Choosing a starting class has been a staple of open-world RPGs for decades, with too many titles following the classic “warrior, rogue, mage” formula almost to a fault. Moreover, most games aren’t particularly flexible in that regard, locking you into that initial choice for the entire playthrough. Sure, that can encourage you to replay the full game in a completely different role, but let’s be honest: how often do you even replay sprawling open-world RPGs that can take over a hundred hours?
Today, we’re taking a look not necessarily at the best class systems (although that can certainly be said about some entries), but easily some of the most unique ones the genre has delivered in recent years. Each of the games below treats classes very differently from what players are used to, either reinventing class mechanics entirely or simply offering an unmatched variety of archetypes you won’t discover anywhere else.
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Dragon’s Dogma 2 returns in just over a month with the substantial Dark Arisen expansion, but even the base game remains a standout among open-world RPGs thanks to its unique class system. True, at first, the game’s signature Vocation system may seem like just a neat name for the familiar Archer, Fighter, Mage, and Thief roles, but it’s far deeper and more unique than it initially appears. From advanced and hybrid Vocations that dramatically change how you play to the freedom of switching classes throughout the adventure without sacrificing your previous progress, Dragon’s Dogma 2 solves many of the problems that comparable games suffer from.
It’s not just the advanced Vocations themselves that are handled pretty uniquely, as unlocking each role is framed almost like its own quest, directly rewarding how thoroughly you explore the world. Changing Vocations in DD2 is easy and straightforward, so you can always try some new combat abilities whenever your previous moves start growing stale. This combination of the familiar, the fresh, and the convenient works really well, even though the game could definitely use more distinct class options. Unfortunately, there has been no word yet on Dark Arisen expanding the existing Vocation roster.
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth is an excellent example of a unique class system, built around the game’s core strength of mastering various jobs. Infinite Wealth essentially transforms modern occupations and vacation activities into more than 20 surprisingly coherent RPG classes. You can fight as a Sujimancer, Aquanaut, Housekeeper, Kunoichi, Desperado, Action Star, Geodancer, Cabbie, Tennis Ace — you name it. Each comes with its own ridiculous combat style inspired by the activity behind it, making these classes nearly impossible to mistake for anything else.
Naturally, switching active jobs in Infinite Wealth, which becomes flexible enough later on, also changes each character’s weapons, stats, damage types, and even appearance. That’s just for starters, though, as progressing through various jobs eventually allows you to mix their abilities together. As your party bonds grow, more previously learned abilities can be inherited by other jobs, resulting in distinct, personalized hybrid fighting styles, unexpected synergies, and loads of fun you won’t find in other open-world RPGs. Silly? Probably. Unique and effective? Absolutely.
Mortal Shell 2 confidently steps into seamless open-world action RPG territory, allowing you to go almost anywhere from the start, with everything forming part of a greater whole. Just like in the first game, though, its core feature is the Shells: wearable classes and characters that the protagonist can find and claim throughout the world. After that, you can use, switch, and level up each Shell through dedicated abilities and skill trees, with every one excelling at something different.
سەرچاوەی فەرمی بە زمانی ئینگلیزی: https://gamerant.com/open-world-rpgs-most-unique-class-systems/
