Dungeon Settlers does not have fixed classes. A recruit's Background (Major Trait) decides which of the nine skill trees they can learn, and race / personality / sub-traits layer on top. The trees cover Sword, Greatsword, Spear, Blunt, Shield, Bow, Fire Magic, Nature Magic and Water Magic. Build around the trees, not around a class label.
More context
Active-skill energy costs are reduced by 25% on Normal and 50% on Easy. Patch v0.4.23 disabled Auto Use by default for any skill that can damage allies. Attack speed is tied to the Agility stat. Weapon skills receive ongoing balance passes — assume the structural truth (which trees exist, which role each implies) and treat named skill effects as version-bound.
On this page
The nine skill trees and their roles
| Tree | Typical role |
|---|---|
Sword | Frontline melee, fast swings |
Greatsword | Slow heavy melee, AoE |
Spear | Mid-reach melee, control |
Blunt | Anti-armor melee, blunt damage |
Shield | Tanking, aggro holding |
Bow | Ranged physical DPS |
Fire Magic | Damage + DoT (burn) |
Nature Magic | Healing, summons, control |
Water Magic | Healing, shielding, utility |
Background → granted trees (confirmed)
| Background | Granted trees |
|---|---|
Beggar | Shield / Blunt / Bow |
Blacksmith | Greatsword / Blunt / Bow |
Conscript | Sword / Greatsword / Shield |
Hunter | Spear / Bow / Nature Magic |
Gambler | Sword / Blunt / Fire Magic |
Wanderer | Spear / Bow / Water Magic |
Carpenter | Shield / Blunt / Nature Magic |
Slave | Sword / Shield / Blunt |
Hooligan | Greatsword / Spear / Fire Magic |
Picking a class for your first party
There is no 'best' class. There is a role coverage question: Frontline (tank + aggro) needs the Shield tree — Conscript or Beggar background fits. Physical DPS uses Sword, Greatsword or Spear. Ranged DPS uses Bow — Hunter, Wanderer or Beggar background fits. Healer / Support uses Nature Magic (healing/summons) or Water Magic (healing/shielding). Control uses Burn (Fire), Stun (Blunt/Shield), or Vulnerable (cross-tree procs). The recommended four-job early loadout is tank, physical DPS, ranged DPS, healer/support.