Character classes play a major role in the combat action of Xenoblade Chronicles 3, as is the case in many RPGs, but how new classes are unlocked for your characters is quite unique - with new classes tied to optional recruitable heroes. This leads to natural questions, like which are the best classes to prioritize unlocking and using, and of course how exactly you unlock them all.

This page is here to help you with those particular conundrums, to ease the rest of your journey through the sprawling lands of Aionios. We'll list all classes in Xenoblade 3, how to unlock classes, and some of our picks for the best classes for each character, making this a comprehensive classes guide. 

Warning: This page will have spoilers for certain heroes and classes in Xenoblade Chronicles 3.

Xenoblade 3 features 24 total classes, your starting six classes plus 18 different classes that can be unlocked optionally through the heroes; all you have to do is find their hero, obtain them, and then work on unlocking that class for anyone who you feel will work well as it.

This page features basic unlock instructions for each class - but you can also find more details, and see every hero, in our XC3 Heroes guide. Once you've picked a class, the best way to get the most out of it is through equipping gems - for more information on that, check out our Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Best Gems guide.

Below is a list of every character class in XC3, plus a little about each. We'll also detail where you can 'upgrade' each class to raise the rank limit from 10->20, which is done through Side Stories or Ascension Quests.

Unlocking new classes for your character is relatively unique in Xenoblade Chronicles 3, since the system is intrinsically linked to another of the game's many mechanics: Heroes.

The core cast of Xenoblade 3 is just six characters, and each has a set class role that they fulfill that cannot be changed. However, you can have a seventh body on the battlefield, non-playable, by deploying a hero character to the fight. Heroes are entirely optional and must be recruited, however. Each hero has a specific and unique class - and this can then be passed to your cast of playable protagonists.

When you first recruit a hero to your cause, one of the main characters will be marked as their 'Class Inheritor'. This is the character that will immediately unlock the ability to use that hero's class straight away, without any additional hoops to jump through.

For other characters, it's a bit more complicated. You'll need them to build an affinity with the class in question, which is accomplished by fighting alongside other characters using the target class. The more characters using that class in battle, the faster the affinity will grow; so initially, it makes sense to have both the hero and their class inheritor in battle, both set to the class you want the other characters to learn. You can also spend Nopon Coins to rank up classes.

If you want to know where to recruit each of the helpful allies that unlock new classes, check out our Xenoblade 3 Hero Unlock guide - that tells you how to get all of these characters, each of whom offer a new class. Many of them are unlocked through certain Xenoblade 3 quests.

Our general advice is to focus yourself on unlocking as many classes as possible quickly, then find your favorites (perhaps using our best classes list above as a guide) - and then focus on leveling up the class affinity and class points grinding in order to spread the ability to use your favorite classes around the party. As is often the case in RPGs, having more choice is good - so working to open up as many classes as you can as quickly as possible is a good idea.

The best class in Xenoblade Chronicles 3 will, naturally, change a lot depending on where you're at in the game's narrative, as well as your personal play-style. Since you have to make up a solid but balanced party composition that'll allow you stay on top of the hectic battles that litter the overworld, including against strong enemies like the Unique Monsters, a lot of our advice on Best Classes has to do with a convergence of many other elements of the game. 

Or, to put it another way, there is no silver bullet - there is no single 'best class' - the answer will vary depending on how you play, and where you're at.

With that said, we do have some broad and general advice around which classes you should choose in Xenoblade 3:

Generally speaking, we advise you always balance your party of six playable characters evenly - so we recommend two attackers, two defenders, and two healers. Which classes you choose within those archetypes can vary depending on the situation and the options available to you, but this setup is very difficult to go wrong with, giving you a good balance in combat.

If you're feeling a little more feisty, you can potentially switch it up and go for three attackers and only one defender - but we recommend still holding on to two healers, and without the healing output it can be easy to get caught off-guard and quickly wiped. Plus only healers can revive downed characters (without any additional accessories), so you'll want two healers to be able to revive each other if needed.

With the above in mind, the next thing to consider is which classes of each type are the most potent. All are completely viable, and you should honestly go with your gut - but we have some notes nevertheless:

While we list some of our picks for the best classes above, that doesn't obviously cover what classes you should assign to each character. The playable characters of Xenoblade 3 all have their own unique statistical strengths and weaknesses - which in turn means some classes are more suited to certain characters than others. With that in mind, here's some brief suggestions of classes you should assign to each to maximize efficiency: