So, adding new classes to the game would probably be far more costly to produce than they're worth.

However, I do think there's some opportunity to improve the variety of play currently available. I believe we could achieve some rather interesting results if we saw wholesale improvement of the third tree in each class.

Right now, that third shared tree has a tendency to be... okay... in each class. Some people can use it to great effect, but from messing around with a couple and reading guides on others, it seems they all share the same fundamental problems of:

1) Not having enough fun abilities until late in leveling.

2) A tendency to be lower in PvE DPS and/or PVP utility.

I guess what I'm asking is this: are those third hybrid trees in each spec actually worth keeping? I have a feeling that the fact that they're shared between both advanced classes of a base class might actually be what's holding them back.

It'd be a significant change, but it might grant more "class" like options without requiring a complete overhaul of so many other game systems.

Don't want to be rude or anything, but I'd say the shared trees tend to be the classes' best dps trees atm:

Marauder: Rage (arguably the best PvP choice now and viable in PvE as well)

Jugg: Rage (completely superiour for PvP, and I think PvE viable as well)

Sniper: Lethality (completely viable for both)

Operative: only exception, but there aren't many dps ops anyway.

Merc: Arsenal for PvE, Pyro for PvP.

PowerT: as a rule of thumb, Pyro all the way (AP has some niches in PvP, especially Huttball)

Sorc: Madness can work for PvE, Hybrid (or Madness, though less common) for PvP - heal/bubble Hybrid doesn't count as it's a heal/support build first

***: Madness is perfectly viable for both PvE and PvP, and is more Hybrid friendly than Deception as well.

Don't want to be rude or anything, but I'd say the shared trees tend to be the classes' best dps trees atm:

 

Marauder: Rage (arguably the best PvP choice now and viable in PvE as well)

Jugg: Rage (completely superiour for PvP, and I think PvE viable as well)

Sniper: Lethality (completely viable for both)

Operative: only exception, but there aren't many dps ops anyway.

Merc: Arsenal for PvE, Pyro for PvP.

PowerT: as a rule of thumb, Pyro all the way (AP has some niches in PvP, especially Huttball)

Sorc: Madness can work for PvE, Hybrid (or Madness, though less common) for PvP - heal/bubble Hybrid doesn't count as it's a heal/support build first

***: Madness is perfectly viable for both PvE and PvP, and is more Hybrid friendly than Deception as well.

Agree in part, while rage/focus needs no attention and is viable for both, there are flaws within some of the others, though I would say none are any worse then can he seen in non shared--

Lethality: resource usage on a sniper and awkwardness of ranged/melee hybridism for an operative (needing melee for upper hand procs)

Madness-- decent but a bit resource hungry in pve and cleanse-vulnerable in pvp

Pyro- I'm a good place for pts still but could use something to add a tick of mobility to mercs