Summary
Open-world games are known for theincredible amount of immersionand freedom that they offer players. The best open-world titles have players lose themselves in expansive settings and environments, forging a path that is uniquely their own or searching every corner of the world - not just for gimmicks and collectibles - but out of a genuine nature of wanderlust that the game has managed to instill.
Beyond the setting itself,regardless of how bigor detailed it might be, the player character is another vital component to open-world games, as freedom of exploration will only go so far if there’s no freedom in how the protagonist is built. Many open-world titles, especially those in fantasy settings, have detailed class systems that can allow for vastly different gameplay approaches each run. These open-world games have incredible class systems that add variety and diversity to player characters.
Whether it’s a niche tailored to individual player likings or anoverclocked, overpowered archetype, builds are the true foundation ofElden Ring. The bosses are important, but how you defeat them is more important. The lore is important, but the lore behind the players' usable equipment is the most important.
Classes are the pathway to many builds, while they don’t have much mechanical bearing on the game orElden Ring’s open-world exploration, they can shape the overall form the protagonist takes as the game progresses.
While it might look like an idyllic side-scroller at first glance,Terrariais actually quite a difficult game. This open-world title has players navigating treacherous biomes andfelling imposing bosses, and while it’s no small feat, falling into one of the four major classes the game offers greatly helps.
Warriors can dish out heavy melee damage, while ranged attackers can stay out of harm’s way and attack from afar. Mages combine the overwhelming power of warriors with the range of, well, rangers, but they use up mana for their abilities. Summoners are a jack of all trades, but most summons are either adorable or badass, so this is the best class.
Whether it’s the classic classes that gave this game its start or the later additionssuch as the necromanceror arcanist,The Elder Scrolls Onlineis, more than other MMOs, defined by its classes. It defines every aspect of navigation and combat in this title.
Exploring Tamriel’s huge overworld as a particular class comes with a lot of variety. While meta PvP builds tend to be pigeonholed into certain niches, players looking to engage in more casual content can build a class to their heart’s content and have it still be viable for public dungeons and overworld exploration.
The open-world hubs ofInquisitiontake a very different philosophy from thenewly releasedVeilguard, but one thing both games have in common is weighty and satisfying combat diversified by classes and specializations.
Inquisitionstrikes the perfect middle ground between the previous twoDragon Agetitles. The specializations feel like they truly have an impact on the character, unlike their vestigial implementation inDragon Age 2, and exploring the open-world hubs with a specialization that helps define the protagonist is incredibly satisfying.
An opus among open-world titles, there are few games that manage to capture the strangeness or perils of an utterly foreign land quite likeMorrowind. Classes in this game are incredibly fluid, as anyone with even a slight understanding ofElder Scrollsgames is better off making their own than using a preset one.
Classes impact navigation and questing in this open world in several ways. Many guilds will ask for your attributes to reach a certain threshold to progress - which is difficult if your class doesn’t favor those attributes. This meansa mysterious conjurerwill have a hard time getting into the fighter’s guild, for example.
One of the greatest roguelikes ever made, coming out of that initial age in the 90s when such games were beginning to get popular,Ancient Domains of Mysteryis a sprawling open-world roguelike with lots to offer.
Classes can completely change how the player acts in the world and what paths are available to them in terms of both navigation and combat. No two games, even with the same class but different stat allocations, will ever quite be the same.
Thevocations inDragon’s Dogma 2can greatly shift how combat turns out not just through the individual differences between each class, but how all these classes come together to work as a party between pawns and the Arisen.
This game’s open world is lush and huge and beautiful, and exploring it as, say, an archer will give a very different experience to exploring as a trickster, or a warrior, each of whom has different approaches to enemy encounters.
Tales of Maj’Eyalis an open-world roguelike with a level of class customization that is practically unheard of. The intricacy and depth that come with even the most straightforward of classes means that exploring the world is as much fun as exploring the player’s class.
But the simple allocation of points into skill trees with clear, easily measured effects means the game never becomes too demanding or obtuse. A complete beginner to roguelikes or open-world titles could utilize the classes in this game to great effect, and see how classes can dramatically change a person’s experience of an open world.
