdown, see our companion guide on whether the Tarnished Pack is worth it, and if you're still untangling the two products, our Tarnished Edition vs Tarnished Pack explainer lays out the difference. Switch 2 buyers weighing a rebuy should read do you need to rebuy on Switch 2, and does your save transfer.
How to get the Tarnished Pack
Starting August 28, 2026, the Tarnished Pack appears on your platform's digital store (PlayStation Store, Microsoft Store, Steam) and on Bandai Namco's official site. There is no physical version of the Pack — it's a digital add-on for existing owners. On Nintendo Switch 2, you don't buy the Pack at all: the same content is already inside the Tarnished Edition disc/eShop bundle, which also includes the base game and Shadow of the Erdtree.
A base-game title update is expected on the same day to enable the new content on PS/Xbox/PC. As of now that patch's version number hasn't been announced (the base game currently sits on 1.16.1, live since August 2025), so don't trust any specific "1.17"-style number until FromSoftware posts it.
FAQ
What are the two new Elden Ring classes in the Tarnished Pack? The Heavy Knight and the Idus Knight. Both are new starting classes added by the Tarnished Pack on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One and PC — and bundled into the Nintendo Switch 2 Tarnished Edition — on August 28, 2026. FromSoftware has confirmed the names but not the full starting stats or gear.
Does the Idus Knight start with a light greatsword? That's the widespread community expectation, but it is not officially confirmed. Bandai Namco's page names the class without listing its weapons. If it holds true, it would be the first time you can begin a run with a light greatsword instead of waiting until the Shadow of the Erdtree area — which is why the class is drawing the most interest. Treat it as a strong rumor until launch.
How much does the Tarnished Pack cost? €4.99, per Bandai Namco's official page, with prices varying by local currency. There is no officially published USD price; by exchange rate it's roughly $5, but that's an estimate rather than a confirmed figure.
Do I need to start a new character to use the new classes? Yes. In ELDEN RING you choose a starting class only at character creation, so a new class means a new character. You can't convert an existing Tarnished into a Heavy Knight or Idus Knight. The classes only set your starting level, stats and gear anyway — you can respec later at Rennala regardless of which class you pick.
Is the Tarnished Pack the same as Shadow of the Erdtree? No. The Tarnished Pack is a small €4.99 add-on with two starting classes, three Torrent skins and four armor sets. Shadow of the Erdtree is a separate, much larger expansion with a full new region, questlines and bosses. The Pack does not include it.
Can I get the new armor sets without picking the new class? Unknown at launch. FromSoftware hasn't detailed how the four armor sets and three Torrent skins are unlocked once you own the pack, or whether class-tied weapons can be found in the world by other characters. We'll update this once the mechanics are confirmed.
More Elden Ring guides
Want to go deeper before your next run? Read our guides on how to access Shadow of the Erdtree, how to beat Messmer the Impaler, and the best rune farming spots to level a fresh Heavy Knight or Idus Knight fast.
