@Darch, you are right that a lower level preview won't be of much use if the class changes too much at higher levels. I hope classes will develop more at high level but not fundamentally change since that can be very frustrating to slowly lose the thing that attracted you to the class. I hope we get growth but I don't like when classes change at high levels.
One way this could be done which falls in line to help answer VRs question of "how to introduce to new comers"......
You start the game as a level 15-20 person that is a flashback/dream of an event that has you in a small 4 person party of 3 NPCs. Depending on your role of the class you chose, you assume the role of that person in this flashback/dream. Make this flashback/dream somewhere that you will encounter later, and in the flashback/dream you and your party eventually die to a boss. The flashback/dream ends upon death and you wake up as your level 1 toon.
@Undertanker, that is exactly what I was thinking; but you wouldn't even have to die, but the combat can abrubtly end as you awake from a prophetic dream(s)/nightmare(s) and you can choose to try to "return to sleep" to try again, or "get out of bed" to start the game at lvl 1.
-1st NPC you meet "Ahh, XYZ you look as though you've been unable to sleep again this night. The same dream as last night? etc. etc. etc."
@Counterfleche, I too hope that the gameplay won't change at endgame, but I can't think of a single MMO that it hasn't... its a relatively large factor in character advancement in an RPG to be dramatically different at max level than the previous 80% of the character's progression experience.
The cleric would be a perfect example of this... how many people think the cleric will need to melee to replenish mana compared to how many people expcet the cleric to be meditating until they need to heal? What are the chances one of these will be true at end game and one will be relevant at early game... or vice versa - and how will a new player know otherwise (without waiting for some streamers to give their opinion as if it is what everyone's opinion should be...)?
I resonate with this question as a Necro that spent most of raids as a mana battery, summoning corpses after a wipe, and DoT-ing occasionally... Creating my character years prior I didnt know I was signing up as purely a utility class that never felt like contriubted much in endgame content. That was a lot of grinding levels for years to reach that anticlimactic result.
Anyway, I think a lot of this discussion comes down to what "endgame" and "raiding" will eventually become.
As a Shadow Knight tanking was absolutely viable up to a certain point.... Until it wasnt much later.
So its hard to say if a preview of that content will be helpful. I believe VR is going to attempt to throw the traditional roles out the window, but I take that with a grain of salt. Why? Because at a certain point specifically high end content is going to be very role defined based on the situation. For example, playing a druid that only wants to deal damage, and not heal, will be a tough sell for endgame content that requires all hands on deck. Is grouping with a rogue, although capable of cc, going to be more efficient than simply having an enchanter with a rogue dealing damage? I'll take the enchanter and let the rogue do their damage. That distinction wont matter as much while leveling, but in endgame situations and raids you'd likely want the most efficient class for the job right?
To answer the question - I dont think we will have enough information until endgame content is around long enough to truly know. I'd suggest to play what you enjoy based on the classes primary role (tanking/healing/damage/cc) and flavor.
@Dusk,
Good points and I agree. My reasoning for suggesting the endgame preview during character creation is to supplement having to play a class for several months in hopes of it being what you invision when, like you suggest, creating a character "you enjoy based on the class's primary role (tanking/healng/damage/cc) and flavor" because that is exactly (and literally) what changes in most RPGs as a player progresses from level 1 to 50. Going from running away from the enemy, trying to find time to sit and meditate to regain mana as a lvl 10 cleric, compared to a lvl 50 cleric having to melee and block attacks with their shield to regenerate mana while also supporting the group is dramatically different gameplay... and a literal possibility according to the devs vision of the endgame cleric.