Conclusion first: This game doesn't have completely useless classes, but the pace of early progression can really make you want to throw your phone. I tested three days each starting from zero with a warrior, a mage, and a ranger—same free-to-play status, following the main storyline. By around level 48, the differences became clearly apparent.
Warrior, this profession is the most stable choice in the early stages. Don't be fooled by the fact that his skill stats aren't the most impressive. What are idle games most afraid of? They're most afraid that you set your character to auto-play before bed and wake up to find them dead halfway. The warrior comes with damage reduction and health regeneration passives, giving them much higher endurance for idle play than other classes. In my test, a level 48 warrior could idle on a level 4 wild map for eight hours with zero disconnections or failures, maximizing rewards. Moreover, he can tank damage while fighting bosses, requiring almost no micromanagement, making it perfect for office workers to run in the background.
Mage, this is a bit awkward. The ultimate clearing the screen is indeed satisfying, and when the critical hit numbers popped up, I almost thought I was the chosen one. But how fragile is a mage? At the same level with the same equipment, surviving on the same map is only about 60% of what a warrior can manage. Early on, resources are tight, and you have to spend quite a bit of wood and stone on potions. If you were actively online managing your moves, that would be fine, but this is an idle game, brother—who sits in front of the screen every day manually dodging? Mages can indeed rely on skill penetration for high burst in the mid to late game, but the cautious early-game development is really discouraging for beginners.
Next, let's talk about the Ranger. This class is a typical example of having a low early game but high potential. Early on, its output is unstable; it has some advantage against single targets, but when faced with group attacks, it can easily get flustered, and clearing mobs is relatively inefficient. However, its advantage lies in skills with built-in critical hit bonuses. If you prioritize leveling up your critical skills while developing your Builder, by mid-game you can perform quite impressive triple shots. When my alt Ranger reached level 46 and switched to the Archer path, it became extremely fast at seizing enemy resource carts in plunder battles, making it suitable for players who enjoy targeted raids.
If you're new to the game, I recommend picking a warrior as your first choice. The reason is simple: in this game, resource accumulation is tied to main storyline progress. If you get stuck in the main plot, nothing else matters. A warrior allows you to snowball in the most hassle-free way. Once your city is upgraded enough to produce high-level food, it's perfectly fine to train a ranger for a change of pace. As for mages, wait until a version update or when you have surplus resources to try them, unless you're really into characters' looks—in that case, just ignore what I said.
By the way, to add my own data comparison: under the same DPS of around 2000, a level 48 warrior can go six hours without needing supplies, a ranger will die about once every three hours, and a mage is so frequent that you have to check every half hour. In terms of one-on-one success rate in plunder battles, warriors are around 70%, rangers can reach 80% against lower-power opponents but are likely to fail against same-level warriors, and mages, forget about one-on-ones—they can still follow teammates to clean up kills.
Finally, one last piece of advice: career choice should always align with the development direction of your city. Warriors benefit from building armor, rangers from faster wood gathering, and the resource boost for mages is barely worth mentioning. If you want to be a war fanatic, stack warriors for plundering; if you want to farm, go with a ranger as your assistant. After all, this is Aiven Town, and balancing wisdom and ambition is the key. In this game, careers are just tools, and city building always takes priority over everything else.
If you have any questions, ask downstairs. I will respond whenever I see them, and especially welcome discussions with actual test data.