Character classes in Warhammer Online are different from some other MMOs. In Warhammer Online race determines the class. This means, you can't be a high elf shaman since the only shamans are goblins.
There are many similarities between the classes across racial bounds and some obvious distinctions between the classes. Classes or careers are divided in to four distinct categories: Tank, melee dps, ranged dps and healer. I believe the original plan was to have one of each available to each race but not all of them were ready yet and had to be shelved. At this point there is no Empire or Dark Elf tank and no dwarf or greenskin melee dps type. I would guess they will be added into the game again at some point. Some classes are also restricted by sex. The Dark Elf Witch can only be a female while the Chaos Marauder can only be male.
Your first real decision though is choosing a side - Order or Destruction. If you can't stand to be a bad guy then your choices are cut in half. If all your friends are rolling to Destruction, it doesn't really matter if you like the high elves.
After that, you should decide what type of play style appeals to you the most. If you already play MMOs then its probably not that hard to recognize you prefer to blast from a distance, or prefer pet classes, or want to tank and take the beating. Warhammer classes do not vary from that mold all that much.
One refreshing piece of news is that healers are multi-functional. I have played four of the six healers and have been impressed by how much healers have to do. It's no longer about sitting in one spot watching the green health bars, click and heal. Warhammer healers have lot more to do.
To those interested in Warhammer Online, I would recommend buying the preorder and getting in to open beta. This will give you about a week to try out the classes and decide which one is right for you. The preorder also gets you a head start on the release date so you can create your character and get out of the newbie zone before everyone else.
James Ostenson is an avid gamer and has played several online fantasy games starting with Ultima Online. Warhammer Online looks to be the next best thing in the MMORPG world. Check out his Squidoo page where he does a review of the Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning preview weekend.
James' blog can be found here at Wordpress.
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