• Unless I'm misunderstanding something dramatically, there's no real difference between a “class” and a “tree,” and the whole “tree” / “subtree” thing seems purely academic, so that means we're sitting on 15 classes/trees, which I'll just call trees.
  
  
• It takes 28 skill points to cap out a tree, 42 to get everything in it. You can, with efficiency, get 3 top tier skills (28*3=94<100). So we can get triple classes. Cool. Ignoring the possibility of maxing out one tree, I think that means 42 potential combinations?
  
  
• If you take 3 cap skills, you'll have 10 points leftover to play with, which allows you to take one aced tier 2 skill, or two aced tier 1 skills + two basic tier 1 skills.
  
  
• My first instinct is that, like now, the most important use of skills is to get defensive skills. Unless the CTV is closer to the ICTV in quality or you're running LBV grindr, you're going to want to cap out Armorer or get at least Sneaky Bastard in Commando. So as a rule that's one of three down. The two don't synergize well so there's not much reason to take both, meaning we're probably looking at the same fat man / little boy divide we have now.
  
  
• One of the skill trees has Ace Inspire, so that feels like a no-brainer. So now we're picking 1 Defensive + Medic + 1 Other.
  
  
• I don't feel like getting into a slap fight over whether or not ECM Feedback is useful loud (I think it is) so let's strike out Covert Ops for the moment.
  
  
• Assuming that my math skills haven't completely failed me, 1 Defensive + Medic + 1 Other leads to 22 builds that will generally see the light of day.
  

Tulip fucked around with this message at 07:31 on Apr 11, 2016

• Medic: Ace Inspire remains in the game, so this will likely be among if not the most commonly picked tree. Both medical deployables are here, so that also means a TON of medical deployables will be around.
  
• Controller: Hostage Taker is an excellent skill for dodge builds, we all know that. Endurance also synergizes with dodge, so that's cool. I've never been impressed with Joker, and Stockholm Syndrome is Stockholm Syndrome, so filling out the middle of the tree seems a little painful. Good tree for a splash in for Endurance.
  
• Sharpshooter: Feels pretty weak, especially compared to the other weapon trees. Ammo Efficiency is nice but doubt I'd want to spend 28 points for it, though I don't use the Thanatos much. Marksman has potential with the Uzi and Krinkov.
  
  
  
• Shotguner[sic]: Ace Overkill remains dumb, so that frees up 6 points, and unless you're using the Izhma/Steakout regular Overkill is eh so that's another 4, allowing another possibility for multitree shenanigans. Close By is the real stand out here, holy poo poo. I've seen some people poo poo on Far Away, but those of us who like to run all shotguns know the pain of snipers. It's 32 points to get everything but Overkill, which is kind of tempting since these are some tasty skills.
  
• Armorer: Unless CTV changes dramatically, Aced Ironman is going to be one of the most important skills to pick up. Bulletproof feels like a no-brainer over Bullseye. I'd rather have Die Hard than Transporter, but seems like either is a good pick and a good choice for a splash. The confusingly named Oppressor is going to be the splash choice du jour for non Armored builds.
  
• Ammunition Specialist: Oof. First of all, another confusingly named skill in Ammunition Specialist. Aced Fully Loaded is a mouthful of a skill, but pretty loving cool. Being able to saw through shields seems cool for me, perennial saw bitch that I am. Still, an incredibly unsexy tree. I expect to see a lot of demand unfulfilled, though I could be proven wrong by grenade enthusiasts.
  
  
  
• Engineer: Sentries are a lot better but still sentries. Jack of All trades is much better and opens up some possibilities, and Engineering Aced deals with sentries most critical failing. I'm still skeptical.
  
• Breacher: Making it so trip mines aren't used for C4 is a loving great move. I foresee a decent amount of splash to pick up Drill Sawgeant. Not sure if Fire Trap will be enough to make one-use trip mines seem like a good deployable to bring.
  
• Oppressor: Jesus Christ. This tree is monstrous. The enormity of getting 50% of the Bulldozer's headshot bonus applied for body shots is...words fail. Fast Fire is a clear choice over Shock & Awe, and Shock & Awe isn't bad. Both of the Tier 2s are worth splashing for, and Steady Grip basic has got to be one of the best uses of 1 point for non-Sharpshooters out there. If I were to make a guess on what build is going to replace the ubiquitous Masterforcer, it's Medic + Armorer + Oppressor.
  
  
  
• Covert Ops: The stealth tree. Not terribly interesting to me, though I can think of multiple times where near-wipes were averted by well-timed feedbacks. Of course, it looks like you can now feedback with no skills invested, so for a lot of applications that's enough. Cleaner being the source for all assets makes it a potential 5 point splash for Expert Driver.
  
• Commando: Sneaky Bastard is probably the most important skill here. I'm sure most of us have worked out a <5 concealment loadout, so Low Blow Aced is a little overkill, freeing up 6 points. I'd probably re invest it back into the tree. Aced Duck & Cover, Aced Evasion, Basic Thick Skin, Basic Sneaky Bastard, Aced Shockproof, Basic Lowblow clocks in at 26 points.
  
• Silent Killer: This whole goddamn tree is nuts. You know something's gone crazy when +30% damage is probably the least appealing skill. Optic Illusions [sic] is fantastic for Commando builds (remember, most silencers are only a 2 concealment penalty in the first place), but the Professional alone is good enough to justify things like silenced KSPs.
  
  
  
• Gunslinger: I'm not excited about Trigger Happy, and given the current weapon damage breakpoints and status of pistols I don't see much reason to take Gun Play, but everything else here is great.
  
• Relentless: Swan Song - still a thing. I like this whole tree. I like everything about it. I don't think it's good enough to count as a substitution for Armorer or Commando, but it's some pretty significant increases to survivability. Up You Go looks particularly important for Grinder builds.
  
• Brawler: Probably the most mixed bag. Never was a fan of Berserker, and Frenzy seems to be built around Berserking. Bloodthirst looks like it has good synergy with Sociopath, so that might be a thing. Other than that, as much as I might enjoy melee, we're fundamentally playing a shooter.