Newish player trying to pick a class

Kaedhol

Hello Achaeans! I've tried playing the game a couple of times, but never managed to get really deep into it(usually due to a RL break causing me to forget most of what I learned!) I've been lurking the forums for a while now, and noticed the weaponmastery changes; now I want to try out a Knight!( the dual-wielding rapiers always turned me off). I read some of the help files and have a couple of questions:

- Runewarden help files talk about needing a "dual wieldable weapon" to empower as your runeblade. Is this still the case, or can runewardens use two handed/one handed and shield?
- One of the Paladin passives is about being able to perform rites right after doubleslash, same question as runewardens

Also, while I have a vague idea of the differences between the three Knights, I would very much like to read a more in-depth guide on what makes each of them tick, and how they play! I couldn't really find any information online though(the wiki I found was kind of bare bones). Is there some knightly literature that I could read(IG or out) that would help me get familiarized with them before I pick one? I'm not really looking for an in-depth breakdown of combat because most of it sounds like gibberish to me , but just a general idea of what I would be doing as a Paladin/Runewarden/Infernal.


Finally, and not completely unrelated, is there a way to check if I can reincarnate my character(I don't remember if I've used mine)? Is there any drawback rekindling this old fart's life compared to just making a new character? Should I really end my post with a question mark? Thanks, preemptively!

Addama

Kaedhol said:

- Runewarden help files talk about needing a "dual wieldable weapon" to empower as your runeblade. Is this still the case, or can runewardens use two handed/one handed and shield?

Yes, Runewardens can now empower two-handed weapons and blunt weapons.  Shields can't be empowered, but Sword and Board is still a very powerful spec for Runewardens on account of improved limb prep and damage pressure over Paladin/Infernal.

- One of the Paladin passives is about being able to perform rites right after doubleslash, same question as runewardens

Don't know.

Also, while I have a vague idea of the differences between the three Knights, I would very much like to read a more in-depth guide on what makes each of them tick, and how they play! I couldn't really find any information online though(the wiki I found was kind of bare bones). Is there some knightly literature that I could read(IG or out) that would help me get familiarized with them before I pick one? I'm not really looking for an in-depth breakdown of combat because most of it sounds like gibberish to me , but just a general idea of what I would be doing as a Paladin/Runewarden/Infernal.
There's three threads on this forum, one for each of the new Specs, that discusses them in depth.  There's no way for me to reasonably sum up the contents of all of them because 1) that's a ton of information to shove into a simple response and 2) things are still changing so I can't conclusively say they're going to be this way when I finish typing this sentence.

Finally, and not completely unrelated, is there a way to check if I can reincarnate my character(I don't remember if I've used mine)? Is there any drawback rekindling this old fart's life compared to just making a new character? Should I really end my post with a question mark? Thanks, preemptively!

I think STAT STATS might show if you have a free reincarnation, but reincarnation doesn't remake your character, it just allows you to change race.  You'll still have the same name, level (so long as you don't lose a level from the death, obviously) and history.

Amarillys

Pretty sure it's SCORE 2 that shows reincarnation.

Masaryk

Welcome back. Hope you stick around this time!

Vesios

I can't speak as to the combat-related things as I'm still an utter noob on that front, so if you wish to learn more about that I urge you to seek out those experienced in such matters. I can, however, give you a general overview of the themes of the various knights and how your roleplay will be affected depending on what you choose.

The Infernal and Paladin classes are factional. They're the thematic opposites of each other, literally. Infernals serve Evil, Paladins serve Good, and that will both limit your character's possible allegiances, but also give him/her a more concrete path to follow.

If you choose Infernal you will be limited to the city of Mhaldor. Mhaldor, obviously, is the city of Evil, and as an Infernal you'll get the factional ability of Necromancy. This ability lets you do a variety of nefarious, somewhat-disgusting things such as raise hands from the grave to hinder opponents, kill all plant life in the area for essence, consume hearts and forge the souls of your enemies into spears and then throw them at people. From what I can tell all of the Mhaldorians are awesome folks OOCly and they would love to torture enlighten you, should you choose the Infernal class. The whole Mhaldorian thing is "strength through suffering" - through suffering and pushing through that weakness, you grow stronger. Obviously, these are the "bad guys" of Achaea and Mhaldorians are generally not welcome in other cities.

Should you choose Paladin, you will have to choose between either Targossas or Cyrene - should you choose Cyrene, you may have to deal with certain limits placed on your Devotion ability. I'm not qualified to discuss that, so I'll let others explain that whole thing should you have any questions. Targossas is the city of Good. Note that this variant of "Good" is less "donate to charity" and more "PURGE THE HERETICS, LONG LIVE THE BLOODSWORN GODS!" Less Dominican friar, more Warhammer 40k. Should you choose Paladin you will gain the skill of Devotion, which allows you to do things ranging from healing yourself and granting allies buffs to reviving the fallen and damning your enemies to the flaming pits of hell for all eternity. I'm less certain on the Targossian ideology as I haven't interacted much with them, but their thing seems to be protecting and advancing Creation against whatever might threaten it, no matter the cost (and if I'm wrong on any of that I urge any Targossian to please correct me, I'm not a fan of butchering stuff like that). The Targossians have many enemies and many hate their guts and think them arrogant, but they're zealous in their believes and faith. OOCly, from what I can tell, they're equally fine folks and, from what I've read on the forums, they would love some more allies.  

The Runewardens trace their roots historically to Cyrene, but they are very much a neutral class and you'll find them in every city, much in the same way you'll find Blademasters, Serpents or Monks no matter where you go. Earth magic, which fuels their skill of Runelore, is a neutral force, and so choosing Runewarden will not limit your options in the slightest - where the Infernals and Paladins have their ideologies tied to their skillsets, the Runewarden's ideology is quite separate from the class. You'll find Runewardens serving Evil, serving Good, Serving Nature and Chaos and everything else. The art of Runelore is the act of inscribing various images of power, fueled by earth magic, that bestow certain benefits to yourself and others. Some can be inscribed on the ground and damage or throw an opponent off balance. Others can be placed on yourself or allies, granting them increased health or damage output. Inscribing certain runes on your weapons or armor will allow you to empower them, turning your equipment into runeblades (and whatever you call the blunt equivalents) and runic armor.

It should be noted that if you choose one of the factional knight classes and later decide to leave the service of your relevant Divine and cities - Sartan/Mhaldor for Infernals, the Bloodsworn/Targossas (and Cyrene, though that has its own complications regardless) for Paladins - you may find it prudent to switch classes, as Necromancy and Devotion, as stated above, are factional abilities and inherently tied to their relevant Divine, and thusly can be taken from you. Should you choose Runewarden, you will have no such limitations; upon learning Runelore it is yours and yours alone, and will serve you regardless of your chosen path, even if your ideology changes drastically down the road. 

I'm not certain how much of this you knew beforehand, @Kaedhol, but I hope you find it helpful! And welcome to Achaea! Hopefully we'll get you to stick around this time.

Jules

Something I wish I'd thought to do way back when was to really try ALL of the IRE games.  They are very different, and also have very different player bases.  That said, the other IRE games didn't seem as developed back when I started, so there wasn't as much to keep me there.  I am absolutely loving Imperian now though, and I really need to give Lusternia and Aetolia a serious try.  Don't commit completely to Achaea too early though.  It may or may not be the game for you, based on too many things to list here.  The other IRE games are probably more timezone based though.  If you live outside the CONUS/Canada or just have an odd schedule, you may want to see if there are going to be enough people around if you're going to commit to one of those.  As for a knight class here in Achaea, another vote for Runewarden for someone who is getting their footing in the game.  It will never limit you, and it's a good place to start as well.  

EDIT:  that said I still love both.  Achaea is so rich in features.  Realistically, most of us can only play one at a time, and you might as well make sure you go wherever you think you'll enjoy things the most for now.  

Kaedhol

Vesios, thanks, that's pretty much what I was looking for. With Addama relieving my mechanics issues, I'm going to go ahead and dive in 

Antonius

Fervour - the ability that allows you to lay rites while off balance following certain attacks - is currently a perk of dual cutting. That may or may not change, I've heard people quote conflicting answers there.

It's a lot less necessary than runeblades are as a runewarden. Rites can be a big part of Paladin combat, but having to lay them separately before starting to attack generally won't matter too much.