In the context of the game, what is a class and a role? *
Classes will be based on traditional High Fantasy classes that we've all seen in various MMOGs, MUDs, paper & pencil games, and novels.
They are also a way to group like skills and abilities.
Roles are more high level and deal with our approach to making sure that each class has a role to play in casual, group, and raid situations. In the past, issues dealing with hybrids vs. specialists, especially in the elder game, have been problematic. Our approach with Vanguard will be to better define core roles and to make sure we have different, interesting classes, but that they'll be important in most all scenarios, regardless of level, setting, or casual/group/raid areas.
From the Official Vanguard FAQ (original entry).
Will there be traditional High Fantasy classes? *
Absolutely. We are also committed to expanding class selection to include several new and exciting character types.
From the Official Vanguard FAQ (original entry).
How will you deal with the hybrid vs. specialist issues? *
By defining core roles that each class needs to fit into so we don't run into the hybrid/specialist problems we've seen in other games.
From the Official Vanguard FAQ (original entry).
Will there be multi-classing? *
Not in the traditional sense. More on this later.
From the Official Vanguard FAQ (original entry).
Will one class be able to solo better than another? *
Maybe, but it will be situational. Again, going back to the system of roles, each class needs to serve a purpose in casual, group, and raid scenarios.
From the Official Vanguard FAQ (original entry).