What's your class?

[Saltyk]

I'm not talking about whether you are a rouge or a mage in WoW, or a sniper or a medic in Bad Company 2. I'm talking about your preferred class in virtually any game.

Let me explain this in more detail.

Over the past few days, I was talking with a friend. Now in WoW he has multiple characters, but one of his favorites is a Holy Paladin. The other day I saw him play Diablo 2 as a mage that specializes in Ice elemental spells. Later, we looked over some of the upcoming Diablo 3 classes and he seemed to really like the mage in it. And when we talked about Star Wars: The Old Republic and what classes we would play as, he said he wanted to play as a Sith Inquisitor.

That's when it hit me. His preferred class is a mage. Preferably one that has powerful offensive magic.

So then, I started thinking about my own preference. While I have played plenty of games with class systems, I've played a variety of classes. But when push comes to shove, I prefer to be the tank. I want to be the one that enemies focus on and that protects my team mates from their attacks. Even when I'm not a tank, I think in terms of protecting and working with my team. I work with my group in any game and any position. I trust my healers to heal, my snipers to snipe, so on and so forth. But if I have to have a class, I'm the tank.

So what about you, Escapist? What is your class?

 

[oplinger]

...Melee badass.

Though I'm more of a healer these days. Sadly I can only be a healer when I play with people and most games I play with people it's a pretty useless class to be. I'm either healing dumb fucks, or the healing overall is not needed in the game. I really do like healing though.

 

[Anarchemitis]

Cantankerous Machine Building Guy

 

[Chamale]

I like using a commonplace weapon of the day. If it's Oblivion, a sword and shield, please. If it's Fallout, I'll take a gun. In Pokemon, I prefer Normal-types.

 

[SnootyEnglishman]

I generally go for the sneaky stealth types. I always like stealing from people.

 

[Aqualung]

So then, I started thinking about my own preference. While I have played plenty of games with class systems, I've played a variety of classes. But when push comes to shove, I prefer to be the tank. I want to be the one that enemies focus on and that protects my team mates from their attacks. Even when I'm not a tank, I think in terms of protecting and working with my team. I work with my group in any game and any position. I trust my healers to heal, my snipers to snipe, so on and so forth. But if I have to have a class, I'm the tank.

So what about you, Escapist? What is your class?

I'm a tank too. Back in the days when I first started playing MMORPGs, I was a mage because I often neglected the whole team aspect of playing and just wanted to deal high damage. Once I got into LotRO, I tried a Guardian, and he's my favourite RPG character I've ever made. Now I love playing the part, though it can get a bit aggravating when your teammates don't know what they're doing.

Plus, the feeling of running into a mob of 5 elites with equal health to yours, each, and coming out on top... Priceless every time.

 

[Vek]

ranged damage specialist. Preferably equipment-based rather than magic based, though magic will serve.

 

[Croix Sinistre]

Survivalist? Huntsman? Lumberjack?

I guess Ranger would be a more escapist appropriate term.

 

[Frotality]

PHENOMENAL COSMIC POWERS!

*ahem*... mage. always loved the powerful sorcerer role; flinging arcane bolts at those silly swordsmen never gets old.

when the game calls for a less fantasy class, sniper. always loved the portable tank turrent role as well; exploding heads from a mile away never gets old either.

 

[Trivun]

Generally I play as sneaky, stealthy characters, with long range fighting capabilities. For example, in FPSs I'll play as a sniper, or I'll use mostly stealth magic or technology and long range weaponry like crossbows or sniper rifles in RPGs. I also have a knack for tactics and strategy, so I tend to use that a lot in games, especially since I generally have something of an edge as a tactician in RTS games .

 

[Icarion (aka Stockholm)]

I'm the surgical persicision guy. The rouge(Fantasy RPGs), the hacker/sniper(ME), the sniper(Tf2), the stealth killer (FO and Oblivion). I also enjoy being the summoner/overlord and I have the most hours logged as Heavy in TF2. But mostly the stealthy and efficient badass (who has sweet hacking and lockpicking skills)

 

[RaphaelsRedemption]

ranged damage specialist. Preferably equipment-based rather than magic based, though magic will serve.

Well said, and a good description of my class too.

I don't like getting close. I like standing back and being able to pick my opponents off. I do understand teamwork; for me its better when I can fight in conjunction with a healer, a mage and a melee specialist. Then I can keep watch, I can protect the healer, finish the half-damaged and relay information from my viewpoint to my fellow players.

This means in Battlefield 2 I'm a sniper. In Fable I'm an archer/white magic wielder. And in LOTRO I'm a hunter.

 

[Icarion (aka Stockholm)]

Rogue, also when you get around to pulling my knife out of your back, can I have it back?

Depends, can I have my arrow out of your throat? That was a dummy

 

[Spikkle]

I've always preferred classes that can do weird and wonderful things to my friends and enemies, that mess with the expectations of both and generally lead to bizarre and hilarious situations. To that end, I'd say that I'm most likely to be a mage in traditional RPGs (especially tabletop) though it's not so much about the "NUKE 'EM ALLL" mentality so much as "Oh look over there, we now appear to be facing a small duck...with godlike telekinetic powers and a mysterious taste for peanuts! AND NOW IT'S SURROUNDED BY A FLAMING NIMBUS OF DOOOOM!!!" (if you want to know, this was actually an Dire Elephant which had Greater Invisibility cast on it and a small duck placed directly underneath it which followed it everywhere it went. Then the party cast lots of fire spells at it. All I can say is, when the beast was finally taken down...pooor duck.)

I'd actually much rather go for a hard-hitting melee class (something in the 'Barbarian' mould) if I really feel like just hitting stuff until it dies. Preferably using a very large and unwieldy blunt weapon, like a maul.

I never much liked the ranger, tank or healer archetypes. Bland bland bland. The only saving grace of the Hunter in WoW, for example, is their pets and the tracking abiliities, the whole shootey shootey thing gets so old, so quickly. Each of these three just seems a bit too tailored towards min/maxers, who can easily pick a single aspect of this role and run with it and it alone.

 

[EboMan7x]

Dual Weapon tank. Or sniper if there's guns.

 

[zombiestrangler]

Something that deals a lot of damage but moves rather slowly. Not a choice, but the slowness comes to balance the awesome. I've always loved being a heavy gunner.

 

[Saltyk]

So then, I started thinking about my own preference. While I have played plenty of games with class systems, I've played a variety of classes. But when push comes to shove, I prefer to be the tank. I want to be the one that enemies focus on and that protects my team mates from their attacks. Even when I'm not a tank, I think in terms of protecting and working with my team. I work with my group in any game and any position. I trust my healers to heal, my snipers to snipe, so on and so forth. But if I have to have a class, I'm the tank.

So what about you, Escapist? What is your class?

I'm a tank too. Back in the days when I first started playing MMORPGs, I was a mage because I often neglected the whole team aspect of playing and just wanted to deal high damage. Once I got into LotRO, I tried a Guardian, and he's my favourite RPG character I've ever made. Now I love playing the part, though it can get a bit aggravating when your teammates don't know what they're doing.

Plus, the feeling of running into a mob of 5 elites with equal health to yours, each, and coming out on top... Priceless every time.

The only MMORPG I played was FFXI. One of my favorite classes in it was the Paladin. Sword, shield, heavy armor, and healing magic. What more do you need? I was very good at the role, when I played it, because I kept on my toes, positioned myself to work with my team mates and their abilities, and used my skills/spells properly to keep hate.

I never got my Pld to lvl 75, but I did get my Dark Knight there. And I loved having Plds in my party because they could actually keep hate off me.