What should I do?

Radakail

Hi!

I'm a new player to Aetolia, so pretty much clueless as far as all of the classes go. I'm wanting to pick a class that gets the most out of a low investment of lessons. I'm going to pick up the $20 lesson package and then maybe Membership for one month just to get 2 class skills and a little Survival, and then I'll aim to do most things in game (with the odd rl money supplement every now and again...).

My question to you: What classes are the best for PvP fighting with only two of their three class skills? I started in the Shadow faction and so I'd rather stay there if possible, but I'm open minded at this stage in regards to where to go.

Also, please give your reasoning for your vote. I want to make as informed a choice as possible.

- I have played other IRE games, most frequently Achaea. If that helps you explain your decision to me in any way. Thanks!

Aldric

Choosing a class solely based off of utilizing only two of three skills is something that you'll undoubtedly find a bit difficult. If you've got a solid system it'll be less of a hurdle to jump, but still a hurdle no less as most classes rely on little bits and pieces at the very least of each skillset.

That said, balance aside and merely from a theoretical standpoint, your easiest bet with utilizing only two skillsets would undoubtedly be Sciomancer (the shadow-tethered mages). Currently they've got Sciomancy, Crystalism, and Enchantment - Enchantment is a skill that has absolutely no bearing on combat whatsoever, aside from the enchantments themselves in some cases, which you could pick up rather easily via shops.

With the vast majority of combat in Aetolia nowadays being geared more towards group PVP, Sciomancers can be quite the asset with their plethora of skills that target exclusively enemies, or even the room as a whole.

Unfortunately (to my knowledge) Sciomancers (and the lifer equivalent, the Ascendril) are the only classes that have this sort of inherent leg up in that regard. It could be argued that the Syssin are in a similar boat with venom being almost entirely a mercantile skill, but with as many venoms as that class goes through, having what's essentially a free, unlimited supply of venoms is nearly priceless.

Moirean

Sciomancers/Ascendril only need to trans guild skills (currently) to be fully functional. The third is a trade skill. These classes are magi, with area control vibes and magical skills. Syssin's 3rd skill is venoms, which is also a trade skill. They are analogous to shadow serpents.

Any heavy venom/affliction-based class (Syssin, Carnifex, Indorani, Bloodborn, Consanguine, Templar, Sentinel, Luminary) will also essentially require trans vision as well, for proper affliction detection.

This being said, with the lesson package and the recent increase to credits you get from levelling, it's very easy to get tri-trans and more for very cheap. I think the math works out to like 4 trans skills with level 100 and the lesson packages. It might be even more than that.

Credits are also vastly cheaper here than they are in Achaea, selling for around 4k-5k, with org credits selling for around 2.5k to 3.5k. We're also really generous with credit rewards for citizens - in Spinesreach, for example, you can get 10 credits for hosting a simple event, repeated credits for attending group combat, tons of credits for gathering ylem, 25 credits for organizing a big city project or event or even a big chunk of gold for RPing science stuff. I'm also giving out 5 credits to every citizen for each event during this tournament.

Tl;dr - we're really generous as orgs, so it's easy to get credits and lessons. I understand the desire to min/max, but I would suggest you don't discount 3-skill classes. Having fun with your class and orgs is a huge factor to enjoying the game.

Valingar

If you're wanting to play darkside classes with minimal lesson investment, in addition to what was already mentioned (Sciomancer), I feel Teradrim is a valid consideration. Trans Terramancy, most of the way trans Animation (full trans is likely not absolutely necessary) and a minimal amount of Desiccation (just enough to get sand slice to strip defenses and rebounding with, which is very low lesson investment) should be enough to give you nearly all Teradrim tools for 1vs1. I say nearly, because obviously having everything is always best.

A downside to Teradrim is that the class is very complex, and it's a limb class - leaning to deal with prerestoration (curing limb damage before a break has time to form) might be hard to get used to for someone coming from Achaea, though parry and rebounding should be familiar. Upsides? The class is very tanky, good for bashing (golem can tank the occasional hit for you!), has very strong damage (helpful in groups), good utility and one of the better 1vs1 instakills. It's also one of the strongest solo classes when properly used - but it's definitely a challenge to get that good with it.

All that said, you should pick something you think will enjoy, rather than what looks cheapest but you hate the theme of. You'll probably end up getting the credits for tri trans eventually, if you keep getting involved in IC events and group fights.

Radakail

Can someone tell me a bit more about Syssin combat? I'm also available in game if any of you would talk to me there. It might be easier to have a live conversation rather than a staggered back-and-forth.

Also, if I quit class after graduating, do I only regain 50% of my lessons? All I've done so far is complete the academy quests and graduated, I haven't gone any further in the Guild. What's the situation there?

Thanks again.

Moirean

You have until GR 3. Before that, you get 90% back.

I see you online right now - try chatting with Ishin or Stridor, from the citymates we have on currently.