PsychoBlonde wrote...
Yes. class should not equal role. class should determine HOW you fill that role.
Edit: y all my sentence not capitalize? mysterious.
Definitely my preference too, both in MMOs and in SP games - and credit to Bioware, I think they've generally done this pretty well in the past. There are no class decisions where your character screen selections force you into one specific battlefield role, its all reliant on how you develop the character as you level up.
In this regard, Origins was slightly better because of increased flexibility - I personally liked that the options were:
Warrior: Tank: Self-defence, aggro-magnet, defensive support
=> Sword/Shield, warrior core abilities (threat build), champion spec, templar spec, guardian spec
Damage: High damage output, threat avoidance, offensive support
=> 2H (melee) or DW (melee) or Archer (ranged), warrior core abilities (threat reduction), reaver spec, beserker spec, spirit warrior spec
Hybrid options:
=> Damage trees have the opportunity to use warrior core abilities (e.g. Threaten), specialisms (e.g. Reaver's Frightening Appearance) and requirements (e.g. High strength = high armour, or High dex = good evasion) to successfully off-tank and bring a mix of offensive and defensive support abilities.
Rogue: Offensive Damage: High damage output, threat avoidance, offensive support
=> DW (melee), assassin spec, duellist spec, rogue core abilities
Defensive Damage: High damage output, threat avoidance, defensive support
=> Archer(melee), ranger spec, bard spec, rogue core abilities
Hybrid options:
=> Several. Archers could push towards an offensive damage build (esp. in Awakening) by focusing on auto-attack and a couple of archer talents. DW could make use of various abilities and both the Legionnare Scout and Shadow specs to throw in defensive support talents. Either were able to make hefty use of support abilities in preference to damage abilities, or vice versa...most are capable of off-tanking in a pinch due to high Dex, and DWs could move to a very "jack of all trades" class by gearing up enough strength to wear medium armour.
DA:O rogues were arguably the most flexible class in terms of adapting a) their core battlefield role and
their ability to step in and temporarily fill a different battlefield role on the rune, and had the most options for shifting how they assigned their ability points to support either of those aims.
Mage: Damage: High damage output, offensive support
=> primal, spirit (some), entropy (some), blood mage, core mage spells (arcane tree)
Tank: Self-defence, defensive support
=> arcane warrior, keeper, battlemage, spirit, creation, core mage spells (arcane in awakening)
Defensive support:
=> spirit healer, creation, spirit (some)
Offensive support:
=> entropy, spirit (some), core mage spells (arcane in awakening)
Hybrid:
=> Most mage builds tend to hybridise two of the above, as most trees contain a mix of types (in some cases, this was the cause of negative player feedback). The shapeshifter spec was also a very unusual way to allow mages to flex into melee damage or melee support roles in certain situations / emergencies.
Generally, mages tended to lack threat control mechanics which meant that they played very differently as tanks (ie, a need to keep up damage output as well as defence) or as damage-dealers (ie, needing others to pull aggro, or needing to use abilities to delay enemies charging in for the kill) compared to warriors and rogues, who were much more self-sufficient as part of a group.
Definitely the most flexible class in terms of ability to select any battlefield role - and as they were slightly on the OP side, tended to excel at almost all of them.
Whilst DA2 didn't wreck that balance, the streamlining did tend to railroad certain classes into certain roles to a greater extent, and it was less straightforward (IMO) to be an effective hybrid.
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