Subclasses

Subclasses (or Sub-Occupations in the Light Novel) are features of the MMORPG Elder Tale.

Overview
Characters in Elder Tale can be one of over 50 different subclasses (サブ職業 sabu shokugyou). While classes, once chosen, cannot be changed, subclasses do not have this restriction, making it possible for players to change their subclass, provided that they are willing to lose all subclass experience points and skills to switch. Due to the dangers of hunting and fighting with one's own body rather than controlling a character from a computer, many players were willing to switch over from combat to crafting subclasses. This in turn has made collecting ingredients that much harder. Experience points for subclasses are independent from those of the major classes and are relatively easy to acquire.

People of the Land are also capable of having subclasses that serve as their occupation or status.

Subclasses can be divided into three types: Production, Role-Playing, and Titles.

There are special Player-made contracts that can grant subclasses to People of the Land.

Production Subclasses
Production Subclasses (生産系 seizan-kei) provided players with the ability to create and craft items. There are many players who prefer to craft items to aid their comrades instead of fighting monsters or exploring dungeons. Many guilds dedicate themselves to producing items and are important pillars of Elder Tale's economy.

It is fairly easy to learn a production subclass. One just needs to buy an instruction manual from People of the Land and can start accumulating experience points.

After the Novasphere Pioneers update, items that were unavailable in the game prior to the update can be created by players with appropriate subclasses and with high enough levels.

Role-Playing Subclasses
Instead of creating and crafting items, players may choose role-playing subclasses (ロール系 rooru kei). Some are known to give additional stats or other benefits, while others are primarily for entertainment value and are considered as a joke or gimmick subclasses.

In addition to Elder Tale's standard role-playing subclasses, Shiroe was able to use his skills as a scribe to create a new "adventurer" subclass.

Titles
Titles are a special type of subclass that can only be unlocked by players after completing a specific task or equipment. Some are considered legendary due to the limited amount of players who can acquire them and have already been acquired by famous players since the start of the game. They are known to grant abilities that will benefit players in and out of battle.

Player-Made Subclasses
After the Apocalypse, it became possible for Scribes to create new subclasses by using contracts. This ability is only known by few due to the chaos it may cause if disclosed to the public. For instance, the new subclass Adventurer can change the nature of a People of the Land and grant them the abilities of an Adventurer, including the ability to resurrect after death.

People of the Land Subclasses
People of the Land have subclasses that only they possess, some of them designating that they are People of the Land rather than an Adventurer.