Classes

Classes in Ancient Anguish tend to work a bit differently than other games. There is no multi-classing, but some forms of subclassing. You may choose any one class at the beginning, and are generally encouraged to stay as the one class. Penalties from switching class include loss of a level (experience), potentially loss of skills, and complete loss of any class abilities you learned. In some cases, some choose to start as one class, and switch to another. Common reasons include skills, level restrictions on the class you eventually want to be, or, perhaps, just general boredom.

Do not confuse classes with guilds, which are primarily social groups with chatlines and varying options for equipment storage.

Below are the various classes that are found in Ancient Anguish, with a brief description for each. For more information about that class, click on the link.

Adventurer

This is the class everyone starts as, not exactly a class as you don't have any special abilities, and skill all weapons somewhat slowly.

Generally not advisable to stay as this class long, unless you don't really know what you want to do.

Artificers

Artificers rely on their ability to create things, from weapons to magical wands to constructs, mechanical pets that help them kill things. Generally regarded as the most difficult class in the game, artificers require vast amounts of time and effort with high chances of disappointment. However, the end result is very possibly the most powerful class in game.

Artificer is the only class that has a true subclass. You may specialize in either Smithcraft or Spellcraft. The differences between the two is almost like having two completely separate classes.

Neutral: You have the option to remain neutral, but do not gain bonuses or penalties for either form of creation, nor either repair or recharge.

Smithcrafters: Can easily create, and repair their mechanical constructs, and easily make weapons and enchant them. Can still make potions, magical wands, rings, amulets and scrolls, but not as easily as spellcrafters. Smithcrafters also do not have the ability to recharge wands.

Spellcrafters: Can easily enchant magical things, make potions. Plays somewhat like you'd think a mage would, with wands that do magical damage on their enemies. Can still forge weapons and make constructs, though with greater cost and less skill. Spellcrafters have the ability to recharge their wands, but cannot repair constructs.

Artificers are very limited in their defenses, either using defend none and armor, or dodge, and use primarily Clubs, Knives and occasionally Curved Blades for weapons.

Clerics

Clerics are the healers of the game, using prayer to heal themselves and others. As well as healing they also have a number of other prayers to help themselves and others, including resistances and general defense, poison curing, and removal of magical tolerance. A few offensive prayers, though not many, and not nearly as effective as a mage's spell.

In addition to these prayers, clerics have the defensive ability to block. This makes them very good at defense, and tend to be very good at being tanks.

As far as weapons go, Clerics primarily use Clubs, Flails and Staves, all considered to be fairly damaging.

Fighters

Fighters are the brutes, raw damage and very little damage reduction. They can disarm their enemies, outflank to control the enemies they are fighting, and whirl, a way to attack all enemies in the room at once.

Being masters of melee damage, fighters may use whatever weapons they wish, and skill fast with everything.

Fighters may use all defense modes, including parry, riposte, block, and dodge. However, fighters are best off using their special defense, berserk, which increases their ability to hit and their damage, or fury, which has a similar effect, but also has chance of special hits for even more damage.

Mages

Mages are the spellcasters. Purely magical, most mages rely on their high spellpoint pools and strong spells to kill their enemies. They have many spells ranging from offensive to defensive, and even have ways of teleporting around.

Mages have something similar to subclassing, choosing a specific school of magic to specialize in, resulting in cheaper spell costs and stronger spells for that specific class. They may use spells from other schools, or even choose to change schools if they wish, so it's not a permanent choice. The schools are as follows:

Conjuration: Has Acid Arrow, one of the mages primary attack spells. Conjuration is probably considered your classic mage school.

Alteration: Has Haste, a spell that makes you or a friend attack twice as often with melee. Has permanency, which makes some other spells permanent till end of reboot, and also has stoneskin, considered the best defensive spell, but which can only be cast on one's self. Probably one of the more versatile magic schools

Drowgar: Similar to Conjuration, but has Venom Spit instead of Acid Arrow, which is considered by some to be superior. Has other spider-related spells as well.

Invocation: Considered by most to be the worst, simply because it doesn't really have any attractive spells. Its primary attack is fireball, which isn't quite as powerful as Acid Arrow or Venom Spit, but is usable. One notable spell is lightning, potentially the most powerful attack spell in the game. However, it can only be cast outside, and is really only good in the rain.

As far as melee and defense goes, mages really only use staves and knives, and can only dodge for defense.

Necromancers

Necromancer is another difficult class to master. They rely on rituals to raise corpses as undead minions and cause damage to their enemies.

Like mage, they are limited in offensive and defensive abilities, and can only use defend dodge. Their primary weapons are knife and staff.

Paladins

Paladin is a fairly unique class, very alignment based. They have a wide array of abilities including turtle, a bonus to their blocking skill, harm and smite, which both can cause large amounts of damage to undead or evil things, and have a few defensive "spells" as well, called auras. They also get a horse for a pet, though it can only fight outdoors. In addition to the usual experience requirement, paladins must complete missions in order to advance levels.

Paladins are very melee oriented, and may use a fairly wide array of weapons, though their primary weapons are longswords, shortswords and polearms. They have defend block as their main source of defense.

Note that paladins can not use marksmanship at all, including thrown weapons and bows.

Rangers

Rangers are woodsmen, they have the ability to tame wolves and train them to fight by their side. They can get pelts, meat, feathers, and sinew from various animal corpses, as well as make things out of them. In the wild, rangers can forage for various things, including food, herbs, and wood. Some of the things they can make include fur containers, bows, arrows, shields, and spears.

Rangers are strong offensively, having the ability to strike at their enemies, granting an extra attack every other round. They use spears, axes and shortswords, and are particularly great at marksmanship. Defensively, rangers can use block.

Rogues

There's still a joke going on where "there are no rogues in Ancient Anguish" for some reason. There definitely are. Rogues are thieves, dextrous characters who can do things like trip their enemies, and have great parry bonuses when in their special alert combat mode. They are very stealthy characters and can sneak past most enemies with ease.

Rogues are a more defensive class, being able to use parry and riposte. Best weapons are rapiers, curved blades, or longswords. They generally carry a knife for stabbing enemies in the back, and get extra attacks with that knife when in alert combat.

Shapeshifters

Shapeshifters are what the class name hints. They change shape into animals to kill things, primarily with their hands.

There are a number of forms available to shapeshifters, all of which take time and experience to advance. The main ingredient to raising a shapeshifter is simply time. You have to be in a form for a certain amount of time to learn the next more powerful form. The first primary clan you chose is what will raise fastest, second clan will raise somewhat fast, third slower, and fourth slowest. The primary clans are as follows:

Reptile: Used to be the most popular clan, raises the forms chameleon, nelitos and drakon faster than other clans. Drakon, the final form, has high natural armour and a magical breath attack for extra damage, as well as decent unarmed damage.

Feline: Probably the third most popular clan now, raises the forms cat, panther and xaerre faster than other clans. Xaerre, the final form, has the ability to wield weapons and claw enemies with their huge lion claws. They have a lot less natural armour than drakon, but can wear some armors.

Forest: The least popular clan, raises the forms flower, tree and treant faster than other clans. Treant, the final form, has some of the best armour in the game, can do fairly high unarmed damage, and has the ability to entangle enemies in their roots and reduce their defenses.

Earth: The newest, and now most popular clan, raises forms rock, fluon and mimeon faster than other clans. Mimeon, the final form, has the ability to absorb things and add to their strength, as well as make weapons and armour out of themselves to weield and wear.

Shapeshifters are limited to dodge for defense, but they do so very well in most cases. Their best weapons are their fists. In mimeon and xaerre, use of spears, clubs and staves is recommended.