New to Hero Siege Season 10? Try these League Starters!

Storyline (as discussed)

• The speaker doesn’t outline the full campaign plot, but frames Season 10 as introducing (or heavily changing) major game-layer content that impacts your progression experience.
• Key changes highlighted:
  • A new campaign
  • New progression and difficulty features
  • New items
  • A much-expanded Incarnation Tree (about 600 new nodes)
• Central theme: transition through the campaign toward endgame
  • Class choices are presented as optimized for a smoother ride through Season 10’s changes and unknowns.
  • Some beta testing details were reportedly under NDA, affecting what can be shared.

Gameplay highlights & key tips

General strategy for Season 10 starters

• Use the patch notes as a guideline, even if builds aren’t radically different from Season 9.
• For new players: choose “safe” starters that are easy to level and don’t depend on obscure gearing.
• For everyone: leveling a second character is easier with multiplayer, since group play speeds up testing alternate builds.

Recommended “safe” / beginner-friendly starter classes

Viking

• Best for physical-oriented starters early.
• Tradeoff: physical playthrough often requires frequent upgrades to weapon physical damage / flat physical stats.
• Alternative leveling approach: shift toward an arcane caster plan using his shout (compared to Diablo II Barbarian style).
  • Lean into cast speed and negative arcane resistance.
• Leveling tools: Seismic Slam, then potentially Whirlwind Shockwave depending on subskills/gear.
• Why it’s good:
  • Well-rounded stats
  • Built-in defense/offense passives
  • Strong late-game with Whirlwind and Shockwave (noted for strong scaling)

Marksman

• A safe, strong starter with many endgame options.
• Primary playstyle: Gunner Drone (autobomber/support style)
  • Drones “laser” enemies automatically near you
  • Compared to Path of Exile Winter Orb, but without channeling
• Beginner-friendly feel:
  • Good damage while you dodge mechanics
  • Still leaves time to loot
• Late-game pivot:
  • Transition toward multi-shot for more physical damage, with drones as a stepping stone

Pirate

• Still considered strong despite nerfs:
  • Anchor Swing lost some AoE radius on sub skills
  • Some orbital/incarnation tree nodes were hit
• Offset:
  • Anchor Swing base damage buff is framed as highly consequential
• Endgame flexibility:
  • If you tire of anchor swing, you can pivot toward a more physical/cannonball style (also noted as buffed)

Paladin

• “Balanced safe” campaign progression and feels good immediately.
• Key survivability mechanic: Healing Nova
  • Also grants % damage reduction to magic and physical
  • Must be refreshed every ~4–5 seconds
• Two viable elemental/archetype paths:
  • Lightning or arcane variants
  • Examples mentioned: Fist of Heavens / Hammers and Lightning Fury / Lightning
• Presented as a dependable all-rounder into endgame.

Demon Spawn

• Caster-focused, fun, and well-balanced (personal favorite).
• Historical issue: spell frame issues (FPS fixes expected to reduce this).
• Progression pacing:
  • Slightly slow until about level 8
  • Then becomes a strong “walk-through-the-campaign” caster
• Core strengths:
  • Clear power via aura/combos (e.g., Bone Righteous Fire)
  • Endgame clearing with Blood Surge or Bone Nova on Bone Barrage
  • Strong single target with Bone Fragments
  • Defensive scaling via Mana Shield (mana instead of health)
    • Enables mana-stacking late-game damage/survivability
    • Exception: weaker vs dots
• Limitation:
  • Mobility is weaker, but a move speed steroid helps.

Shaman

• Totem-centric caster with smooth leveling; fire totems emphasized as the clear winner.
• Strengths:
  • Fire is buffed (already strong but underplayed)
  • Built-in passive for mana-to-damage, making mana stacking viable
  • Totem/sentry support items reinforce the play pattern
• Recommended if you want a totem playstyle (described as not really available elsewhere).

White Mage

• Viable early through mid into late, with an interesting endgame concept.
• Weakness:
  • Lacks built-in % damage reduction/defenses
  • More vulnerable up close
• Endgame concept: mana orb / orbitals playstyle
  • Orbs spin around the player
  • Scale off Energy
  • Rely on energy conversions + Incarnation/Subskill effects
• Patch note caution:
  • ~5% conversion/efficiency nerf, though the speaker doubts it kills the build
• Quirk/caution:
  • Mana Orb sound is described as unpleasant—possibly needs sound turned off (especially in co-op).

Marauder

• Recommended as physical despite hype around fire.
• Claim:
  • Physical marauder can clear through endgame (even Inferno Chaos Tower farming) while “holding a single button.”
• Note:
  • Fire may still be preferred to avoid physical gear tedium, but physical is framed as legitimate and strong.
• Theme: satisfying endgame experience and broad capability.

More advanced / “risky” or meta-dependent options (considering changes)

These were not recommended as main starters because they’re less beginner-friendly or depend on how high-end changes land:

• Stormwaver

  • Early tools like Stormbolt and Stormcloud are said to be virtually untouched and strong for getting going.
  • High-end concerns:
    • Cast rate/spell haste nerfs
    • TP nerf
    • Changes to Lightning Surge and single-target damage overlap limitations due to skill haste nerfs

• Shield Lancer

  • Considered one of the strongest classes overall.
  • Downsides:
    • Leveling feel can be “eh” before ~level 40
    • May require switching between an arcane caster and arcane minion gear depending on AoE vs bossing
  • Play feel concern:
    • Standing near bosses so shields can proc summons can be awkward on certain mechanics/platforms
  • Speaker’s hope:
    • FPS/frame lag fixes and smoother gear progression may reduce these issues.

• Samurai

  • Strong explosive option via Explosive Kunai.
  • Not recommended as a main starter because:
    • Getting Kunai online is painful
    • Key enabler Fender’s Blood Fang is rare
      • Example limitation: drops in a specific Act 8 zone

• Bard

  • Speaker is surprised it wasn’t higher in their poll.
  • Best clearing described:
    • Flicker Striking Bard with Pyro Technician after teleport changes
  • Strengths:
    • High mobility
    • Very fast endgame clearing
  • Not recommended for new players:
    • Requires swapping both arc type and build type, which can be frustrating without knowing when to commit.

• Profit

  • Bird-form play remains good for fast overworld farming and mobility (jump-based navigation; not affected by TP changes).
  • Nerfed damage expectations for the “Maelstrom bird” blasty variant, but still framed as strong.

Honorable mentions (conditional)

• Butcher
  • Extremely high physical damage
  • Leveling disliked by some players
• Exo
  • Strong “giga farmer,” but received nerfs
• Demon Slayer
  • Great at endgame
  • Leveling described as among the worst experienced
• Other classes mentioned as not recommended:
  • Illusionist
    • Age proliferation build basically “dead” if patch notes remain as-is
    • Sand Guardians also difficult to start
  • Necromancer
    • Possible, but described as a “coin flip” due to skeleton buffs and new minion item shown

Build guides / sources promised (end of video)

• The speaker says build guides will be available on their website (hosted by them).
• Target posting timeline: latest by the 19th.
• Expected guided starters (explicitly mentioned):
  • Viking
  • Shaman
  • Demon Spawn
  • Marauder
• Cross-posting:
  • Links will also be shared in Discord.

Gamers or sources featured (at the end)

• Sleepy Cat (the creator/speaker)
• Comments/poll/Discord referenced
  • No other specific creators named.