Dual Class System

Dual Class System
When starting into a new career, adventurers can select to be a warrior, scout, priest, knight, mage, warden, druid or rogue. When they reach level 10, they can add a secondary class, which augments the possible class combinations up to 30 individual combination types.

Generally, all classes in Runes of Magic can serve as primary or secondary class. To switch between them, players have to visit the Class Administrator in the class hall in the town of Varanas or they can simply return to their individual houses and talk to their house maids. At any time players have full access to the complete level-based skill set of their active primary class. Simultaneously, only the "non-specific" skills of their secondary class are available.

Moreover, the character attributes of the secondary class add to those of their primary class with 10 percent of their value. Contrarily, all attribute and talent points and experience gathered from the adventures accumulate exclusively to the active primary class. Therefore, only the skills of the primary class can be upgraded by distribution of talent points. In any case, the level of the secondary class can not surmount the level of the primary profession. To level up their secondary class, players have to register it as their primary class with any class trainer or the house maid.

Tactical Options
Using the dual class system of Runes of Magic wisely, players can build up their characters as multi-functional all-rounders. With a scout as secondary class, characters can use bows for example. With rogues as secondary they can use projectile weapons, warriors will give you axes. Combinations like melee fighters enhanced with several range combat skills as well as clerics that fight with axes become possible. The range of possibilities gives solo and group players many interesting tactical choices for PvE. RPG players will love the broad spectrum for character interpretation.

The skills of the six main classes make use of different energy types. Warriors use rage, scouts use focus, rogues need energy and mages, clerics and knights are fighting with mana. Players can apply those energy types independently from each other. Therefore, they can use the dual class system of Runes of Magic to build up dangerous specialists perfectly suited for group play also. For example, smart PC adventurers could create a mighty bombardier with the combination of scout and mage. If for example the character runs out of focus, he simply switches to mana and can immediately launch the skills of his secondary mage class. In contrast to that, a combined knight-warrior class will be the ultimate melee fighter. But players need to be careful with some combinations: mages and clerics use the same mana pool which can quickly dry out your resources.

Levels
If a player selects a second class at level 10, their second class will start at level 1. If the player registers this new, level 1 class as the primary class for the character, the character will effectively start over at level 1 with the equipment and money gained during the time played thus far. Switching back to the original class will return the character to level 10.

Since any items or abilities that require a specific level will check against the primary class level, it is entirely possible that all equipment a character is carrying at the time of this switch could become unusable until the second class gains enough levels to meet the requirements (or until the original class is again registered as primary.) The game takes this into account: the inventory screen has an option to switch between two completely separate equipment sets. These could be used for each class, to switch between relevant equipment. In the area where secondary classes are registered, there is also a merchant selling equipment suitable for a level one character of each class, to jump start the new class.

Similarly abilities check against the primary class level. So, the player may have a wide assortment of "non-specific" abilities in their original class, but until their primary class meets the level requirements for these abilities they are unavailable. Talent points (TP) allocated in the original class also not applied to those skills when the second class is registered as primary.

An Example
A player starts the game with a Mage character and plays up to level 10 with this Mage. Along the way, the player applies TP to skills on both the Mage skills and Mage-Specific skills tabs. By the time the character reaches level 10, a handful of specific and non-specific abilities are unlocked and upgraded.

At level 10, the player selects Rogue as a second class. This opens up a new Rogue skill tab with all Rogue abilities with level requirements less than or equal to 10 unlocked. TP can now be applied to these skills to upgrade them to level 10, the current character level.

If the player then chooses to register Rogue as their characters primary class, the situation changes dramatically. The character will now be at level 1 (the Rogue class's level). The available skills will be Rogue skills, Rogue-Specific skills, and non-specific Mage skills. (None of the Mage-Specific skills will now be available.) All skills (mage and rogue) and equipment with level requirements greater than level 1 will be unavailable.

As the Rogue class increases in level, skills will unlock and be eligible for upgrades using TP, but even if TP was spent while the Mage class was registered as primary, these skills will each start at level 1 as they are unlocked. Equipment with level requirements will again become available.