The Long Road to RR80: Veteran Insights on WL vs. WE

[Ziorah]

Hey everyone,

Yes, it’s me again! Please, stop rolling your eyes and put down the pitchforks. I know I’ve been asking a lot of questions lately, but I promise this is the 'Big One'.

I’m currently head over heels for my Engineer (shoutout to all my fellow turret-huggers!), and I’m super happy with the playstyle. However, every hero needs a partner in crime, and I’m looking for my 'forever second main' to push all the way to RR 80.

I’ve narrowed it down to the White Lion (WL) and the Witch Elf (WE). I’m stepping away from the organized Warband meta – I want to focus on Solo Roaming, 1v1/1v2 encounters, and Small Scale chaos and unorganized warbands.

I’d love to hear from the veterans who have lived in the trenches with these classes:

1. The 1v1 / 1v2 Outplay Potential (Skill Ceiling):
At RR 80, who is the real king/queen of the gladiator pit? I know the WE is the 'burst goddess', but can she actually survive a 1v2 through pure mechanical wizardry (Shadow Leap resets, etc.), or is it just 'kill one and pray'? And for the WLs: how deep does the rabbit hole go with pet management? Can a pro WL truly dictate a 1v2 with positioning and 'Fetch', or does the pet AI eventually become my worst enemy?

2. Surviving the 'No-Heal' Life:
In unorganized Pugs, I’m often on my own. Which class is less likely to make me throw my keyboard out the window? Does the WL’s medium armor and pet-splitting damage provide a better safety net than the WE’s avoidance and 'now you see me, now you don't' tricks?

3. Long-term Mastery:
I want a class that I can still 'learn' even after months of playing. Does the WE stay rewarding, or does the 'stealth-burst-repeat' cycle get old? And for the WL: does the class feel like a tactical powerhouse at high ranks, or do you eventually wish you had just rolled a Slayer?

4. Performance in 'Chaos WBs':
When I join a random public warband just for the fun of it, who brings more to the table? The WE’s heal-debuffing pressure or the WL’s ability to pull and disrupt?

I’m looking for a class with a high mastery factor that rewards precision over button-mashing.

Thanks for being patient with me and my many questions! Which one should I marry for the long road to RR 80?

[Starx]

WE is going to be better solo, and it gives you a cross realm option which imo matters a lot as a solo player because sometimes things just arent great on one side for that play style. Its better because you can use stealth to pick your fights and escape, and always be the first to attack.

1v1 wise, if we are talking your gladiator arena honorable fights mdps is going to basically never beat a good tank or parry wh, or something like am/shaman, or def spec rdps that you didnt get an opener on.

1v2 is WL 100% fetch charge pounce and pet will help you when the 3rd party is ranged and is your second target starts prekiting you while on your first. Best 1vX classes are going to be am/sham in general and tanks if we are talking melee only situations. Havent tried new dps zealot/rp but they might be in the same vein as am/sh, ability to have 2 detaunts OS buttons and having dots tick through detaunt(i think) and a good bit of self heal is too good.

Technical mastery id say wl is a bit higher, but not much. Id say the classes that stand above the rest would be bg/ib and magus/engineer, maybe some very niche hybrid specs like on am/shaman that might see play in wbs or 6 mans.

Archetype in general tanks have so much that can seperate a great tank from an average one that id say even a knight which is kit wise braindead can still have more skill expression than the hardest to play dps. BG and IB being at the top of this because on top of guard(and thats a giant thing on its own), antiguard(punts), punting to put players in badspots, use of mitigation tools like challenge, tons of interrupts to stop things like res, and your own posisitioning... they have a guard light that can be used on any friendly, that can be mico managed on top of guard borh offensively and defensively. They have an extremely strong and underrated outgoing healdebuff which creates a big risk vs reward scenario, and they have a ton of tools to work with vs bog standard rotations.

1v1 potential isnt as important as having agency over when you do and dont fight, and for that reason Id pretty much only reccomend rdps or stealthers esp on this zergfest we see now on the server.

[Ziorah]

Thank you so much for that incredibly detailed response. I’ve read it several times now, and I truly appreciate the depth you went into. It’s exactly the kind of veteran insight I was looking for, but I have to be honest: It’s also driving me a little bit crazy.

I need to explain my situation because I’m stuck in what we call 'Kopfkino' (a never-ending mental loop) and it’s actually starting to feel overwhelming.

I started playing RoR in December. Since then, I’ve tried almost everything. You might find this hard to believe, but my Engineer (Bitsy) is actually the very first character I’ve ever managed to push to CR 40 / RR 45. I love her, and hearing you say that Engineers have such high technical mastery makes me feel like I’ve already found one 'home' in this game.

But here’s my struggle: I come from years of WoW and GW2. In those games, I never, ever had a problem choosing a class. I was a Hunter or a Rogue. Period. No doubts, no switching. But in RoR? This game is doing something to my brain. I wake up thinking about mechanics and I go to sleep wondering if I’m wasting my time on the wrong character. It’s actually making me feel 'sick' because I just want to arrive at a decision.

These are my current favorites that I’m constantly cycling through in my head:

Engineer (Bitsy): My main, CR 40/RR 45. I love her, but I need a melee partner.

Squig Herder: Currently low level, playing him as Ranged.

Witch Elf / Witch Hunter: I love the stealth and the 'Rogue' feel, but I can't even decide which of the two is the better investment for the long haul.

White Lion (Bahee Bane): I just started this one because I crave that 'Brawler' feel and the pet management.

You mentioned that in the current 'Zergfest' meta, you’d recommend RDPS or Stealthers. I hear you. But I’m at a point where I’m so exhausted by my own indecision that I honestly feel like I need a 3-month ban on all my characters except for one. I need to be forced to stick to a choice so I can finally stop overthinking.

I want to pick ONE of these and push it to RR 80 minimum. I don't care if the journey is painful, if the class 'falls off' at level 40, or if I get discriminated against in Pugs. I will endure the grind. I just need an experienced player to point the way and say: 'THIS IS YOUR PATH.'

If you were in my shoes—knowing I already have the Engineer but I'm looking for that perfect solo/pug melee experience—which of these (WL, WE/WH, or even staying with RDPS like Squiggy) would you bet your life on for the long, long road to RR 80?

Please, give me that final nudge so I can finally start playing the game instead of just playing with my thoughts.

[Starx]

Well if you want to play melee, your option is wh or we. I mentioned the utility having characters on both sides brings. However Ive been on this server since 2014 with the same guys and we have guilds on both sides so I dont have problems finding people to play with if I want.

I know you are saying you like to solo, but it is very hard to solo in this game and can lead to frustration when things outside your controll are against you, so it is nice for times like that to have people you enjoy playing with accessible. I would take into consideration your social circles on both sides.

Small groups can also be fun, Im primarily a 6 man player, but duo and trios can be a lot of fun and open up a lot of options, for instance I think WL+healer would be better than WE+healer for a duo team.

I know Im just giving you more to think about, but I do have a question. You say your current main is RR45 why not push that one to 80 first? You will gain more perspective on what you do or dont like, and how much efffort is required. Are you just burned out a little bit on engineer?