by Brokain on Sep 17, 2006
Classes in any standard MMO are usually divided amongst the ‘holy trinity’ of classes (Fighter, Healer, Mage) and whatever other classes are added are usually hybrids of these specific classes. The Warhammer World is a good example of a place where classes could be incorporated as singly specified or as having a more broad range of abilities and acting more of a hybrid class. So the question becomes; what is better? Are players who can do a little of everything more practical then the player who has spent his entire gaming career leveling up as just a fighter? Read on and I’ll explain the pitfalls of this scenario.
Using Warhammer Online as an example (surprise surprise) I would like to point out the Goblin Shaman class. As per what has been released about them by Games-Workshop for the miniatures game, they are not known to be a healing class however this has changed in WAR. The Goblin Shaman seems to be more of a hybrid healer/mage class that is capable of supporting others with heals as well as damaging magic. With the described ability to focus on healing or other magic as the player wants, there is still the possibility that the Shaman can be an almost specific class (either healer or mage) but this does not have to be the case as players can divide their talents amongst the two different aspects. So it seems that EA Mythic is giving players the option of being specifically offensive, healing, or a bit of both if they prefer.
For my next example I think the Greenskin Black Orc is important to touch on. So far it seems that the Black Orc is almost the most generically geared combat class described thus far. Taking the idea of a close combat ‘tank’ one step further then most MMO’s, the Black Orc is geared to getting an enemy in combat and keeping them there while using specialized abilities to disarm and disorient them while you bring down a whole lot of hurt. Player specialization seems more based around different ways of smashing then the huge choice that the Shaman has to make of healing VS offensive magic. So in WAR there are still a few aspects of character classes that can be focused on a specific branch of the original trinity; and in the case of the Black Orc this almost seems to be done more here as the Black Orc is a more specific version of the standard fighter melee class.
Will Mythic’s plan of mixing hybrid classes and standard classes work? There’s a lot of debate amongst players about this very topic and it’s interesting that there are a lot of MMO’s currently on the market that are catering to both sides of the fence by offering varied classes that can act as a balancing act for the players. The best example of an MMO where players can have the option of playing a Hybrid class is the well known World of Warcraft. In WoW classes such as the Warlock, Paladin, Shaman, and Druid are all strong examples of classes where they are not singularly specified and instead draw from the pools of other classes. Warhammer Online’s choice to follow this route seems to be a good one as there is quite a split of players who enjoy the hybrid versus the standard class.
Going back to my previous statement of the Warhammer World having a good base for specific and hybrid classes I like to point out some of the characters in the miniatures combat game. Owning a Tzeentch Chaos army myself I enjoy the privilege of having a lord that is not only more physically powerful then most other characters on the board, but also is the highest level spell caster available to most factions in the game. The singular classes are really brought forward by the infantry blocks in Warhammer Fantasy Battles. Black Orcs, Hammerers, & Irobreakers, three of the four released classes are all standard infantry units in the game where the Goblin Shaman is a character model. Thus it seems the model so far is making some of the standard classes, or those based on well known units a more singular class while character based careers are allowed to have more of a hybrid feel.
Overall it seems that EA Mythic has a good idea where they are going with the classes in Warhammer Online and I think we can expect a lot more in terms of surprises with upcoming classes and what they will be capable of. So far with just four classes with released information Mythic has given the people a lot to talk about and I can only assume that this will continue as time goes on. Right now however it looks like Warhammer Online will be a mixed bag of specialty and hybrid classes each allowing for players to tailor them how they would like. In any MMO it is important for players to have the ability to evolve into the build they want and I can only hope that Warhammer Online will provide.