Thoughts on Classes

[Trex_Crazy]

So I restarted the game (was in early iron before) because I wanted to change classes. I know you can use commands to change classes but it would feel like cheating as I didn't get that far with the new class if that makes sense? regardless of your answer this post will continue. 

So I had been playing the malefactor for the very important reason of I liked their clothes and extra foraging sounded good. However I learned that I can have a little buddy if I play a clock maker, and since they have the same downsides as the malefactor I had already been playing around the weakness. (My resons for the little buddy are that I want a monster to call greg and I can't keep (most) enemies from despawning.)

Though I was also looking at the other classes and I have to wonder why you would pick anything other than commoner, malefactor, or clockmaker. The hunter seems pretty good for food, leather, and mechanical power (animal fat) but as someone who yearns for the mines the ore drop penalty causes me severe pain even thinking about.

The blackguard seems very good for everything combat and worse at everything else for it. I already think your characters hunger rate is a little crazy (but am mentally locked to play games "as is" the first time until I beat it) and I am wondering if it is even possible to play them early game without constantly starving to death. (side note I dont play many online games so this is all from a solo perspective)

And the tailor honestly feels like a "wes" character. (character in dont starve, was made purposely very bad as a challenge for players who already beat the game and knew what they were doing) because their special ability is just making clothes. (which is helpful for winter) and slightly more armor durability. Idk where I stand on that on one hand higher teir attacks seem to (idk for sure) eat lower armor tier durabilty for breakfast, but on the other hand while armor is a giant investment fixing it is actually really cheap (relatively).

in exhange for mostly crippling debuffs. as someone whos played malefactor/clock maker the -2hp isn't bad, but the mining speed again hurts my yearning for the mines and the other debuffs are pretty bad too. Now idk if I am missing something but it just seems like getting charged an exorbitant price for not much in return.

[Thorfinn]

Fair. After playing them all, at least once, I don't see any compelling reason to select anything other than commoner.

Food is so plentiful the blackguard penalty is nothing. Indeed, it helps fill your nutrition bars a little faster because you need to eat again sooner, and more HP is never a bad thing. But it only helps you on the first day or two, or the first day or two after you die if you play with Respawn. Mining with ore blasting bombs gets rid of any class nerfs. And so on. But neither are the bonuses anything to write home about.

I think a better way to look at class is that it gives each player (other than commoner) a "quirk".

[Zane Mordien]

1 hour ago, Thorfinn said:

 

Food is so plentiful the blackguard penalty is nothing.

I don't even noticed the hunger rate difference when in play other classes. Food is so easy to get once you get the hang of it.

[MagpieOAO]

I was surprised to find clothes don't offer anything more than a warmth buff. I figured some of them like the heavy cloak for the malefactor might also provide a form of armor. Granted there is at least the clothed gambeson that the clothier can make which seems to me (a newbie) to be a pretty decent armor for its cost and your ability to repair is much more effective.

[Maelstrom]

Gambeson armor is, imo, a bit op.  Tier 2 protection with minimal penalties?  About the only downside to it is the cost in either flax or finding the trader and aqcuiring the sufficient gears to purchase it.  I usually am sporting gambeson armor by the end of summer or into fall as well as getting at least a single rotor windmill up.

[ifoz]

8 hours ago, MagpieOAO said:

is at least the clothed gambeson that the clothier can make which seems to me (a newbie) to be a pretty decent armor for its cost and your ability to repair is much more effective.

It would be fun if at some point they expanded upon it a bit, allow the player to have hoods up/down and if your hood is up in the rain/snow you don't get as cold/wet. Would be a really cool little touch imo.

Edited May 30, 2025 by ifoz

[Tom Cantine]

9 hours ago, Maelstrom said:

Gambeson armor is, imo, a bit op.  Tier 2 protection with minimal penalties?  About the only downside to it is the cost in either flax or finding the trader and aqcuiring the sufficient gears to purchase it.  I usually am sporting gambeson armor by the end of summer or into fall as well as getting at least a single rotor windmill up.

I agree that it seems OP, but that's because historically gambeson was surprisingly protective. That is, more effective than we (especially if we grew up thinking of knights in shining armor) would expect it to be. 

[Zippy Wonderdust]

I don't disagree with you, but anyone who has actually worn gambeson will tell you, it is also surprisingly hot!  (I have friends in the SCA) What I think Vintage story needs is a more nuanced temperature system.  Instead of just getting too cold in winter you should also get too hot in summer.  Running around in full armor in July would then have a health tradeoff for all that "overpowered" gambeson goodness.  Tailored gambeson, a class specialty, could then also be cooler as well as lighter.

[Tom Cantine]

27 minutes ago, Zippy Wonderdust said:

I don't disagree with you, but anyone who has actually worn gambeson will tell you, it is also surprisingly hot!  (I have friends in the SCA) What I think Vintage story needs is a more nuanced temperature system.  Instead of just getting too cold in winter you should also get too hot in summer.  Running around in full armor in July would then have a health tradeoff for all that "overpowered" gambeson goodness.  Tailored gambeson, a class specialty, could then also be cooler as well as lighter.

Oh, certainly. (I've many friends in the SCA, also.) But this heat problem is also true of other armour as well. I have just a costume piece of scale armour, made from frozen orange juice concentrate lids riveted to a denim backing, and it reflects heat back into me like I'm in a Thermos. So yes, heat in VS should be as much a factor as cold.

And if that's done, I think they'll need to include some kind of thirst mechanic as well. 

[Zippy Wonderdust]

I don't want to go too far down the rabbit hole, but overheating could be covered by the addition of a flask/water-skin item which lowers body temperature by X degrees every time you drink from it.  Hydrate or Diedrate has had a very in-depth go at this but I don't think an implementation needs to be anywhere near as complex as that to be rewarding.  Just have body temp rise based on environment + clothing and fall by a certain amount whenever you drink some water.  I think that's all the game would really need.