Why bother with character classes?

Rowjoh · May 6

so get rid of the classes, make the game as challenging and graphically and sonically similar to Elden Ring as possible, you'll have... Elden Ring !

Savos_Saren · May 6

So everyone would cloak, open their attack with deep fissure, spam molten whip, execute with cephaliarch's flail, shield up with hardened ward, expunge any debuffs, and heal with breath of life.

Sounds good.

LanteanPegasus · May 6

Soarora wrote: »

Cooperharley wrote: »

Oblivion has classes my G

So does almost every other TES game to my knowledge, only ones I can think of that don't have classes are Skyrim and Blades.

True. But I'm baffled - did you really use them? Because they were completely optional, and I always tweaked them to fit my idea for my character (by making my own class). In every single TES game I played, starting with Morrowind.

@ topic:
I'm afraid, though, that ESO payed the "MMO-fine" long ago by adopting classes and class-restricted skills. And with the mess that are the class skills, mixing and matching them would probably look like some crazy jumble most of the time.
Peronally I don't give a fig about balance, but since part of the MMO-fine is competitive gaming, free choice wouldn't be possible because of that as well.

Elsonso · May 6

VisitHammerfell wrote: »

If you don't want classes, then play the single player TES games. This is an MMO, which have classes. If you have that many spare skill points, you're not spending them on different weapons, armor weights, guild lines, and crafting. And can you imagine an dk with shadow cloak or a warden with cleansing ritual? No thanks.

Classes are classes. If you want to mix skills, that's what weapon, guild, and world skills are for.

MMOs are not required to have classes. The proper Elder Scrolls approach would have been just one class "Adventurer" with the players able to select skills that match what they want to do, or what is dictated by some survey, and then level those skills up.

Yes, it would result in 21 million players, with 20 million and change playing exactly the same character skills.

That is a different problem. I think it is more work for the MMO developers to create balance and trade-offs.

I consider ESO to have basically one class (magic user) with a number of different sub-class interpretations (Sorcerer, Arcanist, Dragonknight, Nightblade, etc) where the sub-class skills are all aligned to offer the same basic role services. They differ in names, cosmetics, fine details, and effectiveness. The "toolbox" has the same basic tools.

That said, it is far too late for ESO to change. That would be something done before launch.

edward_frigidhands · May 6

Player choice is paramount and that idea is heavily supported by the game's design decisions.

This would obviously fit well.

colossalvoids · May 6

Classes aren't just easier to balance, it's an archetype that a lot of people need at the start, like who's the thief here, who's the fire mage, what class to pick if I want frosty two handed nord etc. especially for people unfamiliar with the settings there should be inspiring pieces that would make you expand the base fantasy in something you'd eventually like playing.