I find myself unable to decide between playing a Thief, Warrior, or Guardian. There are things about each class that I like but also things that I venomously dislike. I came to the forums seeking class advice before and it proved really helpful so I decided why not come here again, previously I was recommended to play a Thief which I actually really enjoyed but I still have particular problems with it as I’ll show below.
I have the greatest amount of experience as a Guardian (400+ hours, grinded 1-22 PvP rank, minor participation in WvW, no dungeon experience) and less experience with the other two classes (Thief and Warrior are 80, participated in 50 sPvP Matches each, no dungeons, 100ish hours played for each), here’s basically a summary of why I like and dislike a class.
Guardian – Weapon preference is the 1h Sword
Likes : The “Cleric/Paladin/Spellsword” image, Supporting others, the virtue system, Spirit weapons
Dislikes : The Greatsword, the fact that I can’t really fit spirit weapons into my builds without sacrificing way too much, the dominantly defensive nature of the class.
Warrior – Weapon preference is the Axe
Likes : The Adrenaline system, The offensive nature, Axes (as in the way the axes play in-game, I don’t usually like axes in RPG games), supporting others, dual wielding (sort of)
Dislikes : Purely non-magical class, the 1h sword, utility skills are kind of boring and generic but oh well
Thief – Weapon preference is the Sword
Likes : Stealing is fun, Offensive Nature, The way a sword/pistol plays is probably the most fun weapon skill set I’ve used in the game (for me), technically can be said to use “shadow” magic since I don’t see any justification for Shadowstep otherwise, traps are fun, Thieves Guild is probably my favorite skill and elite skill in the entire game (not only because it’s powerful, but it’s simply fun to have two other fighters on the field), and dual wielding skills
Dislikes : Stealth, and sPVP is seemingly regulated to hit and runs. I “can” fully use stealth or hit and runs effectively, but I don’t really like that style of play. Despite liking everything about the Thief class other than that, the fact that I don’t really like things that are key core components of the class makes me sticking with the class more difficult.
With that said, I have not tried to make a Thief with high vitality or something like that but even then I don’t see being able to escape the need to retreat after bursting provided the thing you’re attacking isn’t dead.
My personal preferences are melee, magical damage, emphasis on burst damage, and dual wielding. I also prefer being offensive and classes that aren’t reliant on stealth. That class obviously doesn’t exist though, so I’m trying to make due with what there is.
Also as a side note, I don’t like the way an Elementalist with Daggers plays at all.
I get that this whole dilemma is largely a issue of image vs mechanics, but I’m still at a loss as to how to proceed. I’d like to be able to have a solid pick on a class before committing tons of resources and playtime only to figure out that I don’t really like the class later on.
So with that said, any help would be appreciated, and if any further clarification is needed I’ll be happy to give that as well.