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Was fishing for opinions and facts to back up the opinions of what the most effective/useful high level fighter version would be.
That really depends on what you want to do in the game - and "best" fighter is a very subjective matter, in any case. I'm assuming by your statement that you want to be a "fighter" that you don't want to be a pansy finger-wiggler, though, so I'll skip Mage and Cleric.
What do you want to do? Do you want to dish out the DPS? Do you want to be the main tank? Backup tank? Something else?
Note that what I say below is opinion based on hearsay and observation - I haven't played any Fighter classes to any real level.
If you want to be the Main Tank in a party - the guy who gets in a monster's face and keeps his attention locked on him, taking a serious beating with a smile - then you'll probably want one of the heavy plate classes - Guardian, Paladin, or Shadowknight. All three of these classes can use Vanguard Plate, the highest armor type (subtype, really) currently in the game.
If, on the other hand, you want to be the backup tank, support tank (for dealing with adds), or mild DPS (with the understanding that you'll never match a Scout's output no matter how spiffy your weapons are), you may want to be a Berserker, Bruiser, or Monk. While Berserkers use Plate armor (but not Vanguard), they also live up to their names, sacrificing defense for a more powerful offense. Likewise for the Bruisers and Monks, who are limited to Leather armor - although they have lots of abilities that increase their natural mitigation and ability to not get hit, that just plain doesn't matter when you're going up against a major monster that
is going to hit you no matter what you do. All of these
can be a Main Tank if there isn't any better tank available - but your healers are going to be working overtime to keep you alive.
Edit: The "Pansy Finger-Wiggler" comment is a joke. Edited, Sat Nov 12 01:53:41 2005 by Nekojin