I think the feeling of class balance is skewed. And here's why.

I want to open this with a statement, I LOVE THIS GAME.
And this is my subjective take and opinion on things, not cold hard facts.
So don’t take this as a rant about fixing your game or anything, this is just my thoughts about something i think might be a problem for the game in general in the long run.

Currently i have been feeling that the class balance seems off.
And after thinking a bit about it, i think i see why.

Currently, a lot of abilities and some classes just feel weak.
I play mostly a S&S Priest, together with my partner who plays a Swiftbow Hunter.

We’ve been talking about the abilities of our classes and how they feel in comparison to other classes in a balance sense, and then i realized, i am not measuring this objectively.
I am very strictly measuring all my abilities against a set type of enemies, namely Rogues (Mostly Dagger), Fighters, and Fire WIzards (To a lesser degree).
This is because this is what i see in game, this is what i fight. So why would i measure how my abilities and class work against other enemies that i never encounter?
I realized i have tools that work pretty well against Hunters and Frost Wizards and other Priests, but i don’t actually feel like these have any impact. I can’t make myself count these against my class power.

This whole season i think i can count on a single hand the amount of Hunters i have seen in random games, and on two hands the amount of priests or Frost Wizards.
This ends in me solely measuring my class up against Rogues and Fighters and how i can counter these, completely ignoring how i would fare against a Frost Wizard, a Hunter or another priest, anything else would be silly, why would i measure myself against these? I don’t ever fight these.

All this is to say, i simply fail to see the whole picture because in every to every second game i am in i am attacked by a Rogue or a Warrior, and in about every third to forth a Fire Wizard. And that’s the problem.
I can’t actually tell class balance when only half the available classes are really represented in game. And i can’t help feeling like this is probably also an indicator of actual balance. Why would almost every remaining active player in the game play a Rogue or Fighter?

Last season almost every player i met was a Rogue. Fighters weren’t really represented at all. Suddenly they are everywhere? Was that because a large part of the player base suddenly realized that fighter is actually the flavor they like? I don’t really think so. Players chase the current power meta. And there’s no way around the fact that Rogues have been the majority of the meta now the last two seasons, with Fighters coming in this season on a firm second place.

90% of my impression of the game is “how do i feel fighting against Dagger Rogues and Warriors.” and i think that’s a problem in the long run. Since if you don’t really feel like playing these classes, you just end up feeling like you’re getting left in the dust and this game wasn’t really made for you. It was made for people who wants to play Rogues and Fighters.

Seeing the trailer for Season 3 i am scared. Really scared.
The look of the Scorpion Tails seems like it might be REALLY powerful.
And if there is one class in this game that is already over represented, it’s Rogues.
So when new players try this game now, and maybe Priests or Hunters are their preferred class fantasy, this game might just end up being an instant refund for a lot of them since it will very fast become clear that this game is made for Rogues and Rogue players, and if that isn’t what you want to play, then this game is just not for you. It’s for them.

I don’t know what i am suggesting to actually fix this really.
I am just giving some feedback on how things feel for me as a semi-casual player.
I love this game, but fear what the meta of “You more or less ONLY see Rogues and Warriors in game” is gonna do to the game’s prospects for new players in the long run.
If the game is gonna stay viable for the foreseeable future, it needs more new players. And if the game feel like a “Play rogue or play another game” to them, then that’s a great way to alienate the majority of potential players.

Anyways. I just want to finish with this.
Keep up the good work! Amazing game! And thank you! :)