First, we have to “unlearn” everything you thought about classes and the roles of those classes in other games. No longer are the classes designed to fulfill one specific role within a group. If one cannot let go of those definitions, then they will have issues with the soul system in Rift: Planes of Telara. So, to aid in this, here are some definitions that will help. If you get used to using these terms, and understanding what they mean when you use them, it will at the very least get some decent answers from the community when you ask questions.
Calling: This is your archetype. There are four within this game: Mage, Warrior, Rogue, and Cleric. Once you choose your calling, you cannot choose another for that character, so choose wisely. Try not to fall into the trap of choosing because of play style. All the rules are different here. I made one of each so I can play and see what I like best. Personally, I have always played casters, but I love my rogue. Anyways, I digress.
Role: This is the function that you want to fulfill. You can be DPS, Healer, Melee, Ranged, or a combination of any of these, regardless of calling. Each calling has a variety of souls that you can mix and match to fulfill a role, and you can change between them with one click, if you set up your skill bars. In essence, you can be DPS on one role, Support on one, PvP on one, and one reserved for solo PvE. It all depends on your preferred mode of play.
Souls: I probably should have talked about souls before roles, but there is so much information, that I thought I would save it for last. A soul is the closest thing to a specific class that Rift has to offer. It is a predefined set of skills and enhancements. There are 8 souls for every calling, and you can choose up to 3 for each role that you build.
Here’s a basic look at the math:
4 callings x 4 roles
4 roles x 3 souls from 8 choices (not using the separate PvP souls here)
So, if you have 3 souls per role, using 3 out of 8 possible souls for each role, and a possible 60-odd points to distribute amongst those 3 souls, well, you get the picture…So many choices that yes, there will be some builds that are very powerful, and some silly builds that are absolutely useless. The numbers are staggering. I am not even going to attempt to put an equation together to try to come up with a number. For the first 5 levels (or so) you will have only one soul. For beta purposes, by the time you’re 20, you have all your souls. It remains to be seen what the devs have planned for release.
When I choose a soul, I look at the basic skill set first (the roots,) and then the enhancement abilities (the branches.) You will receive skill points as you level, which you can distribute amongst your soul’s branches. Every 2 points spent will unlock another root skill. There are a few threads here in which people have given links to “soul builder” programs that can allow you to play with the souls and let you make your own decisions about what souls you would like to obtain. Some souls go better with others, some not so much. The fun (for me) is learning which souls can pair with which others to make an overall viable character that won’t die with a bad wind.
Now that I have completely confused you on the souls system mechanics, I will try to clear things up a bit.
Each calling has DPS souls that focus primarily on doing as much damage as they can. Each calling also has support souls, and yes, every calling has healing souls (or at least souls that can buff the character.) So, the traditional idea of Casters=DPS, Cleric=Healer and Warrior=Tank is rendered useless. In this game, there are mages that can heal, rogues that can tank, and clerics that can kick butt. I do not know the capabilities for Warrior,a s I have almost no experience trying to play one yet.
One last point to make about the soul system: If you don’t like the way you have your souls set up for a specific role, you can go to your trainer in any town that has one and pay to have your points undone. This is called a Re-spec, ore re-specification. It will remove all your skill points and allow you to change souls within your role. So far, it’s pretty inexpensive, and allows you to have more freedom in experimentation. What the end result will be at release is anyone’s guess, but I hope they leave it as is.
Why this all works: By defining 4 separate roles, you can click on a button, and “redesign” yourself so that you can perform whatever is needed at the time. If the Main Tank says “I need a healer,” one click and boom, you’re a healer. If the tank dies, or has to leave, click a button, and you have another tank. The capabilities might be finite, but the sheer number of possibilities will make this game truly shine, regardless of any differences or similarities to {insert random game name here.}
Well, I hope this rambling missive helps out any of those who have yet to see inside.
