(From PCG) Question time: What role—tank, healer, or DPS—do you actually play in MMORPGS, and why?

[Zed Clampet]

https://www.pcgamer.com/games/mmo/question-time-what-role-tank-healer-or-dps-do-you-actually-play-in-mmorpgs-and-why/

Since this is an engagement article, I thought it should have it's own thread.

For me, I usually play tanks. I love playing super aggressively, charging ahead, etc.

 

[Colif]

Only played two so I think I start as tanks mostly on first character just to learn game. And go from there. They are generally the hardest to kill.

Wow I mostly played a Rogue so I was DPS, but I actually played almost every class in that game before I stopped playing. Rogue was my main eventually. Never played a warlock for some reason.

Age of Conan I mostly played a Tempest of Set - Which was both healing and DPS - but I also tried all the other classes out in game.
I think why was it is nice to be able to heal and have highest DPS in raids. That and magic/healing classes were much easier to play in that game. Melee combat moves required key combos to just do one attack, whereas healing/magic were just one button attacks.

 

[Pifanjr]

I pretty much always play a DPS because it's the best role for playing solo and I never get involved with other players in MMORPGs, unless I happen to play with my friends (but then they overlevel by playing without me and I stop playing).

 

[Frindis]

I pretty much always play a DPS because it's the best role for playing solo and I never get involved with other players in MMORPGs, unless I happen to play with my friends (but then they overlevel by playing without me and I stop playing).

Same reason I played deep frost mage in World of Warcraft so I could grind mobs outside or inside of low lvl dungeons like Dire Maul & Scarlet Monastery. Pure DPS is very good for kiting mobs or burning down single enemies, and that seems to be true in most MMORPGs I have played.

I do play hybrid from time to time, like the guardian dps/tank class in Guild Wars 2, but I often find pure DPS to be easier to level with and the hybrid role better in larger parties and to some extent kiting some bosses where you need a bit more survivability included with the kiting, like Paladin class in WoW.

 

[Colif]

Oh and I played FF14 but I can't recall what class I played as, probably not a mage and it wasn't a healer.

I normally play melee before magic. But that depends what weapons the tanks can use, if they restricted to two handers I may look elsewhere.

My first character in Wow was a warrior as I didn't realise what his role in the game was. I thought he was dps, not basically a walking shield for actual dps to hide behind. I wasn't a very good tank, so I swapped around until I found rogue and never really swapped again. I had a few alts as I got bored... this was before TBC so max lvl was 60. I sat on 60 for a year in game time on Rogue.

 

[Zloth]

"MMORPGs like City of Heroes slap on 'controller' to that number."

Eeeeesh. Harvey, you need a refresher course in City of Heroes/Villains! I'll spare everyone the page-long post going into details of why, but know that's a terrible understatement.

That said, I'm fine with anything. Really. I'm not just trying to fit into the group any way I can - I've played them all and had fun with them all. Well, OK, maybe a little less on the tank, but that's more because I find the idea of taunting intelligent enemies so that they ignore the healers and glass cannons to be completely bonkers. They're still fun to play.

(Assuming the developers made the roles fun to play. If your entire job is just to heal anyone who's bar is getting low, healing is going to be insanely boring. CoH's approach of giving everyone 2+ roles helps massively on that front.)