That gap is so small (unless you are talking about pvp).
The ones that just follows a guide they picked and not using their heads are in the bad/decent category. Example of a bad one is asking a righteous DC to spam Astral Shield and asking a tank to tank harder.
The good ones deviate from following a guide faithfully. They form their own playstyle, research other alternatives than what the guide tells you to focus your stats into. They go out of their way to test why in Nine Hells is Sentinel and Instigator are not viable anymore despite everyone says "Go feat Destroyer capstone, you moron" in Protector's Enclave. Some even prefer Battle Fury over IBS. Sure, they might went back to the guide again but the experience is there and it sticks. And then you realize other classes have different builds like Healadin instead of Tankadin. And what do they do? They start reading NWCalc and MMOMinds on other classes. And then they learn how to track buff/debuff, which leads to timing their one-hit encounter with ITF, AA, Longstrider, etc. And there's a neat trick of sprint cancelling too and it takes a bit of practice so that you won't screw up the timing. Again, if they find themselves not satisfied with their toon, they went back to the guide again and tweak here and there.
Fun is so... subjective. I find TR's extremely fun if you know how to play one, it's not as rewarding given their current state (they should do more damage than they do now IMO) but if you want to shine with your own little thing and you do not care much about being "best" DPS, TR's great. I'll counter Sharp and say I personally find CW's extremely boring and I quit mine early on as it I find it tedius revolving around 3 buttons, rinse and repeat, but you can say the same about a GWF. For me it's the rush that comes with not missing a beat, perfecting the rotation, never blinking, doing it just right. Honestly, my best suggestion to you OP is to try them out and see for yourself
I agree with the fun aspect of TRs, but I have found, if you play them right, (and are equipped), you can out DPS almost anyone. Certainly, they are among the highest pve dpsers in the game. Right now, most of them are set up for pvp, but if you find a dedicated pve TR that knows how to play their class, they can keep up with almost anyone in the ol dps department. Some classes are harder to squeeze that last bit out of them to get them on that top rung, and TRs are one of those. But, if you do, it can be a highly rewarding experience.
Lilia Drakon - PVE Executioner TR She Looked Lvl 18
Really depends on what you consider fun. Have only two geared characters, a CW & SW. Played cw from launch until SW came out as my main. Lots of fun, good damage.
While I would say SW is a far more difficult class to play well & be effective, I still find it more fun. Its really all in the build, went out of my way to make a control heavy cw. She locks HAMSTER down, spell twisting oppressor, cycle through spells, not much moves, eventually dies...
SW on the other hand is often one false move/bad rotation away from death (or at least having to high tail it away ). This was a point of frustration after LS change but I found myself craving the excitement when I tried to go back to my CW.
Played most other classes, these are the two that stuck... and time permits...
Fun is so... subjective. I find TR's extremely fun if you know how to play one, it's not as rewarding given their current state (they should do more damage than they do now IMO) but if you want to shine with your own little thing and you do not care much about being "best" DPS, TR's great. I'll counter Sharp and say I personally find CW's extremely boring and I quit mine early on as it I find it tedius revolving around 3 buttons, rinse and repeat, but you can say the same about a GWF. For me it's the rush that comes with not missing a beat, perfecting the rotation, never blinking, doing it just right. Honestly, my best suggestion to you OP is to try them out and see for yourself
I agree with the fun aspect of TRs, but I have found, if you play them right, (and are equipped), you can out DPS almost anyone. Certainly, they are among the highest pve dpsers in the game. Right now, most of them are set up for pvp, but if you find a dedicated pve TR that knows how to play their class, they can keep up with almost anyone in the ol dps department. Some classes are harder to squeeze that last bit out of them to get them on that top rung, and TRs are one of those. But, if you do, it can be a highly rewarding experience.
No... they can't, even the best TR's easily fall behind excellent GWF's
Fun is so... subjective. I find TR's extremely fun if you know how to play one, it's not as rewarding given their current state (they should do more damage than they do now IMO) but if you want to shine with your own little thing and you do not care much about being "best" DPS, TR's great. I'll counter Sharp and say I personally find CW's extremely boring and I quit mine early on as it I find it tedius revolving around 3 buttons, rinse and repeat, but you can say the same about a GWF. For me it's the rush that comes with not missing a beat, perfecting the rotation, never blinking, doing it just right. Honestly, my best suggestion to you OP is to try them out and see for yourself
I agree with the fun aspect of TRs, but I have found, if you play them right, (and are equipped), you can out DPS almost anyone. Certainly, they are among the highest pve dpsers in the game. Right now, most of them are set up for pvp, but if you find a dedicated pve TR that knows how to play their class, they can keep up with almost anyone in the ol dps department. Some classes are harder to squeeze that last bit out of them to get them on that top rung, and TRs are one of those. But, if you do, it can be a highly rewarding experience.
No... they can't, even the best TR's easily fall behind excellent GWF's
Hey, I said "most". Anyway, I don't think anyone would argue that a BIS GWF who has an excellent build and is an excellent player could probably out dps a similar TR. But, the best TRs could definately make you work for it. All things being equal, you are right. But, if the GWF makes a mistake and wipes at orcus, the TR can catch him. Also, certain dungeons favor certain classes. A TR would have a much harder time keeping up with a GWF at a VT, but would have a better time at ELOL, or perhaps edemo.
The thing I don't like, is where people ask for dpsers and turn down TRs because all they read on the forums is how terrible they are at DPS in pve, and that is simply not the case. Just because there aren't many really great PVE TRs, doesn't mean TR is a bad PVE DPS class.
Lilia Drakon - PVE Executioner TR She Looked Lvl 18
The problem with 'the biggest/best/most fun..." type threads is that you'll only end up more confused than before because it all boils down to personal taste so you end up with a few groups telling you that their favorite is the best when in truth it might not be for you. The only way you'll know for sure is to start a new class, do a few levels and see if you like it or not.
That being said, some classes are easier to get along with than others. If you're going to spend a lot of time solo then a GWF would probably be the better choice because it can survive a lot longer than any of the other DPS classes. If you have strong guild support and/or can get someone to assist you with levelling then by all means go for one of the more squishy classes.
Personally I love CW but the problem with it is you need top gear and a strong group to truly shine which is why I ended up making my GWF my main toon.
Comments
The good ones deviate from following a guide faithfully. They form their own playstyle, research other alternatives than what the guide tells you to focus your stats into. They go out of their way to test why in Nine Hells is Sentinel and Instigator are not viable anymore despite everyone says "Go feat Destroyer capstone, you moron" in Protector's Enclave. Some even prefer Battle Fury over IBS. Sure, they might went back to the guide again but the experience is there and it sticks. And then you realize other classes have different builds like Healadin instead of Tankadin. And what do they do? They start reading NWCalc and MMOMinds on other classes. And then they learn how to track buff/debuff, which leads to timing their one-hit encounter with ITF, AA, Longstrider, etc. And there's a neat trick of sprint cancelling too and it takes a bit of practice so that you won't screw up the timing. Again, if they find themselves not satisfied with their toon, they went back to the guide again and tweak here and there.
The gap you're saying is by no means small.
She Looked Lvl 18
Here is my Blog
While I would say SW is a far more difficult class to play well & be effective, I still find it more fun. Its really all in the build, went out of my way to make a control heavy cw. She locks HAMSTER down, spell twisting oppressor, cycle through spells, not much moves, eventually dies...
SW on the other hand is often one false move/bad rotation away from death (or at least having to high tail it away
Played most other classes, these are the two that stuck... and time permits...
The Holy Crusaders guild leader ♚ Mod 10 PVE Destroyer GWF guide ♚ Founding member of the Relentless Alliance
The thing I don't like, is where people ask for dpsers and turn down TRs because all they read on the forums is how terrible they are at DPS in pve, and that is simply not the case. Just because there aren't many really great PVE TRs, doesn't mean TR is a bad PVE DPS class.
She Looked Lvl 18
Here is my Blog
That being said, some classes are easier to get along with than others. If you're going to spend a lot of time solo then a GWF would probably be the better choice because it can survive a lot longer than any of the other DPS classes. If you have strong guild support and/or can get someone to assist you with levelling then by all means go for one of the more squishy classes.
Personally I love CW but the problem with it is you need top gear and a strong group to truly shine which is why I ended up making my GWF my main toon.