HOW THE CLASSES WORK

• LIGHT

  Smallest stack, fastest feet. You live on movement and pick timing — a rail to the chest still deletes you.

  Wiki class: ~100 health / 75 armor ceiling. Smallest hitbox, mobility abilities. Four champions.

  TIPS FOR LIGHTS

  • ▸ Lights start with almost no armor. Shards and both megas are the duel. Never take a stacked Heavy straight up.
  • ▸ Learn strafe jumps before the ability. Ghost Walk / Injection / Slide / Hook are bonuses, not a substitute for speed.
  • ▸ You die in one rocket + rail. Disengage at half health. Ego-fragging is how Lights feed.
  • ▸ Best in Duel, where you can time the ability around mega. Deathmatch respawns punish the empty stack.

• MEDIUM

  The gun class. Stats sit in the middle so the duel is still a duel; the ability is a tool, not a win button.

  Wiki class: ~100 health / 100 armor. Mix of gun skill and a utility or damage ability. Eight champions.

  TIPS FOR MEDIUMS

  • ▸ Ranger is the hall default for learning — Son of a Gun makes rocket jumps cheap. Visor is the info pick.
  • ▸ Do not waste the ability as a panic button. Start the fight on your terms (orb, sight, totem, berserk).
  • ▸ Season 30 cut several Mediums’ duel start armor to 25. Mega control still decides the first two minutes.
  • ▸ Readable kits (Ranger, B.J., Doom Slayer, Eisen) first; Strogg and Death Knight once movement is honest.

• HEAVY

  Biggest target, fattest armor. You occupy space. Overstacked armor decays, so a mega does not last forever.

  Wiki class: ~100 health / 125 armor. Biggest hitbox; abilities lean tank or area control. Overstacked armor decays. Four champions.

  TIPS FOR HEAVYS

  • ▸ You cannot out-dodge Lights. You out-tank them. Take the fight in chokes and on megas.
  • ▸ Bull Rush / Barrier / Acid / Grenades are area control, not just damage. Paint the room, then hold it.
  • ▸ Starting armor is the Deathmatch respawn buffer. In Duel, S30 cut several Heavies’ start AP — mega still matters.
  • ▸ Huge hitbox: do not ego-peek a rail. Shield, spit, or rush through the angle.

LIGHT · 4

Wiki class: ~100 health / 75 armor ceiling. Smallest hitbox, mobility abilities. Four champions.

• 

  Nyx

  Fathom Agent

  First: Quake Champions (2017)

  Stack 125 / 100 HP · 0 / 75 AP · 320 ups

  ACTIVE · Ghost Walk

  Steps into a parallel dimension — invisible and invulnerable for about 3 seconds (45s cooldown), then returns. Re-entry telefrags whoever occupies that space (~125). Visor’s Piercing Sight can still track her.

  PASSIVE · Wall Jump

  Can jump once more in the air if next to a wall — including while Ghost Walking.

  PLAYER TIPS

  • ▸ Save Ghost Walk for mega / quad snatches: pop it on the last tick, stand on the pad, telefrag whoever is camping it.
  • ▸ Always stack both megas before you duel a Heavy. Shards are not optional on a Light.
  • ▸ Wall-jump rocket splash and missed ledges. Blood Covenant: wall-jump the bridge ↔ rail.
  • ▸ Ghost Walk clears Sorlag acid. Visor still sees you in Ghost Walk — do not vanish into a Visor.
  • ▸ Offensive re-entry: shotgun the back. There is a 0.5s fire delay after you come back — pre-aim.

  via r/QuakeChampions (R3TR1X), Vengeur, QC Wiki

  WIKI
• 

  Anarki

  First: Quake III Arena (1999)

  Stack 125 / 100 HP · 0 / 75 AP · 320 ups

  ACTIVE · Injection

  Instantly heals and grants a short speed boost. The hoverboard is his whole movement kit. Season 30: weapon switch queues until Injection finishes.

  PASSIVE · Air Control

  Can change velocity direction while mid-air.

  PASSIVE · Anti-Gravity

  Hoverboard — fall from any height without splat damage.

  PLAYER TIPS

  • ▸ Air Control is CPMA-lite. Learn to redirect mid-air — that is why duelists pick him over other Lights.
  • ▸ Injection is a heal plus a speed burst, not a panic button. Pop it to take mega or to finish a chase.
  • ▸ Hoverboard means no fall damage. Drop, rocket-jump, and take high ground other Lights splat from.
  • ▸ Season 30 queues weapon switch until Injection ends. Do not swap mid-inject expecting an instant rail.
  • ▸ Tiny stack. Control pickups with speed. Do not take a stacked Scalebearer head-on.

  via r/QuakeChampions, QC Wiki, Season 30 notes

  WIKI
• 

  Slash

  First: Quake III Arena (1999)

  Stack 125 / 100 HP · 0 / 75 AP · 320 ups

  ACTIVE · Plasma Trail

  Leaves a damaging energy trail. Press again to detonate it.

  PASSIVE · Crouch Slide

  Crouch while running to slide and keep speed.

  PLAYER TIPS

  • ▸ Crouch while running to slide. Plasma Trail is extra damage, not the reason you pick her.
  • ▸ Leave a trail through chokes and mega rooms, then detonate as they chase.
  • ▸ Slide keeps speed through fights other Lights bleed. The community even made a Slide and Slash playlist.
  • ▸ Do not stand and gun. If you are not sliding or trailing, you are a 125-HP dummy.

  via QC Wiki, Liquipedia modes, hall notes

  WIKI
• 

  Athena

  Marooned GDF

  First: Enemy Territory: Quake Wars

  Stack 125 / 100 HP · 25 / 75 AP · 320 ups

  ACTIVE · Grappling Hook

  Three charges. Linear pull by default; hold to swing. Disconnect keeps momentum. Wiki: 25 damage on hook/impact. Season 30 retuned pull acceleration.

  PASSIVE · Ramp Jump

  Uses ramps and top steps as launch pads for extra height.

  PLAYER TIPS

  • ▸ Three charges, not one. Do not dump all three on the first swing — you live on the remaining two.
  • ▸ Hold to swing, release to keep momentum. Disconnect is a speed tool, not a cancel.
  • ▸ Ramp Jump turns stairs and ramps into launch pads. Learn it on Blood Run / Corrupted Keep type maps.
  • ▸ Hook does 25 on hit — enough to finish a low Light, not a Heavy. Do not treat it as a weapon.
  • ▸ Season 28 cut her max ground speed. Swing for height and off-angles, not endless ground racing.

  via QC Wiki, NamuWiki eval, Season 28–30 notes

  WIKI

MEDIUM · 8

Wiki class: ~100 health / 100 armor. Mix of gun skill and a utility or damage ability. Eight champions.

• 

  Ranger

  First: Quake (1996)

  Stack 125 / 100 HP · 50 / 100 AP · 310 ups

  ACTIVE · Dire Orb

  Throws an orb of eldritch energy and teleports to it. Occupied destinations become telefrags — same idea as the Quake 1 Shub fight.

  PASSIVE · Son of a Gun

  Self-damage halved, so rocket and nail jumps are cheaper.

  PLAYER TIPS

  • ▸ Community default for learning. Learn maps on Ranger before you touch Lights.
  • ▸ Dire Orb is movement, a fake, a telefrag, and a pickup steal. Throw, then shoot — do not stand still after the toss.
  • ▸ Son of a Gun halves self-damage: rocket-jump more and take rocket duels closer than other Mediums.
  • ▸ Season 30: the orb has 75 HP and can be shot down; damage scales with flight time. Do not throw it at their feet every time.
  • ▸ Duel start armor dropped 50→25 in S30. Mega control still decides the first two minutes.

  via NamuWiki, GamersDecide, r/QuakeChampions, S30 notes

  WIKI
• 

  Visor

  Cybernetic Clone

  First: Quake III Arena (1999)

  Stack 125 / 100 HP · 50 / 100 AP · 310 ups

  ACTIVE · Piercing Sight

  See enemies through walls for about 5 seconds (45s cooldown). Tracks Nyx in Ghost Walk and Strogg while Peeker is out. Announces the ability out loud.

  PASSIVE · Full Sprint

  Higher air acceleration — roughly 10% more than a default champion.

  PLAYER TIPS

  • ▸ Pop Piercing Sight before you take mega, not after. See the stack and the route, then walk in.
  • ▸ This is the Nyx / Strogg counterpick. Ghost Walk and Peeker do not hide from you.
  • ▸ The ability announces out loud — they know you popped it. Play the information; do not overextend because you 'see' them.
  • ▸ Season 29: you no longer have to zoom to get the piercing-damage bonus. Rail during the window.
  • ▸ Full Sprint air-accel: you are a Medium who strafes like a Light. Use it.

  via GamersDecide hall rank, QC Wiki, Season 28–29 notes

  WIKI
• 

  Galena

  First: Quake Champions (2017)

  Stack 125 / 100 HP · 50 / 100 AP · 310 ups

  ACTIVE · Unholy Totem

  Up to three totems. Heal allies ~50 or damage foes in the radius. A third totem overstacks the heal and bumps explosion damage.

  PASSIVE · Channeling

  Health kits shave 5% off the cooldown; Mega Health shaves 10%.

  PLAYER TIPS

  • ▸ In TDM she is a force multiplier. In Duel she is area denial on mega — plant, do not throw them at feet mid-fight.
  • ▸ Third totem overstacks. Two is control; three is a statement. Season 28 also steals life from totem damage.
  • ▸ Place totems where they will get walked through (mega, stairs, teleporter), not where you currently stand.
  • ▸ Channeling: health kits shave cooldown. Do not hoard mega if you are dry on totems.
  • ▸ Season 30 raised her speed cap. She is no longer a statue Medium — strafe between plants.

  via QC Wiki, Season 28–30 notes

  WIKI
• 

  B.J. Blazkowicz

  One-Man Army

  First: Wolfenstein 3D (1992)

  Stack 125 / 100 HP · 50 / 100 AP · 310 ups

  ACTIVE · Dual Wield

  Draws a second copy of the current gun. Most weapons fire ~1.5× (lightning gun ~1.25×) and chew ammo. Season 30 (Jun 2026): silent-walk speed 160→280, duel start armor 50→25, speed cap 650→900.

  PASSIVE · Regeneration

  After about 2 seconds out of combat, heals up to the next 25-health pip (25 / 50 / 75 / 100). Same idea as Wolfenstein’s health blocks.

  PLAYER TIPS

  • ▸ Dual Wield chews ammo. Do not pop it at 12 rockets. Season 28 gives a dump of ammo on activation — use that window.
  • ▸ Regeneration after ~2s out of combat, up to the next 25-pip. Disengage to heal like Wolf3D. The pip is the whole trick.
  • ▸ Play him as a Medium gunfighter, not a tank. S30 cut duel start armor 50→25.
  • ▸ Silent-walk is faster now (160→280). Use it to start Dual Wield from an off-angle, not to crawl.

  via QC Wiki, Season 28 / 30 notes

  WIKI
• 

  Doom Slayer

  First: Doom (1993)

  Stack 125 / 100 HP · 50 / 100 AP · 310 ups

  ACTIVE · Berserk

  Season 30: 3 seconds of rage (was 5). Fists hit hard, movement spikes, enemies read as solid white. Landing a punch resets the remaining timer to 3 seconds — built to be used offensively, not as an escape.

  PASSIVE · Double Jump

  One extra jump in the air — breaks rocket predictions and stalls falls.

  PLAYER TIPS

  • ▸ Berserk is 3 seconds (S30). Landing a punch resets the timer — it is an offensive chain, not an escape.
  • ▸ Do not Berserk to run away. If you are not closing to punch, you wasted the cooldown.
  • ▸ Double jump breaks rocket predictions and stalls falls. Bind it on Controls+ (Season 29 special-movement).
  • ▸ NamuWiki lists him as a beginner-friendly Medium: the kit is readable. The skill ceiling is the punch reset.

  via QC Wiki, NamuWiki, Season 29–30 notes

  WIKI
• 

  Strogg & Peeker

  Undying Infiltrator

  First: Quake II (1997)

  Stack 125 / 100 HP · 50 / 100 AP · 310 ups

  ACTIVE · Drone Strike

  Strogg cloaks and pilots Peeker. The drone fires a hyperblaster; a second press kamikazes it. Wiki: ~45s drone, 15 dmg bolts, 75 explosion.

  PASSIVE · Stroyent Cell

  Kills drop cells that heal (~25) and shave ability cooldown (~5%).

  PASSIVE · Crouch Slide

  Crouch while running to slide, same as Slash.

  PLAYER TIPS

  • ▸ Peeker is intel plus damage. Cloak, peek mega, hyperblaster, kamikaze if they stack on it.
  • ▸ Visor sees you while Peeker is out. Do not 'stealth' a Visor.
  • ▸ Stroyent on kills (HP bonus was cut 20→10 in S29). TDM farms the drone; Duel has to land the kamikaze.
  • ▸ Crouch while running is the same trick as Slash. Use it to leave Peeker’s camera and re-stack.
  • ▸ Season 30 cut duel start armor 50→25. Body is squishy; the drone is the extra life.

  via QC Wiki, Season 29–30 notes

  WIKI
• 

  Death Knight

  First: Quake (1996)

  Stack 125 / 100 HP · 50 / 100 AP · 310 ups

  ACTIVE · Flame Strike

  Five fanning fireballs. Low shots leave burning ground. Explode on impact. Season 30: splash always applies the flame DoT.

  PASSIVE · Forged Skin

  Immune to fire and lava.

  PASSIVE · Charring

  Sword hits ignite the target. Season 30 raised the DoT: 9 damage × 5 seconds (45 max).

  PLAYER TIPS

  • ▸ Aim Flame Strike low. Burning ground denies mega and stairs; the fan is for chokes, not long-range snipe.
  • ▸ Forged Skin: immune to fire and lava. Fight on lava maps and walk through your own fire.
  • ▸ Sword ignites (S30: 9 × 5s). Mix gauntlet in close. Do not play him as a rocket-only Medium.
  • ▸ Season 30 splash always applies the DoT — even chips add up. Paint the floor, then hold the angle.

  via QC Wiki, Season 30 notes

  WIKI
• 

  Eisen

  Deft Engineer

  First: Quake Champions (2018)

  Stack 125 / 100 HP · 50 / 100 AP · 310 ups

  ACTIVE · Sentry Turret

  Deploys an auto turret that tracks and fires hyperblaster bolts. Utility over raw damage — it can be shot down. Season 30 added turret health bars.

  PASSIVE · Repurpose

  Light Armor refunds 10% cooldown; Heavy Armor refunds 20%. (Patch notes also called this Salvage.)

  PLAYER TIPS

  • ▸ The turret is utility, not a kill. Plant it on mega, a rail angle, or covering your back while you stack.
  • ▸ Season 30: turret has a health bar; armor you pick also upgrades the deployed turret. Route armor on purpose.
  • ▸ Salvage / Repurpose: shards 5%, Light 10%, Heavy 10–20% cooldown. Pickup routing is the ability.
  • ▸ NamuWiki lists him beginner-friendly. The trap is treating the sentry like a second player — it dies if you ignore it.

  via QC Wiki, NamuWiki, Season 30 notes

  WIKI

HEAVY · 4

Wiki class: ~100 health / 125 armor. Biggest hitbox; abilities lean tank or area control. Overstacked armor decays. Four champions.

• 

  Scalebearer

  First: Quake Champions (2017)

  Stack 125 / 100 HP · 100 / 125 AP · 300 ups

  ACTIVE · Bull Rush

  Charges forward, hitting whoever is in the way. Incoming damage reduced ~60% during the rush — the classic dive-in / dive-out tool.

  PASSIVE · Acceleration

  Gains speed while moving in a straight line.

  PASSIVE · Heavyweight

  Body-checks hurt. Momentum is a weapon.

  PLAYER TIPS

  • ▸ Bull Rush does 0 if you are standing still — Heavyweight converts speed. Get past ~400 ups first.
  • ▸ Finish the rush with shotgun. Wiki: you will be in their face; one close shell usually ends it.
  • ▸ If they die on contact, momentum continues (Choo-Choo medal). If they live, the rush stops — have the shell ready.
  • ▸ Defensive rush to steal quad / prot. Time the end of the charge to the spawn tick.
  • ▸ Nyx and other Lights explode if you land on them from a pad. Do not jump under a falling Scalebearer — and do it to them.

  via QC Wiki strategy, r/QuakeChampions, NamuWiki

  WIKI
• 

  Clutch

  Awakened Automaton

  First: Quake Champions (2017)

  Stack 125 / 100 HP · 100 / 125 AP · 300 ups

  ACTIVE · Barrier

  Energy shield that soaks damage, then can convert remaining energy into a mining laser. Season 30: shared energy pool, breaks after ~200 damage.

  PASSIVE · Air Dodge

  Double-tap a direction in the air to dash that way.

  PASSIVE · Acceleration

  Builds speed in a straight line, same idea as Scalebearer.

  PLAYER TIPS

  • ▸ Barrier soaks, then leftover energy becomes the mining laser. Do not drop the shield to shoot unless you have the kill.
  • ▸ Season 30: shared energy pool, breaks after ~200 damage. Starting armor 100→75. You are not immortal.
  • ▸ Air Dodge plus Acceleration: you are the mobile Heavy. Double-tap a direction in air. S28 added Ground Dodge with 3-stamina.
  • ▸ Most-picked Heavy in older metas because the hitbox is huge — the shield is how you take a rail angle at all.
  • ▸ Scalebearer can still bull-rush through a poorly timed barrier. Sidestep, then laser.

  via GamersDecide, QC Wiki, Season 28 / 30 notes

  WIKI
• 

  Sorlag

  First: Quake III Arena (1999)

  Stack 125 / 100 HP · 100 / 125 AP · 300 ups

  ACTIVE · Acid Spit

  Five acid blobs. Burns on hit and paints surfaces that poison anyone who walks through.

  PASSIVE · Acid Fiend

  Immune to acid and slime.

  PASSIVE · Leaping Lizard

  Can redirect in the air and accelerates quickly off the ground.

  PASSIVE · Amphibious

  Swims and breathes underwater.

  PLAYER TIPS

  • ▸ Paint mega, stairs, and teleporters. Five blobs are area denial, not a rail analogue.
  • ▸ Acid Fiend: immune to acid and slime. Fight in slime and walk your own spit.
  • ▸ Nyx can clear your DoT with Ghost Walk. Do not spit-and-forget against her — keep painting.
  • ▸ Leaping Lizard plus Amphibious: air redirect and water maps. Do not play her as a statue Heavy.
  • ▸ NamuWiki lists her beginner-friendly. The trap is standing still behind spit instead of taking space.

  via QC Wiki, NamuWiki, r/QuakeChampions (Nyx matchup)

  WIKI
• 

  Keel

  First: Quake III Arena (1999)

  Stack 125 / 100 HP · 100 / 125 AP · 300 ups

  ACTIVE · Grenade Swarm

  Shoulder grenade launchers. A multi-grenade splits into minis on impact or after a bounce. Up to three stored; each charge cools independently.

  PASSIVE · Reinforced

  Heavy self-damage reduction (wiki: 60% self, extra splash cut).

  PASSIVE · Stockpile

  Ammo boxes refund 10% ability cooldown.

  PLAYER TIPS

  • ▸ Pair one grenade with every close-range rocket (~175 burst). Do not panic-dump all three charges.
  • ▸ Between rail / shotgun / tribolt shots, toss a grenade — not only with rockets.
  • ▸ Reinforced makes rocket jumps cheap and close rocket fights winnable. S30: 67% self, 33% splash cut.
  • ▸ Stockpile: ammo boxes refund cooldown (S30: 10→20%). Loot like a Light so the swarm never empties.
  • ▸ Lights and Mediums die to rocket + grenade. Heavies eat one and live — save the second charge.

  via Mastering Keel (community guide), QC Wiki, Season 30 notes

  WIKI