EQ2 Meme

Last week’s Meme that was going around the small community of blogs that I read (including my own) sparked an idea. This isn’t a “list four things of this particular category” type meme. Rather, it’s an opinion driven one. Basically, I’m going to present a question, and then answer it myself. It’s multi-part, and I’m hoping to get the EQ2 blog community involved in the discussion.

The topic isn’t earth-shattering, but it’s something that I was thinking about the other day, and I’d like to see other people’s take on it. There are 18 races in the game of Everquest 2, all of which I have seen become all of the different classes. But, the question is, do you think they should all be able to become any class? I think EQ1 had it right in this aspect, where certain races could only become certain classes. This is limiting sure, but lore-wise, it makes sense. And that’s part of what makes a game an RPG, the fact that it is lore-driven. Anyway, I’m going to list what classes I think each race should be able to become, according to my opinion of the lore behind the race. Afterwards, I’ll tag a couple people and hope that they join in. Let’s try to get a decent discussion out of this.

Dwarf: Dwarves are stout, sturdy, and headstong. But they tend to be a bit foolhardy, thusly their intelligence is probably a little low. All of the ale and hardknocks they take can’t help them out in this instance either. They aren’t stealthy, and I would imagine their knowledge of medicine is limited. Bottom line, Dwarves are meant to be Fighters, period. My Ideal Pick: Paladin

Fae: Being small and graceful, I imagine most Fae to be Scouts/Thieves, though some could dabble in the mystical arts. Definitely not tank material. My Ideal Pick: Bard

Froglok: Another small race, I think they are best suited to scouting, and not taking blows. A spirital group, their faith would lead them to healing as well. My Ideal Pick: Templar

Halfling: Lore wise, Halflings are thieves, or Illusionists, or a combination of the two.  (D&D lore at least) Stereotyping would put them in the scout role, because a lack of courage would not put them at the forefront of a fight. They also have a love for song, leading me to believe they should be a troubadour. My Ideal Pick: Troubadour

High Elf: High and Mighty is the best way to describe this race. They pride themselves on intelligence, and would be best suited for the arcane. My Ideal Pick: Wizard

Wood Elf: Tree hugging hippies, these elves love nature, and are best suited to being Druids or Rangers. Really, the only thing I can see them being. My Ideal Pick: Warden

Barbarian: Barbs are built to tank. Their intelligence is higher than some of the other “big” races, but still not high enough to consider being a caster. Norse lore would lead me to believe they would be berserkers or shamans, due to their tribal nature, these are classes they would need to survive. My Ideal Pick: Berzerker

Erudite: The evolution of man, lacking physical strength in favor of higher intellect. They’re obsessed with magic, and thusly should only be a caster class. My Ideal Pick: Wizard/Conjuror

Gnome: Tinkerers at heart, they have a small presence, and are also best suited for stealthy acts. I would say they’re pretty much like halflings, best left behind a big strong tank. My Ideal Pick: Swashy

Half-Elf: A versatile race, combining the intellect of elves with the durability of humans, limitations should be slim. Of course like humans, each is indivdual and some prefer magic over brawn. My Ideal Pick: Any

Human: See above. My Ideal Pick: Any

Kerra: Cats are naturally stealthy, and their keen senses make them perfect for scouting/tracking. Their unusually high intellect makes them a fair canidate for magical arts. And being fairly strong makes them a decent tank choice. I would say either a tank/scout would be the best choice. My Ideal Pick: Any scout/brawler

Arasai: See Fae, above. My Ideal Pick: Any Scout

Dark Elf: An evil race, taking great joy in the pain of others, dark elves make a great choice for a necro or warlock. Though D&D lore would suggest that the priests (who were female) held the most power in their matriarchal society. Casters/Healers best choice, though being stealthy is also in their grasp. My Ideal Pick: Assassin

Iskar: This reptilian race is just as durable and stealthy as a human could be. They are suprisingly cunning as well, and I would imagine they could do anything needed. I also imagine that their healers would be shamanistic, due to their slightly tribal nature. My Ideal Pick: Shadowknight/Defiler

Ogre: Big, Dumb, and Strong. Sounds like a tank to me. My Ideal Pick: Guardian

Troll: See above. Shaman healer. My Ideal Pick: Defiler

Ratonga: The dirty rat killed your brother. He stabbed him in the back. He didn’t cast a spell (though he could have), nor did he come at him face first. Caster/Scout. My Ideal Pick: Brigand

That about sums up what I think about the races and what classes they should be. However, I realize that this isn’t going to happen, but I thought it would be fun to discuss. Now, for the question of the hour.

What do you think the new race, The Sarnak, should be, class-wise?

Lore from EQ1 showed them as being Knights quite often. Fighters pretty much exclusively. Of course you know we’ll see them as all class types, but really, Shadowknight is what’s screaming Sarnak to me. Let me know what you think.

And now, to pick a few others to do this…

1. Average Joe.
2. Feign Logik.
3. Kilanna.
4. Cord.

Don’t know why I picked four… guess I’m still recovering from the last meme.