Board 8 > Okay, so you're playing a video game RPG for the very first time...

(+) Yeah! (+)

...you've never played it before, and don't really know what to expect, from the game design to the difficulty to what assets you have, and least of all, what strategies work and don't work.

You're given the ability the customize your player character's stats and playstyle at the beginning of the game. Not knowing what's effective or useless or completely broken (both good and bad), what style do you build towards to start off with? Keep in mind, you don't even know if you can reset your build or diversify later, but you'll generally have a firm idea on whether or not you'll gain party members that could potentially fill roles that you can't (and if your answer would be different depending on if the game is party-based game or a solo game, say so).

• Do you go for a full Warrior-style build? Focusing on physical damage and defense and weapons and armor and not bothering with magic to simplify the game and minimize the chances that magic is too costly or not that good?
• A Magic build? Hoping to take advantage of various spells you hope might be in the game that give you a variety of options and utility?
• A mixed magic knight build? Despite the risk that some games are hardest when splitting your stats do you try a little of everything to play all sides and hopefully find what works?
• Or do you prefer doing something even more specialized? Like agility/thief builds, healer builds, tank builds, etc.?

This is something I think about a lot, because I'll often play an RPG without looking up anything about what classes are good or not. And there are plenty of games, particularly older ones, where like magic users are just completely useless because spells aren't effective and they take up too much resources. So when I'm not sure, I usually pour all my points into a pure physical build, because I find that just hitting things hard and having lots of armor is rarely not at least decent. But on the other hand, I find games more fun when you're learning and using a bunch of spells, even if it's more difficult, so I sometimes go a mixed build instead.

Boring sword guy with a lil bit of magic in there to keep it fresh.

I take the sword and kill everything with it

Swords are cool.

whatever makes me closest to a holy warrior

Absent any information at all I tend to go for more tank style builds with less damage. Ideally, the early parts of the game provide enough information on what an "intended" kind of build looks like (or makes it clear that pretty much anything works) so I know whether to splash phys or magic as the damage, and how far into tank stats I need to actually go

Honestly, I probably just stick with the default.

If I can, mixed magic knight. I like exploring the different systems and see what works.

If I have to, I will side with physical though. If possible, a speedy physical unit.

Depends on the game and my mood.

Historically, my attitude toward games has been "if you can't kill me, I can't lose." So I would either play a ranged class or a healer. More recently, I've found myself gravitating more toward melee classes, but it really depends on the game and especially if it harkens back to something I've played before. I picked the ranged class in Diablo 4. I picked the mage in DA:I. But when I restarted Dungeon Siege a couple nights ago, I went with a hybrid melee/nature magic until I got a couple other people in the party.

I low key hate custom built protagonists

But I'll just go for maximum physical damage if I'm stuck playing it

Usually a thief-type speed and power build, but sometimes if I'm in the mood I go full warrior. Sometimes I'll go towards mage knight during the game if I can but usually not from the beginning

Never mage or tank

Oh, another one.

If I have the option to have a companion, I will choose it.

I mean, I'm just going to use a walkthrough anyway, but failing that, whatever build gives me the most damage on basic attacks.

I generally build stealth/sneak/charismatic characters in that kind of situation.

Stealth crit build, generally ranger over close up but preferably both

I usually opt for melee builds. I like axes and katanas most.

High defensive capabilities (whether that's HP, defense, dodge, heal, whatever's available that I'm in the mood for), enough melee offense to get by, little to no magic

I've never played a strategy RPG before (nor RTS), so this topic kind of applies to me, especially. I will inevitably play Final Fantasy Tactics in the near future. But I've played enough of it in the past to ask...

1) Is it better to not revive characters and keep putting in job newbies to be used as bodies, perhaps, to place in front of your more experienced characters as protection?
or
2) Is it better to revive all characters without exception, and have a more experienced team throughout the game?

When I seriously try to take on the game next time I have to figure that out... I might try #1 first because enemies are really cheap in FFT in that they all target the same character, and thus it's hard to avoid getting KO'd at times. But maybe there are strategies that would prevent that sort of thing from happening, like, "Cover" as an ability for example... I'd have to play the game again to see what strategies are available...

Haste_2 posted...

1) Is it better to not revive characters and keep putting in job newbies to be used as bodies, perhaps, to place in front of your more experienced characters as protection?
or
2) Is it better to revive all characters without exception, and have a more experienced team throughout the game?

Personally, I think FFT kinda sucks with newbies, but the other half of your answer is that you should always revive characters. Note that you can salvage them by simply finish the battle within 3 turns before they turn to crystal rather that actually rezzing them.

Magic knight, dps forward. There's a 100% chance the designers chose to make that playstyle effective because it has the most variety and fun.

if it makes sense for the game's genre, movement-focused rogue-type. otherwise, probably utility-based spellsword (but of course, all roads lead to stealth archer...)

generally tanky, kind like the warrior build with most of the points into hp and strength, but emphasizing big blunt weapons and brute force when I can

whatever the dumbest ranged option is (leaning bulk over speed though)

Assassin type sneaky with crits. Melee preferred to range but preferably options for both.

These days I usually end up going with full mage builds in RPGs. The only real diversion being if stealth is an option, then I'll probably make a slight investment in that.

I'll just go as far as you can without specializing anything only taking the auto upgrades level by level.
I'll uncomfortably grind extra levels to advance without upgrading anything for hours because I can't make the decision.
Then when the 30 hour game is at the 50 hour mark, I will finally make a save point and then unload all attributes into a category. Then breeze through the endgame like it was never even there.
After the game is completed, I'll just ask myself why and never touch the game again.

Another thing I notice in RPGs is I'll gladly grind a little and pour every cent of my starting money just to get that one weapon that's available to buy in the first store that's way too expensive to get normally. If I'm strong enough to one-shot every enemy at the very beginning of the game then I feel very comfortable.

I pour as much into charisma as I can. Interesting dialogue options are almost always the most important thing to me, as very few RPGs have amazing combat. If that's not an option then I want to be as good at healing as possible, and if that isn't doable I go for stealth.

If there's a musical option, I go for that (i.e. Hunting Horn in Monster Hunter.) Beyond that, I tend to play ranged+stealthy depending on the setting (the complete opposite in space stuff, where in Mass Effect, I basically went Vanguard from the start and went ham with it.)

Agility/Thief/Dexterity/Evasion build. Whatever I think allows me to get/loot/steal the most rare items as soon as possible so I don't have to worry about missables.

If theres a thief build and I happen to know the game supports sneaking, shadows, and cover Ill choose thief. Its my favorite playstyle to pick locks and rob people or stores. A bow is also my best friend.

Then warrior build.

I only choose magic if I know the game has a good system for it. Likely because Ive been burnt on that build a few times in my childhood.

Warrior build.

But as someone else mentioned always high Charisma if given that option so I get the best dialog choices.