I like where Zenimax is going with its class-based startup for the game, classes are a staple of TES and I personally was upset that there were none in Skyrim. That said, as game information has come out, I've had some difficulty choosing my class. This itself is good for a game generally, as it means that players are likely to replay as different types, but my difficulty was more that the current class setup was preventing me from playing my primary character how I wanted. To use my specific example, I wanted to be a pure mage. To me, in TES, this mainly consists of Destruction and Conjuration, with a side of Restoration. The issue here is that none of the classes offer those three; Conjuration is only found in Sorcerers and Restoration is only found in Templars. I know I could play a sorcerer and learn restoration skills in other ways, but I never would be able to get the "Restoring Light" skills. Furthermore, I think there is an easy solution. Just like every main-line TES game, ESO should have a Custom Class option.

These custom classes would not be OP; each skill branch is balanced for a different play style. So rather than making me be a sorcerer who never uses 'Dark Magic" but longs for "Restoring Light," the game would let me chose the three lines that I most preferred.

This introduces more creativity and diversity to the game world; rather than limiting players to 4 starting points players now have access to 220 potential starts.

Any Comments?

This has nothing to do with pigeonholing, plus couldn't this have been discussed in the thread about open classes because this is basically what you are talking about. No need for another threas of classes when there are several.

BTW pigeonhole means that if I picked the Sorcerer I would be forced into being a mage, or picking the Templar forces me to be a healer. Classes don't pigeonhole you into roles in this game. Weapon skill lines do that.

Not only would I love custom classes but if we had the option for custom classes then custom would be all I use, same as in the main series.

Considering that we can only ever use 6 skills at a time, I would absolutely love to be able to choose from any three skill lines.

Tbh I loved Skyrim because having to choose a class is what tries to pigeonhole the player in my opinion, since choosing a warrior would then mean that I am supposed to fight with weapons and using magic or sneaking would be "out of character". Furthermore having to choose major skills and using them to level is silly in case where player wants to change his character's profession later in the game but is no longer able to level using skills needed for his new role. That's why my characters in previous games were always labeled "Freelancer" and major (and minor) skills were usually horribly unrelated to each other and were often governed by all Attributes which resulted in very slow leveling.

There is no warrior or healer or rogue class in this game. The classes in this game don't pigeonhole you into a specific role. I could choose the Sorcerer and make a very viable Ranger out of it.

..Everybody wants to be the developer.

I was more into what I thought about classes in past game, tbh I don't really follow this title so much so I'm not filled in on all the details, including how classes really work.

might be a little easier to choose a starting class once you get to play around with them and get a feel for what they mean.

This is no way directed at you but many people are in this same position. They have hardly any knowledge about the game then they come storming into forums spouting off about how classes won't work the way they want them too, and wondering why there are classes in this game because that pigeonholes them into a specific role. Really just makes me angry sometimes when people are misinformed about a game and act like they know what they are talking about.

I assume meh is don't care? If yes, then meh. Meh times infinity

Understandable, I wasn't 100% clear on what exactly I'm talking about so no worries about talking to me as well.

I can understand where the OP is coming from though. Say I want the Templar healing set...I have to be a Templar to get the EXACT tree or else I miss out on all of that healing tree. Yeah, sure I can go equip a Staff of Restoration and get neato healing skills there but then I HAVE to have the staff equipped to use them where as I might never use one of the three trees for my starting class.

Lets re-name some tree names real quick as I have no idea what they are called for the 4 starting classes in TESO.

Sorc - Fire / Ice / Dont care #1

Templar - Dont care #2 / Dont care #3 / Healzor!

I want a Sorc that runs Fire / Ice / Healzor, lemme pick Healzor instead of "Dont care #1" plz!

is what the OP is saying and I can agree it would be nice to not have that one skill tree I just dont care about and getting the skill tree I do want. So I voted for full custom.

In this game you can do that by running a Dragon Knight using Ardent flame, Ice Destruction Staff, and the Restoration Staff. THus what you want is there.

Thus what I want is not there.

READ BELOW THIS LINE CAREFULLY

To use skills related to weapon lines you have to have that weapon equipped where as to use a class line skill you just need something relevant equipped (healing via Templar skill line can be done with any weapon equipped but the spear attack skills from its offensive line can only be used with melee weapons equipped).

It isnt a hard concept people.

I do not want to have to hit TAB to switch my weapon to use 1 skill because I did not start as Class B that gets a skill line with a similar skill to said weapon skill.

Is this selfish? Yes...Is it lazy? Of course but by god its what this is about.

Why? Simple I know for a fact I will see a ton of "Templars" running around with atleast 1 heal skill on their bar doing things. Then when it comes down to joining a party for pvp or dungeons they will state "Sorry I am a terrible healer" and other Templars that went Templar to be healers/support will just look at him like "what? your class line healer tree is amazing" and its going to be accepted by so many people because everyone can do everything but just not as good as these base line classes due to the 3 diffinitive class line trees they have. Thinking about it actually getting my annoyed.

NO other character class baseline will EVER be able to match a Templar that took the time to get other healing skills as a healer. It just wont happen unless the healer templar is trash as a player. Give 2 people of similar skill level two different start classes and tell them to do the same job. If its healing, whichever started as templar has the edge or advantage or whatever term you want because of that "ignorable baseline class tree that specializes in healing they start with". This mentality is stupid. A healing DK wont be as effective or efficient as a healing Templar because of these "ignorable" skills.

Bah, whatever. sing your little songs of "everyone can do everything equally no matter what!" and then go "bah, that jerk was right" a year from now when your "LF Healer Templar" or "Tank DK" cause it will happen at this rate...sadly.

What if I told you that the restoration staff line was just as good as the Templar's healing line? What if I told you that the heavy armor line with several other skills spread among many other skill lines was just as good and even better than the Dragon Knight's tank line?

You speak of something you don't know, thus you are stating only assumptions.

What you want is in the game, but just like pretty much all games you have to adapt what you want to the game, not teh game to what you want.

Pretty much sums it up.

The Aedric spear line is magicka based as with all other skill lines associated with the class skill trees.

You use a magic spear for those specific abilities, you can have anything equipped in your hands and they still work.

They didn't go to all the trouble of separating your class abilities from your armor and weapon abilities, just to make you have a specific weapon in order to use your class abilities.

So you have even more skills you will never use?

Amusingly enough, with the system they have set up, the passive skills are potentially huge balance issues and the active skills are fairly trivial.

Technically, yes, but the point is to have access to a wider selection of abilities. Perhaps I want to dual-wield swords, conjure Daedra and heal my allies. As it stands, I am unable to do all three.

I find myself in the same position as the op, i'd like to specialize in destruction as well as restoration but I don't wish to play a templar

I'm against a pigeonhole class system. I prefer the current open class system. (See what I did there?)

I like the idea of a Custom Class in theory. In practice I'm worried it would lead to big balance issues. Inevitably some skill lines would be "best" and it would undermine their "Rock, Paper, Scissors, Lizard, Spock" goal of not having any "best" builds.

You can be any class and do that. No class skills required. Just use Restoration Staff skills and Destruction Staff skills. Problem solved.

Definitely and yes. I would make a Nightblade 2/3 and Sorcerer 1/3rd with the assassination and siphoning trees of NB and the storm-calling tree of Sorc. I can't call lightning down and do Emperor Palpatine style force lightning without that tree, so yea, custom class ftw.

Not good enough.

http://www.ohmz.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/rps101.jpg

I imagine that's more like what they mean. No one build will be best because all builds will have a counter.

I'm worried a custom class would kill that.

Yeah, as I brought up in another thread, one thing that would have to happen is there would have to be a limit to the number of passives you have active at any one time. Not sure how they're going to deal with them all active at once anyway, but a limit on passives just like a limit on actives would be good if this system were implemented.

It would take a bit of balancing work, but in the end I feel it'd be worth it. Not something that I feel is needed at launch as long as, when its implemented they allow everyone a one-time class respec.

The LFG-tool will work around that:
Either you join a group and don't care for who is healing and who is dealing DMG,
or you leave the party and haven't run the dungeon...