Guts & Blackpowder Classes

Guts & Blackpowder currently has seven core classes documented in the public game: Infantry, Officer, Seaman, Musician, Sapper, Surgeon, and Chaplain. Regiment labels can rename the same underlying role—Infantry may appear as Ranker, Trooper, Marine, or another period-appropriate title—so choose by the class icon and equipment rather than assuming every displayed rank is a different kit. All core roles are available by default except Chaplain, which is unlocked by earning the official Soldier’s Grace badge.

Class Dex

How to choose for Objective

Objective campaigns reward adaptability because the team alternates between movement, item interactions, chokepoints, and escape sequences. Infantry is the most forgiving blind pick: a loaded shot answers a distant special enemy and the bayonet or Sabre handles routine contact. Sapper becomes more valuable when the map contains long holdouts, but the player needs enough route knowledge to avoid placing defenses in a future objective path.

Surgeon protects one-life badge attempts by repairing health loss before the next major event. Chaplain protects players whose infection is rising, but Blessing is not ordinary healing, so it does not replace a Surgeon. Officer is strongest when the group understands the signal and uses the ability together. Seaman clears packed approaches, while Musician converts a stable formation into a stronger one. If the group is already scattered, add a class that can stabilize it rather than another narrow damage role.

How to choose for Endless

Endless gradually adds special enemies and increases pressure. Sapper creates the structure that lets the group reload and heal safely, but fortifications must be repaired and watched for Bombers. Seaman benefits from dense lanes. Infantry remains valuable for precise threats, especially when a Bomber or armored target is mixed into a horde. A Surgeon stretches the run by restoring accumulated damage, and a Chaplain prevents infection from becoming a delayed team collapse.

Mode fit changes with the map and wave. A class that looks weak during the first waves may become essential once Runners, Bombers, Sapper Zombies, Cuirassiers, and Igniters appear. Do not reduce Endless planning to damage alone: rescue access, firing lanes, repair time, and the ability to recover between waves decide many late runs.

How to choose for Holdout

Holdout combines a defensive line with a concrete goal. The team needs enough Sapper coverage to shape the approach without blocking the objective, enough ranged power to remove explosive and armored threats, and enough support to survive repeated waves. In zone-defense maps, losing one sector can change the angle of every later fight. In task-driven Holdout maps, too many defenders can be as harmful as too few because the main objective stops progressing.

Assign jobs before activating the event. Sapper chooses the line, Surgeon chooses the recovery area, ranged classes choose clear lanes, and one or more mobile players handle the objective. Officer abilities should be saved for a planned push, dangerous transition, or line recovery rather than spent as soon as the meter fills.

A practical class ranking framework

The class tier list scores roles across four questions: can the class solve a unique problem, how much map knowledge it requires, how well it recovers from mistakes, and how much it depends on teammates responding correctly. That produces different answers for a beginner, a coordinated Objective squad, and a late-wave Endless team.

Infantry ranks highly for reliability and low setup. Sapper ranks highly when defenses matter but falls when the player builds poorly. Surgeon and Chaplain can be indispensable in the right failure state, yet neither should be judged by kill count. Officer, Seaman, and Musician gain value from formation quality. This is why a single universal S-to-D list hides more than it explains.

Class selection and controls

On PC, N opens the class selection interface according to the current community control reference. Mobile uses its corresponding on-screen control, while console layouts use menu or directional inputs that should be confirmed in the live Settings because presentation can change. In Endless, a setting can allow class changes to take effect between waves. Do not switch away from a required support role without telling the group.

Purchased equipment expands some classes, but class ownership and weapon ownership are separate questions. Infantry has the broadest documented selection, while other classes have more specialized inventories. Open the Weapons hub before spending Francs so the purchase matches the class you actually play.

Team composition examples

For a small learning group, start with Infantry, Sapper, Surgeon, and either Seaman or Officer. Infantry handles priority shots, Sapper makes a safe line, Surgeon repairs mistakes, and the fourth player adds crowd control or a coordinated push. For a larger group, add Musician and Chaplain after the core jobs are covered, then duplicate the role that the map stresses most.

For a one-life badge attempt, emphasize survival: at least one dependable Surgeon, route-aware Sapper coverage, players assigned to Runner rescues, and ranged shots reserved for Bombers. For Endless practice, use enough support to learn later enemy waves rather than filling every slot with damage and ending the run to infection or attrition.

Common class mistakes

• Picking Surgeon but chasing the front line so injured players cannot find a safe heal.
• Picking Sapper and sealing the only retreat lane or objective interaction.
• Playing Musician alone, where a Runner can remove the buff and the player at once.
• Using Officer’s team ability before the formation is ready to move.
• Treating Chaplain’s Blessing as health restoration instead of infection control.
• Firing Seaman crowd-control weapons through a teammate’s position without a clear lane.
• Buying an Infantry weapon because of a tier list without testing its reload and range pattern.

Evidence status and next steps

The seven-class roster, Chaplain unlock relationship, and broad role identities are consistently documented by the current community Wiki and supported by the official Soldier’s Grace badge description. Exact cooldowns, item stats, prices, subclasses, and balance values are update-sensitive and should be checked in the live class and Shop interfaces. The Infantry guide gives a complete generalist route, while Unlock Chaplain turns the official badge text into a safe progress plan.