The Best Classes in Interlude, Ranked by What You Play

Ask ten veterans about the best classes in Interlude and you get ten answers, all defensible. Interlude is really four different games stacked together: Olympiad duels, 9v9 skirmish, siege-scale PvP, and solo PvE farming. Almost nothing sits at the top of all four. What follows sorts the 31 third-class jobs by the work they actually do, and covers the gates you clear before any tier list applies to you.

What Interlude changed, and why old tier lists do not transfer

Interlude launched as The Chaotic Throne: Chapter 1 (Korea in December 2006, NA and EU on April 11, 2007). Five races only: Human, Elf, Dark Elf, Orc, Dwarf. No Kamael, no Awakening, no dual class. The entire roster is 31 third-class jobs, capped at level 80 on your main and 75 on a subclass.

Two additions moved the balance more than any single skill did.

• Weapon augmentation. Bring a C-grade through S-grade weapon to a Blacksmith with a Life Stone and a Gemstone (Gemstone D for C and B grade, Gemstone C for A and S) and the augment always succeeds. The bonus itself is random. Life Stones drop from mobs, and the high-grade ones come mostly off raid bosses. A skill augment on the right weapon can move a class up a full tier, which is why Interlude rankings are gear-contingent in a way earlier chronicles were not.
• Around 80 new skills, including Celestial Shield for Bishops (a brief invincibility window) and Sonic Move for Gladiators. That is the reason a C4 tier list and an Interlude one disagree, and why advice written for later chronicles is worse than useless here.

The gates: level 76, Saga of Legend, and Noblesse

Third class arrives at level 76 through the Saga of Legend chain. You collect roughly 700 Halisha's Marks, use them to spawn and kill the Archon of Halisha (Four Sepulchers or the Shrine of Loyalty, depending on the step), then finish the class-specific Saga tasks. Every ranking below assumes you got there.

The class you test at 40-60 is not the class you are judging. Most Interlude jobs are half-built before third class, and a couple of them are actively bad. Do not quit a class at level 55 and call it weak.

Olympiad adds a second gate. Noblesse requires a subclass at level 75, the Path of a Noblesse chain, and a Barakiel kill at the end, with the last-hitting party taking the Staff of Goddess Song. So "best 1v1 class" quietly means "best class after you have leveled a second character to 75." Budget for that before you commit to a duelist fantasy.

Best classes in Interlude by mode

Notice how little overlap there is. Cardinal is close to mandatory in group content and nearly pointless solo. Titan tops damage charts and loses duels to a competent archer who kites. Pick the row you will actually spend your evenings in.

Solo, with no buffer box

This is the most common real question, and the answer is not the highest-damage class. Without a second window running a Prophet or a Warcryer, you want a class that carries its own sustain.

• Spectral Master (Phantom Summoner). Transfer Pain moves damage to the servitor, which is as close to a free tank as Interlude offers.
• Arcana Lord and Elemental Master. Same idea, different flavor. Slow, safe, cheap on consumables.
• Soultaker (Necromancer). Drain magic keeps you topped up between pulls, and the summon absorbs the first hit.
• Hell Knight (Dark Avenger). A tank with a servitor kills slower than a nuker but almost never dies, which matters more when there is nobody to resurrect you.
• Archers work solo too, with one honest caveat: arrows and soulshots eat your adena. On a low-rate server that bill is real.

Buff slots are the hidden variable in every ranking

Retail-style Interlude gives about 20 buff slots, with Divine Inspiration books adding up to four more. Books turn up from the Black Marketeer of Mammon, level 70+ raid bosses, the epics (Baium, Frintezza, Antharas, Valakas), and Olympiad rewards. Plenty of private servers ship more slots by default.

Slot count silently reorders the tier list. Buff-hungry classes (Duelist, archers, daggers) climb hard when they can hold a full stack. Self-sufficient classes barely move. Before you trust anyone's ranking, check how many slots that server runs, because a 28-slot server and a 20-slot server are not ranking the same game.

Titan and daggers: the top of a conditional list

Titan looks unbeatable on paper and frustrates a lot of new players. Frenzy only reaches full effect below 30% HP, and Zealot activates in the same window, handing you speed, accuracy, attack speed and critical rate. Guts works at any HP. In practice that means deliberately keeping yourself near death to hit your real numbers. It is a great second character and a rough first one.

Daggers have a similar shape. Backstab must land from behind and carries the higher damage plus a lethal chance, while the frontal blows are the weaker fallback. Focus and Critical Chance toggles push your landing rate. That makes Adventurer and Ghost Hunter excellent in Olympiad and open-field ganks, and unreliable in a siege where you cannot hold anyone's back arc for more than a second.

The Complete Interlude Class Roster (All 31 Jobs)

Interlude has five races and 31 third-class jobs. The table below is the full list, with the progression and the role each final class actually fills. Everything later in this post assumes the level 76 third class.

Every Interlude Class in Detail

Short notes on what each final class actually does, so you can read the roster as an option list rather than a tier list.

Human

Dreadnought (Warlord). The polearm AoE machine. Thunder Storm stuns packs, Provoke pulls them, Howl reduces incoming damage, and the spear sweeps do the rest. With a healer and buffer behind it, a Dreadnought is the fastest mob-train killer in the game, and in a siege its AoE stuns break the enemy push. Solo, against a single target, it is close to the worst class in the roster.

Duelist (Gladiator). Dual-sword melee with a ranged trick: Sonic Rage builds Force from a distance, Sonic Barrier buys an immunity window, and Riposte Stance reflects damage and even skills. It is a top-tier Olympiad duelist and a good sustained melee DPS, but leveling is rough without potions or a buff partner, and duals plus heavy armor are expensive.

Phoenix Knight (Paladin). The bulkiest tank, with Aggression and Hate Aura for aggro and Sacrifice to heal an ally at the cost of the Paladin's own HP. It anchors raid bosses and protects groups, but its damage is low, so solo leveling is slow. Every serious raid group wants one.

Hell Knight (Dark Avenger). The aggressive tank. It keeps the taunt and shield kit, adds Drain Health and Life Scavenge for sustain and a Summon Panther for damage. It is the tank that solos best, at the price of a pet that eats roughly 30% of your XP and some micromanagement.

Adventurer (Treasure Hunter). A dagger assassin with Backstab, Deadly Blow, Dash and the lottery-ticket Lethal Strike. When the back hit and the lethal roll land, fights end instantly; when the mob turns, damage collapses. Strong open-field ganker, expensive on shots, not the first dagger groups pick.

Sagittarius (Hawkeye). The reliable bow archer. Rapid Shot, Snipe and Dead Eye give consistent ranged damage and the highest crit pressure of the Human physical classes. It is the most forgiving archer to play and one of the most expensive to fund, because every arrow and soulshot comes out of your pocket.

Archmage (Sorcerer). The balanced fire nuker. Prominence for single target, Blazing Circle and Rain of Fire for AoE, Sleep for safety and Body to Mind to convert HP into mana. It levels fast and cheap with almost no gear, which makes it one of the best first Interlude characters, and it works in every mage group.

Soultaker (Necromancer). The debuff nuker. Curse of Gloom and Mass Warrior/Mage Bane strip and cripple the enemy, Dark Vortex drains, and Curse Death Link finishes low-HP targets. It is the best single-target debuffer in the game, a staple of mage parties, and a genuinely dangerous duelist.

Arcana Lord (Warlock). The cat summoner. Its servitor tanks and fights while Storm and Binding Cubics add chip damage and control, and Transfer Pain moves incoming damage onto the pet. Gear burden is minimal, downtime is low, and it is one of the cheapest classes to level. It falls apart if the servitor dies in PvP.

Cardinal (Bishop). The best healer and resurrect in the game. Balance Life, Salvation, Cleanse, Purification Field and Miracle define every serious group's survivability. Solo it does almost nothing but undead nuking, so you play Cardinal for the guaranteed party, not the grind.

Hierophant (Prophet). The broadest buffer, with Bless the Body, Bless the Soul, Berserker Spirit, Greater Might and Greater Shield, plus Root and Sleep for control. A Prophet multiplies whatever group it joins. Slow to solo, but every melee and archer party wants one.

Elf

Eva's Templar (Temple Knight). The evasive cubic tank. Summon Storm Cubic chips enemies and Summon Life Cubic heals, Touch of Life is a self-heal, and its base speed is the fastest of any tank. Excellent against archers and great for holding AoE camps, but very low damage.

Sword Muse (Swordsinger). The song support and one of the strongest picks in Interlude. Song of Hunter, Earth, Warding, Wind, Vitality, Vengeance, Renewal and Champion buff the entire group's crit, defense, speed, HP and skill reuse. It is always wanted and needs almost no gear to matter, though its personal damage is low.

Wind Rider (Plains Walker). The fast, self-healing dagger. Dash and high evasion give it the least downtime of the three daggers and a decent solo game, but it has the lowest burst of the assassin trio, so its damage is crit-dependent.

Moonlight Sentinel (Silver Ranger). The best kiter in the game. Stun Shot, Double Shot, Burst Shot, Power Shot and Ultimate Evasion let it solo-farm mobs that would kill a melee class, and it pressures at range in PvP. Same shot-cost problem as every archer, but the mobility makes it the safest.

Mystic Muse (Spellsinger). The fastest-casting nuker, and therefore the highest sustained nuke DPS. Hydro Blast and Solar Flare are the damage, Frost Bolt is a 900-range slow, and Surrender to Water and Cancel swing matchups. It burns mana fast and needs a recharger, but it is one of the best casters in PvP.

Elemental Master (Elemental Summoner). The Elf summoner. Unicorn Merrow gives it real AoE and Unicorn Seraphim turns it into a group buffer, while Aqua Cubic and Transfer Pain carry the solo game. Smooth, cheap, and strong for a relaxing leveling experience.

Eva's Saint (Elven Elder). The recharge healer. Greater Heal and Group Heal cover healing, Resurrection covers death, and Recharge makes it the indispensable partner of every nuker. Behind Bishop in raw output, but the mage party's favorite and a strong siege support.

Dark Elf

Shillien Templar (Shillien Knight). The most offensive tank. Hex cuts physical defense by roughly a quarter, Power Break cuts attack, Lightning Strike can paralyze, and three cubics add poison, drain and debuffs. It is the best tank duelist in Interlude and a flat damage increase for any group.

Spectral Dancer (Bladedancer). The dance support. Dance of Fire, Warrior, Fury, Mystic, Vampire, Concentration, Siren and Aqua Guard buff the party's offense and defense, and it fights respectably on the side. A mandatory force multiplier in melee, mage and siege compositions, and one of the easiest classes to find a group with.

Ghost Hunter (Abyss Walker). The hardest-hitting dagger. Hex plus Deadly Blow, Backstab, Sting and Focus Death make it lethal even on non-crit hits, and its Unlock chest skill is real income. Top siege assassin, fragile when focused, expensive to run.

Ghost Sentinel (Phantom Ranger). The hardest single-hit archer. Even non-crit shots hurt, crits delete robe wearers, and Hex lowers target defense on top. It kites well but has low HP and constantly pulls aggro, so it wants a dagger or tank drawing first.

Storm Screamer (Spellhowler). The best solo nuker. Hurricane and Death Spike kill fast, Tempest is ranged AoE, Body to Mind feeds mana, and Vampiric Claw and Curse Death Link keep it alive and finish targets. Lower cast speed than the Elf nuker but higher raw damage and far better sustain.

Spectral Master (Phantom Summoner). The burst summoner. Its spectral servitor drains life and takes hits, Assassin and Final Servitor buff it into a real threat, and Anti-Summoning Field deletes other summoners' pets. One of the fastest, cheapest levelers in the game with little AoE.

Shillien Saint (Shillien Elder). The melee group's best friend. Vampiric Rage gives the whole party lifesteal, Greater Heal and Group Heal cover healing, Recharge covers mana and Dryad Root adds control. Weak solo, invaluable in any melee or AoE group.

Orc

Titan (Destroyer). The classic farm bruiser. Frenzy, Rage and Guts scale its attack as its HP drops, Armor Crush hits like a truck, Earthquake is spear AoE and Parry Stance adds a defensive toggle. It is one of the best farming classes in Interlude and a raid staple, but low mobility makes it easy to kite or focus in PvP.

Grand Khavatari (Tyrant). The fist fighter. Bison, Bear, Puma, Hawk and Rabbit totems reshape its stats on demand, Raging Force adds a ranged option and Force Barrier buys survival. Very high sustained damage and good versatility, but the highest soulshot consumption in the game.

Dominator (Overlord). The clan buffer and mass debuffer. Seal of Disease, Despair, Winter, Silence and Binding wreck enemy groups, the Pa'agrio skills buff and restore an entire alliance, and it is the only class that restores clan CP. A priority kill target in every siege.

Doomcryer (Warcryer). The best melee-party buffer. Chant of Victory and Chant of Spirit buff the whole party at once with HP, attack, casting speed, crit and debuff resistance, and Gate Chant summons a group member. It buffs faster and wider than a Prophet and is welcomed everywhere.

Dwarf

Fortune Seeker (Bounty Hunter). The spoiler. Spoil and Sweeper convert kills into extra crafting materials, which makes it the steadiest income class in the game. Damage is low and leveling is slow, so it is best in a small party or duo, but nothing else funds an account as reliably.

Maestro (Warsmith). The crafter. It makes the weapons, armor, ammunition and consumables the server economy depends on. Combat value is close to zero, so you play it as a profession and a business rather than a fighter, and on a low-rate server that business is enormous.

If you want to put all of this into practice, the Interlude servers on L2Calendar list rates and opening dates so you can match a server to the class you want to play.

Rates and server settings move the answer

Nearly all Interlude play now happens on private servers running anywhere from x1 to x1000 and beyond, and many of them tune skills, buff slots and drop tables. On a low-rate server, adena efficiency dominates, so Fortune Seeker (Bounty Hunter) with Spoil earns its slot and gear-hungry classes suffer. On a high-rate server everyone hits full gear in a week, augments included, and the list collapses toward raw PvP output.

Farming spots follow the same logic. Blazing Swamp and the first floor of the Tower of Insolence are the standard 40-55 stops, while Ketra Orc Outpost and Varka Silenos Barracks carry the 76+ grind once alliance ranks open up. On a x100 server you will barely see any of them.

Pick the mode you enjoy, check the server's buff slots and rate before rolling, and level the subclass early if Olympiad is the goal. If you want to put this into practice, browse the Interlude servers opening soon and compare rates before you commit a month to a character. Playing a different chronicle instead? The full list of all servers is there too.