Hi there, I'm a new player. I'm very drawn to the thief implementation here, but I have a hard time finding groups when I play mine. Is there a way to effectively solo with a thief, or do I need to find a new class?

Thieves are sort-of soloable if you're a Thug. I'd recommend Arial Assassin as a starting character, as they have a skillset that lends itself to self-sufficiency.

I don't think it really matters what's a 'best' first class..just play whatever interests you.

What *would* help however, is making some good friends or allies in-game who will want to help you out based on good relations. I found the fastest way to learn about the game wasn't to walk around alone, but to join a friendly cabal like the Acolytes (Fortress). More often than not they will teach you things about your class, show you around areas, and the heroes might help with ranking so they can practise their skills at the same time.

As a thief you're either going to be loved or hated. How to find friends in game as a thief? Steal nice shinies and give them as presents to people :p

You have to remember we're talking about a *first* class here. There's a reason that at character creation, we have certain classes designated as not recommended for new players.

Something like an elf paladin or a dark-elf necromancer is a common combination that might be appealing to the new player who is familiar with those type of character archtypes. However, they also carry the potential for highly frustrating gameplay for someone who is new to CF.

I get your drift. Just saying it's a game, so you also want to play something you like that's all. And it doesn't matter if the char gets to hero at all, you'll learn something for your next anyway.

My 1st hero was a storm giant Acolyte (that was after 3 tries and yes, probably more hp but I got my ass kicked all the time anyway :p). My 2nd hero was a non-caballed assassin that survived way more, but honestly I learned and had much more fun with the former.

Generally speaking, leveling in a group of three is always going to be dramatically faster than trying to go it alone, even with the "best" classes for going it alone. (And two will be faster than one as well, but three is really where it's at.)

Probably the most common way to deal with this is to make something that is desired by groups; another option is to let go of the idea of leveling very fast and just kind of do your own thing.

High-demand group characters tend to include the really top-tier tanks (shield paladin, defense shifter past the low levels, defensive warrior spec such as sword/spear/pole, etc.) or better support characters (healer, transmuter, bard, etc.)

From a purely mechanical perspective, I'm almost always going to have a better groupmate option around than a thief -- but I'm likely to help out thieves in my cabal/religion/etc. if I can.

Very self-sufficient, doesnt need to prep to be a badass, and you can tank.

Set up an appointment with an imm via email, explain you're a total newb, and see what they can do for you.

I'd say the best is probably the assassin. You can hide, you have detects, you can tank, deal damage, and have some great survival utilities. Second up would be the ranger, I think, for all the same reasons - except with a ranger the you have to pay greater attention to the type of terrain you are in.

Warriors are a very solid choice, especially if you pick something neutral and unlikely to attract a lot of enemies. Very sturdy and can dish out some damage, and always welcome in just about any group.

Your thief isn't a terrible choice, but there will be situations where he can't quite cut it solo where these other class choices might.


No matter your choice, be certain to keep yourself stocked with recall potions so you can escape in a pinch - whether because of player attack, or because you got lost or in over your head with mobs in an unfamiliar area.

IMO, there isn't a whole lot of solo leveling to be done with a thief or most classes unless it is low level mobs or just really slow going. That being said, there is a whole lot of this world for you to explore. Talking with others is huge too, asking questions anything that you don't understand, want advice on etc. Groups are a little tough to come by sometimes but don't let your final goal be to hit 51, rather enjoy all the different interactions and things you learn along the way there.

Back on the original subject of solo leveling. This is likely best done with good tanking classes, Warriors, Rangers and Assassins are likely the easiest to accomplish this with. Some Paladins can do this also but need empowerment. Other people will have different opinions than mine though. Taking this into account, Welcome to Carrion Fields.