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*clickeverywhere* · (This post was last modified: 30-01-2015, 08:41 AM by clickeverywhere.)

Welcome to the Hero Class thread!

The purpose of this thread is to inform players of what hero classes are, the benefits they provide, and advise players on how to best utilize them.

So, what is a hero class?

The Hero Class is just a fancy name for the fifth tier in character progression. However, unlike the first four tiers, players are given three choices that allow for specialization. Obtaining Hero Class also costs 750,000 gold. This is non-refundable. If you use a character respec, you will lose this gold so choose wisely. Hero Class also requires 13 class points -- therefore only a level 52 character is capable of becoming a hero class.

Hero Class Character Statistics

Hero Class Character Statistics - Commando

Hero Class Character Statistics - Sharpshooter

Hero Class Character Statistics - Sniper

Hero Class Character Statistics - Pikeman

Special thanks to the following:
Hero Classes Progression - by Nka19
Winter - for creating the original thread and foisting it onto me. Thanks, Winter.

*clickeverywhere* · (This post was last modified: 30-01-2015, 09:09 AM by clickeverywhere.)

Hero Class Character Statistics Analysis

Statistic Analysis - Commando

Zweihander (edited)
This class is meant to excel at slashing. A two handed WPF increase of 40 creates a ~4% increase in damage and a swing speed increase of an approximate equivalent in 1.5 additional weapon speed stats. This class also gains a slight increase in One handed WPF (10) and a decent increase in Polearm (30). This means that if no good two handed weapons are available or you are using a two-hander that is too short to be useful, you can pick up a polearm and still use it with some ability. There is also a decent Crossbow WPF increase of 65 and Throwing WPF increase of 40, meaning that if the team completely barricades off, you can shoot crossbows faster if they are available, and if not still be able to decently aim and use throwing weapons. This class does not gain increased Ironflesh, but does get 1 Athletics to increase run speed. Please, please, please note that this class does get a Shield proficiency increase of 2, meaning you can still shield with the same ability as the Hybrid Commandos of old. Do not refuse to shield based on the fact that you are a Zweihander.

Legionnaire (numbers revised)
This hero class for Commando is the odd one out. Instead of focusing on shielding and slashing like Commandos traditionally have, this character gains a marked increase in both one hand and throwing ability. An impressive 50 increase in One handed WPF increases damage and speed by an approximate 5% and 2 swing speed points, respectively. A huge increase in Power throw (3) and Throwing WPF (230) makes this class have throwing abilities that can compete with a Tier 4 Pikeman. A quick comparison shows that the Legionnaire has 2 less Power throw and and 50 less Throwing WPF meaning the Legionnaire can still easily use throwing weapons effectively. This class, like the Zweihander, gets an increase in Shielding of 2, which makes a total of 8 meaning this class can shield as effectively as the Hybrid Commandos of old. Legionnaires should almost always shield over anything other than a Royal Guard, as the throwing support it can offer is typically less useful than the powerful slashing of a Zweihander and the shooting of a Pavise Champion. Do not forget that you can still effectively slash with a two-hander.

Royal Guard
This hero class is clearly meant to shield. An impressive increase of 4 to the Shield skill means another ~40% reduced damage over a normal Commando, and ~20% over fellow Hero and Hybrid Commandos. It should also be noted that it gains the same increases as Zweihander in Throwing, Polearm, and Crossbow WPF. The same conclusions can be drawn. This class also gets another point in Ironflesh, meant for an increase in sustainability of shielding.

Over All (rewritten)
The primary role of the commando is on the front line shielding and fighting. Do not forget this. Hero classes provide specializations in these roles, but each are capable of shielding and slashing when necessary. With this in mind, Zweihanders and Legionnaires should generally carry a shield and two-hander.

Old overview by Winter

Statistic Analysis - Sharpshooter

Chosen Marksman
The idea for this hero class is pretty simple: higher Crossbow WPF for faster shooting. This hero class also gives a Power Strike increase of 1 (equal to ~8% damage in melee) and a decent Athletics and Shield increase of 2 each. To be as generic as possible, this class also gets the usual 50 One handed, 40 Two handed, and slightly higher 30 Polearm WPF (as compared to 25) boosts to make them more useful if they ever happen to be required to slash. Hopefully this is never the case.

Aventurier
Again, simple design. High One handed WPF (85 more, meaning an approximate 10% increase in damage and 3-4 weapon speed), moderate Two handed and Polearm increase for those "OH NO _________ ARE ALL DEAD AND I NEED TO GO SLASH!" moments. Unlike the other two Sharpshooter hero classes, however, this one gets a 3 Athletics boost (as compared to 2). This allows this hero to get around the base faster and use that one hand skill to the benefit of the team. Like Chosen Marksman, this class gets an additional 2 Shield, which could be useful if a shielder goes down and there aren't any to spare. This class also gets a Power strike increase of 2, as compared to the Chosen Marksman increase of 1, meaning this class can do a bit more melee damage. This fits in well with the One handed WPF increase.

Pavise Champion
This is the Royal Guard of Sharpshooters. An impressive increase of 5 Shield skill easily puts this class as the second best shielder in the game with an astounding total of 9 Shield skill, beat only by the 10 of Royal Guards. The generic One handed, Two handed, and Polearm WPF increases are still added, but this character is clearly more prepared to shield than use those weapons. This class also gets 2 more Ironflesh, as compared to the 1 increase in the other two Sharpshooter hero classes. This creates an increase in survivability that can mean the difference between a team wiping or holding through the wave as the Pavise Champion rushes in to take over shielding from an unfortunate Swadian.

Over All
Chosen Marksmen can reload faster, Aventuriers can use one handed weapons at a very high proficiency and get to be a little faster, and Pavise Champions have more survivability and a great ability to shield. Each of these classes also gets a generic increase in Two handed and Polearm WPF as well as 2 Power strike to allow for some slashing if completely necessary.

Statistic Analysis - Sniper

Warden
This speedy pew-pewer gets a neat increase of 55 Archery WPF, meaning faster draw speed and a good 6-7% more damage. A Power draw increase of 1 means this character can hold aim longer than other archers, a skill that can be useful in making very precise shots. The generic 50 One handed, 50 Two handed, and 25 Polearm, as usual, are present. A 2 increase in Power Strike means this class is much more effective at defending itself in melee than its non-hero predecessor. A measly 1 Shield increase reaffirms that this class should not need to shield. Ever. Never. Seriously. There is also an Athletics increase of 2, which is useful for running away.

Ranger (revised)
This hero class is a beefy archer with a large increase in health, a whopping 4 Ironflesh. It should also be noted that this class gets a Shield skill increase of 5, meaning it can pick up a shield from a fallen shielder and stem the tide of Nords entering the base. This class gets an odd 11 increase in Archery WPF. Very odd... The generic increases of 50 One handed, 40 Two handed, and 25 Polearm are also present.

Sentinel
This hero class focuses on covering a weak spot of the Sniper class: melee damage. This class gets a whopping 120 One handed WPF increase, equal to around 17-20% more damage and ~4 weapon speed, but sacrifices the generic Two handed and Polearm WPF increases, getting 0 increase instead. This is most likely in place to keep this class from becoming an amazing slasher, as the next stat increase is 5 whole Power strike, which creates an approximate 40% melee damage! This class gets a moderate Ironflesh increase of 1 and the same Athletics increase of 2 as the Warden. It should be noted that this class does get a Shield skill increase of 4, meaning it can shield in dire situations. It should also be noted that this class gets no increase to Archery WPF, which is only slightly less than the Ranger.

Over All
Wardens are the only Sniper hero class to get a notable increase in Archery WPF and get an increase in Power draw. The Ranger is a beefy shooter with a decent Shield skill. The Sentinel focuses more on melee damage and sports a powerful one handed ability and a decent increase in Shield skill.

Statistic Analysis - Pikeman

*clickeverywhere* · (This post was last modified: 09-02-2015, 03:47 AM by clickeverywhere.)

Recommended Items and Strategies (written by Winter)

Commando

Zweihander
The Zweihander is obviously a slasher, so use it as such. If no Royal Guards, Legionnaires, or Pavise Champions are available or are more useful elsewhere, don't hesitate to be the shielder. You still get 8 Shield skill, use it. I recommend using lighter armor to allow for faster slashing, so consider wearing lighter boots or no boots at all. It is probably not the best idea to forgo better body or head armor for lighter weight, however, unless you are very sure you can go without being hit. Typically I would bring a two handed weapon and two shields so that if the shield wall does go down, I am more than capable of jumping in to fill the gap and still have a backup shield that I can either hold onto or give to another shielder. A one handed weapon is recommended in place of the second shield if you plan on drawing in or assaulting ranged Nords. It is also an option to bring a two handed hammer, a two handed sword, and a shield in order to either help outfit other slashers or allow some versatility in your own slashing. Weapons like the Bidenhander, Forlorn Hope, and Legacy are very long and do high damage, and weapons like the Heavy War Hammer and Stone Maul can be used for crushing heavier armored Nords with shorter weapons such as Huscarls and Jotnes.

Legionnaire
I strongly recommend getting Very Heavy Throwing Axes for this class, since in melee they draw from One handed WPF, rather than Polearm WPF like other throwing weapons. This allows the Legionnaire to make use of two of its special stats at once and lets it bring in two stacks of axes and a shield. If a slasher is killed, you can easily pick up their two hander or a two hander from somewhere else and take over slashing, if necessary. Although I would recommend lighter armor on a Legionnaire for faster movement to areas where you are more needed and to close distance on Nords so you can use your one hander, I often find myself shielding so I go for heavier armor for higher survivability.

Royal Guard
This is the tanky Commando where it is recommended to go all out on armor. Get the heaviest, bulkiest, strongest stuff you can and stand between the Nords and your allies. Although Royal Shields are common and nice, Defender Shields are a much cheaper alternative with a much more manageable price tag. For the more dedicated Royal Guards, the Aegis Shield will often help. The most ambitious (or lucky) can make use of the Shield of Kings, a beast of a wooden shield that can be found from Odin.

Sharpshooter

Chosen Marksman
Clearly this class is meant to be better at shooting, but let's look at what the stat increases actually do. Very little, in all actuality. The magic of crossbows is that they do not gain higher damage based on WPF or some other stat, their damage is static. This makes them very useful for Commandos to use when melee is not an option to them. For the Chosen Marksman, however, it is a detriment as it means higher damage is not achieved simply be becoming this class. Sure, the crossbow reloads faster and is a little more accurate, but what most people want is more damage. This is granted in the form of the Elegant Crossbow and the Big Shot, two great crossbows. The Big Shot is the highest damage crossbow in the game at a whopping 155 pierce, a whole 10 pierce damage more than the legendary Penetrator! The Eastern Repeater is also available, so for those of you that loved the Repeater Crossbow, a fancy new upgrade is available.

Aventurier
I will admit, I found a little bit of trouble finding a way for this hero to be particularly useful in a group setting. The answer, however, is in the rare occasion that something with high armor manages to get into the base and is terrorizing the lower melee damage archers and crossbowmen. Instead of having parts of the shield wall disband to go save their ranged brethren, an Aventurier can make quick work of units including teleporting Nords like Royal Assassins and Tricksters and can be instrumental in killing slippery Nords that get through the shield wall like Followers of Vanagandr, Hati, and Skoll, Einherjars, and Beserkers of all sorts. On teleporting waves this class can also hang out behind the slashers and kill any that manage to teleport behind them, that way the slashers can remain focused on the shield wall. I recommend lighter armor and no shield to increase maneuverability, and a decent one handed weapon WITH SOME LENGTH like the Knights Sword, Hero's Mercy, or Fell Edge so that you can keep Nords stun locked. Sorry, Dragon Axe lovers, but it is too short to maintain stuns on most Nords.

Pavise Champion
This is a very enjoyable hero class, and access to that sexy and cheap Black Armor just make it that much better. You get more armor for much less in House Crafting, something that I believe is easily worth the 750k. This class is clearly meant to shield, but like all Sharpshooters it is used most effectively shooting. Shielding should only be done if there are no Royal Guards, Legionnaires, or Zweihanders are available, as the damage from the crossbow typically outclasses the damage either Commando class could do. An exception would be if the team was already very low on slashers, as then it would be dumb to make a slasher shield while someone continues shooting.

Sniper

Warden
It is an archer with higher Power draw and Archery WPF. Not much more to say there. Get better bows, shoot some more, get those fancy Elmwood or Ebony Arrows.

Ranger
This class is a bit more imaginate than the prior. With a large increase in hitpoints and access to heavier armor (note that you can now buy T3 Marketplace Infantry helmets), this class is great if you have issues staying alive as a squishy archer. Like other Sniper hero classes, this class gains access to Ebony/Elmwood Bows and Arrows. I personally like picking up a shield for use if the shielder goes down and no one else feels like stepping in. A Swadian Kite Shield will often work, as that will typically last through a partial wave, but feel free to grab a better shield if they are in abundance. Do not take shields that another class could use better. Do not try to force others to let you shield "for teh lulz." You are a backup shielder, not the star of the team that can run out there, kill a bunch of Nords outside of experience range, kite back to the shield wall, and then proceed to AFK through the rest of the wave shielding.

Sentinel
This is by far my favorite Sniper hero class. Like the Aventurier, it may seem useless as it does not gain an increase in the typical use of the class, but do not be mistaken. This class is absolutely astounding against assassin type Nords and Nords that manage to slip into the base. Since archers are so commonly used for kiting, it should also be noted that this class, if using a good weapon like the Knight's Sword, Illustrious, or Fell Edge, can stun lock Nords with ease and kill them rather quickly. I have noticed with my Fell Edge I can often swing, hit a shield, and swing again immediately after without blocking and still hit the Nord before his weapon can hit me. Speed like that is beautiful. It is also great for taking out a boss unit that managed to catch up with you for whatever reason, as you can now do enough damage to get through that tough shell of armor.

Pikeman

Halberdier
The Ironflesh increase and access to heavier armor like the Heraldic Halberdier Mail and Heraldic Master Halberdier Mail greatly increase this class's survivability. Feel free to pick up some shields for use if the shielder dies. You have decent Shield skill. Like I said for Rangers, do not take shields that another class could use better. Do not try to force others to let you shield "for teh lulz." You are a backup shielder, not the star of the team that can run out there, kill a bunch of Nords outside of experience range, kite back to the shield wall, and then proceed to AFK through the rest of the wave shielding. Like other Pikeman hero classes, this class gains access to Very Heavy Throwing Axes.

Master Peltast
This throwing frenzy class can deal tons of damage quickly. Just be careful to refill often. This class gains access to Very Heavy Throwing Axes, like the other Pikeman hero classes. However, this class is the only class able to use the Rupturer, the most poweful throwing weapon in the game.

Marauder
This is a beautifully fun class. Use this glass cannon to beat the stuffing out of the Nords. Weapons that stab like the Sarissa and weapons that slash like the Sun Pike both gain great deals of speed and damage from this class. Use them. Although you gain access to Very Heavy Throwing Axes and can obviously still use old throwing weapons, I strongly recommend primarily using your polearms.

*clickeverywhere* · (This post was last modified: 16-10-2013, 06:16 PM by Winter.)

Reserved for Hybrids

*clickeverywhere* · 16-10-2013, 06:07 PM

Reserved - Formatting is screwed up because of the character limits. I will fix this when I get a chance to work on this again. Please don't hurt me.

Punishment™ · 16-10-2013, 06:07 PM

You have way too much time on your hands Winter, but nicely done.

FF_Skywalker · 16-10-2013, 06:46 PM

Wow nice work Smile

Sinister Soldier · 16-10-2013, 07:39 PM

(16-10-2013, 06:06 PM)Winter link Wrote:
Sharpshooter
Chosen Marksman
...... The Big Shot is the highest damage crossbow in the game at a whopping 135 pierce, 11 points higher than the legendar Penetrator! The Eastern Repeater is also available, so for those of you that loved the Repeater Crossbow, a fancy new upgrade is available.

Big Shot does 140 pierce damage not 135 pierce. Just saying.

Perseus · 16-10-2013, 07:41 PM

Good work! Smile

*Legend* · 16-10-2013, 07:43 PM

Yup, nice work there, you probably will soon have to add something here.

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