A survivor gets hit less often, and usually has a higher dexterity than the warrior, meaning that although the survivor does less damage, the overall damage taken and given will be the same across the same span of time because the survivor has a higher defense, and more likely a high offense due to high dexterity.
A survivor can sneak, and so has a much easier time stealing than the warrior. The same can be said of the mage, who can swap places with others, but sneaking is more effective for merchants that tend to walk back to their originating place. This means that the survivor gains access to better equipment (without cheating) earlier than the warrior and therefore has a better survivability rate.
A survivor is the most versatile of classes, because he or she can be skilled across classes and doesn't need to be reduced to being labeled either thief, warrior or wizard. A survivor does not need to feel guilty for ripping people off, stealing, or putting skillpoints in cross-class skills, because a survivor simply... survives.
I always play the female survivor and prefer her to the warrior and the mage. If you've seen her and heard her, you'd know why. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />
