Just created a login to answer to this. This game is a pearl regarding roleplay potential but... "Class Balance" is missing some key features that makes the ideal party very easy to assemble. Not going to dabble on "gameplay" preferences, etc, as there are enough features to support each role, imo, in a satisfying way but...
...Strictly speaking about Combat difficulty (Meassured in how much turns it takes you to kill enemies) Combat is ridiculously easy with a party of 3 Mages + 1 Warrior. (Most regular fights end in the 1st turn in normal difficulty):
- Warrior = Man at arms. Stack strength get BOTH 2 handed (early) & 1 Hand + Shield (late).
- Mage 1 = Pyro > Hydro > Airo. Stack Int (Mages Schools are also roughly ordered in importance from early game to late).
- Mage 2 = Airo > Geom > Witch. Stack Int.
- Mage 3 = Hydro > Pyro > Geom. Stack Int.
The ammount of pets you can precast, the ammount of raw healing/AOE/surface control and impressive buffing to your Warrior when Magical resistant enemies appear will make any other combination pale.
The only thing you will miss with this party is:
- Charm (Which in plain game terms is just another pet).
- Silence.
- Pickpocket (The entire rogue class can be skipped almost completely due to a few game design flaws).
If you are starting or planning to play with a friend online... I REALLY DISCOURAGE you to mix main characters that aren't mages... Above everything else avoid rogues/nightblades because they require a lot of time for weak performance (And even worse... Costly "Dirty Deeds" skills that will get replaced by simple spells or nullified by the environment/Breakable objects)... And once elemental pets start to be common they are usually a nuissance because they lack the required immunity to operate in the fields your fellow mage will create. A warrior is strictly needed because there are a couple of main story encounters that are immune (or close) to elemental magic. It's perfectly ok to go with BOTH mains as physical characters to enjoy all the extra mechanics and challenges mages made trivial otherwise, but do not MIX or one is bound to get frustrated or the other bored while waiting.
THere are key flaws that trigger this that could be solved... But detailing them would require a lengthy answer.
Last edited by Khumoth; 08/11/14 02:49 PM.