When you hear Arcane
Caster, the thought comes to mind of a robe-wearing wizard who usually
stands back and nukes a mob out of its boots when in a group. Arcane Casters
are the magical wielders of damage in traditional MMORPGs. With their
mighty spells they can unleash great waves of elemental and mystical powers
upon their enemies, but they don't do so well in a hand-to-hand battle.
They are best kept at a distance to nuke mobs in moderation.

Moderation is an important
word for arcane class types to learn. The reason for this is that no matter
how good a tank is, a wizard who gets carried away can easily gain the
attention of the enemy. When this happens, the tank has to fight to regain
aggro, and sometimes the battle ends with the poor arcane-type taking
a dirt nap. So it is always important, if you are one of these magic damage
dealers, to pace yourself when engaged in combat and not over do it. If
you do, don't blame the tank, and remember: you have been warned!

There are several
kinds of Arcane Casters in Vanguard: Saga of Heroes. Some are traditional
classes, and others are new, or a bit different. These casters will not
only have to manage their powers in battle so as not to overdo things,
but they will also learn, through the use of the Perception skill, how
to counter certain spells in some cases. This will be an important part
of the role of an Arcane Caster in Vanguard. Not only are you a damage
machine, but you must also pay close attention to combat and be ready
to react to your enemies' actions. Perhaps your enemy is casting "Uber-Nuke-Fire-Splash",
and your caster notices this through Perception. Perhaps a reaction option
occurs, and you counter the spell or maybe even reverse it. With Vanguard's
new combat system, all classes will be more involved when combat begins.

Druid: Druids in Everquest
were attuned with nature. Their powers were influenced by their surroundings.
A druid for example was more effective outside, in the open, where he
could call upon lightning to assist him in battle, than he was in a dungeon
where he could not summon such powers. The druid was also a utility healer
in EQ.

The Druids of Vanguard
are said to be a bit different than their EQ counterparts. They will still
draw their power from nature, but as a recent preview of Vanguard at PC
Gamezone states, weather may also influence their powers in combat.
Fire may be less useful in rain, but what of lightning? Perhaps the damage
is increased. Various things will influence a Druid's role in Vanguard.
It is said they may even possibly have powers over the seas, to assist
in ship travel, a possibility which was hinted at a while back. Druids
will be an interesting class to say the least, and their role will be
very valuable, for those who learn it well.

Necromancer: Traditionally
a master of the undead. This arcane caster was one who specialized in
summoning creatures to aid them, and using spells such as Fear, Engulfing
Darkness, and a variety of damage-over-time spells, with life tapping
abilities to destroy and suck the life from their foes. Necromancers used
bone chips to summon a skeleton minion in EQ. They were great soloers,
and very deadly adversaries.

Vanguard's Necromancer
class will take a bit of a different approach. Where in EQ players used
bone chips to summon skeletal minions, the Vanguard Necromancer will have
need of body parts. Using these body parts, these masters of the undead
will summon forth constructs to do their dark bidding. What kind of constructs
we may see are still a mystery, but given the creativity of the Sigil
development team, you can bet it will be very interesting, to say the
least. Necromancers in Telon may be seen hunting creatures not for loot,
but for body parts to tinker with the creation of these conscripts. In
any case, these Dark casters should provide a warm fuzzy feeling for Necromancers
everywhere.

Psionicist: The Psionicist
is one of the newer and most intriguing classes that Vanguard has announced.
This class will make use of Psionic powers with which to torment and manipulate
the minds of their enemies, and enhance their allies in combat. The Psionicist
will use concentration for some of their skills, and this will likely
be subtracted from their Psionic power. For example, perhaps the Psionicist
has 100 mana/Psionic points and a skill might cost 5 concentration. That
will be subtracted from the 100. This will make these arcane casters selective
as to what powers are actively being used at any given time.

In addition to being
able to buff their group and impact their enemies, the Psionicist will
also be a great addition to a group for combat. They will have the power
to perform a bit of crowd control with their skills. Perhaps your group
gets an add on a pull: the Psionicist can lock the mob in a mind battle,
making it unable to function. The drawback is that the Psionicist will
be locked into place as well, as this mind battle rages.

Psionicists will need
more than a simple trainer to learn all the skills available to them.
Through the lands there are said to be mystical items that these casters
will have to seek out called gestalts. While not everything is known about
this class of Arcane Caster, I think it is safe to say they will be one
to watch as information is released by Sigil.

The Sorcerer: The
Sorcerer can probably be considered closest to the Wizards of Everquest,
but even though they may be considered closest, they are very different.
Wizards in EQ could summon great powers of fire and ice, for example,
to deal damage to their foes. Lightly armored and poor at mele, these
casters still packed a nasty punch, and were arguably the best damage
dealers of all in Everquest.

The Sorcerer of Vanguard
will still call upon the powers of the elements, but it has also been
suggested that they may be able to combine the elemental powers they learn
to form new powers. Darrin"Tagad"Mcpherson,in an older post
on the OVF,
talked a bit about this class, the four elements, and the possibility
of combining those elements to form new powers. He states in this
post:

"Once the Sorcerer
has mastered the 4 prime elements he will be able to begin combining them.
The 4 base elements you know. The 4 para-elements are:

Magma - Earth and
Fire

Mud - Earth and Water

Ice - Water and Air

Smoke - Fire and Air

There are more combinations
that are known to exist but the knowledge of them has been lost. Search
as they might the Sorcerers have not recovered all that was lost to them.
Ancient manuscripts tell of Sorcerer's who could combine more than 2 elements,
creating powerful quasi-elements. There is much to be discovered."

Without a doubt, this
class of Arcane Caster will be a keeper for any wizarding fan. Not to
mention that they will have the ability to react and counter spells of
their enemies through use of Perception.

As an Arcane Caster,
you have traditionally played the role of the damage dealer when it came
to grouping. That role is not gone, but it has been enhanced. Your goal
now will not only be to deal damage, but also to react in combat to the
actions of your enemies. The option to counter spells noticed through
a hardened caster's perception could mean the difference between "Your
party gains experience." and " Incoming Rez". If nothing
else, know to pay attention and be ready to react. Your actions as a caster
will now have even more meaning than before.

The possibility of
sympathetic chain abilities will also make for some interesting combinations
when these characters step into battle. One caster may notice an opening
and use the appropriate skill, creating a sympathetic combination where
another may advance the chain, or the casters may even combine their powers
and form a more powerful skill from the event.

The possibilities
of what may come to exist in Vanguard are limitless. With the role Arcane
Casters will play, as well as all other class types, the combat will be
much more involved. Your role as a caster has not changed, but it has
gotten more challenging and more intense. When Vanguard releases sometime
this year, and you casters don your robes and step into Telon for the
first time, remember the basics of your class: always be alert to the
combat as it unfolds around you, for your actions may make all the difference,
and most importantly, always Know Your Role.