In your opinion, what the easiest class to win the game?

[GlassGo]

I think the most difficult classes to beat Nightmare would be with melee-only character as damage from the enemies are higher than in Normal.

Well, Brawlers are resilent and can deal big chank of dmg very fast.
http://te4.org/characters/35987/tome/19 ... 180cd37d14
Died from elite with Inner Demons, too strong on Nightmare. )

As for OP, I think it's Necromancer - just go with ray of Death, blazing from eye sockets, nucking all the way.

[sehnsucht]

Wildfire archmage is great.
You dont need disperse spell because you have cleansing flame. There're many gears that increase fire damage and it's easy to have 200% fire dam bonus.

Undead mages can avoid the bad start. Abandoned Crypt is not that difficult on normal difficulty. Though many people likes skeleton, I think ghouls are even better because they level up faster, have high str and con so they have more health and are able to wear plate and shield without many points wasted in str. Imagine an archmage with 100+ armor and 100% armor hardiness.
Ghoul's slow speed can be easily overcome by Essence of Speed.

[Zicher]

I'll throw in my $0.02 for Brawlers being on the easier side even from the point of a beginning player - the class is very easy to unlock, and they get extremely strong offensively over the course of the game. Rush -> Axe Kick -> Flurry of Fists -> 5-combo-point-Haymaker, assisted with Flexible Combat prodigy, and anything that is not a Bulwark and/or boss is crushed to a small cube made entirely of pain in the form of >10k damage, with almost no chance of any retaliation.

Well, at least Halfling Brawler is my only Normal winner so far .

[Kwibus]

Brawler since 1.2 is indeed a monster. My Thalore brawler is breezing up to lvl 39 so far and I can't imagine that I won't make it till the end. Mind you this is on normal.

[mnkkill]

I won with archmage, necromancer, wyrmic, summoner, oozemancer, reaver, solipsist, anorithil and skirmisher

in order of difficulty , from easiest to toughest IMHO

1) Oozemancer
2) Archmage
3) Solipsist
4) Necromancer (oh yes, higher leech rocks)
5) Summoner
6) Skirmisher
7) anorithil
wyrmic
9) reaver

[Dhurke]

Reaver on 9?

Thought reaver was the absolutly easiest (except Oozemancer)... So OP.

I won with archmage, necromancer, wyrmic, summoner, oozemancer, reaver, solipsist, anorithil and skirmisher

in order of difficulty , from easiest to toughest IMHO

1) Oozemancer
2) Archmage
3) Solipsist
4) Necromancer (oh yes, higher leech rocks)
5) Summoner
6) Skirmisher
7) anorithil
wyrmic
9) reaver

[mnkkill]

Reaver on 9?

Thought reaver was the absolutly easiest (except Oozemancer)... So OP.

I won with archmage, necromancer, wyrmic, summoner, oozemancer, reaver, solipsist, anorithil and skirmisher

in order of difficulty , from easiest to toughest IMHO

1) Oozemancer
2) Archmage
3) Solipsist
4) Necromancer (oh yes, higher leech rocks)
5) Summoner
6) Skirmisher
7) anorithil
wyrmic
9) reaver

I always had problems with detrimental effects on reavers, tried hb runes/ infusion but still... maybe it's simply that my playstyle does not suit well that kind of class

[Atarlost]

Shield Paladin is pretty good. So many talents that make you not die. You have a sustain that heals you when you take damage. You have a sustain that heals you if you run out of life. One of your actives limits how much damage you can take as a percentage of your HP. You have shields. Your main offensive sustain heals your shields when you hit stuff. You have a sustain that gives you more HP and phys/mag saves. Get through the early game and you have more independent safety nets than any other class.

And your offense is no longer pitiful.

[edge2054]

Fun factor is my biggest consideration anymore.

I've tried most of the 'broken' combos (i.e. anything with unstoppable) and I get bored long before I finish. The only really strong class that also keeps me entertained is Archmage.

[Sradac]

I think Summoner is the easiest to beat the game, mostly because thats the only character I have a win with...

I went with higher because I thought the regen would be good with my high wil but it was mostly meh by the end.

Having more vision range though, that actually saved my ass. I was able to summon things in the last fight and against atamathone from outside their vision range. They would beat on the summons but rarely try to come for me.

Also finding some randart gloves of dispersion in the halfling ruins made a HUGE difference for him. I wore them up until he died a humiliating death in the ID.

[cctobias]

with oozemancer i take crypt at lvl 22-23. 24-25 with solipsist.

they are two most powerful imo

I got the savior of Melinda achievement at 25 on normal with a Shadow blade (http://te4.org/characters/107887/tome/8 ... f2a96efdc4) . As shadowblade, I never had problem in the Melinda crypt.
So, may be Magic Shadowblade (Illuminate + staff + Stealth) is the easiest class to win. That's the only one I won with.. I stop trying after that (I have an archer in the east, I never bothered continue playing, but he might be a winner too)

Anyway As stated previously the main default of Solipsist and Ooze... Beginner do NOT have them unlocked.

I think the problem with Archmage... Beginner have problem managing mana.

As stated previously the main default of Bulwark ... Beginner may have problem knowing when to block.

Archer and Berserker may encounter problem with Stamina management, but it's less incapacitating that lack of mana for Archmage. My vote go for one of them as easiest class.

And btw the only advantage of ShadowBlade: When you're new to the game , you tend to dispatch your skill point everywhere, trying everything. On another class you may gimp yourself a bit. With SB it's an asset: You're silenced or lack mana, you can use weapon and stamina skills. You're disarmed or lack stamina you can cast spell.

I can confirm that Shadowblade done in a particular non-melee way is extremely easy, its also a great intro for people as it gives easy exposure to three very powerful but not always obvious tools: targeted phase door, Arcane eye+vision, and charm mastery.

I have a build posted in Rogue spoiler forum for it called the Light Mage (posted a link to a winner on NM). Basically it uses staff and illuminate from stealth with Celestial Light as its defense. I have no doubt you can win NM on roguelike with the build, personally I don't think NM+ on roguelike in current tome builds is a worthwhile thing as there are too many arbitrary ones shots, but with extremely careful play (ie. arcane eye every single corner, and have AE with stealth/invis break) this build can easily do it.

The only tricky part for beginners is that your, by far, best defense is from an escort unlock. But the build hits like a truck in Normal (1k-2.5k depending on equipment) with the equivalent of an auto-attack so one shots a large number of things, has a nasty AOE, and can straight up tank an lvl 110 Overpowered Greater Multi-hued wyrm in NM difficulty or even two at once.

It requires no class unlocks and can get its major stuff online by lvl 15 and illuminate stealth crits start at lvl 4-5 and can basically clear entire screens. I don't know if its the easiest but I think it probably is very close. The first bit where you just illuminate crit everything is so easy its boring, later on the build is a bit more interesting as illuminate crits don't just one shot everything except bosses, especially in NM difficulty.

I dunno how the build does in Insane; I am curious to see, but its overpoweredness definitely falls off as you up difficulty. The build is frankly just too good on normal in hat its a little boring, but its not like AM where you can go into Madness, you have all the tricks you need on normal, and with charms you can two shot entire groups and one shot most other things. Bosses die pretty fast too since they don't quite have the inflated HP you start seeing later. I would actually reccomend most people play the build in NM its still quite good there and definitely more interesting.

Other builds can do more damage. Other builds have more tricks. Other builds can get super charged sheidls. But this build has all of them at a level that makes normal difficulty very easy. Yes an arcane blade can hit every bump attack for say 6k(arbitrary number), but that is like triple overkill in normal except on certain bosses/rares. So I am sure other builds wind up doing insane better. And in Nightmare 6k bump attacks start to really shine through and not be overkill somewhere around high peak. But on normal hitting for 2k with 145% global speed on a range 8 attack with no CD which can be any element that staves can be set to (which is always enough to get a favorable resistance) will bust through even many hard bosses in just a few turns and with a 1.2k shield on and potentially a 4k shield+heal from bathe in the light, well you just trash stuff.

IMO its the best build for a beginner. Its easy and exposes you to a lot of useful tactical things. Its only downside is that it gives you no real insight into how to play melee well, although even there you can use shadowstep and staff melee its just mostly dumb to do that unless you need SS for the teleport, but the option is there unlike some things.

[cctobias]

I think Summoner is the easiest to beat the game, mostly because thats the only character I have a win with...

I went with higher because I thought the regen would be good with my high wil but it was mostly meh by the end.

Having more vision range though, that actually saved my ass. I was able to summon things in the last fight and against atamathone from outside their vision range. They would beat on the summons but rarely try to come for me.

Also finding some randart gloves of dispersion in the halfling ruins made a HUGE difference for him. I wore them up until he died a humiliating death in the ID.

Summoner can defintely be pretty easy, but the reason I lean toward staff shadowblade as even easier is because its much much faster to do the game. You just blast stuff and sometimes use some movement or teleport or shielding. Summoner can take a good bit of micro-managment and you may need to wait on summons to do stuff etc.

With staff SB you blast them, they die. if you don't think they are gonna die in one hit, you shield and them blast em twice. Its like literally three times faster in real time to win the game than a summoner.

[breadsmith]

Stone Warden. Early game you kill trash mobs before you even realize they're there, and late game you're a magic bulwark, only better.

[LordKarasuman]

I want to throw in a vote for Cursed, but only after a player has gotten a handle of the system by playing one or two of the other classes first. Some reasons why, for me:

Cursed have two nice, easy-to-follow guides (Nate's and belmarduk's).

Cursed have fairly straightforward gameplay especially in Normal (run up and hit stuff for LOADS of damage, and when in danger flee using Rampage/Movement Infusion/Psychoportation Torques if need be). Only four damage skills to really "manage," the rest are either Sustains or highly situational (I never used Beckon).

Cursed are flexible in being able to go either AM or Arcane.

Cursed can have a ludicrously easy time in the first half of the game if they get lucky with a 2-hander drop, and get an exclusive dungeon with a VERY useful guaranteed unique drop.

Cursed have relaxed Immunity requirements because of Relentless, giving them some gear flexibility. It was especially nice back when Relentless gave 75% instead of 50% immunities.

People have a love affair with Oozemancer, but I find Cursed easier to use and a lot more convenient heading into endgame.

[cctobias]

I want to throw in a vote for Cursed, but only after a player has gotten a handle of the system by playing one or two of the other classes first. Some reasons why, for me:

Cursed have two nice, easy-to-follow guides (Nate's and belmarduk's).

Cursed have fairly straightforward gameplay especially in Normal (run up and hit stuff for LOADS of damage, and when in danger flee using Rampage/Movement Infusion/Psychoportation Torques if need be). Only four damage skills to really "manage," the rest are either Sustains or highly situational (I never used Beckon).

Cursed are flexible in being able to go either AM or Arcane.

Cursed can have a ludicrously easy time in the first half of the game if they get lucky with a 2-hander drop, and get an exclusive dungeon with a VERY useful guaranteed unique drop.

Cursed have relaxed Immunity requirements because of Relentless, giving them some gear flexibility. It was especially nice back when Relentless gave 75% instead of 50% immunities.

People have a love affair with Oozemancer, but I find Cursed easier to use and a lot more convenient heading into endgame.

I don't have a problem with cursed but whenever I mention them the responses I usually get is either that their start sucks or the scale poorly at end game or both.

I am not sure I agree for normal, but either way there must be something going on with the class for that reaction to be common. Even if it were an incorrect perception the fact that so many seem to think this is enough to disqualify it as "easiest" IMO.