Albion Online – Classes and Raid Roles Guide

This guide is for Albion’s strange way of handling classes and whatnot, as well as how a traditional PvE raid works.

Albion vs Other MMOs

Note: Credit goes to Osmiux

Traditional MMOs have been a popular point of gaming, even before the days of World of Warcraft. Some game developers and publishers like to add their own spin on things and make mechanics unique to the game to keep their player base active, and Sandbox Interactive is no different.

Albion is not a traditional MMORPG, but rather a “Sandbox MMO,” fitting for the developer’s name. What that means is that you can shape the world around you through different mechanics found in Albion.

In a better way to describe Albion, it’s not so much of a Sandbox MMO, but rather, a survival & PvP-esque game. Of course, this doesn’t mean that you’re going to have to focus on PvP. That’s not what this guide is even about. This guide is to tell you how Albion changes their mechanics around to improve on the traditional raid roles.

Tradition and Clarification

In older MMOs, a key point in progression is to do dungeons or raids with other people. Doing dungeons and raids allow you to find higher quality loot and progress even further. In Albion, however, it isn’t as straightforward as that.

Sandbox Interactive has decided to bypass that and, instead of making classes and equipment exclusive to each other, they let everyone equip everything if they have the right requirements.

This changes a lot of things fundamentally. An example is how the economy is a lot more stable, due to a lack of class (and therefore weapon and armor) popularity, which is caused by item exclusivity. Don’t get me wrong, there are definitely certain archetypes that are more popular than others, but that doesn’t mean you HAVE to stick with one type of play style.

To simplify my point, if you start off the game with a friend group/party of 3, which is including yourself, more than likely people will be designated “roles.” One will be a tank, one will be a DPS, and one will be a healer. If your friends leave you, and you’re the tank, you don’t have to spend MONTHS changing your stats nor will you have to make a new character.

Hate the sword? Pick up a bow. Hate the bow? Pick up a staff. Small stuff like that. I’m making it seem like when you level up, you get stats in everything, which is not entirely true. Progression in this game is all about tiers. If you have unlocked a certain level for a certain weapon, you can equip a certain tier of weapon of that type.

So if that kind of makes sense, then yeah. Let’s continue.

Dungeons and Raids

Even though the previous section, I just said that traditional roles aren’t required, people still love them. In my example, I talked about tank, DPS, and support (healer). Well, those are the exact roles that people call out in Albion to this day.

A typical dungeoneering party can have anywhere between 2 to 6 party members, but this isn’t even anywhere near the group limit. A party can have upwards of 20 total members at once, which is basically large enough for a small platoon.

So if you’re new to playing MMOs at all, welcome! Here are the following roles that are usually called.

Tank

You are the frontline. You are the wall, and you are the only thing that seperates your partners between life and the waves of enemies. Tanks are traditionally low in damage, but high in defense and health. They have tons of ways to push enemies around and stop them from going past you.

DPS

You are the damage dealer. You are the reaper, and you are the money maker of the group. While your partners, the Tank and the Support, are interacting with each other nearly 24/7, you can (and most likely will) do things on your own. Very high in damage, but relatively low in defense. Let’s get this bread. This is also the most common for soloing MMO games too.

Support (Healer)

You are the backbone. You are the doctor, and the only one keeping the idiots in your party alive. Mostly, the tank if he’s doing his job right… While the Tank is up there taking hits for your puny health and defense, you are supplying those juicy, juicy heals as thanks for the Tank. And honestly, you are the thing that decides who lives and who dies, not the Tank, don’t listen to them.

So find a role that you’re suited for and you can start joining dungeons and expeditions.

Specializing the Roles & Optimization

Tanks

Hyper Tanks

These are usually the ones that people NEED in a party, but no one wants to be. The literal only reason why is because the damage output is laughable. You’re pooping out tiny morsels of damage.

How I think it should be optimized:

• Armor Set: Soldier → Guardian → Judicator Armor
• Primary Weapon: Hammer (CC & Threat)
• Off Hand: Shield
• Cape: Bridgewatch
• Secondary Weapon: Mace → Incubus (Threat)

Role: Main Tank
Difficulty: 4/5
Solo Play?: Hard No!

Extra Info: This is the one with the most Crowd Control (CC), which prevents enemies from moving or attacking. Your main job is to provide the most threat, so that the enemies attack YOU.

Off-Tanks

These are usually the more popular tanks. Definitely up there in armor, but not absolutely useless without other people.

How I think it should be optimized:

• Primary Armor Set: Soldier → Guardian → Judicator (Defense)
• Primary Weapon: Mace → Incubus (Threat)
• Off Hand: Shield
• Cape: Bridgewatch
• Secondary Armor Set: Soldier → Graveguard (DPS)
• Secondary Weapon: Broadsword → Clarent (DPS)

Role: Main Tank/Secondary Tank
Difficulty: 3/5
Solo Play?: No

Extra Info: Your job is to generate the SECOND most Threat. That way, if some mobs slip past the main tank, they still go after you.

Bruisers

These guys can technically fall under DPS, but that section is saved for a plethora of stuff. If you haven’t heard the term bruiser before, it’s basically a mix between a tank and a DPS, excelling at neither, but having sustainability as the one bread-and-butter portion of their kit.

How I think it should be optimized:

• Primary Armor Set: Soldier → Graveguard (Defense)
• Primary Weapon: Battleaxe (Sustain)
• Primary Off Hand: Shield (Defense)
• Primary Cape: Keeper (DPS)
• Secondary Armor Set: Mercenary → Assassin → Hellion (Sustain)
• Secondary Weapon: Sword → Dual Swords → Galatine (DPS)
• Secondary Off Hand: Torch* (DPS)
• Secondary Cape: Martlock (Defense)

Role: Secondary Tank/DPS
Difficulty: 2/5
Solo Play?: Yes

Extra Info: That was a lot of info, but I promise this class isn’t too complicated. You get in there, you damage the enemy, they damage you, you heal it back because of your equipment. That’s all. I would recommend trying the secondary set if you’re better at dodging skill shots and AoE stuff.

DPS

Melee DPS

Less tanky than the Bruiser, but definitely more damage output. Probably has the highest burst damage in the game.

How I think it should be optimized:

• Primary Armor Set: Mercenary → Assassin → Stalker (Damage)
• Primary Weapon: Dagger → Bloodletter (Damage)
• Off Hand: Torch
• Cape: Thetford

Role: Assassin/DPS
Difficulty: 5/5
Solo Play?: No

Extra Info: Get in, do damage, get out. That’s the name of the game. You can also pick off enemies that stray from the Tank, towards the supports.

Ranged DPS

Even less tanky than the Melee DPS, but, again, definitely more damage output. Probably has the highest sustainable damage in the game.

How I think it should be optimized:

• Primary Armor Set: Mercenary → Hunter ⇄ Royal Jacket
• Primary Weapon: Crossbow → Siegebow (Single Target)
• Primary Cape: Thetford
• Secondary Weapon: Bow → Bow of Badon (AoE Damage)
• Secondary Cape: Morgana

Role: Consistant DPS
Difficulty: 1/5*
Solo Play?: Yes*

Extra Info: With a good tank and a good healer, all you need to do is stand still and fire away as if you’re a turret. Without those, you really need to have a good sense of positioning.

Magic DPS

Out of the three DPS archetypes, magic is obviously the least tanky. This one can do the most things, ranging from CC, to damage, to buffing and debuffing.

How I think it should be optimized:

• Armor Set: Scholar → Mage → Cultist
• Primary Weapon: Fire → Blazing (DPS)
• Primary Off Hand: Tome → Eye of Secrets (Mana Regen)
• Primary Cape: Lymhurst (Mana Regen)
• Secondary Weapon: Frost → Permafrost Prism (CC/DPS)
• Secondary Off Hand: Tome → Muisak (DPS)
• Secondary Cape: Undead (Emergency Escape)
• Tertiary Cape: Morgana (DPS)

Role: Mixed
Difficulty: 2/5*
Solo Play?: Yes*

Extra Info: Much like the Ranged DPS, with a good tank and a good healer, all you need to do is stand still and rain hellfire. Without those, you REALLY need to have a good sense of positioning.

Support

Healer

The #1 most requested party member, and rightfully so. You keep people alive!

How I think it should be optimized:

• Armor Set: Scholar → Cleric
• Primary Weapon: Holy → Divine (Single Target)
• Primary Off Hand: Tome → Eye of Secrets (Mana Regen)
• Primary Cape: Undead (Emergency Escape)
• Secondary Weapon: Nature → Rampant (AoE, Healing over Time)
• Secondary Off Hand: Tome → Muisak (Greater Healing)
• Secondary Cape: Lymhurst (Mana Regen)

Role: Healer
Difficulty: 3/5
Solo Play?: No

Extra Info: Keep people alive! (Or don’t, that’s up to your call).

Saboteur

Fancy name, little people know about this, and even less people run this. I got the name from Final Fantasy XIII, because it fits so well. You debuff enemies to make them easier to kill. Sabotage → Saboteur.

How I think it should be optimized:

• Armor Set: Scholar → Fiend
• Primary Weapon: Cursed Staff → Cursed Skull (Debuff)
• Primary Off Hand: Tome → Muisak (DPS)
• Primary Cape: Heretic (CC)
• Secondary Weapon: Arcane → Malevolent (DPS/Debuff)
• Secondary Off Hand: Tome → Eye of Secrets (Mana Regen)
• Secondary Cape: Lymhurst (Mana Regen)

Role: Sabotage
Difficulty: 3/5*
Solo Play?: Yes

Extra Info: Knowing when and where to place your debuffs to capitalize on the enemy’s weakness is key.