Before you step foot in Limgrave, you must make two critical choices: your Class and your Keepsake. While neither choice permanently locks you into a specific playstyle, they heavily influence your early game experience.
Starting Classes
Your starting class determines your initial stats (Level, Vigor, Strength, Intelligence, etc.) and your starting armor and weapons. All classes can eventually use all magic and weapons if you level the right stats.
Vagabond (Highly Recommended for Beginners)
A knight exiled from their homeland to wander. A solid, armor-clad origin.
Pros: Highest starting Vigor (Health). Excellent armor and a 100% physical block shield. Comes with a Longsword and a Halberd.
Cons: Starts with "Heavy Load" which causes "fat rolling". You MUST unequip the Halberd immediately to dodge effectively. Low starting magic stats.
Samurai
A capable fighter from the distant Land of Reeds. Handy with katana and longbows.
Pros: Starts with the Uchigatana, a fantastic weapon that causes Bleed buildup. The Longbow is incredibly useful for pulling enemies from afar.
Cons: The starting shield is small and does not block 100% of physical damage.
Astrologer (Best for Pure Magic)
A scholar who reads fate in the stars. Heir to the school of glintstone sorcery.
Pros: Starts with high Intelligence and Mind. Comes with a staff and two great starting spells (Glintstone Pebble and Arc) allowing you to kill enemies safely from a distance.
Cons: Very low Vigor (health). Extremely squishy armor. If fast enemies close the gap, you can die in one or two hits.
Confessor
A church spy adept at covert operations. Equally adept with a sword as they are with incantations.
Pros: High starting Faith. Comes with a 100% physical block shield and a healing spell right from the start. Great for a Paladin build.
Cons: Stats are spread out, meaning you don't excel in one specific area early on.
Wretch (For Veterans)
A poor, purposeless sod, naked as the day they were born. A nice club is all they have.
Pros: Starts exactly at Level 1 with 10 in every stat. Gives you the ultimate blank slate to build exactly what you want with zero wasted points.
Cons: You start with literally nothing but a club and a loincloth. The early game is brutally difficult until you find armor and better weapons.
Other classes include the Hero (Strength), Warrior (Dexterity/Dual Wield), Bandit (Stealth/Bows), Prisoner (Magic/Dexterity Hybrid), and Prophet (Faith). Pick the one that sounds most fun!
Keepsake (Starting Item)
The Keepsake is a free bonus item you select during character creation. Most of these can be found later in the game, but some provide a massive early game advantage.
Golden Seed (The Best Choice)
A golden seed washed ashore from the Lands Between. Said to reinforce Sacred Flasks.
Pros: Allows you to instantly upgrade your Flask at the first Site of Grace, giving you an extra healing potion for the entire game. This is universally the best choice for survival.
Cons: None. While you will find plenty of Golden Seeds later, an extra heal at the very beginning is invaluable.
Stonesword Key (2x)
Two stone keys shaped like swords. Breaks the seal on imp statues, but is consumed upon use.
Pros: Can be used to unlock sealed areas, such as the Fringefolk Hero's Grave right at the start of the game.
Cons: The area it unlocks at the start is way too hard for a level 1 character. Also, you can find and buy dozens of these throughout the game easily.
Crimson Amber Medallion
A medallion with crimson amber inlaid. Slightly raises maximum HP.
Pros: Provides a small passive boost to your maximum health, which is always useful.
Cons: The health increase is negligible (about 6%). Furthermore, you can buy this exact item from a merchant in the Weeping Peninsula within the first few hours.
Fanged Imp Ashes
The ashes of small, fanged imps. Use to summon the spirits of two fanged imps.
Pros: A decent early game summon that can cause Bleed buildup on enemies.
Cons: You cannot use them until you acquire the Spirit Calling Bell from Renna. By the time you get the bell, you also get the Lone Wolf Ashes, which are generally better for early boss fights.
Lands Between Rune
The gold of grace shining in the eyes of the people of the Lands Between. Use to gain many runes.
Pros: Consuming it grants 3000 Runes, allowing you to level up a few times immediately.
Cons: 3000 Runes becomes a trivial amount very quickly. A permanent extra heal (Golden Seed) is vastly superior to a quick level up.