i made a little list of the profs and breeds , helpng newcomers to make a choice for the first time playing
New in Anarchy Online ?
What Profession to play ?
First a list and short description of the 14 profs available in AO.
Adventurer
Difficulty : Easy
Adventurer is , in my Opinion , the best char to start AO with. He is skilled in both , ranged(pistols) and melee (1 handed edged) Weapons , and therefor "adapts"
to both tastes. He does good damage (average i would say) can heal himself aswell as others (best healer after doc). Has a good sortiment of nanos (such as +AC , absorb , reflect). Also he can morph himself (and others) in animals , increasing fighting/defensive capabilities. And its fun to do so .
If your new to AO and like to have an active role , Adv is most likely the first char you should try.
Agent
Difficulty : Hard
Agent is a very (most likely the most) complexe profession , and , in my opinion, a bad choice to start AO with.
Agent uses mainly Rifle together with AimedShot(AS). He can do lots of damage , but thats not always a good thing, since it will take the
attention of the enemy , and making him therefor a primary target. However the hard part of playing an Agent is ,
that he can "morph" himself in any other profession (except shade +keeper afaik), but cannot (if almost though) cast all of the prof nanos.
This making it very hard to handle, and you really shouldn't take him , as your first char.
Bureaucrat
Difficulty : Hard
Bureaucrat is primarly a "Support" Char , simply because he isnt a great Damage Dealer (neither himself or his pet , which is the worse of the pets ingame).
However he is great in supporting a team , by calming mobs(renders them unoffensive) , or charming them (mob will fight for the Crat a given time). He also has a lot of different Team Auras and buffs , making him a good seen member of any team (of any level range). However i consider it a bad char to start with AO , since it needs quite some knowledge and "routine" to handle all the calms , charming , etc etc. Later on , this is quite a valiable char to play with though.
Doctor
Difficulty : medium
I said medium because after all , a doc is there to do one thing , heal. However it sounds easier as it is , and also a doc is a "team only" prof class. So you have always to find a team , or you wont progress very far (you can solo of course , but you will be slowed down by a much , and it will become very boring , believe me). However a Doc usually havent a problem finding a team at any level range, since everybody like to have 1 in their team .
However it may be a bit boring to start with it. If ,however, you think you'll like to play team mostly , and dunno , be a nurse in rl (j/k) you can go for it right away
Enforcer
Difficulty : Easy/medium
In General , a easy to play prof, your job is clear , stand in front , toe-to-toe with the foes and taking damage. The Enforcer has the most hp in game (due to his nanoprograms) together with AC/reflect shields. He is TEH aggro keeper (mob will fight him most of the time) due to his taunts. In terms of playing he is Easy , however it requires the right equipement to be at the top , so this , at least in mid+ level , can become an issue. However to start with , he is quite ok, if you like the close combat action.
Engineer
Difficulty : Medium/hard
The Engineers main weapon is his pet (and later petS), which are the best in Game (at least Damage-wise). His Weapons skills are poor , so its more for the look that
he carry weapons . Of course you can/will use Weapons , but you wont make near as much damage as other profs do , however thats what your pet is there for.
Engies are usually liked in team , due to the pet (can take a lot of damage) and his AC/Shield buffs. It is a good char to start with , but soon it becomes hard to maintain him , since the nanos are expensive and you fast become very underpowered if you cant afford all the new pet nanos. However if you like being some kinda "support/summoner-style" this is a good char to start with.
Overall its medium difficulty , but to get the best out of him , i rate it hard.
Fixer
Difficulty : Easy/medium
Fixer fixes things . However not in fixing as in repairing , but more like in "getting". He is a great Damagedealer , using SMG/MG together with Burst as his Mainskills.
He has a lot of good Nano Lines , such as HoTs(Heal over time) , rs (runspeed+ evades), + ncu (ncu increasment , the "memory" used in AO). He is , together with adv , most likely the easiest/best char to start with. There isnt much else to say about the fixer , apart he is always liked in teams , can get access to fixer grid later on (a special transport "device". Good Damage , easy play. Fun
Keeper
Difficulty : Easy
This is , in my opinion , the most boring prof i've seen so far. Although he does ok Damage etc , he is boring in term of , you cast your nanos every 2 hrs , the rest is
attack /afk , attack /afk. Other may can give you more input about this. The Keeper has Auras , which can either increase Attack/Defense , Heal over time , or refill nano over time. If you like to play it w/o thinking too much , he sure is a good choice.
Martial Artist
Difficulty : Easy
First off , this is the cheapest (in term of money and weapon aquiring) Class , because you dont need one ). MA is one of the top damage dealer, big in evades (miss me baby one more time) has a crap heal (self or team) which is ok till a certain level. He also is a very good char to start off with , since you can enter the battle right away
Later on , you can/could also use Bows , making even more insane damage. Really fun to play.
Meta-physicist
Difficulty : Medium
Although you can have up to 3 Pets , i consider him easier to play as engie + crat. He is well seen in teams , but can solo mostly anything himself (apart of ubermobs ok).
So this is both for the socialiser aswell as for the soloer. He has an Attack Pet , a heal Pet and a Mezz Pet , the first 2 do what they Name say , and the mezz pet somekinda "calms" mobs , making them unoffensive for some time. Anyway , a all in all easy to play profession , and a good choice to start with , if your into summoning things However , quite expensive to maintain him.
Nano-technician
Difficulty : easy/medium
He is the Mage-like in AO. He has poor Weapon skills , and mostly only apply on his ability to cast damage dealing buffs. In low level , he is easy to play , however later he becomes a bit harder , since he will get acess to calm nanos , means , he becomes a supporter aswell as a damagedealer. However i consider him a bad choice, since all you'll do for quite a couple level is press >>1<< button. If you like the Mage thing however , this is your choice
Shade
Difficulty : Hard.
First off , Shades are quite apart from all the other profs , using different Armor and Implants (so-called Spirits). Making it hard , to get a first impression of AO (since few will be in common with any other char). Shades are some kinda Ninja looking toys , dealing great(if not most) damage. But as said , hard to play, since it relies on a lot of special attacks etc. Use at your own risk
Soldier
Difficulty : Easy
Basic Ranged Unit. He is average in any point of view , ok damage. Soldiers can tank aswell , but only for a given time , since they apply on special shields , protecting them for some time, but then need to reload before he can use it again. He has good damage shields , overall an ok char. Really nothing special to say about him . soo average
Trader
Difficulty : medium/hard
I dont consider Trader as a real char-to-play but more a char-to-buff-others. He is mostly used to help others equiping themselves. He does quite ok damage with his shotguns (especially when he does critical hits), but he cant take any hits. He is however liked to debuf enemies. (lowering AC and AR). but really not a necessary char.
Shouldnt start with him.
What Breed ?
The Breeds are :
Solitus f/m : He is the allrounder and (can) fit to any prof. His abilities are balanced and therefor average in any terms.
Opifex f/m : This one is more oriented to agility/sense , by having poor stamina. Fits well to melee and ranged chars , such as agent , MA , fixer. still ok for Enfi , Keeper ,
Soldier. Bad for profs which apply much on nano skills.
Nanomage f/m : This one is the nano oriented breed. He is focused in Intelligence and psychic , but poor in stamina/strength and especially Hp. He is best for NT, MP, Engie, Crat.. Best in terms of getting the better nano formulas sooner as anyone else. But if that makes the missing hp good ?¿
Atrox n : He is the muscles of AO. He has most hp , sta and str in the game , making him a natural born tanker. he is best choice for Enforcer , Keeper , MA. ok for soldier.
Take in mind , any breed / prof is playable, but sometimes one may fit better then another. e.g. of course you can make a nano-technician atro , and you will then have a lot of hp , but youll lack the intelligence to learn all your buffs(spells) and always be behind for lets say a nanomage nt.
Later on you probably will experiement around and find a good prof/breed combination.
Also keep in mind , this is ONLY based on "basic" low level playing. I didnt took in consideration e.g. tradeskills and highlevel content