Classes do most of the heavy lifting in 100 Waves Later. Weapons and perks decide how hard you hit, but your class dictates how fast you scale, how many guns you can carry, and whether you make it past the toughest boss waves or stall out in the midgame.
The game has more than ten classes, but a small group clearly defines the current meta. Others are strong only in specific builds, and a few are essentially scrap sinks you should leave for last.
Class rankings overview
| Tier | Role | Classes |
|---|---|---|
| S | Meta-defining | Wastelander, Pathfinder, Engineer |
| A | Very strong | Boxer, Juggernaut, Pyro, Soldier |
| B | Situational | Sharpshooter, Medic, Boomer |
| C | Low priority | Warrior, Scientist, Scavenger |
Two things matter more than the letter grade:
- Scaling – how much your build improves as rounds go on (extra weapons, ammo, Super Skills, or free damage).
- Context – solo play, team runs, farming Scrap/Mystery Boxes, or pushing for record waves.
S tier classes (meta picks)
Wastelander
Wastelander is the backbone of most high-wave builds because its perks directly push your power curve.
| Level | Perk | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | +1 Hotbar Slot | Lets you carry a third weapon, which is enormous for late-game flexibility. |
| 2 | All weapons have +25% ammo | Reduces reload pressure and ammo droughts on long waves. |
| 3 | 50% chance to upgrade 2 Skills instead of 1 | Gives roughly 1.5x the skill upgrades over time, which is huge scaling. |
As a main class, Wastelander gives you more guns, more bullets, and more overall stats than almost anything else. As a bonus perk, its Level 1 and Level 3 perks are top-tier because they graft that same power curve onto other classes.
Best use cases: solo pushing to the highest possible wave, any build that wants three strong weapons, gun-heavy playstyles.
Pathfinder
Pathfinder shifts power into Super Skills, which are the strongest individual upgrades in the game. Its entire perk line is about seeing more of them.
| Level | Perk | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10% chance each round offers a Super Skill | Starts your Super Skill snowball earlier than other classes. |
| 2 | 10% chance each round offers 2 Super Skills | Occasionally doubles your Super Skill picks, speeding up scaling. |
| 3 | Boss waves always offer 2 Super Skills | Guarantees strong upgrades at the most important breakpoints. |
Pathfinder feels inconsistent early if you get unlucky, so it often pairs with generic luck upgrades to stabilize the run. Once the perks are online, it turns every boss wave into a major power spike.
Best use cases: long runs where scaling beats raw early damage, builds that lean on Super Skills, and meta setups that combine Pathfinder with Wastelander perks.
Engineer
Engineer is the most accessible S-tier pick because it gives free, permanent damage that never needs reviving or babysitting.
| Level | Perk | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Start with a placeable Auto-Turret | Provides reliable extra DPS from wave one. |
| 2 | Turret is upgradeable to Level 2 | Scales turret damage so it doesn’t fall off as quickly. |
| 3 | Turret is upgradeable to Level 3 | Turns the turret into a serious contributor even in higher waves. |
Engineer is also notable because it can be earned as a Day 7 login reward. Log into the game for seven consecutive days and claim the class when it appears in your daily rewards screen. Missing that claim means losing the free unlock.
Best use cases: newer players learning the game, solo runs where you want an “extra player” worth of damage, and low-stress farming sessions.
A tier classes (very strong but not mandatory)
Boxer
Boxer takes the melee fantasy to an extreme. It removes your hotbar at Level 1 in exchange for fists that hit like premium melee weapons.
| Level | Perk | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | No hotbar slots. High Fists Damage and Swing Speed | Hard commits you to melee with strong base numbers. |
| 2 | 50% chance melee attacks grant 10% Health | Provides enormous sustain if you keep hitting enemies. |
| 3 | Charge fists to perform a Super Punch | Adds a burst option for mini-bosses and high-HP targets. |
Latency matters a lot here. With a good connection, Boxer can feel busted, punching through waves while staying near full health. As a bonus perk, Boxer’s Level 2 perk is one of the best survivability tools for melee builds that already use real weapons.
Best use cases: dedicated melee players, Juggernaut or Warrior builds that want extra sustain through Boxer’s bonus perk.
Juggernaut
Juggernaut is the tank archetype. It trades movement speed for raw durability and damage reduction against key damage types.
| Level | Perk | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Significantly increase base Health, reduce Move Speed | Makes you much harder to kill but noticeably slower. |
| 2 | Significantly reduce damage taken from Fire and Explosions | Softens some of the most punishing sources of chip damage. |
| 3 | Significantly reduce damage taken from Radiation | Adds another layer of mitigation in late waves. |
The speed penalty can feel rough until you pick up movement upgrades, but Juggernaut is the easiest way to stop dying to random hits. Its own perks are solid bonus options for any tanky build as well.
Best use cases: players who frequently die before they can upgrade weapons, melee builds that want a safety net, co-op roles that soak damage for the team.
Pyro
Pyro leans into fire damage and area denial. It starts with a reusable Fire Bomb and later makes you immune to fire.
| Level | Perk | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Start with Fire Bomb (recharges) | Gives you an early AoE tool that can clear groups. |
| 2 | Don’t take fire damage | Lets you ignore your own flames and other fire sources. |
| 3 | Bullets have a chance to set zombies on fire | Adds burn to your regular gunfire for extra boss and elite damage. |
Fire damage numbers are currently modest, which keeps Pyro out of true meta status, but pairing it with Incendiary Shotgun creates one of the best boss-killer setups in the game thanks to high fire stack uptime.
Best use cases: targeted boss-killing runs, players who enjoy DoT-style builds, co-op teams that want someone focused on burning down high-HP enemies.
Soldier
Soldier is a straightforward gun specialist. It boosts weapon damage and reload speed, with a small movement bonus at low health.
| Level | Perk | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Increase Gun damage | Buffs nearly any ranged build without extra conditions. |
| 2 | Increase base Reload speed | Fewer reload “dead zones” in the middle of heavy waves. |
| 3 | Increase Move Speed when below 25% Health | Gives a clutch escape tool when fights go bad. |
Soldier is cheap in Scrap cost compared with some of the flashier options, and it slots well with Wastelander’s Level 1 perk as a bonus. It lacks the explosive late-game scaling of Pathfinder or Wastelander but makes the early and midgame very comfortable.
Best use cases: early account progression, players committed to ranged weapons, bridge pick before unlocking the most expensive classes.
B tier classes (situational picks)
Sharpshooter
Sharpshooter is built entirely around pistols, which are currently the weakest weapon archetype. Its perks are strong in a vacuum but locked to that one category.
| Level | Perk | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Significantly increase headshot damage with Pistols | Rewards precise aim and consistent headshots. |
| 2 | Pistols have +150% ammo | Makes pistol mags feel bottomless. |
| 3 | 25% chance Pistols deal Critical Hits | Adds a substantial damage spike layer on top of normal hits. |
In practice, pistol-focused builds get outclassed by shotguns and lasers, which means Sharpshooter sits at the bottom of most meta discussions despite its numbers looking good on paper.
Best use cases: personal challenge runs, players who like a precision playstyle and accept lower ceiling performance.
Medic
Medic is the only true support class. Its value scales with party size; solo, it has to do damage and healing at once, which is a tall ask.
| Level | Perk | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Start with Stimshot | Provides an on-demand heal from the first wave. |
| 2 | Reduce Stimshot cooldown | Lets you heal yourself or teammates more frequently. |
| 3 | Revive players twice as fast | Makes clutch revives much more realistic in tight waves. |
In coordinated groups, Medic can feel S-tier because keeping high-DPS players alive is often better than adding one more gun. On its own, slow early movement and the lack of direct damage perks push it down into the “situational” bracket.
Best use cases: dedicated support role in co-op, organized groups pushing for record waves, lobbies where other players already cover damage and crowd control.
Boomer
Boomer focuses on explosives and turning bullets into pseudo-grenades.
| Level | Perk | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Start with Trip Mine and increase Explosive Damage | Gives you early area control and higher AoE numbers. |
| 2 | Don’t take Explosive Damage | Lets you stand in your own blasts and ignore friendly explosions. |
| 3 | Bullets have a chance to explode | Adds splash damage to normal shooting for better wave clear. |
The main downside is that spec’ing into fire or explosion damage usually means skipping generic gun damage boosts, which comes back to hurt boss DPS later. Boomer is also expensive in Scrap compared with stronger, cheaper options like Pathfinder and Wastelander.
Best use cases: players who enjoy AoE-heavy play, casual co-op where spectacle matters more than sheer efficiency.
C tier classes (low priority or niche)
Warrior
Warrior is a generalist melee class. It boosts melee damage and swing speed and adds a damage bonus at low health.
| Level | Perk | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Increase Melee damage | Raises baseline melee DPS. |
| 2 | Increase base Swing Speed | Lets you land more hits in the same time window. |
| 3 | Increase Melee damage when health falls below 25% | Rewards risky low-HP play with more damage. |
With great melee weapons already in the game, Warrior does make those hits feel better, but the kit is narrower than Boxer’s and lacks Boxer’s built-in sustain. As a result, it ends up in the “nice to have, not necessary” group.
Best use cases: melee-first players who prefer weapon flexibility over Boxer’s fists-only approach.
Scientist
Scientist revolves around a Throwable Zombie Lure that pulls enemies into one place.
| Level | Perk | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Start with Throwable Zombie Lure | Lets you group zombies in a fixed area. |
| 2 | Lure lasts longer | Extends crowd-control duration. |
| 3 | Lure explodes when the timer expires | Adds delayed AoE damage when the lure ends. |
In theory, the class is great for setting up team combos. In practice, recent balance changes have hurt its effectiveness, and its Scrap cost is high. You pay a lot for utility that other classes can approximate with raw damage and positioning.
Best use cases: coordinated co-op experiments, players who want to micromanage enemy movement, late-account unlocks once core meta classes are already secured.
Scavenger
Scavenger is an economy class. It improves Mystery Box drops, reduces duplicates, and increases Scrap gain.
| Level | Perk | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Increase Mystery Box drop chance | Gives more opportunities to roll for items. |
| 2 | Mystery Boxes reroll duplicates | Improves the quality of those drops over time. |
| 3 | Zombies sometimes drop double Scrap | Boosts long-term currency income. |
Scavenger does almost nothing for immediate survivability or damage. It shines in dedicated farming sessions, but for pushing waves or clearing hard content it is outclassed by nearly every other pick. As a bonus perk, its Level 3 perk is handy because you can graft the extra Scrap onto a real combat class.
Best use cases: early-account farming, background perk for Scrap-hungry builds, runs where progress speed matters more than wave count.
How bonus perks shape the meta
The bonus perk system changes class value by letting you import the strongest perk from another class. A few perks stand clearly above the rest:
- Wastelander Level 1 (+1 Hotbar Slot) – lets any class carry three weapons. This is universally useful and one of the best investments you can make.
- Wastelander Level 3 (50% chance to upgrade 2 Skills) – effectively increases the number of upgrades over the course of a run, which compounds hard in high waves.
- Pathfinder Level 2 (10% chance each round offers 2 Super Skills) – adds extra spikes of Super Skills throughout the run, especially when combined with a class that already scales well.
- Pathfinder Level 3 (Boss waves always offer 2 Super Skills) – guarantees strong choices at key difficulty jumps.
- Boxer Level 2 (50% chance melee attacks grant 10% Health) – transforms melee survivability when attached to classes like Juggernaut or Warrior.
- Engineer turret perk – as a bonus, adds passive damage to builds that otherwise have no time to set up extra tools.
- Scavenger Level 3 (double Scrap chance) – when used as a bonus, keeps your combat class strong while still improving long-term currency income.
This is why some classes sit lower as mains but still matter. Scavenger, Boxer, and Juggernaut all contribute key perks that end up in “true” meta builds despite their lower rankings as primary picks.
Current standout class and weapon combos
Several combinations consistently outperform others:
- High-wave meta build: Pathfinder as the main class with Wastelander’s Level 3 perk as the bonus, using Plasma Shotgun, Gatling Laser, and Greatsword. This setup leans hard on Super Skill and skill-upgrade scaling and covers close, medium, and melee ranges with top-tier weapons.
- Beginner-friendly build: Engineer as the main with Wastelander’s Level 1 perk, running Auto Shotgun and Pump Shotgun. The turret and two reliable shotguns carry early and midgame without complex decision-making.
- Melee-focused build: Juggernaut as the main with Boxer’s Level 2 perk, using Greatsword and Chainsaw. Juggernaut’s tankiness plus Boxer’s sustain makes close-quarters play much safer.
- Boss-killer build: Pyro with Incendiary Shotgun. Fire Bomb and bullet burn stacking melt bosses even if wave clear isn’t as dominant.
Shotguns in general are in an excellent spot. Plasma Shotgun and Auto Shotgun lead the pack, with Pump Shotgun as a strong early option. Greatsword is the best melee weapon, while Chainsaw remains a strong secondary even after earlier nerfs.
How to decide what to unlock next
Scrap is slow to earn, so unlock order matters.
- If you are new, aim to secure Engineer via the Day 7 login reward while saving Scrap toward Wastelander and Pathfinder. Soldier is a cheap and effective stopgap.
- If you care about high wave counts, prioritize Wastelander, Pathfinder, and their key bonus perks, then consider Boxer Level 2 for melee sustain.
- If you mostly farm, pick up Scavenger later and use its Level 3 perk as a bonus rather than maining it.
- If you play co-op, consider unlocking Medic once the main damage classes are in place; it has little solo value but can carry team survivability.
The meta leans heavily toward classes that add more choices over time—extra weapons, more ammo, more skills, or guaranteed Super Skills. When in doubt, those types of perks will almost always push a run further than narrow, theme-only bonuses.
