My problem with classes

I don't like classes. I think people should and will specialize their characters without having to be forced to. And then when a new situation arises that needs a different specialization, then they should be able to completely reuse the parts of the character that work, that they have already developed, towards that new specialization without penalty.

You should not have to level it up again, etc.

Eve Online is classless, there is nothing stopping you from training in any skill you want, and since only one character on your account can be training at a time (Unless you basically pay for two accounts) there is little point in training up two characters unless you need two for purposes of hiding activities from your main's corp or the convenience of never having to leave the trade hub.

World of Warcraft is not, you are forced into a skillset at the point of character creation. The problem arises when you need to do things your "class" cannot do. And since classes are designed to be unique and special snowflakes in relation to the other classes, you are then pigeonholed into those skills.

This arises conditions where your "casual raid group"... (And I'm going to define "casual raid group" as a group that does not prioritize raiding to the point that they create alts specifically to match the raid content.) does not have the class breakdown needed for the encounter. If you need "Hunters" for a raid boss, and you don't have any, you are in trouble.

Classes that are specifically designed to each be their own special snowflake cannot to "generic" enough to circumvent the need for specific roles. Blizzard had a campaign way back when when to "Bring the player, not the class." when they were trying to "standardize" classes more. What a waste of effort! They were basically saying "Yeah, we know classes don't work, but we're compelled to keep them."

In a classless system, people can step up and learn those roles as they become needed, without having to re-do their entire character. There's always room for more tools in the classless character's toolbox.

The pure “roleplayer” will say “But I like the fact that my class is different! There is lore involved.” Great! Build your character with a specific lore and history! Knock yourself out! You are free to do as you wish in a classless system.

There are also people that can't make decisions on their own and need to have their hand held. That's fine too! Have “templates” for the major defined “classes” that list out what skills would be important to that classical role and make them available. A player can just work off that list to develop skills. The advantage here is that without specific classes, any classical role... be it the classic rogue, wizard, or a specific one based on a fictional character can be modeled.

Fans would even step in with their own versions of their favorite fictional characters.