Class Discussion: Alpha 2 Wave 1

All, I want to start some discussion on the classes as they are so far in Alpha 2 Phase 1. Also, I want to share some of my feedback/thoughts on the classes and open it up for others to do the same to hopefully provide some value to other players and the devs.

Note: I realize this is an alpha, they haven't done much balancing and the goal for this phase is to test scalability, stability, performance, and progression. But their overall testing goals for Alpha 2 are Scalability, Stability and Fun. Classes, theory crafting, optimizing, etc. are one of the most fun parts of games to me. Picking a class is an element of the game everyone is going to interact with and heavily impact your playtime and fun. I also realize the classes could change significantly, that we can only get to lvl 25 currently, and we don't have secondary architypes. So yeah, a lot of this can change but they asked us to provide feedback so that's what I'm doing.

This post ended up being really long so buckle up. I'll put a TLDR at the end.

First, my anecdotal ranking of the most played/ most popular classes in Alpha 2 Wave 1:

  1. Mage
  2. Ranger
  3. Cleric
  4. Bard
  5. Fighter
  6. Tank

Do you guys agree with this ranking?

Some thoughts about this ranking: DPS is usually the most popular/most played classes, so it makes sense that I see the most Mages and Rangers. It is surprising to me that there aren't more fighters (this is based on my personal play experience, I have no real data to say if the above ranking is accurate). So, this ranking makes me ask some questions:

  • Is fighter poorly designed/ not a fun class? (I don't think so, it's my most played class)
  • Is melee just worse or not as much fun in this game?
  • Is my ranking wrong and more people play fighter than I realize?

Second my personal experiences and feedback for the classes:

One of my goals for this phase was to test as many of the classes as I could to try and find a favorite. I decided I would play the classes to lvl 12ish (this is all I have time for, this game is a grind and I love it) I wanted to get a feel for how the classes play, what the 'vibe' I got from playing them was. I think the general feel of the class won't change as much during the upcoming development as much as the details, balancing, etc.

  • Ranger (Played to lvl 8): I really wanted to like this class; I typically enjoy 'bow' classes but after playing to level 8 I was ready for a change. Upon reflecting I think the main problem was this is the first class I played in the game so I was learning to play still; and a lot of the classes take a while to come online and I probably didn't get leveled enough with this class.
    • Things I liked are the charged scatter-shot. It's fun to choose how to use the ability. A quick shot with a wide aoe or a charged, aimed, precise shot (it's really fun in the action combat mode). I also enjoy the class fantasy, lots of mobility, big single target burst abilities.
  • Cleric (Played to Lvl 12): I really enjoyed the class fantasy of playing a paladin. I equip heavy armor, a 2H greatsword and mostly played in melee range. From the start this class was easier to play than the ranger since I could heal myself. The essence infusion skill made it so you pretty much never run out of mana, and it was easy to find groups since everyone wants healers.
    • As stated above I liked playing a melee 'paladin' and early on it felt like a fun mix between damage and healing abilities. The damage abilities proc off each other and smite being instant cast in melee is fun.
    • Things I didn't like were that a lot of the abilities didn't flow together. Like it doesn't matter what order you cast heals in you just hit buttons. Maybe this changes if you're a better cleric than me but I don't think so. I think they should add more status effects etc. that tie abilities together to make it feel like I'm not just hitting whatever is off cooldown for heals.
  • Fighter (Played to lvl 15) This is the class I played the most, and it is fun. The fighter attacks feel meaty, and the sustain from lethal blow feels good at low levels. At lvl 12 when you get blood fusion (more sustain) things really get fun. I'm either going to main this class or Mage for Wave 2
    • I really like how heavy the attacks feel and seeing big numbers after setting up the right debuffs for abilities to hit harder. I like swapping between stances for different enemies or different groups. I like the sustain so I can keep myself topped off on health and mana during long 3-star mob fights. Abilities flow together well, and I feel like a brawler. I can play tactical (tripping an enemy before they get off a big attack feels good), or I can unga bunga and still feel effective.
    • A lot of the mobs only have short range melee abilities, but they can still hit you as a fighter when you don't have aggro. You have to pay more attention while mob grinding even with a tank (this could be a pro or a con) I barely got to do any PvP but I'm nervous that there won't be enough mobility on this class. Mobility is tough to balance but I'm hoping they add a bit more mobility to this class. Also please make changing stances more smooth mid combat.
  • Mage (Played to lvl 13) Man this class is a blast. The abilities look great. Casting spells is fun, the kit has a good number of defensives, but I still feel the risk vs reward of playing a squishy mage. I like how all the different elements and abilities work together. The status effects are fun. Shatter feels soooo good (big numbers make me happy). It's no wonder so many people play this class
    • The combat with this class feels really good. I like the blink and the shield and how they give you just enough survivability. I like weaving spells together, and I really like all of the status effects and how they encourage synergy between each other.
    • I don't like how many people play this class. It makes it hard to get gear when you're competing with all the other magic users. Every group is going to have at least one cleric and bard on top of anyone else playing mage. I would like it if they added more area denial/ control spells. Also give us more aoe fire spells/ make fireball aoe.

Ok that was probably too long especially considering I didn't max level any of these classes and its so early in development. To me it's worth it to discuss what's fun so Intrepid can take this amazing game and make it even better.

TLDR:

Why does it seem like there aren't as many people playing fighter as there should be?

Ranger: I struggled with this class but might try it again later. Scatter shot (with concentrated augment) is a fantastic ability.

Cleric: Melee cleric with heavy armor feels fun and powerful, but the abilities (specifically heals) don't have the same synergy that abilities from other classes do. Maybe I just suck at cleric?

Fighter: Very fun class, attacks feel powerful, and stances are fun. I hope they add a bit more mobility to the full kit. Please make stance changes mid combat smoother.

Mage: Skill synergy and status effects as so much fun. The abilities look amazing. Too many people play this class. I think adding more control/ area denial spells would be fun. Fire should be the aoe element imo