Elementalist at the top, no doubt, at least for one or two months.
Guardian among the top 3, people are always talking about them and i always see a bunch of human guardians during beta weekends. Plus, they seem to be getting some buffs for their ranged attacks.
Ranger will become very popular if they fix the pets. Sometimes they just won't attack the enemy.
Engineer at the bottom yes. I really wanted to create an Engineer but they seem to have the worse long range dps (900-1200) in a game where ranged dps is important on a lot of situations. Also, no weapon switch, only a few weapons to choose from and weapon kits just don't seem to make up for it.Still, they can be very effective at defending places, supporting other players and fighting at medium range. I wouldn't be surprised if they became popular after a few months.
First off, and I realize this is sidetracking the thread a bit, but I HATE the "if you can't go melee you should just go quip a bow and be ranged" argument. Either one of two things is true:
Melee combat is gimpt to the point of unplayable; in which case we as players should be communicating that to the devs and getting it fixed.
Melee combat is fine, in which case discouraging people from trying to learn how to play it properly is a disservice to them.
I STRONGLY feel it is the second. I've played a sword+pistol, melee mesmer since BWE1. Currently in his upper 20s, and can solo or do group content with the best of em. PvE AND PvP. I have melee'd in WvW and been successful. I've seen many others do it as well. It's harder than ranged, yes. But there's great rewards, and what's more there's a need for it. My only irritation is that, if anything, ranged have it way too easy against heavier content, like say Shadow Behemoth who all but ignores them.
Second off, a quick breakdown of teh classes and why I chose certain ones as being more or less popular.
Ele- first off, it's the ONLY traditional nukey class in the game. Others can nuker, but either not as well, or they're a class we'd never imagine being a rankged nuker (longbow warrior for instance). Also, I swear 99% of the damage on the ground in WvW is meteor spam.
Guardian- The, Most. Survivability. Period. And people missing a "true" healer or tank tend to flock here.
Ranger- Let's face it, hunters are popular in every game. No different here.
Warrior- Quite popular in sPvP right now due to thinks like the 100 blades builds.
Thief- Based mostly on anecdotal dats from BWEs, but I saw a lot of thieves.
Mesmer- I saw a decent number of Mesmers, but the current gimpy state of Illusions and Shatter make the class unappealing to many.
Necro- I saw surprisingly few necros in BWE. I think people saw Ele and NEcro side-by-side and decided Ele felt stronger.
Engi- weapon skills overall are weak; kits are great but some work strangely, and take time to unlock. Engi starts slower than any other prof and feels unfocused.
First off, and I realize this is sidetracking the thread a bit, but I HATE the "if you can't go melee you should just go quip a bow and be ranged" argument. Either one of two things is true:
Melee combat is gimpt to the point of unplayable; in which case we as players should be communicating that to the devs and getting it fixed.
Melee combat is fine, in which case discouraging people from trying to learn how to play it properly is a disservice to them.
I STRONGLY feel it is the second. I've played a sword+pistol, melee mesmer since BWE1. Currently in his upper 20s, and can solo or do group content with the best of em. PvE AND PvP. I have melee'd in WvW and been successful. I've seen many others do it as well. It's harder than ranged, yes. But there's great rewards, and what's more there's a need for it. My only irritation is that, if anything, ranged have it way too easy against heavier content, like say Shadow Behemoth who all but ignores them.
Second off, a quick breakdown of teh classes and why I chose certain ones as being more or less popular.
Ele- first off, it's the ONLY traditional nukey class in the game. Others can nuker, but either not as well, or they're a class we'd never imagine being a rankged nuker (longbow warrior for instance). Also, I swear 99% of the damage on the ground in WvW is meteor spam.
Guardian- The, Most. Survivability. Period. And people missing a "true" healer or tank tend to flock here.
Ranger- Let's face it, hunters are popular in every game. No different here.
Warrior- Quite popular in sPvP right now due to thinks like the 100 blades builds.
Thief- Based mostly on anecdotal dats from BWEs, but I saw a lot of thieves.
Mesmer- I saw a decent number of Mesmers, but the current gimpy state of Illusions and Shatter make the class unappealing to many.
Necro- I saw surprisingly few necros in BWE. I think people saw Ele and NEcro side-by-side and decided Ele felt stronger.
Engi- weapon skills overall are weak; kits are great but some work strangely, and take time to unlock. Engi starts slower than any other prof and feels unfocused.
I wonder though, how many people are like me and are trying other professions but planning on playing Necro on release?
You want me to pay to play a game I already paid for???
It's really hard to say. On first look, I would put Engineer & Guardian at the bottom of the list.
However, as people play the game more, I expect this to change. A lot of the flashier classes are also harder to play. Most thieves suck, and don't know how to dance the fine line between getting in & doing damage, and avoiding being hit. My list would probably be something like:
I think this because some of the 'cooler' classes (ie mesmer) are also harder to play, and I suspect a lot of people to end up rerolling, because they don't understand the class. When it comes to more traditional playstyles, elementalist, warrior, & ranger are right at the top. They are perhaps the easiest classes to get into, and play fairly decent with.
Thief and guardian take a little bit more skill (though thieves are definitely harder than guardians to play), and mesmer & engineer are perhaps the hardest to figure out, being as they are not only a lot more hybrid than the other classes, but shine in non-conventional roles, and require players to constantly be changing what they are doing to be effective.
Though chances are as classes are played, it will shift a bit around. Typically people will follow a general trend in games and flow with it. Normally I'd put the Elementalist below ranger/thief but I have a feeling it will be up top this game just do to the 'chit chat' sparking more interest in it. Give it some time and I'm sure that will change a lot though, engineer probably staying at the bottom.
Melee is more then fine, don't know where this "melee UP" mentality is coming from.
I don't get it either, considering 2 of the professions that have the best melee sets (Ranger and Guardian) are considered rather overpowered right now and Warrior using melee is the ultimate pubstomp profession.
interesting my 3 favorite classes necro, mesmer, and engineer are at the bottom of many of these lists:P
I angered the clerk in a clothing shop today. She asked me what size I was and I said actual, because I am not to scale. I like vending machines 'cause snacks are better when they fall. If I buy a candy bar at a store, oftentimes, I will drop it... so that it achieves its maximum flavor potential. --Mitch Hedberg
A survey with 3700 people about which class they played as their main during BWE2. While there might be some changes, I blieve the trend will remain pretty much the same at launch.
Melee is more then fine, don't know where this "melee UP" mentality is coming from.
I don't get it either, considering 2 of the professions that have the best melee sets (Ranger and Guardian) are considered rather overpowered right now and Warrior using melee is the ultimate pubstomp profession.
During bw1 and bw2 i played my ranger using melee weapons most of the time. Why? Kills faster. Melee does more damage (a lot IMHO) but requires more skill, specially on PVP and large events, those mobs can get really strong if there is a lot of people around.
If 2 noobs fight each other 1 on 1, the one using a ranged weapon will win most of the times. If 2 skilled players fight each other, 1 on 1, the one using melee will win if the situation favors melee and loose if the situation favors ranged, environment and other factors can make a lot of difference.
I played a lot of mmo's during release and it's always the same, people favor one class or playstyle over another then developers change stuff or players learn new tricks and the FOTM changes. Wait a few months and people will be complaining ranged dps is too low .
Engineers feel really weak right now. Most toolkits have AoE based attacks, so the attacks aren't as strong as the focused attacks that the pistols and rifles offer. The grenades, mines, and timed explosives are pretty weak. Elixir guns are weak. The turrets aren't strong at all. The most viable builds I saw were ones where players just chug elixirs and shoot guns. I'm still reserving a spot in for an engineer character, but I hope they make some changes to them. Without all the gadgets for me to use I don't see a reason to play the class over the others.
No way that Elementalist is making it into Top 4 most played. Trends don't change much from one MMO to another, the squishy mage classes are never played much even though they are usually great in both PVE and PVP. In no particular order I'd say the top 4 would be:
Necro - Warlock / Survival style caster, will naturally be extremely powerful in 1v1 along with having the "evil" feeling to it.
Warrior - Biggest selection of weapons + heavy armor and top HP, very likely selection for people who favor melee
Ranger - The type of class thats considered to have a very cannon RPG feeling and very favored by solo players due to the use of pets
Guardian - A great selection of DPS/Defense/Healing abilities, while all classes have DPS and Support abilities the guardians have the largest selection to choose from. Also have the classic paladin feeling with Melee/ Heavy Armor / Healing that's very overplayed in other MMOs.
I think everyone is right about the Eng being the least popular mainly because thier kits are just too weak and it doesn't seem like Anet is serious about buffing them.
Elementalist will be most played for sure in BWE it was like every 4rd player was Elem. Cant say about Engineer least played. I think in first Few months maybe Engineer will be the one least played. and new players in a hope of easy life will roll Guardian warrior "tanks" and most probably will switch in a few months for Engineer and Guardian will be least played back to back with Warrior. as they require some skill to be good. Same goes for Necro Sure it will be heavily played by ppl who thinks Minions is like Hunters pets in WoW you just summon 5 of them and faceroll ppl will be disapointed in a few months and they will always be on forums saying necro need buff or somethg.
Elementalist nothg special and has lots of different colors in animation not like others with 1 main color (pink green )
I plan on Playing a Ranger and a Necro just for the fun of it, since there is no end game raiding of any importance it leaves all the classes open to play what you like and not worry so much about what is needed, PvP of course will be a different story with all the kiddies switching every 5 mins to the most OP class.
my guess would be engineer for least played.. seems many don't have the patience to learn to play them.. they also seem lowest on every large class poll I have seen
I woud say the same. Thought I would love the engineer but without weapon swapping they just feel limited compared to the other classes and the turrets don't make up for it in my humble....
I kinda agree, its all about patience and learning to play them.
Engineer was the first class I played in BWE1, upto level 8 and I was rather underwhelmed. When I tried the other classes with weapon swapping it made it look even worse and I forgot about it....
Then in BWE2 I went back and played it some more as I didnt want to ruin the fun for myself at launch on the classes I had decided I would be playing at launch.
I switched to Pistol/Shield and got up to level 15 and started to really "feel" it. Once you start getting the toolbelt abilities and gadgets the class becomes really versatile as you effectively have 4 "weapons" based on the toolbelts you have equipped, since they completely replace your skillbar with new skills specific to that toolbelt. Its a very clever idea and once people start to master it I think the engineer will be a very powerful class. It has some serious potential.
Unfortunately, I, as many others, didnt have the patience to learn how to play the Engi during the BWE's....
Cluck Cluck, Gibber Gibber, My Old Mans A Mushroom
At release people start characters based on what they know, the in-game descriptions, and teaser videos.
At the end of a month after release we predict following ranking:
Elementalist - Classic caster-nuker, very recognizeable playstyle, very flashy skill descriptions and videos. Guardian - The descriptions and teaser videos portray an OP and invulnerable class. (Most likely class to disappoint) Warrior - A familiar role to many people and usual first chose of your average male gamer. Ranger - Most obvious pet class and jack of all trades type. Mesmer - Mechanic/playstyle is non-traditional and unfamiliar to many. The descripton is somewhat more understandable than those of the remaining classes. Necromancer - Even more non-traditional mechanic and vague role. Attractive to goth/horror type personalities. Engineer - Most gimmicky and most dependent on unknown items and mechanics. Least compelling description and teaser videos. Thief - Least understandable set of skills and mechanics.
Choices will shift after release and time passes. Before any massive class nerfs roll in, the preferences will shift to be based on performance instead of hype. Based on alot of reading of Beta player commentary, and viewing many Beta videos this is what may eventually emerge:
The classes other than Warrior, Elementalist and Ranger rely on gimmicky skills and may see popularity drop with time
The Ranger, Mesmer, Necromancer and Engineer appear to be pet class variations and developers universally keep pet's nerfed. Only the Rangers overall flexibility makes up for ineffective pets.
The Mesmer, Necromancer and Engineer appear more dependent on what they 'summon' compared to the straight up damage dealer classes (Warrior & Elementalist).
The Guardian skill descriptions and video teasers portray them to be a sort of tank and defensive buff totem, however in Beta gameplay they appear as a sort of flashy but less powerful Warrior.
Most - Elementalist because people are most familar with it from the original.
Least - Thief and Warrior because they will get tired of getting pummeled in large events because meele doesn't stand a chance at close rage in large events.
warrior least class played??? nah, will be one of top3 play classes. your argument is ridiculous, you know warrior can do amazing damage with rifle right? why dont you say elementalist will be gona the least play class too? thief? thief can do amazing damage with pistols, any class can do melee or ranged almost at same level.
and stop that non sense DE BS because everyone know Arenanet already say will change bosses DE to hit much more times ranged, for now they focus almost 100% time on melee guys. even with this changes no one can be always on melee range because isnt suppose to be that way, never was and never will, you do that and you will die over and over again.
why do you think every class can have ranged and melee skills?????
seem someone think GW2 is like other MMORPG where this classes are useless on ranged, you can even see a elementalist doing insane melee damage, a ranger on melee hit like crazy, same too with Necro.
on others forum you can see lot of pools about this theme and you can see almost class are almost equal (element and warrior the most played classes but no one will notivce the diference in game) exception is engineer, where have a ratio of almost 2 elementalist for 1 engineer.
if someone think any class will have 30% of total players is very wrong, unless Arenanet OP so much a class that many will go play that class. for now most of classes are separated for 2-5% of players, this is pointless in game since no one can tell the diference
I saw a ton of Elementalist/Thieves/Rangers/Warriors in WvsWvsW..I hardly saw any other class at all out there on Sorrow's Furnace server.
I like the idea of the mesmer but the class seems underpowered, and having just one way to spec to do real damage is kinda meh. Was hoping any of them would be viable, but atm it's just one.
Comments
Elementalist at the top, no doubt, at least for one or two months.
Guardian among the top 3, people are always talking about them and i always see a bunch of human guardians during beta weekends. Plus, they seem to be getting some buffs for their ranged attacks.
Ranger will become very popular if they fix the pets. Sometimes they just won't attack the enemy.
Engineer at the bottom yes. I really wanted to create an Engineer but they seem to have the worse long range dps (900-1200) in a game where ranged dps is important on a lot of situations. Also, no weapon switch, only a few weapons to choose from and weapon kits just don't seem to make up for it.Still, they can be very effective at defending places, supporting other players and fighting at medium range. I wouldn't be surprised if they became popular after a few months.
OK, I want to elaborate on some things.
First off, and I realize this is sidetracking the thread a bit, but I HATE the "if you can't go melee you should just go quip a bow and be ranged" argument. Either one of two things is true:
I wonder though, how many people are like me and are trying other professions but planning on playing Necro on release?
You want me to pay to play a game I already paid for???
Be afraid.....The dragons are HERE!
Definitely a pretty close guess.
It's really hard to say. On first look, I would put Engineer & Guardian at the bottom of the list.
However, as people play the game more, I expect this to change. A lot of the flashier classes are also harder to play. Most thieves suck, and don't know how to dance the fine line between getting in & doing damage, and avoiding being hit. My list would probably be something like:
Elementalist -> Warrior -> Ranger -> Thief -> Guardian -> Necro -> Mesmer -> Engineer
I think this because some of the 'cooler' classes (ie mesmer) are also harder to play, and I suspect a lot of people to end up rerolling, because they don't understand the class. When it comes to more traditional playstyles, elementalist, warrior, & ranger are right at the top. They are perhaps the easiest classes to get into, and play fairly decent with.
Thief and guardian take a little bit more skill (though thieves are definitely harder than guardians to play), and mesmer & engineer are perhaps the hardest to figure out, being as they are not only a lot more hybrid than the other classes, but shine in non-conventional roles, and require players to constantly be changing what they are doing to be effective.
Starting off it will likely be...
Elementalist > Ranger > Thief > Necro > Warrior > Mesmer > Guardian > Engineer
Though chances are as classes are played, it will shift a bit around. Typically people will follow a general trend in games and flow with it. Normally I'd put the Elementalist below ranger/thief but I have a feeling it will be up top this game just do to the 'chit chat' sparking more interest in it. Give it some time and I'm sure that will change a lot though, engineer probably staying at the bottom.
Melee is more then fine, don't know where this "melee UP" mentality is coming from.
1. Elementalist
2. Warrior
3. Guardian
4. Thief
5. Ranger
6. Necromancer
7. Mesmer
8. Engineer
Asura Engineer for me! Been playing Engineer all Betas and enjoyed it a lot
Solo Mobs use Rifle
Group mobs use Pistols/Shield
Party up or D.E I use the kits and turrets.
I don't get it either, considering 2 of the professions that have the best melee sets (Ranger and Guardian) are considered rather overpowered right now and Warrior using melee is the ultimate pubstomp profession.
interesting my 3 favorite classes necro, mesmer, and engineer are at the bottom of many of these lists:P
I angered the clerk in a clothing shop today. She asked me what size I was and I said actual, because I am not to scale. I like vending machines 'cause snacks are better when they fall. If I buy a candy bar at a store, oftentimes, I will drop it... so that it achieves its maximum flavor potential. --Mitch Hedberg
Based on WoW experience, I'd say:
1 - Warrior
2 - Ranger
3 - Guardian
4 - Thief
5 - Elementalist
6 - Mesmer
7 - Necromancer
8 - Engineer
A survey with 3700 people about which class they played as their main during BWE2. While there might be some changes, I blieve the trend will remain pretty much the same at launch.
During bw1 and bw2 i played my ranger using melee weapons most of the time. Why? Kills faster. Melee does more damage (a lot IMHO) but requires more skill, specially on PVP and large events, those mobs can get really strong if there is a lot of people around.
If 2 noobs fight each other 1 on 1, the one using a ranged weapon will win most of the times. If 2 skilled players fight each other, 1 on 1, the one using melee will win if the situation favors melee and loose if the situation favors ranged, environment and other factors can make a lot of difference.
I played a lot of mmo's during release and it's always the same, people favor one class or playstyle over another then developers change stuff or players learn new tricks and the FOTM changes. Wait a few months and people will be complaining ranged dps is too low
.
Engineers feel really weak right now. Most toolkits have AoE based attacks, so the attacks aren't as strong as the focused attacks that the pistols and rifles offer. The grenades, mines, and timed explosives are pretty weak. Elixir guns are weak. The turrets aren't strong at all. The most viable builds I saw were ones where players just chug elixirs and shoot guns. I'm still reserving a spot in for an engineer character, but I hope they make some changes to them. Without all the gadgets for me to use I don't see a reason to play the class over the others.
No way that Elementalist is making it into Top 4 most played. Trends don't change much from one MMO to another, the squishy mage classes are never played much even though they are usually great in both PVE and PVP. In no particular order I'd say the top 4 would be:
Necro - Warlock / Survival style caster, will naturally be extremely powerful in 1v1 along with having the "evil" feeling to it.
Warrior - Biggest selection of weapons + heavy armor and top HP, very likely selection for people who favor melee
Ranger - The type of class thats considered to have a very cannon RPG feeling and very favored by solo players due to the use of pets
Guardian - A great selection of DPS/Defense/Healing abilities, while all classes have DPS and Support abilities the guardians have the largest selection to choose from. Also have the classic paladin feeling with Melee/ Heavy Armor / Healing that's very overplayed in other MMOs.
I think everyone is right about the Eng being the least popular mainly because thier kits are just too weak and it doesn't seem like Anet is serious about buffing them.
Warrior will probably be most popular.
Elementalist will be most played for sure in BWE it was like every 4rd player was Elem. Cant say about Engineer least played. I think in first Few months maybe Engineer will be the one least played. and new players in a hope of easy life will roll Guardian warrior "tanks" and most probably will switch in a few months for Engineer
and Guardian will be least played back to back with Warrior. as they require some skill to be good. Same goes for Necro Sure it will be heavily played by ppl who thinks Minions is like Hunters pets in WoW you just summon 5 of them and faceroll ppl will be disapointed in a few months and they will always be on forums saying necro need buff or somethg.
Elementalist nothg special and has lots of different colors in animation
not like others with 1 main color (pink green 
)
I plan on Playing a Ranger and a Necro just for the fun of it, since there is no end game raiding of any importance it leaves all the classes open to play what you like and not worry so much about what is needed, PvP of course will be a different story with all the kiddies switching every 5 mins to the most OP class.
Warrior has allways been most peoples first choice. With the other generic MMo classes Mage and Thief closely following.
In GW2 we will see Mesmer and Engineer being the last classes chosen at release.
Much tough with the early adapters that play a game straight from the release, will depend on the ballancing in BWE3
Best MMO experiences : EQ(PvE), DAoC(PvP), WoW(total package) LOTRO (worldfeel) GW2 (Artstyle and animations and worlddesign) SWTOR (Story immersion) TSW (story) ESO (character advancement)
I kinda agree, its all about patience and learning to play them.
Engineer was the first class I played in BWE1, upto level 8 and I was rather underwhelmed. When I tried the other classes with weapon swapping it made it look even worse and I forgot about it....
Then in BWE2 I went back and played it some more as I didnt want to ruin the fun for myself at launch on the classes I had decided I would be playing at launch.
I switched to Pistol/Shield and got up to level 15 and started to really "feel" it. Once you start getting the toolbelt abilities and gadgets the class becomes really versatile as you effectively have 4 "weapons" based on the toolbelts you have equipped, since they completely replace your skillbar with new skills specific to that toolbelt. Its a very clever idea and once people start to master it I think the engineer will be a very powerful class. It has some serious potential.
Unfortunately, I, as many others, didnt have the patience to learn how to play the Engi during the BWE's....
Cluck Cluck, Gibber Gibber, My Old Mans A Mushroom
At release people start characters based on what they know, the in-game descriptions, and teaser videos.
At the end of a month after release we predict following ranking:
Elementalist - Classic caster-nuker, very recognizeable playstyle, very flashy skill descriptions and videos.
Guardian - The descriptions and teaser videos portray an OP and invulnerable class. (Most likely class to disappoint)
Warrior - A familiar role to many people and usual first chose of your average male gamer.
Ranger - Most obvious pet class and jack of all trades type.
Mesmer - Mechanic/playstyle is non-traditional and unfamiliar to many. The descripton is somewhat more understandable than those of the remaining classes.
Necromancer - Even more non-traditional mechanic and vague role. Attractive to goth/horror type personalities.
Engineer - Most gimmicky and most dependent on unknown items and mechanics. Least compelling description and teaser videos.
Thief - Least understandable set of skills and mechanics.
Choices will shift after release and time passes. Before any massive class nerfs roll in, the preferences will shift to be based on performance instead of hype. Based on alot of reading of Beta player commentary, and viewing many Beta videos this is what may eventually emerge:
Warrior
Elementalist
Ranger
Guardian
Mesmer
Necromancer
Engineer
Thief
The classes other than Warrior, Elementalist and Ranger rely on gimmicky skills and may see popularity drop with time
The Ranger, Mesmer, Necromancer and Engineer appear to be pet class variations and developers universally keep pet's nerfed. Only the Rangers overall flexibility makes up for ineffective pets.
The Mesmer, Necromancer and Engineer appear more dependent on what they 'summon' compared to the straight up damage dealer classes (Warrior & Elementalist).
The Guardian skill descriptions and video teasers portray them to be a sort of tank and defensive buff totem, however in Beta gameplay they appear as a sort of flashy but less powerful Warrior.
warrior least class played??? nah, will be one of top3 play classes. your argument is ridiculous, you know warrior can do amazing damage with rifle right? why dont you say elementalist will be gona the least play class too? thief? thief can do amazing damage with pistols, any class can do melee or ranged almost at same level.
and stop that non sense DE BS because everyone know Arenanet already say will change bosses DE to hit much more times ranged, for now they focus almost 100% time on melee guys. even with this changes no one can be always on melee range because isnt suppose to be that way, never was and never will, you do that and you will die over and over again.
why do you think every class can have ranged and melee skills?????
seem someone think GW2 is like other MMORPG where this classes are useless on ranged, you can even see a elementalist doing insane melee damage, a ranger on melee hit like crazy, same too with Necro.
on others forum you can see lot of pools about this theme and you can see almost class are almost equal (element and warrior the most played classes but no one will notivce the diference in game) exception is engineer, where have a ratio of almost 2 elementalist for 1 engineer.
if someone think any class will have 30% of total players is very wrong, unless Arenanet OP so much a class that many will go play that class. for now most of classes are separated for 2-5% of players, this is pointless in game since no one can tell the diference
I like the idea of the mesmer but the class seems underpowered, and having just one way to spec to do real damage is kinda meh. Was hoping any of them would be viable, but atm it's just one.
What happens when you log off your characters????.....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFQhfhnjYMk
Dark Age of Camelot
Definitely will be Mesmer and Engineers with the least played.
The most played? Elementalist closely followed by Warriors.
It's not even close. Elementalist will be most played and Engineer least played.
I don't see Thief being in the top 6 unless it gets a boost before launch.