Classes, Callings, and Souls
Choosing a class in any game is always an involved process. Unless you're an alt-addict and you're just making four characters at a time, choosing the class for your main character is a time consuming option. Every game has it's own idea of how that class should operate, and Rift is no different. However, the difference in Rift is that there is a wide variety of play styles incorporated into every class. So yes, the Warrior can heal, the Mage and Rogue can tank, and the Cleric can use shadow damage as well as holy damage.
After you've chosen your race you'll be greeted with the class selection screen. In Rift there are four classes (or callings are the proper name for the classes in Rift): the Warrior, Cleric, Rogue, and Mage. You may think, "Dude, only four classes? Warcraft has 11 with three specs for each class. What kind of rip off is this?" But understand that these callings are more of the archetypes that you are used to in MMOs and RPGs and have a much greater selection of play styles available to them. There is much more to the class system than these four callings; these act as guidelines for what your character can do.
Below I have a list of each calling available in Rift with different specs from Warcraft assigned to them. These are a rough guideline for those who are undecided on which Calling to play. These specs in Rift are not exact copies, just similar in some resepcts.
Warrior - Protection Warrior, Fury, Arms, Holy Paladin, Unholy, Combat, Enhancement
Cleric - Protection Paladin, Retribution , Frost Death Knight, Mistweaver, Arcane, Discipline, Shadow, Demonology
Rogue - Blood, Enhancement, Survival, Marksman, Beast Master, Assassination, Combat, Subtlety, Holy Priest
Mage - Elemental, Restoration Shaman, Restoration Druid, Brewmaster, Fire, Frost Mage, Affliction, Destruction. Demonology
Also on your class selection screen, you are going to see a list of roles that these classes can fill in group content. You have the original trinity with tanks, healers, and your damage dealers (DPS). Then you see a fourth role, something labeled as support. At a quick glance the support role provides buffs (both short term and long term) to their group that enhances damage output, damage mitigation, and healing output while pushing their own damage and heals.
If you're a new player, you're going to see a role for each of the callings that is locked out saying "Requires Dream Soul Pack". In the in-game store there are two sets of packs that unlock new specs for each of the callings. Each pack unlocks one new spec for each calling for a total of eight new specs. Currently there are 40 specs in the game(10 per calling). Without these packs you have 32 specs (8 per calling) still available for you to play with. Keep in mind that each of these callings are still very viable for any content and can still fill three of the four roles in Rift without the Soul packs.
If you are still having a hard time deciding which class to choose, I will be making a second set of guides looking at each calling in depth examining their souls, armor types, weapon types, and resource systems they manage.
