there is no such thing as Hybrid DPS

it appalls me how Blizzard, specifically their lead designer Ghostcrawler, can even say that pure DPS classes should have higher DPS than hybrids. he goes on to say casually that, and i quote, “Our logic is actually pretty simple. If hybrid classes can do the same dps as pure classes, then why have pure classes in the game?” while i admit that he has a point, his logic as simple as it may sound, fails to justify why such classes should be above the rest. it simply doesn’t justify their line of reasoning that they should be buffing every pure DPS class and nerfing everyone else. this is favoritism at its best example. no matter how you put it. just because they are made solely for DPS doesn’t mean they should be favored. don’t punish the hybrid’s DPS just because he/she can put out damage very well, but chose to do it with a class other than the traditional pure damage dealers. a lot of hybrids don’t even know how to heal or tank, but can DPS very well. (in the same way, many players playing pure DPS classes don’t even know how to deal damage, but sometimes get away with it due to being given too much damage. the hunters before are good examples of this.). does that mean they are any special than the pure classes? the answer is definitely a NO. tanking and healing is a responsibility. it is a calling. it is how you play it after all, and not just a 1-button-i-win thing.

sadly this has happened already. Ghostcrawler admits that they did limit some classes in Burning Crusade (BC). so now matter how good you are, and whether you have the best gear, back then you would NEVER have topped the meters if there were pure DPSers around. do they really want to do this again? or is it already here, we just haven’t been too keen on it, with all the hoopla going on with the new expansion and patches.

currently there are 4 pure DPS classes in the World of Warcraft (WOW). these are: hunters, mages, rogues and warlocks. the classes considered to be hybrids are death knights, druids, paladins, priests, shamans and warriors.

while all things you will be reading below might be a bit exaggerated, i know, it is because i am trying to drive a point. it just doesn’t seem fit that they should be categorizing DPS in two. i believe that there is no such thing as hybrid DPS and pure DPS. THERE IS ONLY DPS. what happened to the “bring the player and not the class” thing they were saying? was it all just pure politics?

going back, why should pure DPS classes do more DPS than a hybrid? why shouldn’t they? for one, that’s the only thing they do. and i think that’s the only reason, aside from utility, that they are there.. . specifically to dish out insane amounts of damage. but i’m throwing back the question. WHY MAKE HYBRIDS?

if their line of thinking isn’t like elitists, then why make classes who can play multiple roles and do it only half as good? that’s plain mediocrity and encouraging people to go for it. that’s indirectly saying, you rolled a terrible and inferior class for DPS you fool. you must be an idiot for doing that. perhaps you should put up a warning in the character creation page that says – “WARNING: this is a hybrid class. your DPS will never be as good as the pure ones.” of course to be fair, there should be a tank-only and heal-only class. because this is not just about DPS anymore. THIS IS ABOUT THE CLASS ITSELF. so why go for anything less when you know you can get the best?

i can only imagine a raid with a very strict composition. 1 warrior tank, 2 pally tanks. a bear or a DK tank is not an option. they don’t really bring anything much to tanking or raid utility, that others can’t give already. 1 shaman for heroism/bloodlust, and she must be a healer too. 1 druid healer to work against diseases and curses. perhaps a holy paladin for that extra blessing. the rest of the healers are holy or discipline priests. for DPS there should only be hunters, mages, rogues and/or warlocks. that’s it. and not too many rogues. no. 1 or 2 rogues would do. the rest should be pure ranged DPS classes. we could put in 1 boomkin for the crit bonus and the magic debuff. we could also put in a shadow priest as a mana battery. both are optional.

i suppose this is a situation a lot of guilds are doing already. if i’m not mistaken, a number of boss-fights in the raids in BC were tailored so that you can’t do without that one class present in the raid. one good example, although this is a Lich King (LK) dungeon, is the Instructor Razuvious fight in Naxxramas (heroic mode). without priests, i don’t think you could get past that boss. at least i haven’t heard of it yet. and if it is doable, it must be pretty damn hard.

is this about how the real world works, where it is all about superiority and imperfection and that it should be carried out in the game as well. come on Blizzard, this is a game. games are supposed to be challenging and fun. and not just any game. it’s also a fantasy game. might and magic. brains and brawn. heck, if you should be zealously following that path, then make warlocks withstand 20 players who are all on him, before he goes down. we know for a fact that in the stories magic can cut through steel like butter. and tales of a single wizard decimating an entire legion of mace-wielding, armor-clad fools abound in books. make the DPS of the pure ones 50% more than the hybrids. “slightly” is again a mediocre term. i dare you to make the game like that. let’s see who wants to play it. i guess everyone will be a rogue or a hunter. pity the rogues. their blades will still be no match to magic. i know this seems PVP-related. i tell you it’s not. i am only making sure that they get it (i can only hope). if this is the kind of game they want then let the players choose properly. you wanna be a tank? go play a warrior. but you can only be a tank. if not, then let’s all be pure DPS classes. it’s either arrows, daggers or magic only. hybrid? what is that? we can’t have them. take out the shaman. delete that death knight. no hybrids allowed! they do meager DPS and therefore a liability. end of story.

say what? priests are too overpowered (OP) because they can heal while talented in shadow? what was that, shadow priest DPS should be toned down, like way down? they can just go out of shadow form to heal a raid member. yeah right! by the time they finish casting a healing spell, that player or whoever the heal was intended for, should be dead already. and a shadow priest healing? oooh the mana consumption, which then results in a loss of DPS in the whole run. why the heck would you want to let a shadow priest heal anyway? if a DPS constantly pulls aggro on a boss, or just stands in the boss’s AOE, or in front, without a care in the world, i say boot that player! he/she is a liability to the raid. things like this happen because of two things: that DPS is putting in too much threat, or the tank can’t handle his job. in that case, something like a raid wipe is bound to happen. so when a priest goes out of shadow form to heal a fellow DPS who took too much damage from certain factors from the boss (or the fight), that is not OP. that is helping out the raid. which is something everyone should be doing because it’s teamwork after all. and i’m not just talking about healing. and if your healers can’t handle that, then something is wrong with your raid composition. this should only happen in dire circumstances, definitely not all the time.

if you really wanted it to be just black and white, i ask you Blizzard to do away with hybrids once and for all. make priests and druids just pure healers. plate wearers, such as warriors and death knights, should be a tank-only class, and so on. that way, people will be able to choose right from the start what they should be playing. no more complaining. right from level 1 you know what you will be when you reach maximum level. it would certainly avoid issues like a warrior being forced to tank just because he/she can wear plate and carry a stupid shield. don’t give them false hopes of being able to DPS, albeit “lesser”, mages will just be freezing hybrid asses with their novas, laughing hysterically at those poor DPS wannabes. anything mediocre is not worth it. “slightly” is again a mediocre term.

i say bring out the player, not the class!

make it all equal or nothing. then class play and how good you are with it, comes in. what is the use of RNG and talents anyway? what are rotations for? what is gearing up for when you know in the end you will only be slightly better or worse than the rest?

should you penalize paladins just because they can heal, tank and DPS? but can they do all these roles superbly at the same time? of course not! protection paladins can heal, albeit poorly compared to the ones specialized in holy talents. i would never go with a retribution paladin acting as a healer in an instance just because she can heal. a holy paladin tanking a raid boss, just because she is wearing plate? i’ll be damned if she doesn’t get to eat at least one or two hits before she kisses the floor. it is essentially the same thing for pure DPS classes. i wanna be the best in handling pets. be a beastmaster. woo, throwing fireball after fireball is such a blast. be a fire mage. ok i wanna specialize in curses. well affliction it is then for you. but do i want to, as a warlock, be an expert in demonology while going to a raid? hell no! in that tree my DPS will utterly suck. as a hybrid do i wanna heal in a raid? i’m not the tanking type of player, DPS is my specialty. oh such uber hybrids! hell no! basically it is more important that you come in and contribute to what you feel and believe you can be good at, while taking the time to really get good at it. should we just DPS for the sake that this pure DPS class is a 1-to-3-button-hit-wonder, then our DPS is skyrocketing in the damage meters? that is so lame.

my point is that you can’t tank, dps and heal at the same time. you have to choose. that is the reason for hybrid classes. but you can be good at playing both or all three of these roles. or you could choose not to, but instead focus on one specialty because that is how you play the game. so again we go back to pure versus hybrid. NO! the answer is that not all of us want to cast magic. not all of us want to go around carrying big sticks or arrows on our backs. not all of us want to sneak around with daggers in both hands. if it had to be that way in the first place, i would not have played WOW. that is too restricted. hmmm let me see, do i want to wear a skirt or look like a knight in the old days? do i wanna be right in the middle of the mobs or behind the boss while dealing damage, or should i be standing at a safe distance? i for one prefer to be right in the middle of it. should i be penalized because i prefer to wield swords rather than cast magic? it’s called preference. i’m sure you know what that means, don’t you Blizzard? let us choose with equal footing and may the best man/woman win. there are checks and balances. if you didn’t work hard for your gear, you will be out-DPSed. knowing the tricks of your class will give you the edge. if you are just spamming 1 ability the entire fight, you will be out-DPSed. if you chose the wrong talents, you will be doing poorly compared to the rest. nerfing is NOT the solution! BALANCE THE CLASSES. balance the talent trees so not just 1 tree dominates, espeically for the so-called pure classes so that they don’t get too bored. and lastly, DON’T PENALIZE HYBRIDS JUST BECAUSE YOU CAN’T DO YOUR PROGRAMMING QUITE WELL!!!

Similar Posts:

Notice: This article was published on March 24, 2009 and the content above may be out of date.
World of Warcraft