An idea: legendary classes

Feynn · March 2015

This is an idea inspired by the French webseries "Noob" (noob-tv.com) which follows the adventures of a group of players in the fictional MMORPG "Horizon."

One of the features of this non-existing game is the possibility for players to unlock a "legendary class" once they reach their maximum level. In order to unlock their legendary class, players need to complete an epic quest which gives them a real feeling of achievement. Legendary classes of course come with improved skills and abilities. Some really epic ultimate abilities can also be unlocked at later stages through further quests.

When choosing their legendary class, players can choose between a "light" (Dawn) or "dark" (Dusk) alignment, and they can choose to switch to an entire different class than the one they have been playing all along. For example, there is an episode in which an Elementalist becomes a Dusk Warrior.

I understand this would require a lot of work and balancing, but I think it's a fascinating concept, and one which really gives players that sort of "epic" feeling.

Kragorn · March 2015

Please define epic quest, because it's easy to predict the elitists will demand the quest needed to unlock such a class be 'hard', meaning' they'll demand it's only available to people like them, hardcore 'groupers'/'raider's which will put it out of reach to the vast majority, and of course to everyone whose main or sole focus is PVP.

Kragorn · March 2015

Double post.

phreatophile · March 2015

Cool idea. Should be difficult, time consuming and solo.

starkerealm · March 2015

It's an interesting idea... I'm not sure if it's a good one, but it is interesting.

Feynn · March 2015

Well, bear in mind that this is just an idea taken from an amateur-made webseries, it's not a full-fleshed proposal. I agree though, the quest should be some solo instance, difficult and time-consuming, but something you should be able to do by relying on your own skill rather than requiring you to be in a top-level PvE guild. But again, it should give you a sense of achievement.

It would also be nice if the quest included some background lore on the different classes and their skills. ESO has several lorebooks on the different classes, they could be used to draw inspiration.

starkerealm · March 2015

It's probably, in part, drawing from D&D's Prestige Class system... or the, what is it now? Epic Destinies, I think.

Having new base classes that unlock once you hit 50 with a character would be pretty interesting, though.

Kragorn · March 2015

Feynn wrote: »

I agree though, the quest should be some solo instance, difficult and time-consuming, but something you should be able to do by relying on your own skill rather than requiring you to be in a top-level PvE guild. But again, it should give you a sense of achievement..

Okay, fine, we're on the same page at the moment

.. but there's still the issue of what is epic?

Let's take the game as it is and look at Doshia. To remind anyone who's forgotten, Doshia is the big bad foozle you have to kill in the first instanced Fighter's Guild quest.

Now, on release it was hard, very hard, for many people: she's a Harvester, the first one of those you meet in the game. Not only does it mean the fight has a very nasty mechanic but it's one that takes time to learn how to deal with. Moreover, in her original incarnation she hit hard, had lots of health and was to put it mildly a handful.

So much so that soon after release this fight got the first of at least three nerfs to the point it's at now.

My point is this: those who were able to beat her as she was originally complained about the nerfing, telling ZOS it should remain a 'hard' fight, while those who had been complaining it was too hard as it was were more content because it was made easier.

The same thing happened in pretty much every fight in the Main Story, so that now the fights by and large are pale shadows of their former selves. Many people were happy as it meant they could progress whereas before they'd hit roadblocks, many other were unhappy and regularly complain THE GAME'S TOO EASY.

That's where such a feature as you're suggesting will inevitably go. If epic means 'hard' for you and you're an above-average player it'll be very hard if not impossible for less skilled (and quite possibly the majority) of players.

This always happens, because the difference between the highly skilled players in the bleeding-edge raiding guilds and Joe Average is HUGE, but more to the point the difference between the skilled players in second-tier guild that are still able to clear end-game raids is also SIGNIFICANT.

Make something epic to those and you put it out of reach to the many .. and it will always be so.

I'm not for one moment disagreeing with your desire for an unlockable class, several games I play have mechanisms that are similar but with different unlock criteria, but asking for something that is epic is likely to result in eZmode eventually: fine by me, but not the vocal minority I would expect.

I also question time consumingl I sorry, but I'm not one who believes something is hard simply because it takes a year of doing the same thing every day (I know, you didn't say that, I'm simply illustrating a stereotypical definition of 'hard'), I don't believe that time taken per se matters.

Merlin13KAGL · March 2015

They have this already, unlocked at 3600 champion points or 3,000,000 paid days of game time.

Chuggernaut · March 2015

No more classes, even Epic ones!

I do think they need to add more skill lines for player to unlock.

Caroloces · March 2015

I like this idea . . . a lot. An epic quest should be desirable for all players, but not mandatory to achieve any other goals in the game. It would result in a special zone, or area, where similar content can be accessed.
The problem is, the game would need a significant amount of new content in order for this to be successful. I know that ZOS is working on new zones like Wrothgar, and the Imperial City, but I'm assuming that this will be standard content for all players.
Perhaps when people start reaching the advanced stages of the Champion System, something of this nature might become accessible through some game mechanic that alerts the player to this possibility.

Gidorick · March 2015

Kind of sounds like Veteran Class....

TheShadowScout · March 2015

Not a new idea... I remember posting a few things about an "class morph" adding a new skill line to each class a while back... it would be a easy way to add more diversity to our classes. And allow people access to flavors they are currently missing...
Though it may be that spellcrafting will allow the same once it comes. Time will tell.

tinythinker · March 2015

............flashflashflashflashflashflashflashflashflashflashflashflashflashflashflashflashflashflashflashflash............
>>>>>>>I don't see the need at the moment for new classes at the moment<<<<<<<<
............^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^............

*But* if they are introduced and have an investment requirement as suggested in the original post, my own suggestions are:

1. DO NOT make them more powerful than other classes. Keep them as balanced as possible, just something cool/different.

2. Have one of them be the reward for Cadwell's Silver, and other other be the reward for Cadwell's Gold. Give people a decent reward for those investments. Lorewise, it could be either/both a reflection of the knowledge, experience, and power you've picked up while adventuring across the breadth and width of Tamriel or/and a boon granted by the one whose power sends you on those adventures (don't spoil for new players!).

dodgehopper_ESO · March 2015

Instead of Epic Classes, I would like to learn individual skills from individual accomplishments. For instance, in Skyrim, I loved the way each dungeon or storyline had a way of opening up some strange new spell or new word wall. I suspect that Spellcrafting will be this for the most part in ESO, with a smattering of guild activities coming in the future. Additionally, I have to say that I'm one of the people who wishes there were no classes as such. For Clarity, when I say I wish there were no classes, I mean to say that I'm fine with the notion of classes as a beginning point but that I'd like to see it possible for a player to delve into the territory of other classes as they grow, in traditional TES style.

Roechacca · March 2015

Jedi was a unlock in SWG pre CU . It was very hard to get . Everyone cried until they opened the class for everyone . That's what happens eventually to these things .

Rust_in_Peace · March 2015

ESO's "classes" are determined more by your choice of weapons and spells than a true name associated with it. The 4 base classes are only the start. There's no need to pigeon hole people further.

wraith808 · March 2015

Maybe not legendary classes- but more the skill lines. Like Sai Sahan was trying to learn sword-singing.

They should be balanced against other skill lines... just different (pvp you know). But any time anything actually takes skill to complete... people are going to complain, no matter how balanced it is.