In fact this is harder to do in Skyrim than in previous Elder Scrolls games in my opinion. The limited number of perks also limits in the end your mastery of a given skill. You can get 100 Conjuration on your warrior character in all games but whereas you were only limited in mana in previous TES games you are now also faced with the fact that you will most likely not be able to get all the conjuration perks you want limiting your skill in it in more ways than just having less mana than you would have on a spellcasting character.
And since I always used a custom character I'm not too bothered at all by the removal of classes. I'm actually quite surprised to hear that people took pre made classes over custom made ones. The removal of major and minor skills is also a good thing in my book. The only arguably "bad" decision was removing attributes but I'm not too bothered by that.

No, he didn't. Nor Daggerfall, apparently.

You can ALWAYS make a Superbeing in any TES game.

You could do that with the old system just as easily, the new system does change anything in that regard.

I do miss classes, it was a little thing, and its removal isn't a major issue for me, but i miss my char having some kind of in game history, some sign that they existed and did something before the start of the game, with certain skills higher than others to reflect that past. It was for me more about defining what i had been rather than what i was going to be. Now you start absolutely blank, i find that kind of dull.

I like the new system because it allows me to diversify or focus as much as I want - some of my characters are diverse, well-rounded "jacks of all trades", while I also can have hyper-focused characters that master one or two skills to the exclusion of all others.

You could do that with the old system, the classes didn't stop you.

Not really - not without having to do some crazy balancing act between stupidly slowly-advancing skills and stupidly-quickly advancing skills.

How so? if you specialize only in one or two skills like you mention you won't level any higher in skyrim than you would in any of the previous games. and for those chars that become jack of all trades, the potential is the same.

You make the old system sound so difficult... The only way the class system might hinder you is if you really really chose something you should have known you would not be playing even remotely close to.

But you know, the best and simplest fix would have been this, keep classes for the RP value and background if gives to your chars and a few bonuses, just make it separate and unrelated to the leveling system. There, simple, everyone would have been happy.

Well, classes have since Morrowind been a pointless choice. No limitations, no traits, no alteration in how attributes affected your character. Only those unfamiliar with the system will put any major weight on how it affects your character. I do not miss that class selection.
I do however hope they bring back something similar to the system used in Daggerfall were your class mattered. All pre-made classes had a list of possitive and negative traits, and when you custom-made a class you could chose your own. The class creation also featured a balance-meter who determined if your class was to powerful or underpowered to be allowed into the world, and skill increase rate was also affected. The more powerful you were the slower you gained exp and the other way around.

Actually, classes in Elder Scrolls arena and dagger had a lot of differences besides attributes.

Not me. I can evolve and grow my character any way I want with the three stats on level up, perks, and equipment. Its roleplaying

Skyrim is my first TES game, but I know from other RPGs that I prefer not choosing a class. When I started the game I did not give Conjuration a second thought. Then I discovered the Bound Bow and Bound Sword, and now my level 19 mage character has level 70 Conjuration. I'm glad I didn't get locked out of conjuration because of a decision I made before I even began playing the game.

If it doesn't affect the way you level up and how your character develops it isn't a class system in the sense established by D&D. If it just affects your character's initial abilities its a background. Personally I'd be happy to have those in a future TES game.

Only thing i missed from Morrowind class was the fact that people mentioned it(i think) but like the last bit points out that was pretty forgettable so no.

I miss it a bit, although I would usually make a custom class.

However, I`m in two minds about it. The game still allows you to be whatever `class` you want to be as long as you`re disciplined about it. I have remained a warrior and chosen only warrior stuff.

Technically, if all the skills are there, you shouldn`t need a `class` as such.

Time and again the NPCs in Skyrim tell me that the job they are doing or sometimes the very life they are living is not what they would have chosen if things had worked out the way they once planed: A vendor who wants to travel but fears persecution or worse from the patrolling soldiers, a warrior who put down their sword and now uses their knowledge of weapons and armor on a market stall, even our favourite meme and the guards favourite story is a tale of change due to circumstance. They are conflicted, complex and why not? It gives the NPCs some character, some history, it makes them interesting.

In real life you may have a talent or a physique suitable for a certain role or you may have an ambition to be a whatever once certain parts of life fall into place. This is all fantastic, if life works out and things go to plan. If things don't work out then you may find yourself doing something that runs totally counter to your natural abilities, training or ambition. This is life for many of us and this is the way I viewed class selection during character creation.

Choose a class, ignorant of the world and the future your character is about to face. If things work out, great. If not then with a little work the story may be even better.

Or perhaps you wish to build the conflict into your character's past:
A warrior sickened by the sight ans smell of death decides to hang up their sword. They still have a warriors physique, a warriors abilities, a warriors attitude but refusing to draw blade they find themselves penniless and out of work. Turning to crime they soon discover they have a lot to learn and starting from scratch they practise light armor, hiding in shadows, pickpocketing. They have no past knowledge of the ways of the thief, no training, no history but slowly and by way of many close calls and great adventures, they learn.
For example.

The entire 'you are what you play' may suit some players and it is certainly, though for all the wrong reasons, politically correct. But it is bland, it is boring, it lacks real world credibility and unforgivably removes one of the earliest and most important moments when the player starts to bond with their character.

tl;dr
Yes I miss picking a class and playing either with or against it, though reading the words of many I think I play a different game.

I too prefer Skyrim's system - In Oblivion and Morrowind, my character was more inclined to become master of all trades, as only skill mattered, and you could get all skill.

With the perk system you're limited in what you can become, sure, you might have 100 in both 1 and 2 handed, but if you only put perks into one handed you'll still svck when handed a claymore/battleaxe/warhammer.

Each of the 3 characters I have played so far (Warrior (with a hint of magic), Thief, Mage) have been completely different, even though they actually share some skills (My warrior could not sneak to save his life, and his spells are far less effective than my mage, conversely my thief could never hold her own in a 1 on 1 and gets killed by blood dragons at level 30)

Yes i played all three.

Yet, is the class of those Guard's "Adventurer" or "Guard"? Is the class of that Soldier-turned-shopkeeper "Soldier" despite his current profession, or or "Shopkeeper"?

I find Perks define my class far more than my Class defined my class in previous games - In Skyrim, I have a Barbarian Enchanter Steel Blacksmith.

I dont miss it. Classes made the game easier. You could max ur non major skills and not have it affect your lvl. Now Everything you do affects the game. I believe this is the better option because you have to really think about what your doing

I miss it to an extent. I love being able to put way my maxed out heavy armor and Daedric sword, pull out my light armor, bow and dagger and go sneak around and get my Archer/Sneak up. If I had to choose a class I wouldn't be able to do this.

Oh, and playing as a mage whenever I want is also nice.

No, I don't miss it at all.
It was way too structured and didn't provide true freedom, which was the main selling point of the series.
You could make your own class but even then you were forced to pick certain major and minor skills. I like the new system a lot more. Though I understand that there is some sort of sentimental value to that initial class-pick that we are all so used to.

This. People miss the idea of picking a class, but I'm sure if they were forced to choose a playstyle they would want a more "open-world" and "freedom-based" way of progressing through the game.

I love Skyrim simply because I can play what I want, when I want (LOL! cheesy I know).

Um...I do all that when I create my character's back-story. The mechanic is entirely redundant. The only thing it can accomplish, for a player like me, is to limit my RP options. Some people like having the crutch, but I walk just fine without it, thanks. To me, classes are bland and boring.

The process you describe for incorporating your class choice into your character's back-story is excellent, btw. That's certainly how I'd play it if I had to choose a class. Since I don't have to, I'm relieved of that RP obligation. I wouldn't want to have to employ that 'trick' for every character I create.

Pick a class on screen. Play that class.

Pick a class in your head. Play that class.

Not rocket science.

since i've always created my own class for every game i've ever played you could say i don't miss it at all.