Ever since I could remember I always favored playing a Paladin or Battlemage in role-playing games. I am loyal to an archetype. This is something that is something that is deeply rooted in my brain at this point. It is no longer a habit but a gaming lifestyle. If I am playing a role-playing game, and I don’t have either option, I immediately go into withdrawal.
No matter the game I like being the all-around character. I want to soak up damage as well as dish it out. I might not be the toughest or damaging, but I can always hold my own. Paladins always resonated with me. These noble warriors are powerful and always prevail in battle, along with being a commanding force with healing capabilities.
Paladins are loyal soldiers and knights that symbolizes heroism, honor, and chivalry. How can you not love these guys? They are basically angels in armor.
Battlemages, while different, is also my favorite archetype to play as. Same rules still apply. I want to run into battle with a shield in one hand and spell in the other. Hopefully, it summons an elemental weapon. A sword and spell is also a good combination as well.
Ice element is usually meant for tanking and crowd control in video games for some reason, so I usually choose that to compliment my sword skills.
Why is it that I resonate with these classes so much? Fantasy and Reality. We all want to be what we can never be. But. That doesn’t mean we don’t share similarities. We might not have their powers or spells, doesn’t mean we don’t have their characteristics.
Role-playing games are meant to help put yourself into the game, whether it is who you want to be or someone different. When a game allows deep customization or being able to choose a class, I choose the closest that resembles me.
One day I discovered my favorite action role-playing game: Diablo 2. I looked at the five original classes to choose from. And my eyes gleamed with light and hope.
That’s when I realized that I discovered my archetype and class for life. The holy Paladin. This class was tanky and a DPS monster. Everyone remembers Blessed Hammers, right? Stand in the middle of the group and let those things tear through monsters. This is what started it all for me.
But that’s not all.
He was black. Or looked black enough. I’m not one to touch much on race, but this was something that felt good to me. I was but a kid at the time, I was 9 years old. As I am a black guy, if that wasn’t clear, it made the character a bit more intriguing. Now that I think about it. Diablo 2 might have shaped my mind without me even knowing.
As you can imagine, I was quite sad that Diablo 3 didn’t have a Paladin at launch. Broke my heart. Then the expansion gave me my Paladin back. The class is named Crusader now, but it basically the same, Blessed Hammers and all.
Now you are probably wondering, what about the Battlemage?
I think my fondest memory started with Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. I put so many hours into it, I used to come home from school and hop right into to. What were my friends doing outside of school? Don’t know, didn’t care. Oblivion was my life now. I created so many different characters.
But do you know which class stood out the most? Of course, you do.
The Battlemage was the one I put all my hours into and eventually beat the game with. He was great with one-handed weapons, along with the destruction school of magic, making him a formidable character. Of course, you were able to create custom classes, but I honestly can’t remember if I did or not.
Years later, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim was announced and released. They removed classes completely, instead, your character leveled based on how you play. OH SNAP! Restoration, heavy armor, shield, and maces here I come. This was my very first archetype in Skyrim and I named him….. wait for it….
PALADIN.
He was a Redguard, they started with +10 in one-handed and started out with a healing spell to help increase my restoration tree. I absolutely ran through enemies with this build. I ran around in the Daemon Armor, Mace in one hand, shield in the other, with the healing spell on backup. It was beautiful.
I had to create a Paladin first, but my second character was a Battlemage. Using lightning to stun lock enemies and go in swinging with my sword. With some fire skills for good measure.
The Paladin and Battlemage archetype has always been fun, but sometimes people assume they only appear in medieval fantasy settings. NOPE!
Mass Effect’s Vanguard class filled the Paladin void just as easy. They had the health, armor, and many biotics. In Mass Effect 2 they kind of disappointed me with the class but made up for it in Mass Effect 3. The Vanguard had many skills for crowd control and defensive capabilities. They also were a master of shotguns.
Every firefight started with me using Biotic Charge, letting off some shotgun blasts, and using shockwave, while my team backs me up.
I am a Paladin and Battlemage loyalist, this will never change. Being in the thick of the battle, while casting spells is what I live for, maybe I should say play for.
What about you guys, do you mix it up every time or are you a loyalist to a class as well.
Originally published at gamingnitemare.com on April 9, 2019.
