#i felt like official art of link makes for good sword pose references

[superfruitland]

for a dude with no mystic powers, he sure is formidable... wait... what's that...?

[morika]

X & V Class Popularity Vote

Provided a really rough translation of the latest article regarding the ranked popularity of Etrian Odyssey’s classes from EO1-5 that will be featured within the X & V art book. Not to be confused with the popularity rankings for Nexus’s featured classes. These classes in the article were voted upon appearance and skill flexibility.

These were the comments and specifics regarding the top ten popular classes. Please note that the commentary does have mild spoilers for EO1-5.

Popular Class Placements:

Zodiac (10th Place) Hexer (9th Place) Harbinger (8th Place) Medic (7th Place) Protector (6th Place) Ronin (5th Place) Sovereign (4th Place) Landsknecht (3rd Place) Imperial (2nd Place) Nightseeker (1st Place)

ZODIAC (10th place | 50 votes)

The magic-based class featured in EO3. From here on out, there will be spoilers regarding characters so watch out! But this class was at the top for being the best elemental class.

Commentary: "Really loved the cool motif of astrology and having to manipulate the stars. The use of magic being incorporated into the design, the flexibility, and overall appearance of the Zodiac made them really likable!" - AkiUsagi

"Casting meteor shower during the half-way point through the game was so much fun!" - Nue

"The satisfaction of hitting enemy weaknesses with their elemental skills is the best feeling! Also if there was a remake of the game, it would be nice to have that girl [Hypatia] be added as an ally." - JukaiNoYoubun

Misc: - Meteor and the extra Search skills used out of battle were voted as the best skills by many players and thus boosted the class's popularity.

HEXER (9th place | 52 votes)

The ailment and binding class featured in EO1. This class and Zodiac were very close in their vote placements by just two votes! Just what do people think of the dark-themed Hexers who give off an antagonistic impression towards RPG fans?

Commentary: "It always makes me excited to know that their skills of spreading status ailments hit well. These Hexers sure have a shady role (in battle)." - Rororock

"I don't see how people can't use them because they have such good skill names, good team flexibility, and a good design! (And with lines like "Be in fear, for we...", oh but that's sort of like spoilers [Tlachtga]) . There should be no reason to leave them out of anything." - Ruki

"Though they were difficult to work with as a party member, their skill Life Trade really made them one of my favorite classes." - Leaf

Misc: - Life Trade was mentioned by many fans as being their favorite skill. Seems as though this class has been a central favorite of long-time fans of the series!

HARBINGER (8th place | 54 votes)

The scythe-wielding class of EOV makes it up the ranks! Their appearance seems to be praised due to the series' shift in art style and focus. They have placed as 8th in this popularity vote!

Commentary: "With the gothic punk and Grim Reaper motifs, I really think the design for all the portraits give off a good Chuunibyou vibe!" - Suiyo

"I really enjoyed the design of the goth girls especially the twin-tailed girl (lol). I ended up giving them Name Titles with lots of drama like "Icy Ash Scythe Firepower". I won't ever forget that moment during my play through.." - MacaronTower

“The scythe and Grim Reaper motifs had made me excited because I also thought about them [Harbinger portraits] acting like Chuunibyous. I think out of all the EOV classes, they strike as the solid example of what a Chuuni looks like and it’s the best LOL. The Harbinger mascot featured in the promotional art works is my favorite!” - Remori

Misc: - The striking appearance of the class and the flashy weaponry made this class very popular among the fans. Many players seem to have concluded that the class’s impression of being very Chuunibyou-like is also what made it extremely popular. Another factor that made them even more popular is that in Nexus, their skill and flexibility have been written entirely different than from EO5, making them more reliable as back-lined party members who can recover easily in battle.

MEDIC (7th place | 59 votes)

The obligatory healing class from the series! We have put in the total votes of EO1, EO2, and EO4 to make this voting more simple due to the similarities of them all in their respective games. Many find it hard to remove them from their party because of their healing skills and aid with recovery!

Commentary: “I fell in love with the good damage outputs when using skills like Heavy Strike on an enemy. The idea of having a medicinal worker use brute force in battle is really rare in other games so it’s interesting to have that option of an offensive healer who doesn’t prioritize just healing skills.” - Nerujera

“I really liked the pose of the female portraits! I feel like just having them be in the series brings a good balance.” - TamagoKayu

“They’re all just really cute and I felt like seeing them was a good opportunity to get into the series.” - Nanakamado

Misc: - Many players were in awe that the class’s design with a traditional lab coat and sneakers was put in a fantasy game. Though with skills like “Heavy Strike”, it broke the stereotypical healing role of the class to which many fans enjoy as there is more to a healer than just recovery skills.

PROTECTOR (6th place | 60 votes)

The strong-footed tanks of the series. Among early fans of the series, many have taken a liking to the strong impression the mascot “Teach” gives off. She has been a strong favorite since her extra content had been introduced in series’ character designer, Yuji Himukai’s promotional works for the series.

Commentary: “I was enamored with Teach’s design. Eventually, I ended up picking up the rest of the series as well..” - Kitomiya Ryu

“I won’t ever forget the fearless Protector who fought as my party’s shield until the very end!! Especially during the 3 Elemental Dragon fights!” - Awara

“I know that the Protector is usually the one who has to defend everyone but I was surprised to find out that they can do tons of damage--even more than my other party members!” - Raidenjuu

Misc: - Fans have concluded that having a Protector during the Elemental Dragon fights made them extremely reliable. Also with the popularity of just the blonde mascot, many found themselves leaving her name as “Teach” in their games to commemorate the official side-content where she is referred as such.

RONIN (5th place | 65 votes)

The high and mighty offensive class from EO1-2. This class was the first eastern representation for the series as they study the Bushido arts and attack using katanas. This has lead them to become very popular among players!

Commentary: “I loved using a Ronin to fight in the first game so when I found out they were featured in Nexus, I thought ‘Wow, they’re even more easier to use’!” - Sink

“They’re pretty reliable as they’re a sturdy offensive unit. Having a good attack is key to having a good defense for your team.” - Echika

“You would think they could be labelled as the Samurai class but somehow the name Ronin fits best for the series...” - Furunosuke

Misc: The high performance that urges many to want to be experimental with this class was brought on as a popular point among players. Also, those who were great fans of the first game have concluded that they think very fondly of the interactions with the ronin, Ren, with this class.

SOVEREIGN (4th place | 72 votes)

The royal class made it in at 4th place for being the best support class. They are a primary support unit for Nexus with tons of powerful ally-buffing skills!

Commentary: “I subclassed my Princess as a Shogun so I just went all out with using as much HP and TP skills to do tons of status ailment damage.” - Bosodo

“They’re a balanced class with a lot of flexibility and the idea of a royal exploring is pretty intense. I actually started to come up with backstories for my party members when I subclassed them as Sovereigns and wrote that they had been royalty all along...” -Honey Oolong

“Princess Arianna (EO2U) is just really cute!!” - Meshitero

Misc: - Lots of players found them to be quite charming due to the idea of having someone of a royal status be exploring the labyrinth. The popularity for this class also spiked due to the fact that Princess Arianna Caledonia from EO2U, was featured as the main heroine of the game. Now onto the top three placements...

Landsknecht (3rd place | 94 votes) 

The masterful class that uses links as their strength in battle. They have the most flexibility and are usually quick on their feet to strike with tons of strength against enemies. Much like the Medic class, we accumulated the votes from EO1, EO2, and EO4 for their placement.

Commentary: “When I first picked them, I was really nervous because they seemed like they couldn’t be a reliable offensive unit. Though their TP expenses were really little for doing so much damage! I also thought that the models for the Mystery Dungeon crossover game were very cute for this class..” - Tokoha

“Even though they’re just a Landy, it was real interesting to have even an enemy [Logre] have these skills. But, their skills really are powerful!” - Coffee

“The raw damage they do is insane!” - R-chan

“No matter how I look at it, the best design is the blonde girl with the hood! I also think that the link skills and the skill Sword Tempest are real easy to use.” - SakuraAme

“Because of the nature of their link skills, I love fighting with a full party!” - A.A.

Misc: - Many players thought that the Landsknechts in the first two entries gave off a decent impression but as they returned for the fourth entry, lots of people picked them for their spotlight on the game’s cover!

IMPERIAL (2nd place | 110 votes)

Right behind first place is the powerful Imperial class! Their drive skills can take out tons of difficult enemies with just a few slashes at the cost of having great strains onto the blade.

Commentary: “Something about the design of a gun-blade is real simple and real cool. Also Logre is really handsome...” - Baado

“They have a pretty rustic design with all that armor but their mechanical swords are what made me really interested in them.“ - Akina Yuki

“So flashy! So cool! So beautiful! Epic! Fire power! Heavy armor!!” - Tony Man+

“I love the bespectacled portrait with the cool weapon design~” - Levanthin

“Because I became really indecisive with my party, I figured strong attack skills were the best so I picked them. Also, I found the drive blades to be quite charming!” - Yutaro

Misc: - As mentioned by many above, the concept of the Imperials’ drive blade was a charm point for the class. Also, the primary reason as to why fans chose this class as their favorite was due to the fact that players favored Logre for his role as a boss, ally, and for his sportiness!

NIGHTSEEKER (1st place | 112 votes)

The class that wins first place is the famous Nightseeker class from EO4! They have overwhelming power and great flexibility with inflicting status ailments on enemies. They had previously won as the best class in the Best Job vote prior to Nexus’s release so they have been crowned the top class twice!

Commentary: “I can’t stop loving the dark visuals of this class! Also, their offensive skills are extremely handy and I loved using them!” - Forest Rat

“When I first bought EO4, I was just really amazed by their skills. Their defense ain’t all that great but their explosive damage outputs is crazy! Though, they also give off a Chuuni-like vibe!“ - EngeiNobyou

“First off, they’re really cute and super cool!! The sort of give off this dark aura but they’re still pretty strong! Their damage towards the end-game boss is something else with all that damage output..” - Berukanto

“The damage output if you subclass the Nightseekers as Imperials blew me away..” - Miitatsu

“It’s such a unique class when compared to other RPGs. It really stands out as being a strong offensive class for a series like EO.” - Beibeikani

Misc: - Seems as though Nightseeker is very popular for its high damage outputs as well as cool, dark appearance much like the Hexer and Harbinger classes. Who is to say that with the power of the player’s imagination, they may also be Chuunibyous with how their designs are?

Special Shout-Out Placements for those who didn’t make the top ten are:

11. Fencer 12. Gunner 13. Dragoon 14. Masurao 15. Survivalist 16. Dark Hunter 17. Dancer 18. Shogun 19. Arcanist 20. Ninja 21. Highlander 22. Rover 23. Alchemist 24. Fortress 25. Rune Master 26. War Magus 27. Hero 28. Warlock 29. Necromancer 30. Troubadour 31. Bushi 32. Farmer 33. Hoplite 34. Buccaneer 35. Sniper 36. Monk 37. Wildling 38. Arbalist 39. Shaman 40. Pugilist 41. Botanist 42. Beast 43. Yggdroid 44. Gladiator