Option to create classless characters

Lyserus

^This
Allow people to create classless character that can choose a class later. Such characters without the class skills and passives are rather limited and are not (or should not) be endgame competitive, but provides an option to decide your class in a later time / waiting for future class

Pros:

1.More class related content. How the characters we created come to be was never specified, they just know their class without an explanation. This gives the space for class-related contents, such as class guild/organization and class guider etc, we can learn more about the history behind the classes by getting these story contents

2.Don't have to decide right away what class at character creation. For new player, you don't really have any ideas what the class is providing for you, all you know is the background and that's it. If a player get to experience the game a little bit more and know what each class can do, they can make a better choice for their first character, which we all know, is quite important

3.Closest we will get from a class change token. Whether players should be able to switch class or not is quite controversy, but in the end I don't see ZOS ever implement it, the problem it may cause is just too great and too many. However, a classless character allows us to join in one of the class later, and that means we can create a character, level it up and wait for a future class.

4.No impact on the balance. Like I said, a character without the class skills and passives should not be end game competitive (If it is, then that same build with a proper class even just the passives is going to be better). There shouldn't be balance issue caused by this and there shouldn't be a classless leaderboard, it is just not for end game. However, it can be fun for many people if they don't mind being underpower in exchange for not associating with any of the current classes (for RP reasons or hoping for a new class) and try out a character with only weapon/guild skills etc.

startstriker

Other

I’m not against it in theory as it puts the person at a disadvantage having to level up the skills etc but it’s got quiet limited scope swing as new classes don’t come around more than once every other year and it would be quite boring with the current weapon skill lines available unless they added new ones.

Class change would basically do this anyway which they’ve said aren’t going to happen the way around it I guess would be to make a character take note of how you made them and copy everything appearance wise once the new class becomes available.

Mr_Walker

I'd love a classless character, walking around with his plumbers crack showing, picking his nose, farting loudly in public, making off-colour jokes. Yes please Zos!

Edaphon

No

It would be a nightmare to get teamed up with such utterly useless players in any form of group content.

Casterial

No

No, classes add an additional in depth gameplay. Also, being classless means youre useless to all groups lol

Nebthet78

Most Stamina Characters are already pretty much Classless and only are because we must choose one.
85% of skills used don't even belong to the Class we choose, but to the Weapon, Alliance or Fighters Guild skills lines.

Kel

No

Nebthet78 wrote: »

Most Stamina Characters are already pretty much Classless and only are because we must choose one.
85% of skills used don't even belong to the Class we choose, but to the Weapon, Alliance or Fighters Guild skills lines.

Beat me to it...
My PvE main is stam sorc. Hardly use any class skills, so I'm pretty much already classless.
Bow and dual wield make up most of my skills. Crit surge and hurricane come from my sorc...the rest come from other skill lines.

Casterial

No

Nebthet78 wrote: »

Most Stamina Characters are already pretty much Classless and only are because we must choose one.
85% of skills used don't even belong to the Class we choose, but to the Weapon, Alliance or Fighters Guild skills lines.

This is true, especially for Stamplar.

IsharaMeradin

I like the idea of class specific content. Like a trainer that initially instructs in the basics and you return to on occasion to learn more advanced techniques and culminating in a "graduation" ceremony where you've been deemed as "knowing what the heck you are doing". But I don't think this game could support (or should support) changing class.

If it would not take a major change to the code, there could be one or more NPCs that explain the basics of each class within the tutorial area. Give the player a chance to try a few skills out from each class (similar to how the werewolf and vampire initiation quests give temporary skills). And before they can exit the tutorial area, the player must decide on a class to play.

Downside, since tutorial areas tend to change with new chapters, a character made prior couldn't sit and wait for the new class to become available. Unless this were a pre-tutorial common to all new characters independently of whatever newest chapter may be owned...

On the flip-side, what we have works. So why change it?

HappyTheCamper

Other

I’d like the option to be a factionless character.

peacenote

No

I see what you are going for, and I applaud the creativity, but... have to vote against.

I hear you guys on the stam characters too but we already have a problem where people power level and don't know how to play their role. The gap between experienced and new players is large, due to a variety of factors I won't rehash here. Anything that could exacerbate this further seems ultimately like the wrong way to go.

Ildun

Other

If you can create a character without class and alliance, yeah, that will be closer to the TES we love.

Riejael

I'd like to see Classes actually act like any other skill line. You can have all of them at once and use whichever combination of skills you want.

Though I would buff passives and have it so you can only have a certain number of passives active at a time

VDoom1

Other

First thought to this was "no." However...your second argument reminded me of something we have already seen in an Elder Scrolls game.

Lyserus wrote: »

2.Don't have to decide right away what class at character creation. For new player, you don't really have any ideas what the class is providing for you, all you know is the background and that's it. If a player get to experience the game a little bit more and know what each class can do, they can make a better choice for their first character, which we all know, is quite important

In Oblivion we first run around just exploring, fighting. We set our characters appearance and that's it. Only later after some exploring and some combat do we decide on class and the other stuff.

With that in mind, some sort of class test area wouldn't be such a bad idea. To let new players test this and that then decide. As it is right now there is no way to preview classes.

Though I have to look at stamina characters. As others have mentioned that is basically like playing classeless. Not entirely no of course not. But stamina builds sometimes have 0 class abilities. It's not the same as your idea, no. But it's not to far away.

Wandering_Immigrant

This would be nice for when you pre-ordered an expansion / plan to buy the new class. I know what race and gender I plan to make my necro, been playing with names in my head and messing around in character creator. Would be nice if I could just make her, get her started unlocking non-class skill lines. Outside of that specific scenario though I don't see much point.

Your second point would be cool and give it a purpose if the game gave more direction to new players, but as is there's people who don't even know you can use wayshrines to teleport, and I don't think someone who hasn't looked into classes is going to have looked into non-class skill lines so you'll have people with 160+ CP with nothing but weapon skills and whatever guild skill lines they happened to stumble upon.

notyuu

Other

Repeat after me
Class. Change. Token.

srfrogg23

No

Repeatedly being randomly grouped for vet dungeons with groups of "classless" characters just sounds really annoying.

TheShadowScout

No

Errr... no.

it sounds like you want ZOS to do a lot of extra work coding something few people would enjoy and many would hate at no extra profit to ZOS.
I don't see that happening, ever.

Yeah, it would have been nice had ESO started with a more flexible character system, but alas... that ship sailed, was set on fire and sunk a loooong time ago, so now we have to think about the game we have, and not the game we wish we could have had. Maybe the next game.

HappyTheCamper wrote: »

I’d like the option to be a factionless character.

That cannot work in itself because of how the game is set up. You -have- to join a faction to play the mainstory.
...
How-ever... they -could- add an option to "defect" from your faction, and either join a new one, or stay "factionless" and then package that into a DLC... as I mentioned elsewhere:

TheShadowScout wrote: »

As I always say when this one comes up : I am all for alliance change - If Done RIGHT!

And by that I don't mean some token that pops your character to a new alliance, I do indeed mean a whole guild-DLC sized questline with an cloak and dagger (Or since this is ESO, "hood and dagger", perhaps?) spycraft flavor and a "faction loyalty called in question" plot, where you get to make a big choice in the middle - stay loyal to your alliance and prove yourself, or turn your back on them and defect to greener pastures elsewhere...

With the second half (or two thirds, or whatever) of the questline being different depending on your choice - either uncovering the one who actually framed you, mobilize your old and trusted allies to gather support and track down the true conspiracy while dodging the agenrs sent to bring you in; or preparing your escape, dodging the agents sent to arrest you, courting your desired new friends while grabbing some juicy secrets on the way out to sweeten the deal, etc.

Such a story could have a neutral city as "spycraft" focal point (like vienna during the cold war, where spies and agents often went to spy hard between the two sides - for ESO it could be some place between the alliances, a former imperial town declared "free city" after the fall of the empire in northern nibenay, eastern colovia or western skyrim, perhaps, or even an post-anchorite-war isle of stirk...), but otherwise take you all over the old faction regions, possibly revisiting a few one-time-only maps with new mobs... and perhaps even meeting a few familiar faces (come on, wouldn't you love to slam a porticullis shut into Razum-dars face as you hop on a boat bound to morrowind with Naryu? )

Such a questline could even have special titles depending on what you choose... "[original faction] Loyalist" or "[original faction] Defector"... obviously it would be a one-time only event, thus making serial defectors that change alliance depending on which one is currently top in cyrodil that some people always fear when this topic comes up an impossibility.

And it also might have drawbacks for PvP, like... reduced AP gain for several months, since noone fully trusts a traitor... or maybe having to re-earn all the AP up to your current rank before you start progressing again, representing your efforts to convince your new allies of your trustworthyness... and definitely increased AP rewards if a member of your original faction takes you down, because...


(there could even be a daily "hunt traitor" mission, and defectors from your PvP-characters alliance in cyrodil getting an visual clue while that mission is active...)

Also, this could be a option to add new factions to PvP. Like... have options to not just defect to one of the other two alliances, but also "go rogue" and join a new "Outlaw" faction (...black color and jolly roger flag, perhaps? Would be hostile to -every- other faction in cyrodil, and spawn at some new but unsecured base, thus very susceptible to enemy raids - trials of being an outlaw in the face of organized armies); or an "Imperial Remnant" faction (purple imperial diamond flag, spawning in some ill-secured legion base somewhere, possibly at the nibenay border, and also fighting everyone else, but turning all the "imperial" NPCs in cyrodil non-hostile?), or a "neutral" faction that is "yellow" to everyone (green flag and incapable of capturing locations, spawning at vasrious random merchant camps and such...)
Might be too complicated, but would still be interesting!

notyuu wrote: »

Repeat after me
Class. Change. Token.

Yeah. IF anything, that would be it.
But the last official word is still "nope, not gonna do it", although I heard they are thinking about the issue, and might come up with something to make people have less frustrations... tho I reckon it will be more "pay crowns to copy progress from your main" as "convenience item" like the upcoming skyshard thing...

barney2525

I've often been told my characters have no class


8)

Devanear

Other

For new player, you don't really have any ideas what the class is providing for you, all you know is the background and that's it. If a player get to experience the game a little bit more and know what each class can do, they can make a better choice for their first character,

For me the best way to learn is playing. Without actually playing the class it's impossible to know exactly what you are getting, despite how much you are playing the game. I'm sure many people have had that experience where you believe you know if you like this or that class or playstyle just to try one day and discover you were wrong.

I like the idea of a character without magical powers, that relies solely on weapons, not as a way to change class, but as a different class. To compensate for the lack of class abilities weapons could gain an extra skill tree. However, I do not like the idea of a character that can change class, and games that allow one character to be everything are not appealing to me. I feel like an important RPG aspect is lost. Characters are suppose to be individuals taking part on a story, if they can just be a templar one day and then a nightblade the other, that individuality is lost.

Danikat

Other

I'm not against it but I can't see myself ever using this option if it was available.

I get the idea that it allows you to choose a class later on, but I'd still want to try the class skills (alongside the other skills I'll use) before making that decision. Delaying the choice serves absolutely no purpose for me unless there's also a way to try out each class. And that option already exists in the form of making a character, playing them for a bit and deleting them if you don't like the choice.

validifyedneb18_ESO

Yes

For like a challenge/ironman playthough, this would be pretty damn cool.

Can you complete ESO without any class abilities or passives. Except we have a class to show for our achievement.

Tommy_The_Gun

Other

Hmm... no class skills and passives...
... this... this means less nerfs... ?

Devanear

Other

validifyedneb18_ESO wrote: »

For like a challenge/ironman playthough, this would be pretty damn cool.

Can you complete ESO without any class abilities or passives. Except we have a class to show for our achievement.

An ironman challenge would be pretty easy to do on ESO as is, without putting extra work on the devs.

Bouldercleave

No

Nebthet78 wrote: »

Most Stamina Characters are already pretty much Classless and only are because we must choose one.
85% of skills used don't even belong to the Class we choose, but to the Weapon, Alliance or Fighters Guild skills lines.

I think the Warden may be the only Stam class that actually benefits from using class abilities and that is more because of the passives are good with slotted animal abilities.

My Stampar, Stamblade, and Stamsorc all use more weapon and alliance skills and almost no class skills