Exclusive For New Registered Users!

Sign Up and Verify Email for Coupon
Select Equipment Parts and Affixes:

Country / Region:

United States

Currency:

USD

USD

EUR

GBP

CAD

AUD

RUB

DKK

CHF

NOK

SGD

PLN

SEK

CNY

HKD

MXN

AED

IDR

BRL

CLP

COP

PEN

ARS

MYR

PHP

KRW

THB

JPY

SAR

ZAR

RON

KWD

HUF

UYU

VEF

BHD

ILS

QAR

INR

TRY

Cart
Total items

Subtotal:

Discount: -

Your cart is empty !

Continue shopping
Surplus Stock:

Elden Ring Tarnished Edition Guide: New Classes, Armor Sets, Torrent Skins And Best Starting Builds

Elden Ring Tarnished Edition arrives August 28 with two new starting classes, fresh armor, and Torrent skins. Heavy Knight offers an easier Strength start, while Idus Knight may let you use Milady - here's which one is worth a new run.

Aug 26, 2026 Author: EZG

Elden Ring will be getting its Tarnished Edition on August 28th. This is a full edition for Nintendo Switch 2 and new players, while also offering veteran players a reason to start a new game with a few new additions.

For players who already own the base game and Shadow of the Erdtree, the standalone Tarnished Pack will be even more appealing. This smaller content pack includes two new starter classes, four armor sets, new Torrent skins, and pre-order bonuses such as gestures.

Whether you're new to Elden Ring or have hundreds of hours of gameplay, this article will guide you through what's new in Tarnished Edition and which starting builds are best suited for Heavy Knight and Idus Knight classes.

Elden Ring Tarnished Edition Guide: New Classes, Armor Sets, Torrent Skins And Best Starting Builds

What's New in Tarnished Edition?

The confirmed new content includes:

  • Two new starting classes: Heavy Knight and Idus Knight
  • Four new armor sets
  • Three interchangeable appearances for Torrent
  • Additional gestures available with pre-order

For players new to Elden Ring, starting with Tarnished Edition is the easiest option, as it covers the base game, DLC, and the new content in one go.

However, if you already own the base game and Shadow of the Erdtree, Tarnished Pack is the real focus.

Tarnished Pack

Tarnished Pack can be considered a smaller, lower-priced DLC. Its standard price is €4.99, clearly not sold as a large expansion.

It's best suited for three types of players:

The first type is veteran players looking to start over. If your Faded Knight is already hundreds of levels high and you've fought the bosses countless times, going back to play might not be exciting anymore. Reborn as a Heavy Knight or Idus Knight will be much more fun than simply replicating an old build.

The second category is players who enjoy themed builds. For example, Heavy Knight is naturally suited to: heavy armor knight, greatsword knight, giant weapon, Strength build; while Idus Knight is clearly suited to: agility knight, light greatsword, agility/faith hybrid build.

The third category is collectors. The four new armor sets and Torrent skins won't change the build environment, but for players who enjoy collecting gear in Elden Ring, these items are valuable in themselves.

Heavy Knight

Heavy Knight is the most straightforward of the two new classes. He is a heavily armored knight wearing heavy steel armor, wielding a large scimitar, and crushing enemies head-on with Strength and Endurance.

Starting Stats

The currently displayed initial stats are:

  • Level: 10
  • Vigor: 14
  • Mind: 8
  • Endurance: 17
  • Strength: 15
  • Dexterity: 11
  • Intelligence: 7
  • Faith: 8
  • Arcane: 9

The most striking stat is the high Endurance of 17. This means Heavy Knight can simultaneously handle heavy armor, wield large weapons, and meet high Endurance requirements very early on.

High Endurance is crucial in the early Elden Rings. Many Strength characters' initial problem isn't insufficient damage, but the rapid depletion of their stamina bar.

When you equip heavy gear, you easily enter a heavily burdened state, significantly slowing your rolls and affecting your invincibility frames. You either need to prioritize increasing Endurance or replace some of your overly heavy gear.

Heavy Knight starts with 17 Endurance, alleviating some of the burden and reducing the need to prioritize Endurance too early in your stat allocation. Combined with 14 Vigor, the early game margin for error is quite high, whether traversing the map or fighting bosses.

If you want to get these early stat upgrades in place faster, you can also buy Elden Ring Runes from EZG.com and put more levels into Vigor and Strength without spending as much time farming.

Therefore, if you're new to Elden Rings or simply don't want to stick to ranged kiting, Heavy Knight is a very convenient choice.

Starting Weapon

Based on current demonstrations, Heavy Knight wields a large, curved weapon, remarkably similar in appearance to the existing Dismounter.

The official announcement has explicitly mentioned four new armor sets, without specifically highlighting the new weapons. Therefore, this weapon is highly likely part of the existing weapon system, rather than a new addition specifically for Tarnished Pack.

This also makes Heavy Knight seem less novel than Idus Knight. Its biggest changes are primarily in starting attributes and equipment combinations, rather than bringing a completely different combat style.

Idus Knight

Compared to Heavy Knight, Idus Knight is significantly more interesting. He hails from a region called Idus, characterized by lightweight equipment and an emphasis on Dexterity and weapon handling.

Elden Ring Idus Knight

Starting Stats

The currently announced initial stats are:

  • Level: 7
  • Vigor: 10
  • Mind: 12
  • Endurance: 11
  • Strength: 13
  • Dexterity: 15
  • Intelligence: 8
  • Faith: 11
  • Arcane: 6

The most striking initial stat for Idus Knight is undoubtedly 15 Dexterity. However, his other stats are also quite good: 13 Strength, 12 Mind, and 11 Faith. This makes him less suited to a pure Dexterity build and more easily adaptable to a hybrid build.

What's even more interesting is 11 Faith. Many early-game Incantations in Elden Rings don't have high skill ceilings, and this class can use buffs early on with just a little Faith. Combined with 12 Mind, his Power Points are also significantly higher than Heavy Knight's, allowing for more comfortable use of weapon arts and prayers.

Therefore, if you prefer a melee-focused playstyle, incorporating buffs, Incantations, and Weapon Skills, Idus Knight is clearly better suited for this build.

Starting Weapon

The most appealing aspect of Idus Knight right now is its starting weapon.

From the official previews, this weapon looks very similar to Milady. Milady is a Light Greatsword added in Shadow of the Erdtree, with lighter and more agile movements than traditional Greatswords while retaining decent attack range. Its feel is noticeably different from straight swords and Greatswords.

Normally, Milady is only available after entering Shadow of the Erdtree, meaning it's impossible to build around this weapon from the start in the base game.

However, if Milady is confirmed as Idus Knight's starting weapon, its difference from other classes becomes more significant. You can start the game from Limgrave with Light Greatsword, instead of waiting until you enter Land of Shadow to finally obtain the core weapon.

This is why I'd prefer to try Idus Knight first. Heavy Knight's advantages are more straightforward and practical, while Idus Knight brings a completely new way to start the game.

For veteran players who are already very familiar with Elden Ring, Tarnished Edition may not be enough to support a whole major update. But if you were looking for a reason to start a new game anyway, it at least provides a more interesting option than simply copying the old build.

    Elden Ring

    loadings