Blademasters & Barbarians: Difference?

Sthreexy - Heavens Tear wrote: »

I was wondering if there are any significant differences between a Blademaster and a Barbarian.
I've played both up to the mid 20's and it seems the damage is the same.. to me the only difference is which weapons they use, a different set of skills, and the Barbarian's Tiger form for tanking.
Is there a noticeable difference in anything between the two at higher levels? If so, what?

I'm a noob so don't take my words seriously but I think WB has way more hp than WR(2x+) and more defence. Later on WR have stronger attack power than WB and have 1 AoE stun(very good skill 100% stun area of targets).

I played both a Blademaster and a Barbarian to level 25 (Then I quit the Barbarian) and here are some of the differences I noticed:

Solo
Blademasters were a whole lot more fun to solo with. BMs can take mobs down a lot faster and at level 25 my BM had more PD (self buffed) than my Barb but maybe 600 less HP. They both had to meditate or pop a pot about as often since the Barb took longer to kill which meant he also took more damage. I really liked Tiger Form (Barb skill) for the increased movement speed when questing. My BM went through a lot more Mana pots while soloing though.

Desirability
Playing a BM feels a little like playing a WoW rogue. They look super cool and all the kids want to be a ninja with two swords. There seems to be a lot more BMs than Barbs. You will often see "LFM Tank (Barb)" and almost never see "LFM BM". Barbs are the MTs in this game. BMs are melee damage dealers. I get a whole lot more Faction invites on my Barb as well.

Look
I actually prefer the look and animation of Barbs. BMs look "pretty" while Barbs look vicious.

Fighting Style
BMs have a lot more flexibility in how they "grow up". You can do reasonably well as an AOEing dual axe wielder, or super single target DPSer with blades or even a spear chucker! From what I've read and experienced with Barbs they seem a bit more limited. BMs skills are a lot more offensive while Barbs have a lot more defensive skills.

Wealth
Repairing armor is supposed to get pretty expensive for a Barb. I don't know if that's significant enough. On the plus side Barbs can stay in Tiger Form with the increased movement speed and farm mats faster.

Party Role
For a Barb it's pretty cut and dry. You will be asked to tank. A BM doesn't do as much damage as an Archer, Veno or a Wizard but can kind of "off-tank".

Hope this helps. I think you should play both! Level 1-19 is unique for every class.