Class System

The Class System is a gameplay feature that is unlocked at level 10. Until that point, every player is a Warrior by default, although several features of the Warrior class are still not available until level 10 and above.

There are four classes, each having their own specific attribute bonuses, special skills, and equipment that increase their effectiveness.

Available Classes
The user may choose to play as a Warrior, Mage, Healer, or Rogue, or they may opt out of the class system.

Since players start as Warriors from Level 1, opting out results in remaining a Warrior, but with no skills because mana for skills is not available until a class is chosen. Opting out of the class system also renders the player unable to select the mode of distributing Character Attributes points: the points gained from leveling-up before opting out are temporarily allocated to STR. These attribute points (as well as the points gained in between opting out and opting in) become available for manual distribution as soon as the player enables the class system. A player who has opted out can opt in at any time.

Character Attributes
Every character has four attributes: Strength (STR), Constitution (CON), Perception (PER), and Intelligence (INT). Each class has one "primary" attribute, which benefits greatly from that class's equipment, and a "secondary" attribute, which gets a substantial but lesser boost from their gear (see the table above for details).

When the class system is unlocked, each player starts with 10 attribute points. Attribute points can be distributed between the attributes manually, or automatically allocated.

The attributes may be seen in the Stats page under the User menu (direct link).

Strength=
 * -|Constitution=
 * -|Intelligence=
 * -|Perception=

Changing Classes
A change class option allows the player to pick a new class (if desired) and reallocate attribute points. This option costs 3 gems.

A player's first choice of class after reaching level 10 is free. If the player uses an Orb of Rebirth to reset their character to level 1, they will have the option to choose a new class at level 10. The Orb of Rebirth can be bought for 8 gems or obtained for free once a player reaches level 100. There are no other circumstances in which a class can be chosen for free.

To learn about the advantages and disadvantages to each class, see Determining Which Class to Play below.

When the new class is chosen, the change is applied immediately. The effects are: The player can still use any equipment they bought as the previous class, but will no longer receive the class equip bonus. (All equipment bought before level 10 belong to the Warrior class.)
 * The player's class is changed.
 * Any skills that were previously available to the player are removed and the skills for the new class appear. The player maintains the same level, and is therefore eligible for all of the class skills that would have been unlocked along the way to that level.
 * Any unpurchased equipment for the old class is removed from the Item Store, and equipment for the new class is made available for purchase (assuming that the player has not already bought all of the new class's equipment during a previous period in that class).
 * The player's battle gear is de-equipped (but it remains in the player's inventory).
 * If the player already owns any equipment for the new class, some of that equipment is equipped as battle gear (reload your equipment page to see which gear; a bug results in the wrong gear being shown immediately after the class change).
 * If the player does not own equipment for the new class, the basic weapon for that class will be equipped (these weapons do not enhance stats).
 * The player's attribute points are unassigned and can be reassigned as desired.

Enabling the Class System
If you did not pick a class when you reached level 10, you can enable the class system by clicking on the User menu, choosing Stats to get to the Stats & Achievements page (direct link), and then clicking on the Enable Class System button. This will pop up the Class System modal, asking you to choose which class you'd like to be along with an explanation of each.

Skills and Mana Points (MP)
Each class has special skills that can be activated with mana points (MP).

Each class receives four skills, including at least two self or task skills and at least one party buff skill. The power of these skills is determined by the class's primary stat or secondary stat or both, with the one exception of the Mage's Chilling Frost, which has a fixed effect independent of stats. The class's first skill is available at level 11, and one of the remaining 3 skills is unlocked each level thereafter up to level 14. When a player gains a skill, it will appear in the player's Rewards list under the Item Store, purchasable for a fixed cost in MP. Each skill targets either a task, the player, or the player's party. To use a skill, the player must click on the skill in the Rewards list. If the skill targets a task, the player must then click on the target task. If it targets the player or party, the skill will immediately take effect.

Classes and Parties
Each class has skills that benefit a party, if the player chooses to join one. Refer to the Party page for more information. A party does not have a maximum limit of any class; buffs cast by players of the same class stack and are additive.

Gear
Gear is a general term referring to any items of equipment a player can use to enhance their stats: weapons, shields, armor, or headgear. Each class has unique equipment, with different artwork and different attribute bonuses. You can only buy class-specific equipment belonging to your current class, meaning that if you switch classes, you will no longer be able to purchase equipment belonging to your previous class. Additionally, equipment tiers do not carry across classes, meaning that players who purchase gear for one class and then switch to another class will have to start buying equipment for the second class at the lowest tier. Equipment for other classes can still be worn, but it does not benefit from the class equip bonus (see below).

Typically, a class has two pieces of equipment that raise their primary attribute, and two that boost their secondary attribute. Within each of these pairs, one raises the attribute by a greater amount at each tier than the other. For example, the Warrior's weapons raise STR by up to 18, their helmets increase STR by up to 12, their armor raises CON by up to 12, and their shields increase CON by up to 8.

There are exceptions to the above scheme. For example, Mages employ two-handed weapons, so they only have three equipment slots available. Their weapons fulfill the purpose of what in other classes would be spread across two gear pieces.

Class Equip Bonus
Any piece of equipment the player is using that belongs to the player's class gives them a 50% bonus to the appropriate attribute. For example, a player might own both a Warrior's Morning Star (STR 9) and a Rogue's Ninja-to (STR 8). If the player is a Rogue, they would be better off using the Ninja-to because it adds 12 strength for a Rogue -- 8 for the weapon itself, plus 4 (50% of 8) for the class equip bonus.

Players can wear some gear from a different class and still get the class bonus for the class gear they are using. For example, if a player is a Rogue but is wearing the Warrior's Golden Armor, they will still get a class bonus for the Rogue's Ninja-to if they are using it.

Generally, if a player wants to wear another class's equipment for aesthetic reasons, they would employ a costume and wear their more powerful class equipment into battle. However, certain equipment from another class can be more powerful than the current class's ultimate gear (e.g. the Warrior's Golden Sword gives 18 STR, whereas the Rogue's Hook Sword gives 10 STR * 1.5 = 15 STR -- a Rogue is better off using the Warrior's equipment).

Legendary equipment is only available through completing a series of quests, and can be worn by any class. It does not confer a class equip bonus, but is usually better than even the most powerful class weapon or armor item in a slot for a class. For example, Stephen Weber's Shaft of the Dragon grants +25 STR and +25 PER, which makes it the best choice for a Warrior or Rogue main hand weapon -- but only if they can complete the three part quest series that leads up to it. It is even helpful as a 'task smasher' weapon to Mages and Healers during the day, since the Strength adds damage to bosses and the Perception adds +1 to their drop cap.

Special Gear
Grand Galas have associated class-specific gear which is only available for the duration of the event. This gear can be purchased for gold and increases class attributes as normal equipment does. See Equipment for lists of each class's special gear.

Special gear does not require prerequisites to purchase it, unlike tiered gear, but does require you to be the appropriate class. The stats on special gear are equivalent to the second-to-last tier, but do not contribute towards tier gear requirements, meaning that you will still have to purchase all of the lower tiers to get the highest level tier gear. This is intentional and is meant to be a bonus for people who are members of Habitica during one of the events, so that they can acquire high-quality gear sooner than by going through the tiers.

Special gear is only available for purchase during the listed period on its tooltip, and is gone after that (though it may become available again much later in the Seasonal Shop). If you die and happen to lose a piece of special gear, however, it will be available for repurchase in the store even if the holiday period that sold it is over, as long as you are currently the correct class to buy it.

Special gear should not be confused with celebratory gear, like the party robes made available each year during the Habitica Birthday Bash. These items are free but confer no benefit to stats; although they can be equipped like ordinary gear, they are designed to be worn for appearance as a costume.

Determining Which Class to Play
Certain classes work better with certain player styles, but all are viable choices. For example, players who have trouble completing many Dailies may choose to play as a Mage to encourage them to improve, or they may choose to play as a Healer to decrease HP loss from failed Dailies. Here are some things to keep in mind:


 * Character attributes act the same for all classes, so the class a player chooses can be less important than their stat point allocation.
 * Class equipment determines which attributes will receive bonuses.
 * Class selection determines which skills are available, and some may suit certain players more than others.

Of course, you can also choose a class according to your aesthetic or role-playing preferences rather than the benefits it would provide.

A Warrior?
Players may wish to be a Warrior if they… A Warrior gains special benefits from Strength and, to a lesser extent, from Constitution.
 * want a good defense and enjoy receiving random rewards
 * want to help their party by dealing more damage during Boss fights (the Warrior skill Brutal Smash does extra damage to bosses and Valorous Presence will buff teammates to do more damage)
 * don't want to change the way they were using Habitica before unlocking the class system
 * prefer a measured approach to self-discipline, with moderate penalties and moderate rewards, but also with more frequent irregular rewards from boss quests and critical hits

A Mage?
Players may wish to be a Mage if they… A Mage gains special benefits from Intelligence and, to a lesser extent, from Perception.
 * want to level up quickly and help their party members to level quickly, too
 * like to use their skills more frequently and help their party members to do the same
 * want to help their party by dealing more damage during Boss fights (the Mage skill Burst of Flames does extra damage to bosses)
 * like a precise approach to self-discipline, challenging themselves to never neglect their tasks (Mages take the highest damage from missed tasks, and unlike Rogues, have no way of avoiding it)

A Healer?
Players may wish to be a Healer if they… A Healer gains special benefits from Constitution and, to a lesser extent, from Intelligence.
 * desire a high defense against damage done by neglected tasks and bad habits
 * cannot bear to see their character die when they miss Dailies
 * like to help other party members who, for instance, are just starting out in their habit building (Healer skills can heal party damage and buff party members' Constitution)
 * prefer a forgiving approach to self-discipline, taking the least damage from tasks and having the most options for recovering from those mistakes.

A Rogue?
Players may wish to be a Rogue if they… A Rogue gains special benefits from Perception and, to a lesser extent, from Strength.
 * want to upgrade equipment and gain gold, pets, and mounts very quickly (the Rogue skills Pickpocket and Backstab net the Rogue extra gold; Backstab also gives experience, but does not do damage to bosses)
 * want to help the party to collect more drops (gold, quest items, etc.)
 * prefer a swashbuckling approach to self-discipline, with high risk and high reward but also with the option to occasionally dodge damage from a few missed Dailies

Statistics
Data showing how many players of each level have chosen each class has been extracted by the moderator Alys and made available in CSV files. Two data sets are available:


 * data extracted on 2015-10-07 with an interactive visualization created by locrawl
 * data extracted on 2015-02-12 with a graphical view created by OptimusX.

The explanatory notes will help you understand the data.