So, you are interested in WAR but still not sure what class to play? I’m set on Black Orc, but that’s me, there are other melee destruction classes out there, which one to pick? After reading this Blog I guess you have a pretty good idea about the class, so let’s cover the other ones a bit.

Chosen

Another tank class for destruction, which means it shares the common utility of guards, taunts and stuff like that. When considering the actual endurance for PvE in tank spec both classes are pretty equal (not the same by any means, they work different, but accomplish pretty much same level), what sets them apart is what you can do above tanking. Where Black Orc can shine as a dps machine, Chosen shine as utility machine, a good example of this might be 25% healing debuff aura - Discordant Turbulence. Auras are #1 Chosen utility - you can turn on one aura to work as a passive aoe buff-debuff and forget about it, or you can twist them. When you change auras the previous one will still last for 12 seconds, so if you don’t mind the button mashing you can keep them all up 100% of the time. Aura twisting might be annoying, but on the other hand you don’t have the combo mechanic that Black Orc has, which means that your every ability is available to you all the time, no building up.

Marauder

This class looks a bit underestimated by people. Marauder is the crazy viking mutant and belongs to Melee DPS archetype, which means he is not as tough tanks, but he is still tougher than Witch Elves. Marauder is the mirror class of White Lion, except it’s cooler since it doesn’t have a pet but has a cool mutations representing ’stance’ he is in, around which the mastery paths are build. What’s worth mentioning is path of Savagery, which has abilities like Cutting Claw, as well as Tainted Claw, which combined with Deadly Clutch tactic is a deadly combo. Marauders have quite some mobility with Charge! ability, and at level 40 they get Terrible Embrace, allowing them to pull enemies to them every 10 seconds, no comments required.

Witch Elf

If you are a Warrior vet, then this is not a class for you. If you are a Rogue vet, welcome home. Witch Elves, just as Witch Hunters, use a 5-point combo system. These are also the only two classes in game which have stealth and having stealth is never a bad thing in PvP. A system of Kisses mimics posions where you ‘Kiss’ your opponent, then murder him and his blood stays on your blades giving you some benefits (like snare). Just as marauder Witch Elf can get a healing debuff, even easier to apply through a simple Healer’s Bane tactic. At level 40 you get an Agile Escape action, which is bascially a self-backwards-knockback, and as such you can enter combat with stealth, do as much damage as possible, leap backwards and bang, you are safe. I never was into rogues so I can’t tell you much about their exact mechanics, there are also some changes planned for the class, such as giving them a snare on their Throwing Dagger.

UPDATE: I stand corrected by S4ndM4n (told you I never was into rogues :P). Actually, by the wording of it, Healer’s Bane is not a “Mortal Strike” effect, it doesn’t reduce the healing received by your victim, but it reduces the healing done by a healer, so if you are bashing a guy that’s not healing himself, it has no effect. However, Witch Elves have Black Lotus Blade in the same mastery path, which does have the usual 50% healing taken debuff.

The lack of generic warrior guy can be confusing, the characters in WAR are very iconic, can share some similarities across the archetypes, but generally have quite a different play styles. I hope I’ve helped you to pick the one that fits you.

Terhix