Updated for 2026 — a community-meta tier list for classic Interlude PvP and the Olympiad.
Everyone wants to know the Lineage 2 best class before they commit to a main, so here is an opinionated Interlude tier list built from years of community consensus around open-field fights and the Grand Olympiad. Treat it as a strong starting point for choosing the best PvP class — not gospel. Interlude is a team game first, and a well-buffed "B-tier" pick with a good party will beat a solo "S-tier" hero almost every time.
If you are still deciding what to roll at all, start with our overview of the Lineage 2 classes explained, then come back here to see how those choices actually scale in PvP.
How we rank the tiers
Two arenas reward completely different things. Mass PvP — sieges, open-world clashes, mass PvP zones — rewards range, area damage, and support that keeps a party alive; a single death matters less than sustained output. The Olympiad is a stripped-down 1v1 duel with no outside party buffs, where burst, crowd control, and raw survivability decide everything. A class can be S-tier in one arena and mediocre in the other, so we split the list in two. Every rating assumes comparable gear (A/S-grade with sensible enchants) and a competent player behind the keyboard.
Open-field & mass PvP tier list
| Tier | Classes | Role in a fight |
|---|---|---|
| S | Sagittarius, Moonlight Sentinel, Ghost Sentinel (archers); Archmage, Soultaker, Storm Screamer, Mystic Muse (nukers); Cardinal | Ranged burst that deletes squishies, plus the healing that outlasts the enemy |
| A | Dominator, Doomcryer (Orc support); Hierophant, Eva's Saint, Shillien Saint; Grand Khavatari, Titan | Party buffs, resists and control that swing entire engagements |
| B | Adventurer, Ghost Hunter, Wind Rider (daggers); Duelist, Dreadnought; Phoenix Knight, Hell Knight, Shillien Templar (tanks); Sword Muse, Spectral Dancer | Melee assassins, front-line tanks and the song/dance buffers that empower them |
| C | Arcana Lord, Elemental Master, Spectral Master (summoners); Fortune Seeker, Maestro (Dwarves) | Utility, economy and niche picks rather than open-field carries |
Why archers sit at the top
With Hero buffs and a good bow, a Sagittarius or Moonlight Sentinel puts out absurd ranged damage and can kite melee all day. In a mass fight they focus-fire and drop enemy mages before those mages land a single cast. The catch is fragility — one dagger blow or a stun and they fold — so they thrive behind a wall of allies, which is exactly what mass PvP provides.
Why nukers dominate group fights
The wizard lines evolve into the Archmage, Storm Screamer and Mystic Muse, alongside the Soultaker's damage-over-time and curses. Stacked cast speed and M. Atk let them chunk clustered targets, and a Soultaker's debuffs and Anti-Summoning are brutal against a coordinated enemy group.
Why support quietly wins wars
Dominator (Overlord) and Doomcryer (Warcryer) are the unsung MVPs — Chant of Victory, resurrection, and pressure/seal control can decide a siege outright. This is precisely why lower-tier damage classes still win when their buffers out-play the enemy's.
1v1 Olympiad tier list
| Tier | Classes | How they win a duel |
|---|---|---|
| S | Duelist, Grand Khavatari; Adventurer, Ghost Hunter, Wind Rider (daggers); Phoenix Knight, Hell Knight, Shillien Templar (tanks) | Reliable burst, chain stuns, or near-unkillable attrition to the timer |
| A | Archmage, Storm Screamer, Mystic Muse, Soultaker (nukers); Dreadnought, Titan; Sagittarius, Moonlight Sentinel, Ghost Sentinel (archers); Cardinal, Bishop-tier healers | Win on burst or by outlasting the clock — gear and mana dependent |
| B | Dominator, Doomcryer, Hierophant (self-buff bruisers); Sword Muse, Spectral Dancer; Eva's Saint, Shillien Saint | Playable duelists that simply lack a clean 1v1 kill button |
| C | Arcana Lord, Elemental Master, Spectral Master (summoners); Fortune Seeker, Maestro | Struggle solo — summoner pathing and low duel damage hold them back |
Why melee bruisers rule the arena
The Duelist brings Frenzy, Guts and enormous sustained P. Atk, while the Grand Khavatari chains Force-based stuns to lock a target in place. Both convert a single opening into a kill, and in a duel that is everything.
Why daggers are feast-or-famine kings
An Adventurer or Ghost Hunter can end a match with one landed Backstab crit. Land rate is the whole game — when the blow connects they are pure S-tier, and when it whiffs against a tank they suffer. Dagger-versus-dagger duels are often decided in a couple of seconds.
Why tanks quietly win
Phoenix Knight, Hell Knight and Shillien Templar look passive but are borderline unkillable in the arena: Ultimate Defense, high P./M. Def, damage reflect and HP drain let them stall to the timer and take the win on remaining HP percentage. Frustrating to face, but consistently effective.
🎨 Your tier is only as strong as your build. Open the Dye & Symbol Calculator → to tune the exact stat dyes for your PvP class before your next fight.
Remember: your server rewrites the meta
Every ranking above assumes retail-like Interlude rates. Custom servers change all of it — high enchant caps favor tanks and daggers, custom armor with inflated M. Def quietly nerfs nukers, boosted rates make gear-dependent classes viable overnight, and "no-grade" or instant-PvP servers flatten the curve entirely. Always read a server's rate and custom notes before you commit to a main. For how Hero status and Grand Olympiad scoring actually work, see our Olympiad and Hero guide.
Where to play
Ready to put your pick to the test? Browse the current Interlude private servers on our toplist, filter by rates and features, and find a community where your class gets to shine.
