tank posts

Attacking the holy trinity of MMOs

by Eliot Lefebvre Dec 22nd 2009 at 10:00AM

Filed under: Classes, Game mechanics, Grouping, Opinion, Academic

If you've played MMOs for any length of time, you've probably grown very familiar with the trinity. You can't help but be acquainted with it in any sort of group content, where in more games than not there's that split between the tank, the healer, and the DPS. Certainly there are subdivisions and extra roles, but for the most part those extra roles are slight twists on one of the existing roles. (Controllers in City of Heroes are DPS with a debuffing/controlling aspect and slightly less damage, for instance). Brian "Psychochild" Green has an article on Gamasutra examining the issues with the holy trinity in game design: what purposes it serves, what its drawbacks are, and how useful it might be to get rid of it entirely.

Examining the roots of the trinity design in Dungeons & Dragons and common gameplay types it offered, Green goes on to take a look at how the structure has become codified, what other potential systems could be put in place, and if there's even an advantage to doing so. He discusses the issues of hybrid classes, group versus solo design, and proposes a potential alternative that remains rooted in the core elements of the design. Anyone with an interest in design should take a look at the full article, as it contains some interesting insights and analysis of one of the core underpinnings of our genre.

Tags: brian-green, brian-psychochild-green, city-of-heroes, class-mechanics, coh, dps, dungeons-and-dragons, gamasutra, healer, healing, holy-trinity, hyrbids, psychochild, tank, tanking

The Daily Grind: Are you tired of the "Holy Trinity" yet?

by Kyle Horner Jul 27th 2009 at 8:00AM

Filed under: News items, Opinion, The Daily Grind

Rogue, Warrior and Cleric -- or in other words DPS, tank and healer -- have been with MMOs since the very start. Since those humble beginnings, some MMOs have eschewed the classic three-role dynamic. Shooters have definitely been the most common variant, but puzzle-focused titles are also another example. It's only a matter of time until an entirely generation of MMOs move away from the system. In fact, that seems to be happening right now, although it may be too early to say.

What we're wondering though, is this: Do you think the change will, or should be, permanent?

Beyond even that, do you care how your MMO gets its combat on? We're sure some of you just want great games, and there's nothing wrong with that sentiment at all. Our guess is that those of you most adamant about something new, something fresh, are probably more seasoned players. Don't worry, the same is true of us as well. After almost ten years of the trinity, we're itching for something to take us by surprise. Wonder who or when that'll be...

Tags: cleric, dps, healer, holy-trinity, rogue, tank, the-daily-grind, warrior

Ninja to be enhanced with Final Fantasy XI's July update, paladin screams already heard

by Seraphina Brennan Jul 6th 2009 at 5:00PM

Filed under: Fantasy, Final Fantasy XI, Classes, Game mechanics, Patches, Consoles

The rivalry between ninjas and pirates is nothing compared to the rivalry between paladins and ninjas in Final Fantasy XI. The two classes have been dueling for years over the space of "best party tank," and have regularly traded the position back and forth thanks to Square-Enix intervention.

However, it seems that with the new July update, the tank position may once again veering towards the hands of the ninja thanks to the job enhancement spotlight falling on the assassins from the east. July will be adding the new job ability "Yonin," which will increase a Ninja's enmity (hate gain, for other MMO players), critical strike rating, ninjutsu tool use and evasion, but lower their accuracy. Sounds like a tanking ability to us! (Except for perhaps that accuracy down part, but we'll look past that for now.)

Tags: enhancement, enmity, ffxi, final-fantasy-xi, job, job-abilities, july-update, july-version-update, ninja, square-enix, tank

EVE Evolved: Mission-running ship design

by Brendan Drain Jul 5th 2009 at 6:00PM

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Game mechanics, Guides, Professions, Making money, PvE, EVE Evolved

In last week's first instalment of this guide, I explained the basics of mission-running in EVE Online and how to find your best agent. In this second part of the guide, I get into the nitty gritty details of essential ship designs for mission-runners. Choosing an appropriate ship and fitting it adequately are arguably the two most important factors in mission-running. While having a weak mission strategy and poor support skills can cause a lot of bother, a poorly designed ship is almost guaranteed death on some of the tougher missions. With the advice in this guide, a little research and a good deal of practice, you'll be well on your way to becoming a mission guru.

Read after the cut for a race-by-race break-down of EVE's most popular and effective mission-running ships, complete with links to some further reading and popular mission fittings.

Tags: amarr, caldari, ccp, ccp-games, eve, eve-evolved, eve-online, featured, gallente, joystiqfeatures, minmatar, mission, ship, tank

Starting out in Vana'diel: See no evil, hear no evil, smell... no evil?

by Seraphina Brennan Mar 31st 2009 at 4:00PM

Filed under: Fantasy, Final Fantasy XI, Game mechanics, Guides, Leveling, Tips and tricks, Grouping, Consoles

Hola mi amigos! Hoy es la dia de Vana'diel! *clears throat* Ahem, sorry about that. Hello adventurers, and welcome to another edition of Starting out in Vana'diel! Today's topic is actually one that I find quite cool about Final Fantasy XI, especially when you compare it to other MMOs. It's the mechanic that puts the fear of Promathia into every adventurer's step.

Today's column is all about the different monster aggro types -- yes, there are different types. You want to find out more? Come, follow me, and let's find out more!

Tags: aggressive, aggro, damage, featured, ffxi, final-fantasy-xi, guide, hate, healers, heals, joystiqfeatures, kupo, magic, scent, sight, sound, spells, square-enix, starting-out-in-vanadiel, tank, threat, white-mage

EVE Evolved: The art of tanking - Unusual tanks

by Brendan Drain Jan 18th 2009 at 8:00PM

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Game mechanics, Guides, PvP, Tips and tricks, PvE, Hands-on, EVE Evolved

Although in EVE Online we tend to think of a tank as our ship's ability to absorb damage and self-repair, it makes sense to describe any strategy used to keep yourself alive as a form of tank. In the previous parts of this guide on the art of tanking in EVE , I gave some tips on choosing what type of tank to use on your ship and gave an overview of both armour and shield tanking. In this final part of the guide, I take a look at alternative strategies for keeping your ship alive. Strategies such as the spider tank, defensive use of electronic warfare and the much lauded speed-tank are put under the microscope as I look at some of EVE's more unusual tanks.

Spider tank:
When I first coined the term "spider tank" back in early 2006 (before that calling it a "squadron tank"), I was convinced we would see them on the battlefield increasingly frequently. Sure enough, spider tanks have become a staple of gang and small fleet warfare. A spider tank is a strategy in which each member of a fleet fits a remote armour repairer or shield transfer in one of their high slots and they repair anyone in the fleet who starts to take damage. When the enemy concentrate their fire on one member of the gang, the gang concentrates their remote repairers on that member to keep him alive.

Read on to find out how a logistics ship can generate capacitor out of thin air and how ECM, long range weaponry and speed can be effectively used as tanks.

Tags: armor, armour, basilisk, battleship, ccp, ccp-games, ecm, eve, eve-evolved, eve-online, featured, guardian, joystiqfeatures, logistics, shield, sniper, speed tank, SpeedTank, spider tank, SpiderTank, tank, tanking

EVE Evolved: The art of tanking - Shield tanking

by Brendan Drain Jan 12th 2009 at 11:30AM

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Classes, Game mechanics, Guides, PvP, Tips and tricks, PvE, Hands-on, EVE Evolved

In part 1 of this series on the world of tanking in EVE Online, I introduced the concept of tanking as it applies to EVE and explained how to select which type of tank to use with your ship. I then went on to give a complete overview of armour tanking, including the equipment and skills you'll need to succeed. In this second part of the guide, I explore the art of shield tanking.

Shield tanking:
In addition to the differences mentioned in the previous article, shield tanking differs significantly from armour tanking. Shield boosters can repair damage a lot faster than armour repairers due to their faster cycle time but are less efficient and will use up a lot more capacitor. An active shield tank is characterised by the use of hardeners to resist damage and a shield booster to repair damage that makes it through. However, since shield naturally recharges over time, it's possible to make a completely passive shield tank that relies on a high recharge rate rather than a shield booster. Different sets of equipment are used for these two different types of shield tank.

Read on and find out all you ever wanted to know about shield tanking, including what modules and skills you can use to boost your combat performance.

Tags: ccp, ccp-games, drake, eve, eve-online, featured, guide, hardener, joystiqfeatures, mission, nyphur, passive tank, PassiveTank, pvp, raven, resistance, shield, tank, tanking

EVE Evolved: The art of tanking - Armour tanking

by Brendan Drain Jan 5th 2009 at 10:30AM

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Game mechanics, Guides, PvP, Tips and tricks, PvE, Hands-on, EVE Evolved

Back in 2005, I became obsessed with the art of tanking in EVE Online. Before writing the definitive tanking guide for EON issue 2 (for which the EVE community dubbed me "the tanking guy"), I spent a lot of time working out the mathematics behind the art. At a time when people preferred a trial and error approach to combat, I went as far as to create a spreadsheet to automate calculations on the strength of your tank. Over the years, more advanced tools like EFT (EVE Fitting Tool) have been released which have this functionality and more. In this short series of articles, I aim to cover tanking from start to finish in a concise and informative manner. In this first part, I begin with an introduction to tanking and follow up with a brief guide on how to select which type of tank to use and a complete overview of armour tanking.

What is tanking?:
Any MMO player will know the role of the "Tank" but the word's usage in EVE Online is a little different. Broadly speaking, a tank is whatever you use to keep yourself alive and it's something every ship can do. The MMO holy trinity of tank, healer and damage-dealer are combined into every ship in EVE. Because of this ability to self-heal, the word "tank" in EVE generally refers to the combination of both resisting damage and healing it. Fitting your ship then becomes a matter of balancing between tank and damage.

Read on to find out how to select what type of tank to use and learn all about armour tanking.

Tags: armor, armour, ccp, ccp-games, eve, eve-online, featured, guide, hardener, joystiqfeatures, mission, nyphur, pvp, resistance, shield, tank, tanking

The Daily Grind: Tank, DPS, Healer, or other?

by Samuel Axon Nov 30th 2008 at 8:00AM

Filed under: Classes, Opinion, The Daily Grind

The small group gameplay in many of today's MMORPGs is about the interplay of several archetypes that each offer something different to the dynamic -- tanks absorb damage so weaker classes don't have to, DPS classes dish out massive damage in short amounts of time, healers reverse or prevent damage done to party members altogether, and then there are a myriad of other classes that fill various other roles like crowd control.

Seems a lot of folks fall comfortably into one role or another -- some even stick to just one through multiple games, always playing healers, for example. Do you have a strong preference for one particular group role, or do you try to vary your play experience? In either case, which role is most comfortable for you, and why? We're always interested to learn more about the psychology behind these games, so we're eager to see what you've got!

Tags: archetypes, classes, crowd-control, discussion, dps, group, grouping, groups, healer, roles, tank, tdg, the-daily-grind

The Elves of WAR: Witch Elf levels 11-15

by Kyle Horner Aug 18th 2008 at 12:00PM

Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, New titles, Warhammer Online, Massively Hands-on

For levels 11 through 15 of the Witch Elf class, you'll be seeing your first three Career Tactics come into play. These are passive traits that tweak the way your character will fight. You can only have one Career Tactics equipped early on, which means you'll have to choose just one for now. Our personal favorite is the Tactic that gives you a 33% chance to build on extra Blood Lust (BL) every time you use a BL building ability.

Other gains for the Witch Elf class include a particularly nasty rank 2 Morale ability that sucks Action Points (AP) and Strength (for 30 seconds) from its target. This ability effectively solidifies the Witch Elf as a class that can be designed to endlessly annoy and grief a tank. So if there's a particular type of player you want to see suffering, then you'll need to make sure you grab the Force of Will ability. Finally, you'll get a disarm ability at level 14 that will see a lot of use in RvR situations against both tanks and other DPS classes.

Tags: dark-elves, ea, electronic-arts, elves-of-war, joystiqfeatures, massively-goes-to-war, mythic, mythic-entertainment, tank, war, witch-elf

The Daily Grind: Do guild relationships transfer between games?

by Akela Talamasca Jun 15th 2008 at 8:00AM

Filed under: Classes, Game mechanics, Guilds, Raiding, Quests, Grouping, Opinion, The Daily Grind

When you have the right group of people, everything is just easier. When your guild members communicate well with each other, and each person knows her role and responsibilities, there isn't anything you can't overcome. At least, in that particular game. But what happens when you try to transfer that guild to a different game?

Although many MMOs have similar classes and structures, it isn't always a one-to-one correlation. Your tank might suddenly find himself with a much more challenging job than in the previous game. Your healer could see a new class and decide he's done with his old job and wants to try something new. Maybe the functions of the group just don't work in the new game. When your guild wants to tackle the challenges of a new MMO, how do you go about settling in? If it isn't happening, how do you fix it?

Tags: classes, guilds, healer, opinion, relationships, tank, tdg, the-daily-grind

A look at the Bartuk race in Requiem: Bloodymare

by Akela Talamasca Jun 10th 2008 at 1:00PM

Filed under: At a glance, Fantasy, Galleries, Screenshots, Classes, Game mechanics, Races, Requiem: Bloodymare

To get you up to speed on Requiem: Bloodymare before its launch, here's a look at another of the game's races -- the massive, tank-like Bartuk.

The Bartuk are pretty much exactly what you'd think -- wielders of two-handed weapons, incredibly strong, staunch allies, etc. Historically, these races don't typically work magic, but when they do, the Bartuk use black magic, usually fire-based spells. From the official description: "Bartuks believe in family, honor and the daily spilling of their enemies' blood. If you see a Bartuk warrior on the prairie, sword in hand, his eyes targeting a monstrous shape many times his size, rejoice. You're witnessing the Great Race for whom the word "fear" has no meaning."

When the 16th hits, who will you choose to be?

Gallery: Requiem: Bloodymare's Bartuk Race

[Thanks, Luis!]

Tags: bartuk, gallery, races, requiem-bloodymare, screenshots, tank

Warhammer Online's High Elf Swordmaster Class

by Shawn Schuster May 5th 2008 at 8:00PM

Filed under: Fantasy, Classes, Game mechanics, Professions, Warhammer Online, Academic, Education

Hey everyone, remember Warhammer Online? That one MMO that's supposed to come out later this year? Okay, step away from the Conan beta and listen up, because we have some news on the Warhammer front concerning the Swordmaster.

According to a recent MMORPG.com interview with EA Mythic's Adam Gershowitz, the Swordmaster of Hoeth is the High Elf's entry into the tanking profession. It uses a flurry of swordplay to deflect the blows of its enemies as opposed to simply using heavy armor, like most tanks. As with the other classes in WAR, the Swordmaster has three mastery paths that are variations of differing playstyles:

Path of Vaul - Includes combos that draw aggro while still increasing your defense. This path caters to situations with multiple foes.
Path of Khaine - This path is for your area attack combos, introducing more of an offensive twist for the more aggressive tanks.
Path of Hoeth - This is the tank path that utilizes magical abilities to aid in both defense and offense.

Tags: ea-mythic, high-elf, mmorpg.com, swordmaster, tank, tanker, tanking, war, warhammer, warhammer-online

The Daily Grind: What's your favorite archetype?

by Krystalle Voecks Mar 8th 2008 at 8:07AM

Filed under: Game mechanics, Opinion, The Daily Grind

It seems like no matter what game you spend time in, the majority of classes fall into the "trinity" of archetypes. You have your damage-soaking tanks, standing on the front line, drawing aggro and taking a beating. Then you have the DPS classes, who can generally DoT, fear, kite, sneak, stab, shoot, and a myriad of other nasty things to bring the pain. And without the third part of the trinity, the healers, the other two would spend most of the time dead on the floor or fighting mobs while using lots of bandages, med-packs, potions or the like. Once in a while you'll find one class that are a "hybrid" these abilities, taking one or all of the three unto themselves, making for a more solo-friendly character.

Personally, I've played all three primary archetypes as well as hybrids. While I've really enjoyed them all, my heart keeps coming back to pure DPS classes, with a close second in hybrids. Whether with stabby knives, flowing robes and fireballs, or carrying a gun, the straight damage classes are fun to me when I've got a good group to run with. When I need to get into a game and see how it works, I tend to go hybrids for their self-reliance. How about you? What's your favorite class archetype (or archetypes) and why?

Tags: archetype, dps, featured, healer, tank, tdg, the-daily-grind, trinity