Subclasses

Subclasses (サブ職業 sabu shokugyou) are a feature of the MMORPG Elder Tale. Characters in Elder Tale can have one of over 90 different subclasses, which can either provide bonuses for the player or simply serve as a role-playing tool.

Disclaimers: While subclasses are technically divided into different types, any subclass introduced outside of Log Horizon volume 1: The Beginning of Another World has no official type. This page categorizes them based on the type the editors found to be a best fit.

A number of subclasses mentioned on this page come from fan-made material. Please be patient as we sort through them!

Overview

While classes cannot be changed after being chosen, subclasses do not have this restriction, making it possible for players to change their subclass. Experience points for subclasses are independent of those of the major classes and are relatively easy to acquire.

Subclasses during the game era were divided into three types: Production, Role-Playing, and Titles. They were acquired by approaching an NPC with the subclass-changing quest. Some subclasses don't require further action and can be acquired immediately, while some others require leveling another subclass first or completing a series of quests.

While only one subclass can be used at a time, most previous subclasses' experience points and skills will simply be "overwritten" and can be switched back with the appropriate quest. An exception is made for particularly special, difficult-to-acquire, or event-related subclasses; those require a subclass-removal quest that erases all EXP and skills attained from them before the player can switch to a new subclass.

While Adventurers are limited to having the twelve main classes, People of the Earth are capable of having player subclasses serve as their primary occupation. Some subclasses are found only on Earthlings, though there have been instances where popular demand made developers implement formerly Earthling-only occupations as player subclasses. There are also special Player-made contracts that can grant subclasses to People of the Earth, though this was only possible after the Catastrophe.

After the Catastrophe, due to the dangers of hunting and fighting with one's own body rather than controlling a character from a computer, many players switched over from combat to crafting subclasses. This, in turn, has made collecting ingredients that much harder.

Later on, subclasses were discovered to have more potential than their previous game counterparts, such as Chefs being able to create food with real flavor. As a result, Overskills began to develop, allowing magic and objects not native to Elder Tale to be created.

Production Subclasses

Production Subclasses (生産系 seizan-kei) provide players with the ability to create and craft items. There are many players who prefer crafting items to aid their comrades in fighting monsters or exploring dungeons. Many guilds dedicate themselves to producing items and are important pillars of Elder Tale's economy.

It is fairly easy to learn a production subclass. One just needs to buy an instruction manual from People of the Earth and can start accumulating experience points.

After the Homesteading the Noosphere update, items that were unavailable in the game prior to the update can be created by players with appropriate subclasses and with high enough levels.

Name	Description
Alchemist	Creates potions and other consumable items. Among other things, you can create firebombs, an explosive potion.
Apothecary	Brews potions.
Armorer	Crafts armor. An extension of the Blacksmith line.
Artificer	Enables players to work with precious metals and gems. It is possible to switch to this subclass by purchasing an Artificer handbook from an NPC in one of the town zones.
Blacksmith	Can create and repair equipment. Prerequisite for Armorer and Weaponsmith.
Brewer	Brews alcoholic drinks. If a Brewer creates it manually using Real Food Preparation, the drinks have flavor and take less time to create than in the real world.
Chef	Creates food items. The higher your level, the more complex recipes you can make. After the Catastrophe, preparing food with the Overskill Real Food Preparation allows players with this subclass to create flavorful food.
Instrument Crafter/Luthier	Creates instruments for Bards (or music-related subclasses). Can create almost any instrument that appears in an orchestra - string, woodwind, brass, percussion, and perhaps even some modern ones from the real world. A luthier specializes in stringed instruments like violins, guitars, and lutes. This profession can bring in quite a bit of gold, as people are willing to pay higher prices for rarer or more complex instruments, which makes up for the large amounts of materials and skill needed.
Mechanic	A subclass known for being very difficult to acquire because one of the prerequisites to the quest to obtain it requires you to be a high-level glassblower.
Scribe	Be able to create records and legal documents, and create your own higher-quality inks and papers.
Swordsmith	Can make swords. Hard to level because the user can only make swords, so people call it a "masochist's subclass," but high-level Swordsmiths are hard to come by and are thus highly-valued; there are probably less than 10 in the entire Yamato server.
Tailor	Sew cloth and leather armor by hand.
Weaponsmith	Create weapons.
Woodworker	Can create wood-based items, including wooden jewelry and instruments.

Role-Playing Subclasses

Instead of creating and crafting items, players may choose role-playing subclasses (ロール系 rooru kei). Some are known to give additional stats or other benefits, while others are primarily for entertainment value and are considered as a joke or gimmick subclasses.

After the Catastrophe, some role-playing subclasses have slowly become more practical. In some cases, role-playing subclasses have begun to toe the line of being true production subclasses.

Name	Description
Accountant	In order to acquire this subclass, a test is required. One part of the test requires the usage of an abacus.
Acrobat
Animal Trainer	Capture monsters up to a certain level and raise them as pets or for combat purposes. However, you have to stay with the pet at all times, as they cannot be invoked and dismissed at will like a Summoner’s. The tamed monster will also die when they are killed, unlike Summons. It is also harder to capture monsters capable of understanding human speech.
Apprentice	You can learn under a person of another subclass (e.g. a Scribe) and learn low-level skills from them. Afterwards, you can change to that subclass and keep all the EXP you gained.
Arcanist	Alternatively called "Magic Scholar."
Architect
Artificer	Alternatively called "Magical Tool Craftsman."
Avenger	The abilities of this Slayer-like subclass are revealed after registering a person from your friends list as “the one you avenge”. If that Player receives damage or is inflicted with an abnormal status, you have special skills that can help you take revenge on the one who did it.
Berserker	Increased resilience, provides HP absorption attacks and increased defense near death.
Bombardier	Capable of using long-range weapons. Requires the player to be level 50 or above.
Border Patrol
Butler	The Butler is tasked in serving a master in every need and always loyal to him/her.
Carpenter
Cartographer	Creates maps. Some monsters drop Treasure Maps, and it's up to the cartographer to decipher the map and hunt out the location of the treasure.
Chindon'ya	You can make loud noises and bang on drums.
Coachman
Collector	People who like collecting certain items as a hobby. On a practical level, it has the ability to slightly increase drop rates, to enhance collecting efficiency.
Commander	Acquired by going through the Knight subclass line. Represents a frontline commander that leads troops in combat. You can strengthen and support allies in large-scale battles. However, because there are no self-buffing skills, it’s not good for solo play; as a result, Knight remains more popular than Commander.
Connoisseur/Sukisha	Person with excellent taste. A Sukisha is more properly labeled as a "Tea Master" and is a separate subclass from Connoisseur, but gives the same effects.
Counselor
Courier/Deliverer	Acquired by doing a lot of delivery quests. This subclass gives bonus rewards for completing delivery quests (the higher the level, the more rewards you get as well), grants special mounts, and increases the amount of items you can carry. A subclass best-suited for solo players.
Courtesan	A rare subclass created on a whim by the creators; you can start rumors and negotiations within the imperial court. You also have skills to raise your reputation, which can give you gold and items at random.
Crusher	Increases damage dealt with weapons such as an axe and one's destructive capabilities. Post-Catastrophe, they are often used for the redesigning of cities and deforestation of areas.
Curseblade
Dairy Farmer
Dancer
Delivery Man
Diva	The Diva subclass allows an Adventurer to perform music-based skills in exchange for Weapon-class skills. A Bard with this subclass exchanges attack-strength for increased song power. Men can also be divas.
Doll Master	These people can not only create dolls, but also manipulate them with their skills.
Dragon Tamer	A derivative of the Animal Trainer subclass that allows the player to tame high-level dragons. Extremely difficult subclass to obtain and level due to its strict requirements and rarity of Earthlings who can give the subclass-change quest.
Dragon Warrior	A warrior who fights with the power of a dragon, granted by the "True Dragon." Originally, it was an exclusive class of the Ancients, particularly Dragon Warrior Andrew, but was eventually implemented as a subclass for Adventurers via a subquest.
Duelist	A roleplaying subclass that represents one’s honor and chivalry in a one-on-one fight. You gain various bonuses during a duel, or some support skills to make a fight one-on-one. On the other hand, to display a “respect for a duel of honor,” poison skills and deceptive attack skills are forbidden. In other words, it would be a terrible decision for an Assassin to pick this subclass. This subclass is powerful in a one-on-one, but is less effective in group-on-group battles, so it’s pretty unpopular. Its benefits are outclassed by other fighter subclasses, but it can be useful for solo players.
Elder Maid	An advanced form of the Maid subclass.
Farmer
Fisherman	A subclass suitable for working in the sea. Reduces penalties for being underwater and increases the amount of time you can spend submerged. There is also a Slayer subclass-like effect when engaging aquatic monsters. It is a popular subclass that was implemented during the 2003 expansion pack, Silver Odyssey, when water travel and oceans became available.
Fletcher	Mainly used for supplementing Adventurers who use bows as their weapon. Usually, Woodworkers make normal arrows and Blacksmiths can create magic arrows, but a Fletcher can create any kind of arrow. The primary problem for archers is that purchasing or creating arrows is costly, since the number of arrows you can hold is finite, so it is a struggle getting all the materials needed. In combat, they get some special skills.
Florist	Cultivate and sell flowers, especially rare and delicate ones that bring lots of money.
Food Fighter	Speeds up food consumption (decreased food item cooldown), resistance to poison, and can eat almost anything. Useful after the Catastrophe since it made eating the tasteless food slightly more pleasant; in fact, it even tastes delicious if you have a high enough level. Furthermore, if someone with this subclass feeds another person without it, it still has the sense of having taste. In order to acquire this subclass, however, you have to eat 100 pieces of sushi, something that became very difficult to accomplish after the Catastrophe.
Fortune Teller
Fugitive	Similar to the Tracker subclass in that it can hide the user. However, this subclass is mainly designed for escaping and soloing.
Gambler
Gladiator	Provides buffs in PvP and is designed to dazzle the audience. Skills can only be activated in certain situations, such as “taking the opponent’s attack head-on,” “the battle exceeded a certain duration,” or “recovering HP and MP.” this subclass also grants some regional Warrior-class abilities that are beneficial for PvP.
Herbalist
Hero (Wuxia/Bukyo)	Some attack motions change. Provides a hit bonus.
Hitman	The same as the Man-Slayer subclass, although the two are separate subclass. Looks like it should be one of the Slayer subclasses, but it isn't. This subclass allows you to nullify the resistances or buffs of the opponent. It can also provide boosts in negotiations.
Holy Warrior	Exchanges some Warrior-class skills for recovery skills.
Housekeeper	Have the ability to clean zones, arrange items, and manage consumables and storage items. Not to be mistaken for the Housewife/husband or Maid subclasses.
Housewife/Househusband	Fairly quick to level and allows the use of low-level skills of many other Subclasses, such as Chef, Tailor, Farmer, Brewmaster, Housekeeper, Dairy Farmer, and Herbalist skills. Although they are limited to creating very low-level items, the value of this subclass has really come to shine after the Catastrophe, since it allows people to lead more normal lives.
Hunter
Idol	Allows the user to make music. Its capabilities are not to be underestimated, since it can, when used properly, be almost at the level of a Special Title. An idol can gain some skills of the Dancer, Diva, and Musician subclasses.
Kagemusha	Serve as a body double for an official or general to prevent assassinations. To prevent pranks, it is necessary to get the permission of the one to be imitated. Even your status screen will be changed to reflect the person you are serving as a body double for. Plant Hwyaden currently has an organization of kagemusha as spies and patrols.
Knight	This primarily role-playing subclass provides very little combat benefit for those who have it. However, that fact has not decreased its popularity as one of the original and oldest subclasses in the game. Its primary benefits include Knight exclusive quests, a special riding skill, and fancy dedicated equipment.
Landlord/Landlady
Mahout	An elephant driver.
Maid	Allows you to take care of household duties. It has an advanced form called the Elder Maid.
Mercenary
Merchant
Miner
Musician	Allows you to play a musical instrument and create your own music rather than play from predetermined songs (such as a Bard’s skill). The difficulty level of songs that you can play increases with the subclass’s level. Unlike a Bard, who can “let go” of an instrument and still have their songs take effect, a Musician has to continue playing for the skills to trigger.
Mystic Rogue	A multi-class subclass. Get Magic-class skills in exchange for Weapon-class skills. Doesn’t seem to have much affiliation with the Rogue subclass.
Necromancer	A difficult-to-acquire subclass that grants users the ability to summon undead creatures as companions. Because summoning creatures to do battle is an ability exclusive to certain main classes, the Necromancer subclass operates more like the Animal Trainer subclass, with a focus on undead creatures.
Noble	Different from a High Noble, which is a Special Title. It was originally a Earthling-only subclass that signified nobility, but localizing companies made it available to players due to popular demand. Your initial title is ‘Sir’ but as you level up your title changes accordingly; Baronet, Baron, Viscount, Earl, and Marquis (Adventurers reaching a title higher than Duke or Grand Duke has not been heard of). Earthlings can give the “Honorable Conduct” and “Noble-like Behaviour” quests (details vary).
Nomad	A hybrid RP-Production subclass that shares some abilities with the Hunter, Tailor, and Coachman subclasses. Nomads can gain material from animals like horses and sheep, such as dairy products or wool, and can also create items from them such as ponchos and tents. When using a horse mount, the amount of time that the mount can be summoned for is increased.
Outlaw
Pirate	Pirates gain bonuses while fighting and exploring at sea. The subclass is based on the Pirate class.
Poison User	Can create poison-based items, has boosted Poison skills, and has knowledge on various poisons and poisonous items/plants. Has the ability to poison their weapon. Effective against healers/healing spells, but not very effective against Undead, golems and other inorganic things.
Precant	A person who offers prayers and participates in rituals. However, they don't have a particular religious affiliation.
Rogue	A familiar RPG class. Allows you to steal from monsters, lay traps, rob people, lockpick, and eavesdrop. Not good with whole-body armor, though.
Rune Master	Allows the engraving of magic runes onto items. However, whatever item the rune is engraved on will be destroyed after activating the rune.
Salesperson	Allows for basic trading, negotiation, and inventory management. After hitting level 30, this subclass can be upgraded to another subclass like Commercial Trader.
Scout	Increases detection range, allows the user to detect ambushes, and allows them to view more detailed enemy statuses.
Secretary	Can be obtained after using the Apprentice subclass and mentoring under an Assistant.
Sigilmancer	You can engrave runes onto an item, giving it a special effect. You can also put them onto your own body; however, if you do that, you have to expose the area with the rune in order for it to have an effect. As a result, usually light warriors use this subclass.
Specter User	Little is known about the subclass, but it likely meshes well with the Summoner's Necromancer build, as the only known user of this subclass runs that build. It is also mentioned that finding people with this subclass is very rare on the Yamato server.
Survivor	Represents those "lucky ones" who can survive almost any crisis. Triggered by an adverse situation such as "my weapon broke," "under an abnormal state," or "subject to critical hits and ambushes." However, not many have this subclass because it's not very useful in normal circumstances, and getting into an adverse situation can be difficult, so it's effectiveness is debated.
Sword Maker	Unlike a Swordsmith, you cannot create swords. This is a purely role-playing subclass.
Tactician	Found in many raiding guilds, Tacticians support their allies with their skills and watch over the battlefield. Some of their skills allow them to be excellent timers. After the Catastrophe, since the number of opportunities to participate in raids has decreased (due to lack of people), the chances at being a Tactician are low. As a result, many have switched subclasses.
Talismancer	A subclass that uses Taoism-based magic. Mainly a support-type subclass that uses talismans (lucky charms or incantations) to defend against or counter an attack.
Tracker	Can follow targets undetected, hide their presence, or move in the dark. In conjunction with the Assassin class, it can be used to dispatch enemies without being sensed at all. They can also be used with people with Hunter subclasses to find ingredients or prey.
Undead Hunter
Vampanella	Powerful at night, but have to avoid sunlight and are weakened by it. Can replenish HP by sucking blood and can transform into a bat to travel longer distances quickly. Although it's really just a Vampire, the official name is Vampanella. To clarify, Vampires are monsters, Vampanellas are Adventurers with the subclass.
Wanderer	This subclass is close to being a Special Title, although it is only advantageous for solo players. If you venture into another server and arrive at a City with a Cathedral without being a member of a guild or party in that area, you can change subclasses. When you’re playing solo, you get special skills, faster movement speeds, quicker cooldown times, higher successful escape rates, higher recovery rates at a camp, and exclusive item drops. However, playing with others can actually worsen your fighting capabilities and debuff you.
Wand Fighter	Increases the damage dealt by wands and allows you to take on a frontline position. You can cut down casting times and hit the enemy twice, instead of changing your range. Spells like Bind Weapon act as special Defensive spells. It’s not very compatible with Sorcerers and Summoners because the subclass’ special skills cannot be used to maximum efficiency. Almost completely limited to solo players due to its inefficiency in a party; you can’t perform roles like tanking very well.
Wand Master	Create consumable items that can be used to activate magic spells through the use of a wand. Derived from the Alchemist subclass. It has the advantage of not consuming MP when used and being usable by any Class, but its power, casting time, and general performance is at a visible disadvantage to a specialist’s. Also, not every Class is suitable for using Wands; maintaining a Wand when you don’t usually use it can be pretty costly. It is a difficult-to-master subclass whose power lies in “balancing the calculation of a battle and the management of resources.”
War Priest	Exchanges some Healer-class skills for Warrior-class skills.

Titles

Titles are a special type of subclass that can only be unlocked by players after completing a specific task or equipment. Some are considered legendary due to the limited amount of players who can acquire them and have already been acquired by famous players since the start of the game. They are known to grant abilities that will benefit players in and out of battle.

Name	Description
Dragonslayer	One of the Slayer subclasses that provides boosts against dragons.
Master Swordsman	Nothing is known about this subclass.

Player-Made Subclasses

After the Catastrophe, it became possible for Scribes to create new subclasses by using contracts. This ability is only known by a select few due to the chaos it may cause if disclosed to the public.

Name	Description
Adventurer	Gives People of the Earth capabilities that Adventurers have, such as being able to revive after death.

Earthling Subclasses

People of the Earth have subclasses that only they possess, some of them designating that they are People of the Earth rather than an Adventurer.

Name	Description
Rose Garden Princess	Earthling-only subclass. Only Rayneshia is known to have this subclass.
Feudal Lord
Ancient	Defenders of the land, the Ancients are members of the Thirteen Global Chivalric Orders.

Trivia

• It seems as though server-unique classes can become subclasses on other servers. For example, the Exorcist and Pirate classes of the Western European and North American servers are subclasses on the Japanese server.
• Although Elder Maid was listed as a Earthling-only subclass on official material, Indicus somehow has that instead of the typical Maid subclass.