Any professions more suitable during cap than others

[Viekn]

This may very likely be a question without a definite answer, but as I've never capped, I wanted to ask it. And if it's purely subjective, I'll accept that answer and just play what I want to play.

I'm currently taking a break from GS because I've got too much other life stuff going on, but upon my return, I want to focus on one character until I cap them, instead of playing 3-4 and taking forever to level each of them and not really getting anywhere.

That being said, is there any one or two professions that do better at cap than others? Or are they all pretty much the same? I'm not counting any differences in training path and what not, just whether a certain profession may for some reason be better able at handling everything that post-cap play throws at you.

[Fallen]

IMO Semis do best at/past cap. The constraints for never having enough TPs to excel at everything is no longer an issue the more post-cap experience you have. You couldn't go wrong with a Bard, Ranger, or Paladin. That being said, I think Bards are strongest post-cap, but as you pointed out, there isn't a definitive answer.

[neimanz1]

bards and sorcerers rule the world

[Geijon Khyree]

It's something like bard, ranger or ranger, bard, empath, sorcerer, cleric, something, something, Warrior, something, something, something.

[Donquix]

lots of professions demolish everything post cap, there is a heirarchy but it's splitting hairs.

bard / ranger, because semis just feel like "i'm a square and a pure!" when you have 2-3x cap. Bard slightly ahead because they can do so much so well, and there's no real substitute for the loss of haste imbedibles besides tonis if you go a melee-centric route. Sonic gear is really, really good as a primary or when you have to deal with disarm. Cap rangers are amazing still though, and weed mages are scary as hell.

paladin
sorc / warrior (not far behind)

then like everything else clumped together roughly equal, besides monks.

monks (but not like old school "lolololol monks are shit" they're just...kinda on the low end still but close.

Everyone does fine, really. If you aren't picking because of some RP / personal choice, i think it just comes down to how much utility to do you want to offer. Bard utility doesn't require being capped (aside from actually buffing people when you hunt, i more loresinging / gems), same with empath / cleric outside of rescuing IN capped areas. Sorcs get the hilariously good ensorcell extra cash flow, wizards obvious spell bots/ enchanting (also doesn't require being capped), assess is like whatever honestly, outside of bows not like it's hard to get done, rangers can do resistances I think too many people overlook, for the 5 people that don't use the townsmith you can can pick as a rogue...and then paladins and monks are like "hey guys, neat stuff!" <cry>

[Thondalar]

Warriors are pretty sick now. Wizards got a temporary "nerf" but, imo, the new wizard stuff is better than the old wizard stuff. Rogues are a bit gimped hunting post-cap in the rift if they're a straight stealth build, but still totally doable. Bards, Empaths, and rangers are just OP in a world of OP. Clerics are just generally solid. As far as pure hunting goes, hard to beat a paladin.

It really boils down to what kind of character you want. Who do you like being. Some classes have to do certain things to get into the higher-end stuff...warriors and rogues are probably the best example of that. A lot of post-cap stuff is undead, and those are the two main classes that need some sort of outside help to deal with undead. Bards and rangers have spell assistance, Pally's have their thing, and any pure class can hit undead naturally. There are tons of options available for warriors and rogues to deal with this, just saying there isn't some innate class feature like the others.

[Ceyrin]

Some other things to consider are the utility that the capped character will have to you personally.

A capped warrior isn't a bad character, but they don't really DO a whole lot but hunt. A capped wizard or sorcerer may be consider 'about even' on some kind of hierarchy but obviously being able to do a major enchant or ensorcellment every so often for yourself or someone else has some utility to you personally.

So, what do you WANT out of your post-cap character?

[Thondalar]

Some other things to consider are the utility that the capped character will have to you personally.

A capped warrior isn't a bad character, but they don't really DO a whole lot but hunt. A capped wizard or sorcerer may be consider 'about even' on some kind of hierarchy but obviously being able to do a major enchant or ensorcellment every so often for yourself or someone else has some utility to you personally.

So, what do you WANT out of your post-cap character?

And this is the main rub between classes post-cap, IMO.

Pallys are a great example of this...as hunters go, they are unparalleled...amazing offense and defense, can kill living or undead equally well...but practically zero utility.

I understood the OP to be mainly asking about hunting prowess, so I responded as I did. The generic "overall" rankings usually weigh the utility aspect more heavily, which is yet another nod to most or all classes being more or less completely viable at cap/post-cap.

[Viekn]

I understood the OP to be mainly asking about hunting prowess

Hunting prowess is obviously a big part, but definitely not the only thing I want to know about. I mean literally everything I don't know about playing a capped character. Someone mentioned bards for their ability of sonic weapons so as not to worry about disarm. How prevalent is disarming during cap? I know that may change soon with some updates that have been mentioned, but certainly those are the things I want to know about. I think what I'd want most out of a post cap character is the ability to handle, more or less on my own, whatever the game has to throw at me post cap. I understand the design of the game tries to encourage cooperation, and I agree with that. But at the same time, I think when I spend the time to get to cap, I don't want to say "Oh, I capped and I'm still having to deal with getting outside spells", or "I'm still having to rely on stance dancing for certain critters". So my question more succinctly then is what professions have the least issues in those regards or with any other issue I may not really realize yet.

[Ceyrin]

Cap a sorcerer or cleric. They're pretty much entirely self-sufficient -- especially if we're talking RIGHT at cap. Your acid test is plane 4.

You can avoid disarm mechanics at cap, but it does limit your options.

[macgyver]

Hunting prowess is obviously a big part, but definitely not the only thing I want to know about. I mean literally everything I don't know about playing a capped character. Someone mentioned bards for their ability of sonic weapons so as not to worry about disarm. How prevalent is disarming during cap? I know that may change soon with some updates that have been mentioned, but certainly those are the things I want to know about. I think what I'd want most out of a post cap character is the ability to handle, more or less on my own, whatever the game has to throw at me post cap. I understand the design of the game tries to encourage cooperation, and I agree with that. But at the same time, I think when I spend the time to get to cap, I don't want to say "Oh, I capped and I'm still having to deal with getting outside spells", or "I'm still having to rely on stance dancing for certain critters". So my question more succinctly then is what professions have the least issues in those regards or with any other issue I may not really realize yet.

Wizards, with the nerfs they're going to get something back and probably two-fold to overcompensate for the tears. And they can enchant. Get him to forge shit and you got the best of all worlds.

Pallies are just OP in hunting but.. that's all they can do so they suck.

[Astray]

Bard, ranger, paladin. The trifecta and shit.

[Archigeek]

it's way cheaper to effectively play a pure, as they have less of a gear requirement to be effective hunters. On the downside, gear is fun. It will still be an option for you to spend a bunch on gear, but you can much more effectively go out and hunt with basic gear as a pure than you can as a square, and that is something to consider when deciding on how much you want to spend on playing.

[Neovik1]

For me as a rogue, I still have issues above cap with certain critters. But as I train in more and more things I'm able to mitigate those issues. Like for Fetish Masters they have a high DS. I would have to hide and subdue them to knock down their DS. As I trained up spells I can now cast spirit strike and one shot them without any combat maneuvers needed. But I still have subdue to fall back on if I run out of mana. But that's one out of many other types of critters with different things I have to address in my training to mitigate those issues. Even over double cap I'm not immortal and I doubt I ever will be. So for me as a rogue I'm self efficient in the scatter but may not be in other areas.. I can still adjust my training and I'm sure I'll do fine in other areas. I typically only die to bad luck or getting too cocky. Not sure if that helps in any decisions, I don't know how well other classes do in the scatter but I'm sure if it sucks for them there, they probably do better in areas I wouldn't do well in.

[Viekn]

For me as a rogue, I still have issues above cap with certain critters. But as I train in more and more things I'm able to mitigate those issues. Like for Fetish Masters they have a high DS. I would have to hide and subdue them to knock down their DS. As I trained up spells I can now cast spirit strike and one shot them without any combat maneuvers needed. But I still have subdue to fall back on if I run out of mana. But that's one out of many other types of critters with different things I have to address in my training to mitigate those issues. Even over double cap I'm not immortal and I doubt I ever will be. So for me as a rogue I'm self efficient in the scatter but may not be in other areas.. I can still adjust my training and I'm sure I'll do fine in other areas. I typically only die to bad luck or getting too cocky. Not sure if that helps in any decisions, I don't know how well other classes do in the scatter but I'm sure if it sucks for them there, they probably do better in areas I wouldn't do well in.

That brings up a good point. i think at cap I would certainly want to be able to hunt where I want and not have to pick my battles as well, at least for the most part.

[Maerit]

As far as self-sufficient goes, Sorcerers are truly the master of scrolls and can truly make use of a massive arsenal of spells if you know how to catalog and leverage scroll infusion. I personally have a level 90 sorcerer, and run with full MnE/MnS/Sorcerer from my own spell list then can add any of the following from scrolls when necessary:

202, 219, 303, 310, 503, 507, 508, 509, 511, 601, 602, 603, 604, 606, 613, 618, 905, 911, 913, 1119, 1204, 1208, 1601, 1705, 1711

Most of the time I just run with 202, 503, and 509 because I don't really need that much spell coverage beyond self-spells for what I hunt - but I have access to that much spell coverage without anyone else involved and the cost to infuse my scrolls is pretty low. Definitely less cost to keep scrolls infused if you believe in the old "time is money" sentiment.

What kills the sorcerer is usually maneuvers, and with the new 704 - a nervestaff - some training in CM - and a few enhancives for the new SMR formula, this issue can be greatly mitigated.

Being able to animate a critter, equip it with a weapon, and command it to do your bidding is incredibly useful. Hell - that's how I hunt bandits and the animated bandit basically destroys the others while I'm stuck in RT and stunned from their various tricks and gimmicks.

Having 709 and AE 703 to keep an entire room on lock-down makes you an awesome party member - plus 709 gives you credit for attacking everything it touches meaning you don't have to be a damage dealer (because Sorcerers are not swarm killers generally speaking).

Having 735 with additional bonus tier for being a sorcerer (that's right, Sorcerers get a phantom tier of ensorcelling - so they can have T6 armor/weapons) is incredible for both making money and making yourself stronger.

Being able to CROSS-REALM travel (740) for ~25k whenever the hell you want - priceless.

Lots of great RP options with Sorcerers, and the whole demon summoning options are fun to toy with! There is one very noticeable downside - you have limited hunting options. Though there are a few mutant sorcerers out there doing melee combat, 99% of all sorcerers are pures who rely on CS based attacks and very few manage to make use of spell aiming hunting regularly.


Sooo - for self-sufficiency and killing power with incredible utility - the sorcerer is probably the best option.

[Neovik1]

That brings up a good point. i think at cap I would certainly want to be able to hunt where I want and not have to pick my battles as well, at least for the most part.

The good thing for me is that I just cman vanish when things get rough and you can do that in RT... unfortunately in the scatter at 2.6x hiding it's not always successful. If you trained guild skills you can also do stun maneuvers that can help you stand up and move out of a bad area.

My primary defense is the shadows and it's a pretty good defense to have. I know I'll never be able to obliterate a swarm but I'm fine with this play style.

[Neovik1]

As far as self-sufficient goes, Sorcerers are truly the master of scrolls and can truly make use of a massive arsenal of spells if you know how to catalog and leverage scroll infusion. I personally have a level 90 sorcerer, and run with full MnE/MnS/Sorcerer from my own spell list then can add any of the following from scrolls when necessary:

202, 219, 303, 310, 503, 507, 508, 509, 511, 601, 602, 603, 604, 606, 613, 618, 905, 911, 913, 1119, 1204, 1208, 1601, 1705, 1711

Most of the time I just run with 202, 503, and 509 because I don't really need that much spell coverage beyond self-spells for what I hunt - but I have access to that much spell coverage without anyone else involved and the cost to infuse my scrolls is pretty low. Definitely less cost to keep scrolls infused if you believe in the old "time is money" sentiment.

What kills the sorcerer is usually maneuvers, and with the new 704 - a nervestaff - some training in CM - and a few enhancives for the new SMR formula, this issue can be greatly mitigated.

Being able to animate a critter, equip it with a weapon, and command it to do your bidding is incredibly useful. Hell - that's how I hunt bandits and the animated bandit basically destroys the others while I'm stuck in RT and stunned from their various tricks and gimmicks.

Having 709 and AE 703 to keep an entire room on lock-down makes you an awesome party member - plus 709 gives you credit for attacking everything it touches meaning you don't have to be a damage dealer (because Sorcerers are not swarm killers generally speaking).

Having 735 with additional bonus tier for being a sorcerer (that's right, Sorcerers get a phantom tier of ensorcelling - so they can have T6 armor/weapons) is incredible for both making money and making yourself stronger.

Being able to CROSS-REALM travel (740) for ~25k whenever the hell you want - priceless.

Lots of great RP options with Sorcerers, and the whole demon summoning options are fun to toy with! There is one very noticeable downside - you have limited hunting options. Though there are a few mutant sorcerers out there doing melee combat, 99% of all sorcerers are pures who rely on CS based attacks and very few manage to make use of spell aiming hunting regularly.


Sooo - for self-sufficiency and killing power with incredible utility - the sorcerer is probably the best option.


Sorcerers are awesome for corpse rescues in the scatter.

[Rucca]

Cap a sorcerer or cleric. They're pretty much entirely self-sufficient -- especially if we're talking RIGHT at cap. Your acid test is plane 4.

You can avoid disarm mechanics at cap, but it does limit your options.

This.

[Neovik1]

This.

Can a cleric or sorcerer that doesn't have a mutant melee build kill a Vvrael Destroyer in the scatter?

[Rucca]

Can a cleric or sorcerer that doesn't have a mutant melee build kill a Vvrael Destroyer in the scatter?

I know for sure a cleric or sorcerer can swing weapons. Goat is a sorc and he uses a polearm I believe. I chose the pure path for my cleric because I one shot kill most things I hunt, which for me is more efficient...and I ignore tasks sent to kill anything that is magic resist. I'm all about making the big bucks and experience more than wasting time killing those creatures that can be easily worked around. It's really all about what path you want to take at the end. If you want to kill every single thing, magic resist or not, there is a build out there with weapon, brawl, shit talking, body odor...whatever.

[Maerit]

Can a cleric or sorcerer that doesn't have a mutant melee build kill a Vvrael Destroyer in the scatter?

You would need a powerful animated creature equipped with a weapon capable of hitting the Vvrael to kill one as a sorcerer based on their magic immunity. Would probably be a pain, but unlike other pures, Sorcerers actually have a physical method of dealing damage (via animate dead). I actually used this method in my 60s to hunt Soul Golems in Teras when they gave me a bounty for them. One thing that irritates me about magic immune creatures is that they're also immune to 709 arms. Which makes no sense to me because the arms are physical summoned arms that are writing around on the ground - not illusions. At least that's how it's been explained!

[Fallen]

You can also do Construct tasks in OTF as a Sorcerer with animates. With the recent improvements it'd likely be even easier.

[Whirlin]

At cap: Squares and Semis are top tier.
2x Cap: Everyone is awesome
3x Cap: Semis really pulling ahead
5x cap: Omfg, Semis are unstoppable.

I believe Bards end up having the highest post-cap potential of the three semis across the board. They have incredibly high training costs.
Paladins tend to be in a strong position upon capping. Post-capped training is a good balance between attack and defense.
Rangers have tremendous potential, but most of their training goes defensively, or synergizing with stealth.