A 'build' is the job a recruit is given, the skill trees their Background grants, and the equipment matched to that job — not a class label. The recommended framework is four jobs: frontline (tank), control, reliable damage and recovery support, with party size scaling from 4 → 6 → 8 in patch v0.4.23. Cover all four jobs without starving the base of iron or research.
On this page
The four-job framework
| Job | What it covers | Tree example | Recommended equipment |
|---|---|---|---|
Frontline (tank) | Holds aggro, absorbs the first hit | Shield | Tier-2 armor, shield |
Control | Status effects, crowd control | Fire (burn), Blunt (stun), Shield (provoke) | Whatever the tree expects |
Reliable damage | Ranged or back-row pressure | Bow, Spear, Sword, Greatsword | Tier-1 bow for Rangers; tier-1 sword for melee DPS |
Recovery support | Healing, shielding, utility | Nature Magic, Water Magic | Alchemy support, Plant Necklace |
The concrete early 4-person loadout
A loadout that covers tank / healer / ranged DPS while saving iron for the base: 1× Shieldbearer (tank) with Shield Bash (15 Stamina) and tier-2 armor; 1× Herbalist (healer) that patches chip damage during pulls; 2× Rangers (ranged DPS) with tier-1 bows and Piercing Shot for backline casters. This loadout fits the four-job framework without committing early iron to melee weapons.
Build-by-floor adaptation
| Floor | Adaptation |
|---|---|
Floor 1 | Default loadout works; pull ranged casters first. |
Floor 2 | Stock food + camping supplies; chokepoint pulling with the Shieldbearer. |
Floor 3 | Stockpile Antidotes; Shieldbearer holds chokepoint; Rangers kill Venomous Crawlers before they stack poison. |
Floor 4 | Elite spawns (Alpha Acid Slogel in Veil of Silence; Elder Gloth in Festering Burrow) — pause more, hold formation. |
Floor 5 | Boss floor — see Bosses Guide. |
Equipment-by-job quick table
| Job | Tier-1 | Tier-2 | Tier-3 |
|---|---|---|---|
Shieldbearer | Tier-1 armor + shield | Tier-2 armor + shield (recommended) | Steel shield (later) |
Ranger | Tier-1 bow | Tier-2 bow | Bone Bow / better (later) |
Herbalist | Plant Necklace | Better alchemy items | Steel / alloy later |
Sword / Spear DPS | Tier-1 sword / spear | Tier-2 sword / spear | Bone Sword or better |
Why 'best' is floor-dependent
There is no permanent best-build across the entire EA. The structural rule is: cover all four jobs; match equipment to the skill trees the Background grants; adapt execution per floor rather than swapping members out.
FAQ
What is the party size cap in Dungeon Settlers?
Default party size is 4 members, scaled to 6 at Rank 2 and 8 at Rank 3 by patch v0.4.23. Permadeath applies inside dungeons.