[Suggestion] Hail Adventurer!

Tabbycat

I spend some of my time reading the forums to see what the general thoughts are on ESO. One of the things I've noticed is that many TES fans aren't happy with the way the class system works. They are used to the more free form way of building your character as seen in other TES games.

How can we resolve this problem without destroying all the hard work ZOS has done to create the class system and without having to completely revamp it?

When you break it down, each class is comprised of three unique skill lines. But these skill lines are only a portion of what you use to create your character. What if you broke those skill lines away from the class system? Instead of being forced to choose a class with three fixed skill lines, why can't you allow the players to choose the three they want to use?

What you would get is basically an Adventurer class. Each player, at character creation, has the choice of any three of the skill lines. As a player progresses, they can purchase, for a fee, the other 9 skill lines. Each newly purchased skill line could be more expensive than the previous, thus forcing players to think about what skill lines they actually want instead of just buying them all at once.

In order to change skill lines, characters would need to visit a shrine to reset all of their skill points and then visit a second shrine to reset their skill lines. The fee to reset the skill lines can be based on character level. Lower level characters would pay less for a reset than higher level players would. This would allow players the freedom to play how they want but also prevent them from doing it too often.

This would also introduce two new gold sinks in the game. To offset the new expenses, ZOS could increase the gold and item drops from world monsters.

While players might be tempted to build the most powerful builds possible when given the freedom to choose, they might also find themselves missing out on much needed survival or control skills. With all players having access to all the skill lines they can afford to purchase, it should make balancing much easier.

Summary: Do away with the class system and instead allow players to choose 3 out of the 12 available class skill lines. Add in additional gold sinks to the game by letting players purchase the remaining 9 skill lines and a shrine to reset them.

Suggestions? Opinions?

Edited for clarity.

AlexDougherty

The problem is that if you let people choose which three skill lines they want, they will generally choose from the top four/five lines. And everybody will have nearly identical builds.

I'm levelling all four classes, although I'm leaving my nightblade for a bit, and they all have a significantly different flavour. The classes are right, once the bugs are gone, and they are properly balanced, people will see them as good.

I love the classes, except nightblade, I'm sort of indifferent to nightblade.