The Fifth Crusade needs adventurers with high Constitution stats, an astronomical AC score, and a bunch of healing potions strapped to their bodies, as they're the only ones who are going to last against the Glabrezu and Balor stalking the land of Golarion.
In Pathfinder, it's important to have characters who can aggro the enemies so the ranged fighters and the spellcasters can attack without being cut into pieces. This is especially important in Wrath of the Righteous, as many of the cultists and demons in the game have the ability to incapacitate party with spells or abilities. Melee characters have to be tough to survive rounds where they cannot defend themselves.
There are a staggering number of character options in Wrath of the Righteous, but the nature of the story and the enemies the player will face means that some configurations are better than others. These are the best melee classes to choose for those players who wish to fight the demon horde head-on in battle.
The Cavalier Class in Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous
Cavaliers and mounts are some of the new additions to Pathfinder in Wrath of the Righteous. On their own, the Cavalier has two main class abilities that are incredibly powerful - Challenge and Tactician. Challenge only has a limited number of uses, but, when used on a single enemy, it allows the Cavalier to add their level to their damage rolls. This becomes incredibly powerful over time, especially when the Cavalier gains multiple attacks per round.
Tactician allows the Cavalier to give one of their Teamwork Feats to all party , which means they can out amazing feats like Outflank and Precise Strike without the rest of the party needing to spend their own feats to get them. Tactician becomes even better at level 9 when using it becomes a swift action, allowing the Cavalier to use it at the start of combat and still move or attack.
The Cavalier also gains access to a mount, which becomes stronger as they level up. The mount allows the Cavalier to by the movement restrictions of wearing heavy armor. A horse is a traditional mount for Cavaliers, but it's possible to take the Beast Rider subclass, go for a triceratops or a velociraptor mount and use their bulk to crash into the enemy lines. The extra movement is great for circumventing front-line fights and ramming straight into enemy archers and spellcasters.
The Demonslayer Ranger Class in Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous
The most dangerous enemies the player will face in Wrath of the Righteous are demons, so why not pick the class that specializes in dealing with them? The Demonslayer archetype for the Ranger has to take Evil Outsider as their favored enemy, but this grants them their favored enemy bonus to saves against all magical abilities used by demons. The player spends a good chunk of the start of the game in a city, so Favored Terrain (Urban) will grant them additional bonuses. The Demonslayer is a great option for players who want a dual-wielding character that can pile on a lot of damage, especially when buffed by allies.
The Paladin Class in Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous
Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous is about forming a crusade and fighting a war against demons. As such, the bulk of the enemies in the game are demons. There is no class better suited for dealing with fiends than the Paladin. The Smite Evil ability lets them deal a ton of damage to evil creatures, while also bying their damage reduction. Their Lay on Hands ability can heal the Paladin as a swift action if they need it, and it can be improved to cure status effects. The Paladin can choose between a special mount (like the Cavalier) or can empower their weapons with enchantments that make them more effective.
It bears mentioning that one of the earliest companions available to the player in Wrath of the Righteous is a Paladin named Seelah. This is a case where double-dipping on a class in a party is useful. The player can fill both their protagonist and Seelah with Teamwork Feats in order to make them a formidable front-line fighting force.
Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous is available for PC and is coming to PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on March 1, 2022.
