The Official Dark Souls Thread - .....It Begins

[lestatdark]

DaColdFlash said:

EncodedNybble said:
Classes don't matter too much at all, but if you really don't want to ever use magic, don't start as pyromancer, sorcerer or....cleric(?) as they have some spells as default. Beyond that I don't really have any recommendations as the starting classes all sorta stop mattering about 2-5 hours into the game.

So they play all the same? Same control layout / mechanics for every single class?

Yeah, the controls are pretty much the same. If you want to cast magic you use the same button as if you want to do a normal attack. The battle strategies and the playstyle vary wildly if you're a magic style, melee style or ranged style. 

As EncodedNybble said, the classes stop mattering after 2-5 hours, they're more of templates, giving you better starting stats on the stats you want to develop first. You could go with a Deprived if you want to use a make-it-yourself class, since all it's stats are balanced. The Deprived is considered a pro class though, because it starts with no equipment whatsoever, so the first hour or so is reliant mostly on dodges and perfect timing.