Your preferred Character Progression in the next future Mass Effect game

The MEA class profile and favorite(s) system was a rough diamond, one of the genuine innovations which worked and showed a lot of promise but having read a lot of user and critical reviews it was clearly very confusing and overwhelming to newcomers who were (if general impressions are to be believed) left to sink or swim without structure and with very little guidance or hand holding. The present system is only appropriate for expert users who are intimately familiar with the powers and mechanics enough to make informed choices about class design imo.

To combat this I would first prompt the user to specify their experience level with Mass Effect and RPGs at the start and tailor the GUI interface and level of customization options available between beginner, intermediate and expert mode. For expert users only I would recommend an additional 7th fully customizable Pathfinder class and interface with zero class restrictions functionally identical to MEA skills profile system.

For non expert users I would attempt to replicate the simplicity and ease-of-use of ME3MP's class levelling/interface design by firstly recommending users select from one of the 6 traditional classes from a list of descriptions (at the beginning of the game) and the interface and levelling mechanics would be nearly functionally identical to how ME3MP worked.

For the traditional classes (adapting the ME3MP model) I would provide a set of (familiar) subclasses (combat training templates) which replace favorites (up to 4 at once) which you unlock as you rank up and can toggle in-game using d-pad (and switch out in-menu) freely without incurring cool down penalty. Exactly like multiplayer, in-menu the skill points available at each rank can be assigned to each of the different combat training templates however (intermediate) users see fit. For beginners, I'd recommend auto levelling would be enabled by default and I might possibly suggest hiding the skill customisation menu entirely.

Each of the different subclasses (templates) would have different passive combat and fitness trees like ME3MP emphasising different things, e.g. slasher adept combat training profile developed by Batarians would have bonuses to shotgun and melee. What's more these templates would be based on multiplayer characters so would serve as training for multiplayer and Pathfinder (Expert) mode. Rank 6 would be equivalent to level 20/XX in multiplayer and would unlock enough skill points to max 5/6 powers for subclasses, e.g. 66653.

For example, in the case of the Adept class:

Rank 1 combat training profiles unlocked:
Human Alliance (Singularity, Warp, Shockwave)

Rank 2 profiles:
Cerberus Adept training (Singularity, Lash, Smash)
Asari Commando training (Stasis, Warp, Throw)

Rank 3 profiles:
Asari Justicar training (Biotic Sphere, Reave, Pull)
Batarian Slasher training (Lash, Warp, Cluster Grenades)
Drell Adept training (Pull, Reave, Cluster Grenades)

Rank 4 profiles:
N7 Fury training (Annihilation, Dark Channel, Throw)
Krogan Gladiator training (Annihilation, Pull, Biotic Hammer)
Asari Huntress training (Tactical Cloak, Dark Channel, Lance) *bonuses for sniping

Rank 5 profiles unlocked:
Asari Matriarch training (Annihilation, Biotic Flare, Lance)
Human Kineticist training (Pull, Throw, Lance) *ascension (cool-down free)
Prothean combat profile (Dark Sphere, Dark Channel, Biotic Orbs)

Rank 6 profiles:
Custom biotic class profiles unlocked

Why? If someone wants to to carry a character into a third PT, in order to create an omnipotent PC, what's the issue? Nothing forces you to do so with your character.

I typically achieve Level 77 in a single PT. A NG+ brings that up to Level 120. Carrying that into a NG++ maxed my skills very early in the game, which I tried just to say I had, more or less. It's not even the maxing of all skills that destroys any semblance of challenge. It's the maxing of all passive skills that does so. Once those passives are all fully evolved, your PC becomes nearly invincible. If someone enjoys that, I see no reason why he or she shouldn't be able to reap the rewards of their dedication to a single PC.

I generally enjoy an occasional NG+, mostly for access to good crafting and a non-crappy Nomad. I also enjoy the freshness of starting from Level 1. I feel that all of these options should be included.

OK, this is clearer.

I still don't see any real value in having a background or class determine anything. If I want such constraints, I can impose them on myself. If I don't, then I don't. (I would probably see RP value in such constraints if the levelling system bore some resemblance to the game-world's reality, but it's already abstracted and incoherent.) This is probably a taste thing which can't be productively discussed.

But power balance is a real issue - it's where classless games typically fail. I'm not even sure it's soluble at any realistic number of skill system iterations; even after you've balanced the powers against each other individually, power synergies can blow up game balance anyway.

I've always felt that, what should promote replayability in the next ME game, should be the variety of story choices and consequences that can take place. Not necessarily the need to want to choose a new class. While I did enjoy playing other classes, I think it being the ONLY reason to do multiple playthroughs doesn't speak well of the story. I can see why people do appreciate such a system though.

Basically yes there were some skills that I used more and others I used less so the flexible system kind of make me turn towards the same skills and therefore streamlining my experience each and every time whereas with the old class system I choose a class at the beginning and was forced to play with till the end so I had to experiment with even at the cost of being less combat effective. I created different Shepards with different classes and different personalities so in a way it kind of felt I played a different protagonist every way with Ryder this really didn't happen. You could tell rightly that I could have forced myself to play in a class but I simply can't do it if I know that I can pick a trustworthy and tested combination of powers that makes me effective even if that makes the combat less fresh.

I would like also to add how removing Renegade and Paragons meter kind of took away the replayability for me. In the old games you basically had two different paths you should try that significantly modified your interactions with the world around you. So I always felt compelled to play a Renegade playthrough then a Paragon and finally a mixture of the two. Now it kind of feels like the things disappeared making the experience probably more organic but surely (for me) less enticing in having and roleplaying multiple different characters.

I originally was in favor of removing the strictness of the classes and the Renegade/Paragon system but I realized that they actually improved the replayability for me because I could experirence the game from a totally different perspective using powers and dialogue lines that I couldn't in the previous playthrough so I had the possibility to roleplay different characters during multiple games. If every class and dialogue is available immediately then you remove in my view part of the incentive to replay it again.

Ha, ha, ha, ha, RE6 having good gameplay mechanics? Compared to Gears of War, the combat was clunky as all hell, and the "skill" items was half-assed at its finest.

True. For all of its other issues, I like Kingdoms of Amalur as an example of how specialising in a particular tree in a classless RPG can reward you. You have freedom to distribute your points between the usual warrior, mage and rogue classes but you can't reach the higher level abilities in a tree until you have invested a lot of points into that tree. I found it to be a good balance between freedom and having to commit to a certain path.

One idea I saw floated around before Andromeda was released was a variable class system. Basically, the original six classes would have two unique moves that the other classes wouldn't have access to, plus their two passives. Then they would have four variable moves that are subject to the player's choice, according to which categories the class gave access to.

For example, a Vanguard would have two variable biotic powers, plus two variable combat powers, so different players could have very different builds. Compare:

Charge
Nova
Annihilation
Throw
Trip Mine
Barricade
Assault Mastery
Fitness

to

Charge
Nova
Shockwave
Pull
Flak Cannon
Concussive Shot
Assault Mastery
Fitness

This is a pet peeve of mine.

Classes are outdated concepts used to limet the players.

A good game doesnt limet you.
A good game allows you to make builds how you want.

Specialization is for insects.

Tho the 3 ability limet need to go.
I want to be able to use all my ability.

I beat the damn game, so I know WTF I'm talking about.

I think either one or even something completely different could work. I had my doubts about how balanced the system they implemented for Andromeda would be but they actually did a pretty good job on this.