When you start building a party in Solasta 2’s Mark of Maraike campaign, subclass choice matters more than most players expect. The campaign currently runs roughly from level 1 to level 10, and because early abilities define most encounters, some subclasses immediately stand out while others take longer to shine.
The list below ranks all currently available official subclasses based on their performance in the campaign. The focus here is practical gameplay: survivability, damage output, team utility, and how consistent the subclass feels across the first ten levels.
All of these subclasses belong to the base game and do not require DLC.
S-Tier Subclasses
These subclasses dominate the early campaign. They provide strong utility, survivability, and impact in almost every fight.
Court Mage (Wizard)
The Court Mage Wizard easily sits at the top of the current meta.
Unlike traditional fragile wizards, this subclass turns the wizard into a defensive support powerhouse. The defining ability, Spell Shield, creates a protective barrier that absorbs incoming damage for an ally. Since combat encounters in Solasta can stretch across multiple turns, this shield can effectively prevent huge amounts of damage over time.
On top of that, Court Mage gains:
- Shield proficiency
- Defensive fighting options
- Reaction-based protection for nearby allies
What makes it S-tier is consistency. It protects teammates, still deals good damage through normal wizard spells, and improves the party’s survivability in almost every encounter.
Simply put, a Court Mage makes your entire team harder to kill, and that alone can carry difficult fights.
A-Tier Subclasses
These subclasses are extremely strong and reliable, but they slightly fall behind the top tier due to either limited scaling or situational mechanics.
Mana Painter (Sorcerer)
The Mana Painter Sorcerer is one of the most durable spellcasters in the game.
Its key mechanic, Mana Shield, grants temporary hit points whenever a spell is cast. Because this scales with spell slot level, the sorcerer becomes surprisingly tanky for a caster class.
Another powerful ability is Mana Drain, which deals force damage while restoring sorcery points. This creates a small loop where the sorcerer sustains both resources and survivability.
The result is a caster that can stay alive longer while continuously throwing spells.
Ruin Wizard (School of Rune)
The Ruin Wizard is the offensive alternative to the Court Mage.
Instead of defensive tools, this subclass boosts spell damage through Destructive Magic, which adds additional damage dice whenever you cast offensive spells.
This mechanic interacts extremely well with multi-projectile spells like:
- Magic Missile
- Scorching Ray
Each projectile benefits from the bonus damage, turning these spells into serious burst tools.
The Ruin Wizard is ideal if your party already has strong defensive characters and you want pure magical damage.
Judgment Paladin
The Oath of Judgment Paladin combines frontline durability with excellent crowd control.
Its signature ability, Weight of Justice, can restrain enemies for multiple turns if they fail a Charisma saving throw. Since many enemies have weak Charisma saves, this becomes a powerful lockdown ability.
Judgment Paladins also gain a strong list of spells including:
- Guiding Bolt
- Heat Metal
- Silence
- Haste
This subclass shines in boss fights where controlling a dangerous enemy can change the outcome of the encounter.
Battle Domain Cleric
The Battle Cleric is arguably the most versatile cleric subclass available.
It blends strong spellcasting with aggressive combat abilities. The ability Decisive Strike adds extra force damage on melee hits and can even incapacitate enemies briefly.
On top of that, the subclass gains access to powerful spells like:
- Magic Missile
- Fireball
- Haste
Unlike the Life Cleric, which focuses purely on healing, the Battle Cleric contributes to both damage and survivability, making it extremely valuable in the midgame.
B-Tier Subclasses
These subclasses are solid choices and perform well throughout the campaign, but they either require specific builds or lack the raw impact of higher tiers.
Star Child (Sorcerer)
The Star Child Sorcerer focuses on extra magical damage through its Shooting Stars ability.
Whenever metamagic is used, small star projectiles strike enemies for additional force damage. This makes offensive spells slightly stronger and adds consistent chip damage.
The subclass is fun and flashy, but it doesn’t provide the same survivability or raw scaling as Mana Painter.
Aether Warden (Fighter)
The Aether Warden Fighter is one of the most unique subclasses in Solasta 2.
It mixes martial combat with wizard-style spellcasting. Because the subclass uses Constitution for spellcasting, the character can remain extremely tanky while still casting spells.
However, since it is only a half-caster, the magical power never fully matches that of a dedicated wizard.
Even so, the combination of durability and magic still makes this a strong and flexible option.
Liberation Paladin
The Oath of Liberation Paladin focuses on mobility and support.
Abilities like Blinding Castigation allow you to blind enemies for multiple turns, while Slip Away can temporarily grant invisibility to nearby allies.
These tools are great for repositioning or escaping dangerous situations, but they don’t always have the same impact as the Judgment Paladin’s crowd control.
Commander (Fighter)
The Commander Fighter excels at boosting the entire party.
Abilities such as Rousing Shout grant advantage on attacks to nearby allies, which can massively improve team damage during important turns.
The downside is that the subclass relies heavily on teamwork to show its full potential. On its own, it doesn’t deal significantly more damage than other fighter options.
Shadowcaster (Rogue)
The Shadowcaster Rogue introduces a unique mechanic: applying Sneak Attack damage to spell attacks.
This allows spells like Chromatic Orb or Ray of Sickness to deal extremely high burst damage when conditions are right.
While the concept is very strong, the subclass requires careful positioning and spell usage to fully maximize its potential.
C-Tier Subclasses
These subclasses are still playable but feel less impactful compared to others during the level 1–10 campaign.
Life Domain Cleric
The Life Cleric is still the best pure healer, but Solasta’s combat design doesn’t always require constant healing.
Because the subclass focuses almost entirely on restoring health rather than dealing damage or controlling enemies, it can feel less influential in fights.
That said, players who prefer a traditional healer role will still find it reliable.
Oblivion Cleric
The Oblivion Cleric mixes necrotic damage with support abilities.
Its standout mechanic is Gatekeeper, which can automatically revive allies with 1 HP when they fall unconscious. This is helpful in difficult fights but doesn’t directly influence combat as much as offensive or control abilities.
Overall, it’s a decent hybrid but lacks the strong specialization of other cleric options.
Scavenger Rogue
The Scavenger Rogue is a straightforward damage subclass.
The ability Serrated Edge adds extra slashing damage once per turn, providing steady damage over longer battles.
It also includes Haggler, which improves shop prices for the entire party. While useful economically, it doesn’t impact combat directly, which is why the subclass ranks lower.
D-Tier Subclasses
Currently, no subclasses fall into D-tier for the Mark of Maraike campaign. Every option is at least viable in normal gameplay.
For the current level 1–10 campaign, the subclasses that stand out the most are those that either improve party survivability or deliver consistent combat impact.
The strongest picks overall are:
- Court Mage Wizard – unmatched defensive utility
- Mana Painter Sorcerer – durable and resource efficient caster
- Judgment Paladin – powerful crowd control frontline
- Battle Cleric – excellent mix of offense and support
As Solasta 2 continues through early access and the level cap increases, these rankings may shift significantly once higher-level subclass features become available.