Poll: Mage, Thief or Warrior?

[Zen Bard]

I usually played as some type of hybridized warrior/mage class. That added a little finesse and variety to just running up and hitting things.

But recently, just for gigglypuffs, I played through Skyrim as a stealthy archer type character and had a freaking blast! Didn't have to worry about mana or shields or insanely heavy armor.

And as my kung fu sifu says "First rule of fighting? Don't get hit!"

(Second rule is "don't talk about fight club")

Tried the rogue build myself. Didn't quite like it. Maybe I got used to old Thief games and pacifist runs of stealth games, but the mechanics were awful. The NPC's acted like they had some kind of memory condition, forgetting about any disturbance after losing an eye to an errant arrow that came from a corner shadow.

Oh I totally agree! The stealth mechanics in Skyrim are just terrible...which is probably why I enjoyed it so much! The sheer ridiculousness of it was just so entertaining.

I'd hide in the shadows, snipe a bandit and watch all his comrades frantically run around trying to find me. When they couldn't, one of them would say "Must've been the wind". Then they'd all go back to doing whatever it was they were doing, blissfully ignoring the dead body lying right in front of them with the arrow sticking out of its head.

 

[LetalisK]

Sneaky. If I have my choice, I'm usually a sniper with a close combat weapon as backup (ie sniper rifle/shotgun or bow/sword and board). I never go as a primarily melee sneaker. Daggers can sod off.

 

[freaper]

My safe option is always thief, but I do try different approaches once I'm comfortable with a game's mechanics.

 

[Tsun Tzu]

In real life?

Mage all the way. I mean. I could cook ramen without the need for a microwave, bro!

In games, I tend to go with the Thief. Assassinating targets and sneaking up on douchebags who loudly announce every little thought that crosses their pixel-brains is strangely satisfying.

Skyrim? Always a thief/archer/stealthy type.

Fallout 4? ...I started out with that intention, but its just devolved into me storming in while wearing power armor, firing a fully upgraded explosive combat shotgun into everyone and everything while pounding stimpacks into my face.

It's a lot quicker, that's for damned sure.

 

[Thyunda]

Depends entirely on the game whether I'll play mage or thief - I mean really, who plays warrior?

Well, the game and the context - if I'm playing solo, I'll typically play a thief. I like to pick my fights - if I can talk my way out of combat, I will. I move slowly and I like to get the drop on people - Why waste three arrows when the sneak multiplier will let me get away with only shooting one? Why risk damage to my armour or using my health potions when I could just not get hit? I like to conserve my resources, so thief suits me just fine in solo play.
If I'm playing an MMO, however, I tend to go toward mages - specifically healers with defensive magic and decent health, because I've found the planned-and-practised co-ordination quickly devolves into "Group up and hit it till it dies!" so I account for that by making sure my band of idiots can afford to make their stupid mistakes without costing us the whole battle.

The only real exception here is in Elder Scrolls Online, which I play with my girlfriend. She always plays thief - specifically, dual-wielding dagger-thief, whereas I use my normally-solo ranged thief. I especially love that in this game, you're encouraged to steal. There are Treasure items that can only be stolen, and are a decent source of pennies if you sell them to the conveniently-located Fences, and an associated Skill, too. I heard a lot of criticism about this game, but I'm quite enjoying it. I'm also liking that the two of us can stalk our way through an area - she'll pick the target, move in behind and get the first hit and if that doesn't kill it, it's pretty much a guarantee that my arrow will.

 

[Trunkage]

I love spells. As long as your not in any D&D universe. Then your literally useless. They make being a mage the most unenjoyable experience.

Skyrim's spells were nerfed too. But at least it was fun

 

[The Almighty Aardvark]

Usually, I like rogues. That being said, I cannot stand the MMO "backstab" rogue. It cuts out absolutely everything I like about the archetype. And what I like about the archetype is the ability to sneak into a room, do what you please, and leave it in whatever condition you desire. This doesn't mesh with the MMO rogue, because the MMO rogue isn't about stealth, they're about glass cannon close range DPS. Dragon Age Rogues are just horrendous. D&D style rogues, where there's plenty of ways to outright avoid combat if you want is more my speed.

Mage would probably be runner up, most of the time. But as someone said, mages are often the blandest archetype out there. No flavor or characterization. D&D wizards are flexible to a fault, and it's difficult to get any sort of theme going.

However, whenever there's a high magic world, the one class I want to be the most is a warrior with no magic. There's just something about that which appeals to me. Being the outclassed underdog, yet still managing to hold your own. Never much liked lumbering tanks though. I've made one D&D character with less than 12 dexterity (Ironically, a rogue), and that was the hardest decision of my life

 

[Squilookle]

I refuse to play anything that has such a narrow, cliched set of classes to choose from. How does everyone put up with the same microscopically narrow minded creative decision to use those three -and ONLY those three- options in games again and again, and again?

It's like a sandbox where you have to choose being either a Driver, Gunman or... a Salesman. Why can't a game let the player choose what they are organically through what they actually do?

 

[Odbarc]

There's always more treasure to be had as a thief.

 

[Thyunda]

Usually, I like rogues. That being said, I cannot stand the MMO "backstab" rogue. It cuts out absolutely everything I like about the archetype. And what I like about the archetype is the ability to sneak into a room, do what you please, and leave it in whatever condition you desire. This doesn't mesh with the MMO rogue, because the MMO rogue isn't about stealth, they're about glass cannon close range DPS. Dragon Age Rogues are just horrendous. D&D style rogues, where there's plenty of ways to outright avoid combat if you want is more my speed.

I've done whole missions in Star Wars: The Old Republic as my Imperial Agent without firing a single shot. Stealth in, stealth out. MMOs are quite easy for it, because enemies have a set aggro range that's really easy to navigate once you work it out.

 

[Barbas]

There's always more treasure to be had as a thief.

The finest point made in a single sentence that I've recently read (and can recall). And to think that not many years ago, they were telling us that the stealth genre was dead! FOOLS.

 

[WolfThomas]

Sooo you wanna be an astronaut?

I always make sure to take the 'Shoot First' perk in the cantina at lvl 1 when I play an astronaut.

Never thought of it. But yeah that's how I'd explain it.

Astronaut-type people exist in real life, why not a Fantasy setting? If anything it makes more sense one of them being able to save the day over a random farmboy.

It's also a form of escapism because I'm not one of those people in real life.