99 Nights in the Forest — All Classes & How to Unlock Them (2026)
If you have already checked the tier list and know which roles you enjoy, the next question is always the same: how many Diamonds does this cost, and how do I actually get it? This guide is your answer — a full unlock reference for every permanent class in 99 Nights in the Forest, grouped by role, with level-up conditions and a budget-buying order for players who are still grinding their first few hundred Diamonds.
How the Class System Works
Before you spend a single Diamond, understand the shop mechanics:
- General Store (Lobby left side): Only a random selection of classes is on sale at any one time. Stock rotates every 24 hours.
- Free daily reroll: Once per day you can reroll the shop stock for free. Extra rerolls cost 99 Robux each.
- Diamond acquisition: Diamonds drop from rare chests found in the Cultist Stronghold, from completing badges, and as a reward for surviving 50 or all 99 nights. There is no direct Robux-to-Diamond exchange for most classes.
- Class levels: Every class starts at Level 1. Completing in-game objectives (see individual entries below) unlocks Level 2 and Level 3 with additional perks. The cap is Level 3. You can also pay Robux to skip level-up requirements if you prefer not to grind.
- Limited classes: Some classes (like Engineer) are sold directly from the shop for Diamonds but are only available for a limited window — they are not free event-currency classes. Seasonal event classes (Halloween, Easter, Winter) use separate event currencies and require no Diamonds or Robux.
How to Earn Diamonds Quickly
| Method | Notes |
|---|---|
| Rare chests (Cultist Stronghold) | Best consistent source mid-to-late run |
| Badge completion | One-time rewards; prioritise exploration and kill badges |
| Survive 50 nights | Partial Diamond bonus even without reaching Night 99 |
| Survive all 99 nights | Large lump-sum bonus; hardest to achieve |
Permanent Classes — Full Unlock Reference
Gathering & Survival Classes
These classes focus on collecting resources, food, and materials. They are the backbone of any team that wants a sustainable base.
| Class | Cost | Starting Equipment | Key Perk (Lv1) | Level-Up Focus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Camper | 10 | Flashlight | Reduces hunger drain | Survive X nights, travel distance |
| Scavenger | 25 | Sack | +2 sack capacity | Scrap 450 items, travel 2,500 studs (Lv2); Scrap 1,000 items, travel 10,000 studs (Lv3) |
| Cook | 40 | Seasoning | Enhanced hunger restoration from food | Cook 200 portions (Lv2); Cook 400 portions + 200 stews (Lv3) |
| Hunter | 40 | 2× Bear Traps | Improved meat drop rate from animals | Catch animals, travel distance |
| Decorator | 40 | Hammer | Furniture trader unlocks extra items | Place furniture, earn coins |
| Lumberjack | 70 | Good Axe | +20% bonus log chance per tree cut | Cut 200 trees + plant 75 saplings (Lv2); Cut 500 trees + plant 200 saplings (Lv3) |
| Zookeeper | 70 | Taming Flute | Easier animal taming thresholds | Tame animals, feed animals |
| Farmer | 80 | Watering Can | Unlocks rare crop variants | Water crops, harvest crops |
| Fisherman | 50 | Fishing Rod | Faster fishing rod leveling | Catch fish, catch rare fish |
| Chef | 150 | Recipe Book + Chef Station Blueprint | Unique high-value food recipes unavailable to other classes | Cook 200 special dishes (Lv2); Cook 400 special dishes + 100 gourmet meals (Lv3) |
| Blacksmith | 200 | Hammer | Can craft Tier 4 items (highest crafting tier) | Craft items, upgrade gear |
Support & Healing Classes
Support classes keep teammates alive and enable the group to push further into harder nights. Essential in multiplayer.
| Class | Cost | Starting Equipment | Key Perk (Lv1) | Level-Up Focus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Medic | 40 | 2× Bandages | Revive speed ×5; faster healing | Revive teammates, heal players |
| Support | 45 | Bandage | Bonds with teammates to share damage reduction | Bond with teammates, survive nights |
| Base Defender | 40 | Defense Blueprint | Unlocks defensive structure builds | Build defenses, repair structures |
Combat Classes
Combat classes deal damage, protect the camp from entities, and rescue children. Most of the Diamond economy sits here.
Budget Combat (10–100 Diamonds)
| Class | Cost | Starting Equipment | Key Perk (Lv1) | Level-Up Focus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brute | 50 | Shield | Taunt enemies; damage reduction while shielding | Block attacks, taunt entities |
| Gambler | 55 | Random item | Chance to upgrade chest tier on open | Open chests, gamble outcomes |
| Ranger | 70 | Flashlight + Revolver + 18 bullets | Balanced ranged kit; starts with most items of any class | Rescue children + eliminate enemies |
| Explorer | 80 | Compass + Map | Movement speed boosts; extended map visibility | Travel distance, discover locations |
| Brawler | 100 | Leather Armor | Bonus HP and melee damage | Deal melee damage, survive hits |
| Alien | 100 | Raygun | Enhanced night vision; reduced movement speed | Eliminate enemies, survive nights |
| Berserker | 100 | Medkit | Automatic revival on first death | Die and revive, deal damage after revival |
| Undead | 100 | Bandage | Stackable bonuses upon each revival | Be revived, defeat enemies post-revival |
| Grenadier | 100 | Grenades | Area-of-effect explosion damage | Throw grenades, eliminate groups |
| Snowman | 100 | Snowball Launcher | Crowd control; slow on hit | Hit enemies, freeze targets |
Mid Combat (150–400 Diamonds)
| Class | Cost | Starting Equipment | Key Perk (Lv1) | Level-Up Focus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feaster | 150 | Varies | Unique hunger-based combat bonuses | Eat food, eliminate enemies while fed |
| Nightcrawler | 200 | Varies | Enhanced stealth and night movement | Move at night, avoid detection |
| Poison Master | 200 | Blowpipe + Poison Armor | Amplified poison damage and duration | Poison enemies, sustain poison stacks |
| Fire Bandit | 200 | Varies | Fire damage output and area control | Ignite enemies, spread fire |
| Beastmaster | 400 | Good Taming Flute | Summon and command powerful tamed animals | Tame rare animals, command in battle |
Premium Combat (500–600 Diamonds)
| Class | Cost | Starting Equipment | Key Perk (Lv1) | Level-Up Focus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assassin | 500 | Katana + 120 Throwing Knives | +10% sprint speed; note: comes with −15% max HP penalty | Eliminate enemies with knives, land stealth kills |
| Cyborg | 600 | Alien Armor + Laser Cannon | Superior night vision; Alien Armor stronger than Iron Body; overheat mechanic | Eliminate enemies, manage heat |
| Gunslinger | 600 | Dual Revolvers | Rapid-fire ranged combat; reload speed buffs | Eliminate enemies, rescue children |
| Pyromaniac | 600 | Flamethrower + Fuel Canister | Auto-cooks meat; refuels from canisters | Burn enemies, collect fuel |
| Big Game Hunter | 600 | Rifle + Ammo | Pelt consumption grants stacking buffs | Hunt large entities, collect pelts |
| Necromancer | 600 | Cultist Staff | Collect souls from slain Cultists; resurrect them (up to 6 summons) | Collect souls, command undead army |
| Vampire | 600 | Varies | Life-steal on melee hits; night-time power boost | Drain health, survive on stolen HP |
Class Rarity Star Reference
The in-game shop uses a 1-to-5 star rarity system. Higher rarity means rarer shop rotations — a 5-star class may not appear for several daily rerolls. The Engineer is a special 6-star limited class sold directly for Diamonds during its availability window.
| Stars | Typical Cost Range | Appearance Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| ★ | 10 Diamonds | Very common |
| ★★ | 25–50 Diamonds | Common |
| ★★★ | 55–100 Diamonds | Moderate |
| ★★★★ | 150–400 Diamonds | Rare |
| ★★★★★ | 500–600 Diamonds | Very rare |
| ★★★★★★ | 1,000 Diamonds | Limited window only |
Limited & Event-Exclusive Classes
These classes are not part of the permanent Diamond shop. Seasonal event classes use free in-game event currencies (Candy, Eggs, Candy Canes) and require no Diamonds. The Engineer is a special case — it costs Diamonds but is only available for a limited 10-day window.
| Class | Availability | Currency / Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Trick or Treater | Halloween event | Candy |
| Witch | Halloween (Potion Making update) | Candy |
| Santa's Helper | Winter Holiday event | Candy Canes |
| Gifting Elf | Winter Holiday event | Candy Canes |
| Egg Hunter | Easter event | Eggs |
| Bunny | Easter event | Eggs |
| Engineer | Limited 10-day shop window (6-star class) | 1,000 Diamonds |
Which Classes to Buy First on a Budget?
If you are starting with 0 Diamonds and want to spend wisely, here is the community-recommended unlock order. The goal is to get the most gameplay improvement per Diamond spent rather than buying cheap filler.
Phase 1 — First 150 Diamonds
Scavenger (25) is the single best first purchase in the game. The +2 sack space compounds across every run from Night 1 onward. Leveling to Lv2 (scrap 450 items, travel 2,500 studs) adds faster chest opening on top — so the class keeps improving with natural play. You get immediate, tangible benefit in every session regardless of your playstyle.
Medic (40) is the second purchase for any player who uses voice chat or plays in a regular group. ×5 revive speed at Level 1 alone changes the outcome of difficult nights. In solo play, deprioritise this.
Lumberjack (70) covers the base-building gap. The 20% bonus log chance means your campfire and crafting upgrades happen several nights earlier on average, which compounds into better food, better gear, and more Diamond-earning runs.
Total Phase 1 spend: 135 Diamonds
Phase 2 — 100–300 Diamonds
Ranger (70) if not already purchased — it is the best all-purpose ranged class under 100 Diamonds and enables the Rescue badge chain, which yields Diamond rewards.
Berserker (100) is a strong survival pick for players who find the mid-game entities lethal. The automatic first-death revival is uniquely forgiving and effectively gives you an extra life per run.
Fire Bandit (200) if you enjoy combat: solid area damage, reasonable cost, and serves as a stepping stone toward the premium tier playstyle before you can afford Pyromaniac or Cyborg.
Total Phase 2 spend: approximately 370 additional Diamonds
Phase 3 — Saving for Premium (500–600 Diamonds)
At this point the community consensus aligns on Necromancer and Big Game Hunter as the two best premium purchases depending on playstyle:
- Necromancer (600): Best multiplayer carry. Soul collection and the ability to command up to 6 resurrected Cultists turns the Cultist Stronghold into an advantage rather than a threat.
- Big Game Hunter (600): Best solo scaling. Pelt consumption creates an exponential buff stack that makes late-night survival far more manageable.
How Class Levels Work in Practice
Every class has three levels. You start at Level 1 the moment you purchase a class. Levels 2 and 3 require you to complete specific in-game objectives during actual runs — objectives are tracked cumulatively across multiple runs, not reset each session. You can also pay Robux to skip level-up requirements if you prefer not to grind through them naturally.
Examples of level-up conditions by class type:
- Gathering classes typically require cumulative resource harvests (cut X trees, harvest X crops) plus a travel distance milestone.
- Combat classes require enemy eliminations, rescues, or surviving to a specific night threshold.
- Support classes require actions benefiting teammates — revives, bonds, heals.
The practical implication: buy classes you will actually play, not classes you think look good. Level 2 and 3 bonuses are significant (the Lumberjack's Lv2 bonus, for instance, shifts from single-log chance to double-sapling drops), so a class you play 20 runs on will strongly outperform a higher-tier class you play twice.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I unlock classes without spending Diamonds?
No permanent class can be obtained without Diamonds — including the Engineer, which costs 1,000 Diamonds during its limited availability window. However, seasonal event classes during Halloween, Winter Holiday, and Easter use event currencies (Candy, Candy Canes, Eggs) that are entirely free to earn in-game during those events. There is no Robux purchase required for any seasonal event class.
How often does the class shop restock?
The shop rotates its available classes every 24 hours. You get one free reroll per day. Additional rerolls cost 99 Robux. Since higher-rarity classes (4–5 stars) appear less frequently, you may need multiple daily rerolls — at no Robux cost — before your target appears.
Is the Engineer class available permanently?
The Engineer is the game's first 6-star class and costs 1,000 Diamonds — the highest Diamond price of any class. It is sold directly from the class shop but only during a limited 10-day availability window. It is not a free event-currency class. Whether it will return in future windows is unconfirmed as of June 2026.
What is the cheapest class worth buying?
Scavenger at 25 Diamonds offers the best value-per-Diamond in the game. The Lv1 perk (+2 sack space) is immediately useful, and the Lv2 unlock (faster chest opening, earned through natural play) extends that value further. Camper at 10 Diamonds is cheaper but its hunger reduction is a smaller gameplay impact than Scavenger's inventory advantage.
Do classes carry over between servers?
Yes. Once purchased, a class is permanently unlocked on your account. Class levels and progression also persist across all sessions and servers — the class is attached to your account, not your current run or server.
