Role difficulty - Revision history

NDusN: /* External links */ fix weird link

2025-12-19T18:04:12Z

‎External links: fix weird link

Umbire the Phantom: typo

2024-06-11T01:19:26Z

typo

Umbire the Phantom: some copyedit

2024-06-11T01:19:13Z

some copyedit

Furey: Undo revision 169780 by Furey (talk) Revert. ais523 and umbire said this page is likely to need version updating for 3.7.

2024-06-09T17:02:21Z

Undo revision 169780 by Furey (talk) Revert. ais523 and umbire said this page is likely to need version updating for 3.7.

Furey: Change from {{nethack-360}} to {{noversion}}. The analysis here does not change much with new releases.

2024-06-09T15:49:23Z

Change from {{nethack-360}} to {{noversion}}. The analysis here does not change much with new releases.

Aximili: /* Roles' advantages and disadvantages */ alter -> later

2022-08-25T04:58:16Z

‎Roles' advantages and disadvantages: alter -> later

Qwiption: /* Roles' advantages and disadvantages */ Cleaned up some language in the Ranger & Rogue rows from when they were split.

2022-08-25T03:35:03Z

‎Roles' advantages and disadvantages: Cleaned up some language in the Ranger & Rogue rows from when they were split.

Phol ende wodan: /* Roles' advantages and disadvantages */ NetHack consistently uses "role" rather than "class"

2022-08-18T15:45:21Z

‎Roles' advantages and disadvantages: NetHack consistently uses "role" rather than "class"

Qwiption: /* Role categories */ bolded the 3 role categories for readability

2022-08-18T15:41:40Z

‎Role categories: bolded the 3 role categories for readability

Qwiption: /* Roles' advantages and disadvantages */ made table sortable

2022-08-18T15:35:41Z

‎Roles' advantages and disadvantages: made table sortable

@@ Line 162: / Line 162: @@
 ==External links==
-* [http://groups.google.de/group/rec.games.roguelike.nethack/browse_thread/thread/033a6bedaa3ebf85# Measurements and respective merits of difficulty metrics (rgrn thread)]
+* [https://groups.google.com/g/rec.games.roguelike.nethack/c/Azpr7ao-v4U Measurements and respective merits of difficulty metrics (rgrn thread)]
 {{nethack-360}}
 [[Category:Articles for beginners]]
 [[Category:Roles]]
 [[Category:Strategy]]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 '''Role difficulty''' generally refers to the difficulty level of successfully [[ascend]]ing ''[[NetHack]]'' with each of the various [[role]]s. Opinions vary as to which roles are the easiest and hardest to ascend.
-{{todo|Update to match current version and account for changes between [[3.6.0]] and [[3.6.7]] (e.g. the [[aklys]] becoming far more viable in general and particularly for Priests and Cavefolk. Statistics for the past several years may also be of interest}}
+{{todo|Update to match current version and account for changes between [[3.6.0]] and [[3.6.7]] (e.g. the [[aklys]] becoming far more viable in general and particularly for Priests and Cavefolk). Statistics for the past several years may also be of interest}}
 ==Starting difficulty versus ascension difficulty==

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-'''Role difficulty''' is the general difficulty of being able to successfully [[ascension|ascend]] with the various [[role]]s. Opinions vary as to which roles are the easiest and hardest to ascend.
+'''Role difficulty''' generally refers to the difficulty level of successfully [[ascend]]ing ''[[NetHack]]'' with each of the various [[role]]s. Opinions vary as to which roles are the easiest and hardest to ascend.
 ==Starting difficulty versus ascension difficulty==
@@ Line 6: / Line 8: @@
 However, some roles have advantages over other roles in the late game, in spite of being at a disadvantage in the early game.
-For example, [[barbarian]]s do better in the early game. They start with poison resistance, which allows them to eat poisonous monster corpses and protects against [[instadeath]] from poisoned arrows and spikes, common causes of death for early-game players. However, [[tourist]]s have a number of late-game advantages over barbarians. Their quest artifact is vastly more useful than the barbarian's, and they eventually get a good enough weapon and armor to match a barbarian's.
+For example, [[Barbarian]]s do better in the early game due to poison resistance, which allows them to eat poisonous monster corpses and protects against [[instadeath]] from poisoned arrows and spikes, both common causes of death for early-game players. However, [[Tourist]]s have a number of late-game advantages over Barbarians, such as a vastly more powerful quest artifact and eventual access to good enough weapons and armor.
 ===Criteria for early-game advantages===
@@ Line 22: / Line 24: @@
 * Good artifacts available by sacrificing
 * Starting with highly enchanted or hard to find equipment
-* Chaotic [[alignment]] (and to a lesser extent, neutral), to reduce [[Amulet_of_Yendor#Effects_of_the_mysterious_force|backsliding]] in [[Gehennom]]
+* Chaotic [[alignment]] (and to a lesser extent, neutral), to reduce the effects of the [[mysterious force]] in [[Gehennom]]
 ==Roles' advantages and disadvantages==
@@ Line 43: / Line 45: @@
 |-
 | [[Priest]]
-| The priest's innate ability to detect the [[BUC]] status of an item is a tremendous early advantage, especially in armor selection. This, combined with their starting [[holy water]], makes them essentially "walking altars". But they are also restricted in all edged weapons and cannot achieve [[multishot]] with any ranged weapon thus significantly reducing their options. They may or may not begin with immediately useful spells and are generally considered a moderately difficult role. Somewhat ironically, they are the role best suited for an [[atheist]] conduct.
+| The priest's innate ability to detect the [[beatitude]] of an item is a tremendous early advantage, especially in armor selection. This, combined with their starting [[holy water]], makes them essentially "walking altars". But they are also restricted in all edged weapons and cannot achieve [[multishot]] with any ranged weapon thus significantly reducing their options. They may or may not begin with immediately useful spells and are generally considered a moderately difficult role. Somewhat ironically, they are the role best suited for an [[atheist]] conduct.
 |-
 | [[Knight]]
@@ Line 69: / Line 71: @@
 | The tourist's greatest early-game advantage is their starting stack of +2 [[darts]], which are good ranged weapons for the early game and can be [[poison]]ed; their [[expensive camera]] is also useful for evading non-[[Elbereth]] respecting monsters. Tourists enjoy a lot of advantages in the endgame, which make them arguably one of the stronger roles - they can use nearly any weapon effectively, start with a [[Hawaiian shirt]], which can be enchanted for extra AC later in the game, and their quest artifact, the [[Platinum Yendorian Express Card]], is one of the best artifacts in the game.
 |}
 ==Role difficulty statistics==
@@ Line 159: / Line 163: @@
 ==External links==
 * [http://groups.google.de/group/rec.games.roguelike.nethack/browse_thread/thread/033a6bedaa3ebf85# Measurements and respective merits of difficulty metrics (rgrn thread)]
+{{nethack-360}}
 [[Category:Articles for beginners]]
 [[Category:Roles]]
 [[Category:Strategy]]

@@ Line 163: / Line 163: @@
 [[Category:Roles]]
 [[Category:Strategy]]
-{{noversion}}
+{{nethack-360}}

@@ Line 163: / Line 163: @@
 [[Category:Roles]]
 [[Category:Strategy]]
-{{nethack-360}}
+{{noversion}}

@@ Line 52: / Line 52: @@
 |-
 | [[Rogue]]
-| Rogues can either be difficult or easy, depending on how capable one is of making use of their powerful [[ranged attack]]s, especially in the early game. In alter stages, rogues have the potential to become powerful [[melee]] fighters.
+| Rogues can either be difficult or easy, depending on how capable one is of making use of their powerful [[ranged attack]]s, especially in the early game. In later stages, rogues have the potential to become powerful [[melee]] fighters.
 |-
 | [[Caveman]]

@@ Line 49: / Line 49: @@
 |-
 | [[Ranger]]
-| Rangers can either be difficult or easy, depending on how capable one is of making use of their powerful [[ranged attack]]s, especially in the early game. Rogues have the potential to become powerful [[melee]] fighters in the later stages, whereas rangers will tend to rely more heavily on the ranged game throughout.
+| Rangers can either be difficult or easy, depending on how capable one is of making use of their powerful [[ranged attack]]s, especially in the early game. Rangers will tend to rely heavily on the ranged game throughout.
 |-
 | [[Rogue]]
-| Rogues can either be difficult or easy, depending on how capable one is of making use of their powerful [[ranged attack]]s, especially in the early game. Rogues have the potential to become powerful [[melee]] fighters in the later stages, whereas rangers will tend to rely more heavily on the ranged game throughout.
+| Rogues can either be difficult or easy, depending on how capable one is of making use of their powerful [[ranged attack]]s, especially in the early game. In alter stages, rogues have the potential to become powerful [[melee]] fighters.
 |-
 | [[Caveman]]

@@ Line 27: / Line 27: @@
 {| class="wikitable sortable"
 |-
-! Class
+! Role
 ! Comments
 |-

@@ Line 148: / Line 148: @@
 Many players mentally group roles into categories based on typical style of play.
-Valkyries, Barbarians, and Samurai specialize in melee combat and rely on strong armor and powerful weapons. This style of play tends to be easier for less experienced players. Knights also fit into this category, but can be much more effective using a very different style based on their ability to #ride their starting pony. Cavemen are essentially weaker versions of Barbarians. An Archeologist who finds a dwarvish mattock and some decent armor can do pretty well as a melee fighter.
+Valkyries, Barbarians, and Samurai specialize in '''melee combat''' and rely on strong armor and powerful weapons. This style of play tends to be easier for less experienced players. Knights also fit into this category, but can be much more effective using a very different style based on their ability to #ride their starting pony. Cavemen are essentially weaker versions of Barbarians. An Archeologist who finds a dwarvish mattock and some decent armor can do pretty well as a melee fighter.
-Roles that specialize in spellcasting include Wizards, Priests, Monks, and Healers. Using spells effectively adds a new dimension to game strategy, requiring the player to keep track of available Power, avoid metallic armor, and understand the advantages and limitations of the specific spells available, which raises the difficulty level for new players. However, the tremendous power of many spells (as well as other advantages of these roles, such as the Priest's ability to BUC-identify) can be very useful.
+Roles that specialize in '''spellcasting''' include Wizards, Priests, Monks, and Healers. Using spells effectively adds a new dimension to game strategy, requiring the player to keep track of available Power, avoid metallic armor, and understand the advantages and limitations of the specific spells available, which raises the difficulty level for new players. However, the tremendous power of many spells (as well as other advantages of these roles, such as the Priest's ability to BUC-identify) can be very useful.
-Rogues, Rangers, and Tourists are best suited to focusing on ranged weapons, at least in the early game. Success often depends on patience and cunning, as well as an understanding of the power of [[Elbereth]].
+Rogues, Rangers, and Tourists are best suited to focusing on '''ranged weapons''', at least in the early game. Success often depends on patience and cunning, as well as an understanding of the power of [[Elbereth]].
 ==See also==