Should all races have access to play all classes?

I really like restricting classes, I voted with answer #1, but really all 3 apply to me. Race/Class restrictions based on Lore is probably the most appropriate. Leaning towards race/class restrictions also means that players will not all be cookie cutter. Since Race choice is huge to a lot of players, restricting them to certain classes also means enhancing the game experience when making choices. Too much freedom really is a bad thing, by setting limits it makes people make tough decisions and choose the route they really want to go; in the end those tough decisions normally make a person love their design.

I'd rather not see Dark elves running around as monks but if so then their definitely needs to be some harsh cons to it. I mean its possible there could be "good classes" and "evil classes" that have taken upon similar roles in races that were just named differently. But I feel if they give too much freedom with the whole any race with any class, we might only see one to three majority races running around just because anybody can be whatever they want therefore they will only pick their favorite race and maybe later pick their second favorite race.

Lore >>>>> Everything else

I want to live in this world and feel it. I want to be in love with your creation dear Sony Online Entertainment and only then I will start playing like a hardcore player. I want to believe! That's important for my sexy dark elf

It does for me. I have been playing EverQuest and EverQuest 2 on and off since 1999. There are certain standards that need to be met. If they aren't, then it's just not EverQuest, and I am not interested.

Was about to say the same thing.

Absolutely. There should not be any restrictions when it comes to race/class combos. Many have already said it here, it makes no sense when youre trying to build a game all about freedom of choice, and one of the most important character progression paths is all about finding new classes. It seems to be one of, if not the largest, tenant of gameplay to collect classes and use that knowledge to create your build, replacing and substituting abilities.

Im a huge lore geek. So I can see where that mindset is coming from, and in any other game I would agree. But thats just not what this game is about. Being good or evil should be up to the player, not his race. A Dark Elf isnt inheritantly evil. They can still choose to save the Farmer, or Protect a village from rampaging Orcs, Goblins and other nasty creatures. If a Dark Elf is protecting the weak and innocent, why cant he be a Paladin? A Barbarian may be a bit slow witted, but with years and years of practice and study, whos to say he cant learn to cast a Fireball. Smarter races could learn faster, but it doesnt mean a dumber race couldnt learn at all.

Im willing to concede on penalties. I think that would actually add a wonderful level of depth to your character progression. A race could have a natural "knack" at learning certain classes, but by no means should one ever be denied access to try. I believe in the lore panel, it was said multiple times that the choices a player makes dictates how the world views them, and there was some discussion about Gods and such. All that should be based on the choices the player makes in the game, not during character creation.

This wouldn't be so bad if they allowed us to compensate those "penalties" with armor, enchants and character attribute points

Exactly what I would like to see as-well! I went with Penalties with certain Combinations as my Poll Choice because, Ogre Enchanter doesn't make much sense, although Ogre's in EQNext are supposed to be smarter and more militaristic- so in EQNext it may actually make sense, but what if I am the only Dark Elf Pally? Whether its for RP, or I actually want to be a Pally Dark Elf, "Life Of Consequences" people, Lets not half-*** it.

I like the idea of a penalty ( voted for it) but I also think a different version either it be color/animation (since I doubt we will get to color our own powers) can be used to differentiate if all races have access to every class.

First off...yay!!! New thread!!!!

I went with 3, but I really feel like 1 and 3 go together. Restrictions lead to replayability, but those restrictions should be lore based.

I want the lore and faction to play a strong part in how easy it is to find/attempt to train in certain race/class combinations, but I think it adds interest and challenge and uniqueness if a Troll sets out to try and become a Wizard or Enchanter. Make it very hard to go down certain paths for certain races. Make it so its truly an accomplishment and so that everyone doesn't do it (uniqueness and game flavor). Make it so that Trolls are not able to be as good at Wizardry or Enchantment as a high-elf, but give them the ability to try.

I am more in favor of character development and uniqueness than i am in favor of anyone can be anything and everything, so push come to shove I'd rather there be restrictions of at least some type.

Ahh! But you COULD be a MARVELOUS Shadow Knight, and a miserable Paladin (i.e., every "spell" fizzles). Could you not?

These are the types of penalties, not restrictions, that I would LOVE to see.

The devs had said they wanted to make the Ogres more intelligent. So they may not be Einsteins but they certainly are not dumb as rocks. The average American reads at a 5th-8th grade level depending on the source; who cares how smart the average Ogre is, if a few rise above that and can truly master the arcane arts.

Now in a moment of contradiction I just showed why based on some things there should be no race/class restrictions. However I am still in favor of race/class restrictions because it makes people choose. Freedom of choice is not just about having everything you want, it's about being limited once you make a choice. Everyone will have access to all the races (barring any SC type purchases like in EQ2 with Freebloods), so everyone is on an even playing field. But once you make that choice you are taking yourself down a path and some limits are good in that case.

Personally, I think it adds a sense of roleplay to the game when certain races can't be a certain class. But Maybe this could be something where you may not be able to start as that class, but still can acquire it in the game.
A good example I heard was that maybe a Ogre can't be a wizard class at start. But if he builds faction up with the gnome city, and shows them he is a good Ogre fighting for their causes, they will let him into the city, and into the wizard guild. He then unlocks that class. This can be a hard thing to do, but would add that nice shine to your character in a way that a lot of other games don't allow.

Ogres think alike.

I am all for opening up to new ideas, but I would like to see some fairly established fantasy traditions adhered to. Dark elves are evil. Wood elves are nature lovers. Dwarves have beards. Gnomes are puntable.

Deviation from those requires too great a leap.

I think the old lore has weight when making the new lore, but there should definitely be left a lot of breathing room for new ways to handle old things. We can't let ourselves be restricted by the old ways.

That's a fair point.
Certain Classes will force you to behave a certain way before you can actually obtain them.. Which with that in mind I'm tempted to change my Poll Choice to no-penalty Open Classes for all.

I agree! This would certainly be an idea worth considering.

In fact I would say every Race should have specific perks... perhaps Gnome only Tinkering! Dwarf only Battlerager! Iksar only Dragonkin! Great suggestions.

Except that ogres were not dumb as a rock in the original EQ lore. They were actually cursed to be unintelligent because they dared to challenge the gods.