Warhammer Online will employ one of the most interesting class systems in any MMORPG to date when they debut in the Fall. In part one of this two-part series, Jon Wood speaks to Mythic's Adam Gershowitz about the three ideas that formed the backbone of the careers design.

Recently, I had the opportunity to sit down with Adam Gershowitz, the Combat and Careers strike team lead over at EA Mythic’s Warhammer Online. During the interview, we talked about the classes in Warhammer (known as Careers) and what went into the overall design process in bringing them to life.

The Warhammer Online careers system has gone through an evolution since the game was announced, moving from an extremely complex system when the game was first announced, to the complex and interesting but ultimately more understandable system that we have today and will see at launch.

There are 24 careers in total: four for each of the six races in the game. This in and of itself is a unique decision. More traditional MMOs like World of Warcraft don’t tie their classes to their races. A Paladin, for example, is a Paladin regardless of what race he / she may belong to. Not that there’s anything wrong with that system, but Warhammer takes careers in the opposite direction. If you’re a Bright Wizard, you’re Empire. If you’re an Ironbreaker, you’re a Dwarf.

Order

• Dwarf: Hammerer, Ironbreaker, Rune Priest, Engineer
• Empire: Bright Wizard, Warrior Priest, Witch Hunter, Knight of the Blazing Sun
• High Elves: Swordmaster, Archmage, Shadow Warrior, White Lion

Destruction

• Greenskins: Black Orc, Choppa, Shaman, Squig Herder
• Chaos: Chosen, Magus, Zealot, Marauder
• Dark Elves: Witch Elf, Disciple of Khaine, Sorceress, Black Guard

That isn’t to say that each of the 24 classes is completely unique. Most, if not all, of the careers have a parallel on the opposing side (Order and Destruction). Still, each has its own personality and flavor.

“[Other MMOs] can do the whole Knight, Paladin, Rogue, Mage, format,” Gershowitz said. “When you get down to it, in Warhammer, those things do exist but they exist in a different fashion.”

The Careers in Warhammer, I was told, were designed with three major ideas in mind:

First, the game’s careers had to not only be reflective of the plethora of Warhammer universe lore, but they had to personify it.

 

Entire article at the source: www.mmorpg.com/gamelist.cfm/game/239/feature/2010