Hands-on With the Classes

[MonTy]

Hail all,

It's always fun discussing what works and what doesn't for your characters, so let's do so here.

Rogue:
The class does play his usual part quite well in the game. Opening up any chests that are locked (remember you need to be rested as opening a lock require a full action round), disarming traps (although when I didn't none of my characters got hurt by springing them), and deal moderate damage when finding his way around an enemy to deliver a sneak attack. I will still disappointed by his damage output though, as my Fighter was doubling his damage and standing with more then triple in hit points. A full sneak/flank attack should deal absolutely massive damage, in my opinion and what I've seen from other D&D games. He was still a fun class to play, although a bit weaker than in your average D&D game. Once again traps didn't seem to harm anyone when they were sprung and I could have opened locked chests with spells, so he's not an absolute must-have in your party.

Cleric:
Oh boy, I have never liked one as much as I have in this game. He is an absolute versatile powerhouse! He has the heaviest damaging spells, cures, protection spells, summoning spells, and amazing buff spells. I honestly think if I was allowed to Solo I could do so with this class. Harm was dealing 150 damage to non-undead mobs. He was casting "Bear's Endurance, Mass" and "Bull's Strength, Mass" to buff up the party. Also casting Miracle pre-fight to net all characters +50 HP. And killing 90% of mobs with Destruction in one hit. with an early on FlameStrike which deals unique non-fire damage, to sneak past resistances. So yea.. The Cleric is an absolute machine in this game.

Fighters:
Since we're on the topic of machines, let's just talk about the Fighters. Wow... They dish out some serious damage. At Lvl 19 I was hitting up to 140 damage with my one offensive fighter (4 hits w/ a +5 greatsword). On the other hand my defensive fighter was sitting pretty with 400+ HP and 38AC, so he could absorb whatever was thrown to him. Long Melee weapons are devastating in this game, as you can place your characters in optimal spots to achieve a ton of attack of opportunities (they can attack enemies a square or more away, but can't attack any right next to them) and attacking with cleave to bring down an entire group of enemies. Also, good news with items, as there are a good amount of unique named ones to suit your item-whoring fighters :-)

Wizards:
I loved my Wizard in his early to mid levels. He was gaining critical high-level spells faster than my Sorc, which made my life much easier. I still enjoyed having one Wizard versus two sorcerers, so he did not become obsolete until the very end-game (where my Sorc could defeat an entire mission by her self and he could not).

Sorcerers:
Although the cleric has the highest damage spell in the game, she has more firepower to throw at her enemies. I've split the blood of over 20 enemies in one mission with just her powers. She has almost an endless barrage of spells at her disposal later on. At CLvl 18-20 she can cast Time Stop over and over again to take an extra 12-15 actions over any monster. So if you want pure dominant power, take a Sorcerer along with you and enjoy the ride.

And that's what I've played for my first run through. I'm starting a Psion and Psychic Warrior only party so that should be challenging and interesting. My party after that will be a Paladin/Bard/Druid/Ranger/Monk/Barbarian, so that third play-through will give me experience with every class the game has to offer. I'll report more then, but until that time let's hear your thoughts on the classes that you've played.

[BuckGB]

Based on my experience, I wouldn't recommend a rogue at all in this game. I have yet to discover a single secret door in the game (that requires a rogue, anyway), traps do an insignificant amount of damage even when a character is struck by them, and any character with a decent strength score or a Knock spell/power can easily get into all of the game's locked chests and doors. Sneak attack just doesn't do enough damage to make up for the rogue's other shortcomings.

Because the game allows you to rest and recover all spells as many times as you want during an adventure, I'd kick the rogue to make room for another caster. A group comprised entirely of casters would probably dominate every adventure in this game with ease .

[MonTy]

Hail BuckGB,

As far as power goes, I agree with you. Throughout the campaign there were several times where I thought "man, I wish I had another character". Although he was still unique in his play style, and I semi-enjoyed playing him still. But when it comes down to a full party of six the game will be too easy no matter the class selections, IMO.

[secretmantra]

Ditto for the Rogue--not terribly useful. Any character with decent strength can just break open the chests, and the traps are not that much of a problem.

Cleric: Indeed he is a powerful player. I have only made it to 6th level so far, and am finding him essential to my team for the buffs and heals. And his turn undead ability has come in handy several times.

Barbarian: Extremely handy as a frontline meat-shield and damage-dealer. He can take a crit without being in danger of dropping next round. Also, with his high strength and lighter armor, he gets around the map very quickly. I equipped mine with a polearm and never regretted it. Attacks of opportunity are your friend.

Ranger: Terrific all-around team player. He can scout ahead and find traps/enemies. He can hang back and rip the opposition to shreds with that composite longbow. He can pinch-hit in the melee when necessary. And don't forget the pet dog, who actually is quite the useful little crowd control and steady damage dealer. Very nice.

Paladin: So far is ok. She is really only now starting to come into her own at 6th level. Other than flavor, though, I'm thinking she's not much more useful than a Fighter or Barbarian. She does act as a good shield for the casters, but I may just go with a Fighter for this slot next go-around.

Wizard: Good damage spells already at 6th level. I can see this guy becoming quite potent at higher levels. And when no one else connects, he can plug away with that good ole reliable magic missile. pew-pew-pew!!!

[MonTy]

Hail secretmantra,

Ahh thanks for your thoughts on the Ranger, Barbarian and Paladin. I haven't played those classes yet so I was anxious to read about them. Let us know how they fair for later levels!