MMORPG where game play is based on skills you select not a class based system.

akiira69

I am currently looking for an MMORPG where game play is based on skills you select not a class based system. I am tired of class based game play. 

Dattelis

From recent memory, I believe the original TSW was like that, which you can technically still play I think but I think you have to download the original client via their site or something. Outside of that, the only one that comes to mind is the wow private server ascension which lets you build how you want. Or you can just go the class changing route that FFXIV has and essentially play all the classes (they call them jobs) and change when you want.

Scot

Maybe somebody could speak up for the likes of FO76, that does not have classes does it?

stupidyjld

maybe Archeage? should be an old Korean MMORPG if i m right, i played a while. i m not sure if this game is still running

Scot

stupidyjld said:

maybe Archeage? should be an old Korean MMORPG if i m right, i played a while. i m not sure if this game is still running

Welcome to the forums!

stupidyjld

Scot said:

stupidyjld said:

maybe Archeage? should be an old Korean MMORPG if i m right, i played a while. i m not sure if this game is still running

Welcome to the forums!

Thank you buddy!

delete5230

I much like class better, skill select is too boring.
 
It's like Sword rank one then sword rank two then shield rank one then shield rank 2 BORING !

Usually games like you want, your still trying to build a basic swordsmen three weeks into the game.

IMPORTANT: 
we need skillful programmers that can make 'EXITING" classes like Vanguard !!!

Nilden

Ultima Online, Darkfall and The Secret World stand out.

Other than that your going to run into class systems that also have hybrids where you can pick what your class does and make a pretty unique build for your class.

Like Project Gorgon, City of Heroes, Runescape, Guild Wars, Rift etc.

Here's a list from Giantbomb:

https://www.giantbomb.com/classless-mmo/3015-1729/games/

DigDuggy

It's not exactly what you're looking for, but games like FFX14 and albion allow you to switch classes through weapon selection and have and make it easy to do so.  You also have a lot of ability to select skills within the weapons.  Might be worth a look.

olepi

Ryzom has no classes. It is totally skill-based. The level of the skill determines your level when the skill is applied. So you can be lvl 50 in healing, and play a healer at lvl 50, and also be lvl 150 in melee and play as a lvl 150. Your character doesn't have a level. Of course, if you use a lvl 150 skill on a lvl 50 mob, you get no XP.

Ryzom is pretty old now, I think it is still going though.

KnightFalz

Nilden said:

Ultima Online, Darkfall and The Secret World stand out.

Other than that your going to run into class systems that also have hybrids where you can pick what your class does and make a pretty unique build for your class.

Like Project Gorgon, City of Heroes, Runescape, Guild Wars, Rift etc.

Here's a list from Giantbomb:

https://www.giantbomb.com/classless-mmo/3015-1729/games/

Project:Gorgon has no class system. It is a skill-based, with skills advancing through use once learned.

Nilden

KnightFalz said:

Nilden said:

Ultima Online, Darkfall and The Secret World stand out.

Other than that your going to run into class systems that also have hybrids where you can pick what your class does and make a pretty unique build for your class.

Like Project Gorgon, City of Heroes, Runescape, Guild Wars, Rift etc.

Here's a list from Giantbomb:

https://www.giantbomb.com/classless-mmo/3015-1729/games/

Project:Gorgon has no class system. It is a skill-based, with skills advancing through use once learned.

I played it and had a firemage necromancer and a cleric druid. They can call them skills but for all intents and purposes when you combine them they are classes and it's better to describe it as a hybrid system imho.

If you don't want to call it a class fine, my builds were a firemage necromancer and cleric druid. The combat skills would be called classes in most other games so it's just semantics at that point hence why I called it a hybrid system where you can pick what your class does by making a build. From skills if you want to add that distinction.

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Kyleran

Robokapp said:

EVE Online has no classes.

True, but the skills you train combined with the ships you outfit definitely put you into roles, so EVE actually has the traditional DPS, Healers (armor/shield reppers), crowd control, miners, etc. of most other games.

The bigger the fleet, the more likely it is to utilize a more traditional "group" structure which includes multiple roles.

New World is similar, while no classes I have one alt that is absolutely a fire mage who also fires a shotgun, while the second is pure melee DPS.

Now sure, I can respec both characters skills and switch out gear and perform different roles, healer or tank, but the net effect is it's still got classes which are definitely all  needed in a group situation.

AAAMEOW

Does runescape use skill based system?  

Never heard people talk about it much on the forum.

Nilden

AAAMEOW said:

Does runescape use skill based system?  

Never heard people talk about it much on the forum.

Yes but it has a ranged, melee, magic system.

https://oldschoolrunescape.fandom.com/wiki/Combat_classes

Which is determined from your skills...

https://oldschoolrunescape.fandom.com/wiki/Skills

Nilden

Kyleran said:

Robokapp said:

EVE Online has no classes.

True, but the skills you train combined with the ships you outfit definitely put you into roles, so EVE actually has the traditional DPS, Healers (armor/shield reppers), crowd control, miners, etc. of most other games.

The bigger the fleet, the more likely it is to utilize a more traditional "group" structure which includes multiple roles.

New World is similar, while no classes I have one alt that is absolutely a fire mage who also fires a shotgun, while the second is pure melee DPS.

Now sure, I can respec both characters skills and switch out gear and perform different roles, healer or tank, but the net effect is it's still got classes which are definitely all  needed in a group situation.

I was thinking about this some more and your points here about roles made me ponder...

There are hard locked classes like Everquest and other games have what would be similar to multi-classing from D&D where it's not really skill based but more of a hybrid where you can pick your class. I think Project Gorgon, City of Heroes, and Guild Wars fall into this.

Then you have much more skill based games like Ultima Online.

So there is a design spectrum running from hard locked classes to fully skill based.

Even then in something fully skill based you could end up filling class roles like melee dps, ranged dps, healer, support, tank, etc.

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The user and all related content has been deleted.

Nilden

DarkZorvanReturns said:

Scot said:

Maybe somebody could speak up for the likes of FO76, that does not have classes does it?

That game has so few builds that are actually viable a class system would be an improvement.

That might just be the nature of skill based games. The META where you pick the best heal, the best damage, etc and everyone runs a cookie cutter META build that does it all. Just picking the best skills and while a skill based game is great in concept it's not so much in execution where over half the skills end up being useless because of the META builds.

Running into the problem you described where you have one GOD build and everything else is just not viable where a class system would actually be an improvement in that regard.

Nilden

Deathkon1 said:

akiira69 said:

I am currently looking for an MMORPG where game play is based on skills you select not a class based system. I am tired of class based game play. 

project gorgon or warframe is what I'd suggest, just try to keep opinions in check on pg cuz the admins and mods they have hired will nail you with an ip ban if you disturb the peace to much, on the flip side pg has an amazing crafting system you can easily get lost in one of the few joys I loved about it.


Other then that theres not alot of good shit on the market I can openly suggest with high confidence sorry in advance m8.

I already went over Project Gorgon so here's my take on Warframe.

Warframe is not a MMO.

Warframes literally resemble classes.

You can however pick from a wide variety of Warframes and also a primary and secondary weapon. Then you get a pet as well that follows you around.

You can further customize all of these with 8 mods that can be put in them.

Creating a build for the space ninja FPS game. It's more of a loadout than any type of real skill selection process.

https://overframe.gg/

The_Korrigan

You have no classes in New World.

In ESO, you have classes, but they are highly customizable and can fulfill all roles.

KnightFalz

Nilden said:

KnightFalz said:

Nilden said:

Ultima Online, Darkfall and The Secret World stand out.

Other than that your going to run into class systems that also have hybrids where you can pick what your class does and make a pretty unique build for your class.

Like Project Gorgon, City of Heroes, Runescape, Guild Wars, Rift etc.

Here's a list from Giantbomb:

https://www.giantbomb.com/classless-mmo/3015-1729/games/

Project:Gorgon has no class system. It is a skill-based, with skills advancing through use once learned.

I played it and had a firemage necromancer and a cleric druid. They can call them skills but for all intents and purposes when you combine them they are classes and it's better to describe it as a hybrid system imho.

If you don't want to call it a class fine, my builds were a firemage necromancer and cleric druid. The combat skills would be called classes in most other games so it's just semantics at that point hence why I called it a hybrid system where you can pick what your class does by making a build. From skills if you want to add that distinction.

What there is in P:G are weapon skills, of which you can concurrently have access to two, each supported by varying other skill lines that can provide passive bonuses. Any character can use any combination of two weapons and swap them out at whim with another pair to totally change their currently available abilities.

That is not how a class system works.

Classes have specific bundles of abilities, with some exclusive to their class in particular. These abilities can not be swapped out for an entirely different set at whim. To do something only another class can do requires a new character or somehow changing into that class. Some systems do allow multi-class, but even then the character is restricted to the abilities inherent to those classes and no others.

P:G is nothing like that because it doesn't have a class-based system.

It's not a preference based issue. Class-based and skill-based are fundamentally different systems.

Nilden

KnightFalz said:

Nilden said:

KnightFalz said:

Nilden said:

Ultima Online, Darkfall and The Secret World stand out.

Other than that your going to run into class systems that also have hybrids where you can pick what your class does and make a pretty unique build for your class.

Like Project Gorgon, City of Heroes, Runescape, Guild Wars, Rift etc.

Here's a list from Giantbomb:

https://www.giantbomb.com/classless-mmo/3015-1729/games/

Project:Gorgon has no class system. It is a skill-based, with skills advancing through use once learned.

I played it and had a firemage necromancer and a cleric druid. They can call them skills but for all intents and purposes when you combine them they are classes and it's better to describe it as a hybrid system imho.

If you don't want to call it a class fine, my builds were a firemage necromancer and cleric druid. The combat skills would be called classes in most other games so it's just semantics at that point hence why I called it a hybrid system where you can pick what your class does by making a build. From skills if you want to add that distinction.

What there is in P:G are weapon skills, of which you can concurrently have access to two, each supported by varying other skill lines that can provide passive bonuses. Any character can use any combination of two weapons and swap them out at whim with another pair to totally change their currently available abilities.

That is not how a class system works.

Classes have specific bundles of abilities, with some exclusive to their class in particular. These abilities can not be swapped out for an entirely different set at whim. To do something only another class can do requires a new character or somehow changing into that class. Some systems do allow multi-class, but even then the character is restricted to the abilities inherent to those classes and no others.

P:G is nothing like that because it doesn't have a class-based system.

It's not a preference based issue. Class-based and skill-based are fundamentally different systems.

Classes have specific bundles of abilities: Just like the combat skills in project Gorgon.

Like say the ability list for fire magic in Project Gorgon.

http://wiki.projectgorgon.com/wiki/Fire_Magic/Abilities

Class abilities can not be swapped out at a whim: Unless you are playing a class based game where you can do just that like Final Fantasy 14.

Changing class in Final Fantasy XIV is as simple as changing your main weapon. In order to swap to a new class, equip a weapon of that class and the game will automatically switch you into said class.

https://www.ggrecon.com/guides/ffxiv-how-to-change-class-final-fantasy-14/#:~:text=Changing class in Final Fantasy,switch you into said class.

Project Gorgon is exactly like that.

Nilden

"Class-based and skill-based are fundamentally different systems."

I'm going to refute this as well since it's just not true.

There are many games where you make a class by picking skills. Like The Elder Scrolls. Skyrim and Oblivion for example. 

https://elderscrolls.fandom.com/wiki/Character_Classes_(Skyrim)

Thus any skill based game can and will have classes made from those skills.

Are there tons of games that have hard locked classes? Yes.

Are there games where you can change classes or combine classes? Absolutely.

In general you could consider any skill based game free form class construction. Even games with hard locked classes are using skills to form those classes. The point being they are not fundamentally different systems. All classes are made up of a set of skills. The only fundamental difference is how much freedom you have in choosing those skills. From hard locked classes like Everquest to complete freedom in skill selection like in Skyrim or Ultima Online.

As seen here even one of the most skill based games still makes classes with those skills:

https://www.uoguide.com/Character_Creation:_Class

OG_Solareus

Darkfall is now " Rise of Agon" f2p

https://www.riseofagon.com/