How do you pick your class in a new MMO?

ConstantineMerus

I'm talking about the games you think you'll be playing for a long time. 

What I do personally is use a combination of Highlander and Ten Little Indians. I create every class and I start playing all of them. Depending on the game, every 5 or 10 levels, I'd dump one. Higher levels I'd do the dumping every 2 levels or so. I'd do this until only one character has remained and that'd be my main class to play. There can be only one!

Sovrath

I just start out with the idea of what type of character i want, usually a mage or damage dealing melee. Then, if the "feel" of the class doesn't work I move to the tank class.

Usually one of the three works for me. If they don't I don't play the game. Never interested in healers or rogue classes.

Kyleran

Not sure, had been a very long time since I had played a MMO released post WOW for more than 3 months, and most were much less.  

Normally I look for hybrid support, with decent utility solo or in a group.

In my recent return to old school DAOC I went exactly down this road, playing a caster class with a group centric mana regen buff, solid DOT heals that draw no aggro (vital in some pulling scenarios) and decent dot centric damage. (single target and AOE)

At my end spec I'll pick up a valuable demezz to cap off my utility roll.

Once I have picked my class I generally stay exclusively with it, not rolling any serious alts until the first reaches cap.

Can't recall the last time I rolled more than one character.

eruexe

Does it have gender and lock? No, proceed
Can it be a Human character? Yes, proceed
Can it heal? Yes, proceed

End of story for me.
I for some reason like going in as support since I started playing DCUO a few years back.
Even when I returned to my other games I'd reroll a healer or spec into one.

stayontarget

I go straight for the melee classes. What can i say, that's my style.

MrMelGibson

I love melee and normally never played ranged.  Just don't care for ranged.  I also always go for a tank.  I have always liked magic style tanks.  Battlemage and/or Spellblade classes have always been my favorite.

InebriatedSkunk

I usually go DPS ranged, archer mainly

Shaigh

I pick the class with the most healer skills.

anemo

 Hybrid of Support and DPS. 

When I'm with myself or one other I want to be able to actually function, and when I'm with a group I want to be able to interact with it.

TyranusPrime

I choose it from the list provided.. *drum rimshot*

But seriously, I usually choose whatever class strikes my mood.. 75% Tank, 20% Pet Class, 5% Other..

kitarad

Healer and support if it is a grouping game. Otherwise play the most interesting mechanics one.

Dibdabs

My ideal character is based on a Necromancer, but very few games have ever done one the way I like it. If no Necromancer I go for Mages and pet-using classes.  I very rarely bother with melee types and I never bother with healers.

H0urg1ass

The weird thing for me is that it completely depends on the game.  I don't have an archetype that I stick to.

In Age of Conan my favorite character is a Bear Shaman healer and my second favorite is the Pet Necromancer.

In SWTOR I played a DPS Jedi Guardian almost exclusively.  I had no desire to heal in that game at all.

In EVE, I play everything except for logistics ships.  Healing in EVE doesn't put your name on the killboard, and sorry, but I play for KDR stats in EVE, so I'm gonna pew pew.

In Warhammer AoR: I played an Ironbreaker simply because my first army in Tabletop was dwarves and I love them!

There's no rhyme or reason for it all, I just pick the most interesting thing to me in that game at the time.

ApexTKM

With all that information people put up nowadays on helpful info on classes etc I do some research and try it out so its a combination of both. After leveling up my first toon to max I tend to try all the classes out anyway so I can know how to play them or how to play against them, their strengths and weaknesses. This way I have a better understanding of the game.

Quizzical

In many cases, I play all of the classes.  If I can't, then usually I don't play the game at all.  The notable exception is for games with an enormous number of classes or combinations of classes available, in which case, I'll find some symmetric way to play a lot of them.

Iselin

I always start with a nuker DPS mage and if the game is worth sticking around, I eventually play them all.

[Deleted User]

The user and all related content has been deleted.

immodium

Usually role healer class. If the game has no dedicated healer class I go for stealthy debuffer type.

GladDog

The tankiest tank followed by the healiest healer.  Anything else is just fluff.

Scarran

What I normally do is create a character for each class and play the first 15 levels of them. I keep the ones that I enjoy playing and dump the ones I hate playing.

After that, I play the other classes more until I normally have a good feel which one I enjoy playing more than the others. Sometimes its Tank & sometimes its the healer, ive never really been a fan of squishy classes. 

NPCPak

I chose my class by knowing what I have experience most with, healers. I enjoy healing, but only specific types of healing. If the healer uses plants or spirits, it isn't really me because some times they're more DPS focused. I prefer basic arcane magic with my healing; buffs, debuffs and heals with little to no DPS. If healing isn't in the MMORPG, I wouldn't think it's for me. I don't like seeing players limited to being PVE/PVP only when players can be so much more.

nerovergil

i always go rogue

cameltosis

I usually start with the aesthetics, but only if I have particular needs. 

For example, in WAR, I really wanted to play an orc (I love orcs!) so my only option was to play a black orc (tank), even though I don't enjoy tanking that much. In SW:TOR, I really wanted to use a double-bladed lightsaber, so I went jedi shadow as that was only option.

If the aesthetics don't pull me, then it's down to roles / mechanics. I like to play difficult / obscure classes, partly for the grouping, partly to be different, partly just for a new experience, but mostly because I get bored. MMO mechanics keep getting easier and easier so I deliberately choose challenging classes to prevent myself getting bored long term. 

postlarval

GladDog said:

The tankiest tank followed by the healiest healer.  Anything else is just fluff.

I feel the exact opposite. 

A good DPS finds tanks and healers as nothing more than an annoyance.

Aelious

If the title has a Paladin, I'll play that. At least at first. If that doesn't work I look for specific gameplay, typically hitting support or healer next.

My ideal MMO character creation would be like NWN2 and be role based, giving the max freedom possible but still being able to have a gameplay identity.

Kyleran

postlarval said:

GladDog said:

The tankiest tank followed by the healiest healer.  Anything else is just fluff.

I feel the exact opposite. 

A good DPS finds tanks and healers as nothing more than an annoyance.

Good DPS, as if...