uneko said:I've always been drawn toward pet classes in most games because there's something satisfying about being able to summon various creatures and watch them do the tanking for you. My dilemma has always been that I also enjoy knight-type classes and pet classes are almost always cloth-type and squishy. In EQ I ended up picking Shadowknight, but found the pet to be horrendously weak, as was expected. It was almost useless really, but I got both things I wanted so I never complained.
With the release of Agnarr I actually made a Cleric because I wanted to switch things up and practice for Pantheon. I found the EQ cleric to be boring because I essentially just tabbed out for a few minutes, tabbed back in and healed (sometimes not even necessary), then tabbed back out. It would occasionally get hectic and I found joy in frantically trying to keep the group alive during tough encounters, but those moments were few and far between.
Now my first ever character in EQ (which was my first MMO) was a Ranger, so I was thinking of running a Ranger in Pantheon, but I'm still quite undecided until I see the rest of the class reveals.
I too enjoy pet classes and found similar satisfaction with the SHD in EQ... but then I later rolled a Necro and wanted to cry at how worthless the SHD pet was in comparison. The Necro pet did more DPS than my SHD + his pet :/
But since the SHD was my original class I may go with the DireLord as my primary (and either Necro or Druid as my caster option depending on their mechanics).
Lore first.
I tend to follow the class flavour throught the lore and the global sense it has, beeing more interested in plate armor wearers and such, which leads me to tank really quick. Once settled, I often choose some versatile second roles as rerolls, like monk, because I like to have some ambivalence in my role as they lead to more options and more tricks to get the most of your class. Then my subsequent rerolls are tied to personal preferences : Melee range if possible, ambivalence if possible, and the need to have a few other roles carried.
As an example, I do not hate to heal but I don't enjoy it if the role is just passively looking at health bar. Some do enjoy this "irregular paced gameplay", but I like to have a heavy activity while playing, and thus If i have to heal I tend to prefer some agressive healer class with which I can smack something to the mob in addition to healing. I enjoyed (for some part) FFXIV's healer design because you could DPS when you had enough mana and it was quite descent, however it ended as a need more than an option and lead to minimal healing policy, which in return is bad for the game design.
Porygon said:I'm typically drawn to healer or tank based upon their importance in a group. A good healer can make up the difference from a bad tank or dps, but it doesnt always go the other way.
As far as healers... I usually strive for the "pure healer" soooooo a cleric.
I agree that a good healer can compensate for a poor tank or dps, but I would say that a good CC or a good tank can also compensate for poor healing (which is hard to do, but I've seen it). The great thing about a group-centric game is that we will all be able to contribute to the success of our groups! :)
I'm a real-life lurker, and that translates well to stealth classes. I often poke around solo just to see what I can find. I love the ability to go anywhere, see everything, and be the fly on the wall.
In EQ, I mained a druid and poked around everywhere with Camo and SoW. Mained a rogue in a handful of other games, of which my favorites were probably Vanguard and Rift. Those rogues had so much utility on top of their sneakiness that they were a joy to play. Rift rogue tanking and the mobility of their teleports kept me glued for over a year. Using flechettes to AoE kite a gaggle of blue adds in Vanguard had me cackling.
I'm a big fan of alts though, and I really love any role for group content. They're all great fun. I like to be the guy who has an alt for any situation. No healer? Let me grab mine. No tank, got ya covered. My WoW mains were paladin and druid. I'm also a big fan of making classes do things they're not expected to. If it's in my tool kit, I'm going to use it. See flechette AoE kiting above - inefficient but hilarious. <3 flechettes. I remember saving a few groups with spammable AoE snares when they were about to call for a wipe. "Rogues can do that?!"
Also mobility. I gotta whoosh.
Training mobs always seems an apt allegory for life.
When I first started playing everquest... my initial draw was toward enchanter. I always felt my montra was like 3m... I dont make the party.. i just make the party better. The class was heavily populated and on raids only needed 2-3 enchanters per raid. Boring as hell to play an enc on raids you were basically a buff... b#%ch. I then switched to cleric because clerics were always needed in anything. Easy to find groups.. raids could not take place without at least 5-7 clerics.. or one per group.. sometimes 4 for the main tank group. I always had something to do.. and it was great to finally get pushed up into heal rotation or as number 1 or 2 cleric in guild. was heavy compitition.
My final choice was.. Shadowknight or in this game will be direlord. I loved the utility of the class. Enjoyed the power it had in duo or trio's I could pull, tank, handle groups. I could solo with fear kiting even dragons (until they put a lvl cap on fear boooooo :() The biggest reason was for raiding. On initial release it was almost easier to raid pull over monks because of our snare ability over a pure monk. Then they gave monks Tripple fd and I lost that ability to pull on raids over them BOOOO again.
The true reason why I picked shadowknight.. was raids. Both the enc and cleric were reactionary classes. If pull was bad.. encs kicked in.. if guild was gonna wipe it was up to the clerics to respond quickly to save as many people as they could... res and log out for sake of saving raid progression. Then at the end of clearing a certain portion of the raid zone.. it was move up... I had no clue where to go often on first time raids because I never saw anything. I was looking at my spell book sitting away from main body of raid to prevent aoe from killing me. I got lost often. I said enough.. I am gonna learn these raid zones.. I am gonna be part of the solution for raid success. I got to see everything.. I got to see zone before it was broken. I got to see the pathing of mobs as they were pulled. I got first hand knowledge of their hits, effects and skills. Even more important is we single handedly could save raids. Our primary raid function was the OH crap class tank wise. If a warrior lost defensive, or ch chain failed in came the sk to save the raid. We could snap agro... to us... give the clerics and indication of tank change and possibly be healed enough to get another warrior in on main target again. Often times there was a shadow knight cycle as well since our harmtouch was our primary snap agro ability. We could even help in raid wipe recovery with our fd and ability to summon corpses. OMG i was so pleased with the versatility of my class I honestly could never see playing anything else.
I've always played melee based characters since UO and EQ days, and even before that in a handful of MUDs. I just like to be in the face of the enemy, either smacking them with a sword and taking the hits with my shield, or standing behind them wailing at their flanks doing as much damage as possible. Thus, I generally play the warrior tank or the rogue/thief - my main generally depends on the type of game. If it's all about the combat, then the warrior. If there are lots of utility skills that are useful to the party, then it's the Rogue.
For me the draw to my class is usually based on the general need for the class. This has almost always led me to a tank class. The paladin is generally my main and as a tank is makes it easier to form groups. It also has that good natured feel and lends itself to feeling very leader like since your always on the front lines protecting your group.
I like supportive roles the most. Which is why I like healers the most - there's something about being the rock everyone depends on when it hits the fan.
Being able to pull through and keeping the group alive through difficult encounters is rewarding. I also enjoy a class with plenty of utility if I'm not playing a healer. I don't like being the leader, and enjoy being the backbone of a group, or the character that brings a bag of useful tricks.
I am usually drawn to a class because of the need of my group and the complexity of the class. I've played DPS classes but there are never my top picks because it lacks impact in the group.
In EQ2 (Nagafen PvP server), my main was a Defiler, a shaman that was awful solo. However, it was really powerful in a group, with another healer (druid or cleric). People would play stronger classes, but they would usually lose to my group because our set up was really strong. We did not have weaknessess.
Playing a shaman was interesting, I had many choices to make:
Should I debuff the target? Or take a risk to cast a long spell to protect my group? Do I have time to cast a big ward (protection to absord future damage taken), Who should I heal now? Should I use my disable now? etc...
In Pantheon, I do not know yet what I will play. I feel that it will depend on the number of hours I can dedicate to the game. Tanks are always needed, and a good tank in EQ2 was such an asset! I supposed it will be the same in Pantheon. Perhaps I would enjoy tanking, I never tried.
One type of character that I always enjoyed are the enchanters and bards. Powerful if played correctly and they make everey group better. I enjoy supporting my group and being useful during clutch encounters.
Druid, Dire Lord, Enchanter, Bard... I like them all.
Recently, I moved to Hawaii and I doubt I will be able to play with anyone I used to (time zone), so hopefully I will find a great group of people and will make a decision based on the need of my guild.
EWAN said:What draws you to a class?
1. The story behind it and the races that can be that class.
2. The purpose and gameplay of that class.
3. What the class brings to a group.
4. What I can do with that class.
I tend to have a lot of alts, just because I like to know how other classes play and I want to see the world and story from several different perspectives. It's also nice when I want to do something different. Sometimes playing the same one day/week/month after day/week/month gets monotonous. I also like pushing the limits of whatever I'm playing. Finding creative ways to use the skillset that a class offers is fun for me.
I'm drawn to magic caster classes - mainly wizards. As for why, i guess there is more than one reason. From the young age I loved reading books - some of them from fantasy genre - those books made me fall in love with the idea what the wizards (and magic) represented (knowledge, mystery, power) as well as access to abilities beyond reach of others. My second reson for choosing a class is the way I perceive adventuring and games world - I'm primarly an explorer and a bit of achiever as well and any half decent explorer should be knowledgable which is domain of wizards (high perception helps with this as well thats why rangers are also my close-to-the-top class picks, though I still prefer magic support classes before them). Third reason is from gameplay perspective itself - generally I like being a "glass" character with cloth robe/light armor, being always on my toes - the less room for error the better. I also enjoy causing havoc in enemy ranks (either by dmg or cc) as well as supporting my friends (wether by healing and buffing them or by debuffing enemies - so I always alt a support class). Wizards (especially in older games) were always rewarded for initial challange they had to face - they started out with couple of underwhelming spells, being forced to really plan and prepare for the fights, but at the end game they were outmatching everyone else - and that was great.
Magic + Support. These things together with a group and I'll have fun. My first class was druid in DAoC, and also a Healer. I learned to love healing. I was lifting up my people from the shadows, supporting what they were doing. This theme was pretty common for me in other MMOs.
But I also found that I enjoy other kinds of support. Songs and buffs. Shielding with magic. All kinds of things can make me happy.
I also enjoy responding to situations. Like having a bunch of cards on my bar and which card do I need to play in this instant, this situation. Rather than like having a rotation.
Melee bores me fast. Let me call upon the forces of nature or elements and weave them into the world with a group.
Hello Warriors.
This is a self-reflection, so please keep that in mind as you continue to read.
Recently, I was asked why I have dedicated my free time to games and gaming in general?
I was asked what I get out of paying real money for digital content that doesn't really belong to me?
I was asked why would I sacrifice precious time, that I can't get back?
Before I get into the answers, let me explain a little about my life Journey so far and give you an idea of my dedication and devotional capabilites:
I spent 27 years in the Army and Retired in 2017.
I have studied martial arts since the mid 80's and attained more than one Black Belt.
I have achieved more than most and less than others.
To say I am average would be an understatement...
So why do I play games?
I used to play games to "escape" from the harsh realities of combat and life in general.
I have played online games since Ultima Online. I have tested games, pledged to games, supported Kickstarter projects, ran Guilds, Raids and so on... Like most of you have Who are taking the time to read this wall of text.
I have used games as a means to cope with stress. There is nothing like smashing something in a virtual world. It is safe, and it doesn't bring any real harm to anyone.
I have used games as a means to atone for mistakes I have made in life. Being nice and helping someone is free in a virtual environment and helps you bring balance in your life.
Which brings me to the reason I like to play a certain class.
I love Bards.
They are unique, they are versatile, they are built to support and help others, they provide inspiration through words of encouragement.
They are motivators and enovators.
They Travel, They Explore, They Support.
Jacks of all Trades, Masters of None.
For me, and my Journey, I have found it helps to keep the darkness in check.
I use it to connect with like minded people, who have goals and help them reach those goals.
I usually look for a class that Heals or Supports, because that is who I strive to be in my every day life.
For me, it is more than mashing a button to get a desired effect.
Happy New Year Fallen!
I come from a family of hunters. Deer, pheasant, dove, elk hunting was a normally seasonal activity we all participated in as kids. One of my uncles owned a compound bow, we used to use the side of the barn to setup targets and spend all day competing for a bullseye hit. Great fun for kids. Naturally this got me started in the Ranger class. Solo play and group versatility got me hooked long term. I had experienced persistent vivid wolf dreams, I think they were manifested by my first experiencing using wolf form and fear kiting animals in the Karanas.
TriteEnvile said:My final choice was.. Shadowknight or in this game will be direlord.
OMG i was so pleased with the versatility of my class I honestly could never see playing anything else.
You should probably be aware that Dire Lord is NOTHING like Shadow Knight. At all.
edit: Unless the devs plan on giving the DL the staples of the SHD which were invis, FD, heavy armor, fear (or some other kiting ability), and "life steal" (not reactionary heal) in the future.
I'd like to add that knowing the abilities and core mechanics available to my class helps me in determining my class. Not just being aware that some exist and I will have access to them at some unknown point, but knowing WHEN I will get them and how they work even before I start to play the class.
If five months into playing a class a player learns that their favorite ability only works up to lvl XX, at which point they have to use a skill that is aesthetically or mechanically unpleasing (to them) for the rest of their time playing the game, they may be pretty upset. Not just the obvious mechanics/skills either; If a player discovers that their "melee" class is the only one that doesn't get double or tripple attack playing a class labeled as "melee" (like the classic EQ bard) they may be pretty upset.
Another disgusting thing done in classic EQ was the experience penalties... some people to this day playing p99Green literally don't know they are at -40% to -68% xp penalties (that is cumulative and their entire group is subjected to) while some are at +40% xp bonuses depending on their race/class combos because nothing in the game identifies that. Disgusting.
Listing all available skills, bonuses and penalties that come with a race/class UP FRONT is very important in the decision process, and ultimately in the loyalty of the player. Nothing would make people rage-quit harder than after spending 100+ hours leveling a character only to find out that their specific race/class combo is the only one that can't perform how they expected it to at character creation.
Hello. My name is Jothany and I'm an altaholic. :)
I look at all the classes, rule out the ones that don't appeal for whatever reason, and then try playing every one of them.
Weeks or months later, based entirely on which char I felt like playing on any given day I logged in, one of the chars is noticeably higher level than the others. At that point in time, I name that class as my main. I still keep playing some or all of the others though and occasionally one of the others will take over the designation of Main.
EWAN said:I'm glad this post got so much attention, I had to put plans aside but i'll start looking back into this soon :) best of wishes my fellow pantheoners
The currently most-used nomenclature is 'Fantheons'.
Personally, I'm pushing to name citizens of Terminus 'Termites' :)