Halls Of Torment: Class Tier List

Key Takeaways

• Swordsman offers the most balanced gameplay, ideal for a smooth playthrough. The Swordsman has the best base health rating and diverse upgrade potential.
• Shieldmaiden prioritizes defense to become one of the best playable options. The Shieldmaiden is best played by focusing on increasing Block Strength for both offensive and defensive potential.
• Players should understand their chosen character’s strengths and weaknesses and address them through strategic level up decisions. The Shieldmaiden’s top priority should be to increase Block Strength for offense and defense.
• The Archer is an efficient long-range specialist with strong critical striking abilities. Players should prioritize increasing health and regeneration to combat its vulnerability in close-range encounters.

The armies of Hell are calling to players in Halls Of Torment, as gamers are tasked with surviving for 30 minutes against legions of the undead and undesirable in a number of horrifying locations. The game features a simple premise and very user-friendly mechanics to make it an easy title to get engrossed in for hours on end.

Halls Of Torment features 7 different playable characters, each with their own unique weapons and skills, for players to choose from in an attempt to survive the hordes of Hell. From long-range specialists to cunning sorcerers, this is how the character classes in the game compare to one another.

Updated on December 3, 2024 by Rhenn Taguiam: With Halls of Torment having just celebrated its million sale milestone in October, fans of the love letter to computer RPGs might want to dive back into Hell’s fiery depths to fight Tormented Lords and save the world from certain doom. However, while Halls of Torment offers countless hours of fun, fans of the game know that their Class choice factors in heavily on the kind of gameplay style they will exhibit for their playthrough. However, just how should players pick their Classes in Halls of Torment? While all Classes have their merits, some are just built to be easier to use compared to others.

S Rank – Bane of The Tormented Lords

Built Especially For Smoother Playthroughs

Players who want to enjoy Halls of Torment to its fullest might want to pick Classes they can thoroughly use and may even take them to the endgame. While these Classes are traditionally built for hack-and-slash gameplay, this proven playstyle not only enables players to satisfyingly hack their way past hordes of zombies, but they are also recognizable for their ease of use and accessibility. Fans who want to make the most out of a Halls of Torment run should use these Classes before trying to dive into more complex classes.

Swordsman

First Playable Class for a Reason

The first playable character in Halls Of Torment happens to be one of the best options to overcome the hordes of undead and monsters, as the Swordsman provides the most balanced gameplay experience and an excellent base from which to build a formidable warrior.

General Traits

The Swordsman has above-average ratings across the board, providing decent damage, speed, and the highest base health rating in the game to get players off to a good start. With careful consideration of upgrades for this character, the Swordsman can be crafted into a near-unbeatable threat to the armies of the Tormented Lords.

Ideal Strategy

The Swordsman is best played with a well-rounded approach that does not necessarily focus on improving one or two facets of its combat abilities, but a broad perspective that sees each area of its skill set get some attention. It has one of the strongest base stats, so the best strategy to apply to this character class is to make upgrades in a variety of areas, including strength, attack speed, movement speed, and range. The Swordsman will also benefit from using short-range abilities like Dragon’s Breath and Radiant Aura.

Shieldmaiden

The Best Defense Is A Good Offense

There is no one specific key to success in Halls Of Torment, however, the best strategy a player can employ is understanding their character’s strengths and weaknesses and addressing them as they level up. For the Shieldmaiden, defense is the foundation upon which this character class builds itself into one of the best playable options in the game.

General Traits

This character uses a melee primary weapon to deal damage, but unlike its counterpart the Swordsman, it uses its shield to bash into its foes with a more potent strike. In technical terms, her War Hammer can apply a 0.2-sec momentary Stun to delay opponents, while her Shield Bash can Knockback Elites in exchange for not having crits and being unaffected by Multistrike.

Ideal Strategy

Players using the Shieldmaiden will benefit from increasing their Block Strength, as this influences the character’s offensive potential as much as it does its defensive capabilities. With the best defensive rating in the game and an impressive base stat in critical damage, players will be set up for success from the very start by using this character. Much like the Swordsman, the Shieldmaiden would also benefit from short-range abilities such as Dragon’s Breath, as their heavy armor does pose a limitation to the speed of their movements.

A Rank – Slayers Of The Undead

Specialized Ways Of Dealing With Foes

Compared to heavy-hitters like the Swordsman and the Shield Maiden, these particular Classes enjoy having more technical components to fiddle with in order to diversify their approaches in combat. Players who want a bit more challenge controlling the battlefield to dish out damage will enjoy these slayers of the Undead, as their specializations can add quite a lot of thrill to playthroughs.

Archer

Long-Ranged Specialist

A long-range specialist may be a little out of place in Halls Of Torment, given that most of the combat in the game takes place up close, but the Archer still manages to establish itself as a fairly reliable character class.

General Traits

Despite being at its best from a distance, the Archer’s two-arrow attack is particularly potent with its long base range and a high chance of critical strikes. Additionally, the Archer has the fastest base movement speed among all characters, which helps to establish and maintain distance, as well as weave through the crowds of monsters as the field begins to get congested.

Ideal Strategy

Despite its speed and attacking abilities, the Archer has the lowest health rating in the game, making it the most vulnerable when being surrounded by enemies. Players who use this character should prioritize increasing its health and regeneration speed to give them the best chance of survival. Given its prowess from long range, abilities such as the Phantom Needles are a great addition to the Archer’s arsenal as it behaves just like their primary weapon and can deal with foes from different angles. Given its low health count, players should also consider equipping the Archer with the Firewalker Boots or Bogged Boots to provide an additional challenge for adversaries looking to hunt the player down.

Sorceress

Spark Is The Cleanser

Wielding perhaps the best primary weapon in Halls Of Torment, the Sorceress class character can effectively dispatch foes using her bolts of lightning, which chains across multiple targets within proximity to one another.

General Traits

This character is generally the last that players will unlock, as it requires 10,000 kills to be made in a single run in the Forgotten Viaducts, however, it is worth the effort. Like the Archer, the Sorceress lacks a noteworthy health rating but makes up for it with its offensive abilities and agility. Being able to wield Chain Lightning by default, the Sorceress enjoys a constant base 50% chance of proccing an effect on crit, making her the ideal unit to create should players want to pursue supreme crowd control.

Ideal Strategy

As is with the Archer, players should prioritize improving the Sorceress’ health and regeneration ratings to keep her in the fight as the run increases in difficulty. They are particularly effective against elite enemies, however, given her attack does not have the cone of effect that offensive characters like Swordsman do, it would be wise to equip the Sorceress with abilities that can inflict damage on a high quantity of enemies. Additionally, given her lower health rating, rings like the Necromancer’s Clutch would be perfect for a Sorceress build as it provides an extra pair of hands to help ward off the advances of Hell’s army.

Cleric

Unleash Divine Fury

Toeing the line between A and B rank, the Cleric has some great attacking advantages that are greatly hindered by the limitations in its speed and mobility. Using its staff to produce a two-hit attack with a wide cone of effect, the Cleric packs a serious punch with its base offense abilities. However, he has the slowest recharge time on his attacks, which can be incredibly limiting as the run becomes more difficult.

General Traits

Unlike traditional healing Clerics in other RPGs, the Cleric of Halls of Torment uses his Holy Scepter to inflict divine retribution against his opponents. It’s for this reason why his default AOE attacks are always divided equally among opponents, with a base 50% chance of proccing Fragile or Affliction on enemies.

General Strategy

Players wishing to run the gauntlet with the Cleric should put as much of their resources into improving their attack speed as possible, as this will be a genuine problem as the round progresses. Additionally, improving this character’s movement speed is invaluable to ensuring success, so using the upgrades to do this or equipping the Elven Slippers will curb some of the limitations the Cleric has. Once movement and attack speed are improved, players will find this character to be particularly effective in clearing out enemies.

B Rank – Soldiers Of Hell

The Road To Hell Is Paved With Difficulties

Players looking for more of a challenge in their Halls of Torment gameplay might want to put themselves at a slight difficulty curve by using these Classes. While not “bad” in their own right, their more technical nature and more demanding mechanics add an additional layer of challenge to the Halls of Torment experience. Players may appreciate studying the other Classes before venturing into the technicalities of these soldiers of Hell.

Exterminator

Fire Is The Cleanser

At first glance, the Exterminator looks like an incredibly effective offensive character capable of burning all in their sight to ash. Unfortunately, while the steady stream of flame from its primary weapon is a great starting point, it does not prove effective when facing more durable enemies as they get closer to the player.

General Traits

This character is best used at a distance, particularly as it does not have the defensive rating to hold off enemy attacks for too long. Its Flame Caster summons a stream of fire akin to a flamethrower, where every subsequent hit to an enemy reduces the fire’s damage to 80% with a 10% Burn Chance. What’s interesting about the Flame Caster is that it cannot be blocked, which makes the Exterminator somewhat of a glass cannon to use.

Ideal Strategy

Players using the Exterminator will want to prioritize making improvements to their defense and block ratings to give the fire specialist a fighting chance against the forces of the tormented Lords. Additionally, using upgrades on the range and potency of the Exterminator’s flame will make for a more effective character, particularly as has a good chance to inflict flame damage on all foes. While it is a great option for the earlier halls where there are weaker foes, Exterminator struggles to keep up as the game’s difficulty increases.

Warlock

In Summons We Trust

Aside from introducing the Golem ability to the game, the Warlock unfortunately does not pack a lot of punch to warrant investing a lot of time in the character. Its primary weapon involves summoning spirits to do its bidding which, while it has a very long range and homing abilities on enemies, is a very slow and relatively ineffective ability when enemies are closing in from all sides.

General Traits

Unlike other games where necromancer-type characters often have their summons as a separate spell that consumes resources, the Warlock by default uses Ravaging Spectres as his weapon. Upon use, the weapon summons Spectres which disappear after 2.0s have elapsed or after hitting an opponent up to 20 times. While they cannot hit crits by default, boosting base critical chance can start allowing Spectres to do so.

Ideal Strategy

Players using the Warlock will want to increase their attack speed first and foremost, as the character’s attack does not deal any base critical damage, so quantity is of the essence if they are to have a chance of surviving. Outside that, equipping the right gear to support its summoning skills and provide additional sources of attack would be best for a Warlock build, so making use of items like the Necromancer’s Clutch and the Firewalker Boots are strongly recommended.