Four Fantastic Classes

   Since I have played Warhammer Online from the beginning, September 2008, and have tried every class there is to offer, I was starting to think about my favorite classes this morning. I was around when they first added Knight of the Blazing Sun and Black Guard and also Choppa and Slayer. I have seen the class balance issues in the past, so I know which classes have been overpowered and/or overlooked.  My criteria is slightly biased because it mainly deals with which classes were the most fun for me to play (fun is the point of the game, right?).

    Below is the list of my four favorite classes, one from each archtype; Tank, Melee Damage, Ranged Damage, and Healer:

1. Favorite Tank: Ironbreaker
I really love playing my 40 Ironbreaker for more reasons than just smashing things. Ironbreakers are very friendly Dwarves that are capable of protecting and bolstering his allies. He can select one target to guard, which takes 50% of their damage and throws it on the IB (along with other guard moves, the Ironbreaker can literally be a healer's meat shield). He can also buff a group mate by selecting them as his Oath Friend. Ironbreakers have many skills that damage an enemy while providing a temporary buff for himself and his Oath Friend and debuff on the enemy. In this way he is able to contribute towards his teams success more than most classes. Its also very pleasing when you annoy the hell out of destruction because they can't seem to kill you.

2. Favorite Melee Damage: Marauder
Marauders look like someone who you wouldn't want to meet in a dark ally. But when you first try one out in tier 1, you may notice it is difficult to do well in RvR. Most Melee Damage Careers have trouble earlier in the game because they get targeted first and don't have much survivability at low levels. Once you get past tier 1, Marauders begin to shine. If specializing the in the path of Brutality, you get skills that temporarily improve your damage output or critically hit your opponent if they are under 50% health. In this way, along with the high damaging Morale rank 1 ability, you can do major burst damage and shut down players with low health. My character is now in tier 3 and he is finally looking really cool and getting even better.

3. Favorite Ranged Damage: Squig Hunter
The Squig Hunter career is considered over powered in the current state of game. But even before  that, I liked how they played. Their spunkyness and cuteness drew me in, and their pet mechanics and damage made my heart melt. They also have very interesting and fun survival abilities but they are not the most effective. I find their armor and two weapons (bow and spear) look really cool, and the ability to turn into a huge Squig is a unique trait that sets him apart from the rest. Plus the wolves that they get as mounts at level 20 are awesome.

4. Favorite Healer: Archmage
I have a certain place in my heart for the classic "caster" character. Besides the sorcerer, Archmages  are the only other class that really completes the look; cloth robes, staff, and minimal head armor. When dying their robe, the color changes in a huge portion of the armor, instead of just a little strap or small section. The Archmage's mechanics are very similar to the Shaman but their spells look much different and vary slightly. I would admit that Archmage spells may not be as quick as a Runepriest/Zealot, but playing it is just as fun.

     Don't get me wrong, every class has a special place in the game (well maybe not Sword Masters -- just kidding). However, it doesn't look like we are going to be getting any more class balance any time soon; the programmer who works on balancing issues left and no replacement has been announced. Fortunately for us players, the careers currently are pretty balanced, though I will admit some are more powerful than others.

Post a comment below on your favorite class and why!