When thinking up classes for players to choose, the amount of dramatically different classes is very limited; usually to warrior, nuker, healer. I'll call these the "core" classes. Although some traits are shared -- most spellcasters that don't focus on damage include some sort of buffing skill. However, with that few combinations, the urge to create as many different unique classes usually leads to "hybrid" classes, or ones that share traits from the core classes. For instance, there might be a nuker that also has some healing and buffing skills, or a warrior that can heal. This allows players who might be torn between two classes to have the liberty of playing both in one. There's just a common problem associated with this: balancing.

It's not noticeable when starting out; in the beginning levels, people usually fight solo. The early enemies should be easy to kill, and so it is for everyone. As levels progress, however, partying creates a problem for hybrid classes. While a warrior's job is fairly easy (take damage for the party), as is a nuker's (deal damage) and a healer's (heal), hybrids have been a problem for party definitions. A warrior/healer hybrid, for example, won't be able to take the damage of a core warrior or heal as well as a core healer. Also, if one is in a party, it will need to fulfill both roles, so attention needs to be divided on healing and fighting. Usually, in a choice, a party would prefer to take a warrior and a healer, which each can perform their singular duty.

However, in an effort to make every class useful to a party, the problem of balancing comes into play. A hybrid class that is overpowered will make those playing the core classes feel underpowered, since there's a class that can do what they do and more. If they're underpowered, then, being unable to excel in one function makes them a last choice. This problem with balancing has been known to fill forums after a balancing patch on why "x" class's "y" skill is now cheesy/useless.

There's one unique hybrid class that has abilities of any of the core classes: summoners. These classes can summon a familiar; more commonly known as a pet. They're usually couple with nuking and sometimes healing and buffing (often to pet only) skills. These are often the hardest to balance. The pet and the player combined often can fight like a nuker, a healer, and a warrior. Although each part isn't as good as the pure's, the fact that all three exist in one class usually makes it the best for soloing. The problem, again, lies in partying. Since parties usually fight things that are too strong for them to solo normally, the pet won't be able to take the damage. If they could, warriors would complain. Since summoner healing/buffing is often to pet only, the only thing left is nuking, which, again, is weaker than a pure's. Why not get a pure nuker if that's all the summoner will do in parties?

Although it is possible to balance a hybrid class, the nature of it makes it hard. Divided specialties works well for soloing, when there's nothing else to compare yourself to, but in party playing, they can't be too weak that you're not the most attractive asset, or too powerful that the more specialized core classes can't compare. When I played DAoC, I was an enchanter (summoner) who specialized in my pet specialties. Soloing, I could buff and solo with my pet, but in parties, I used a type that buffed the party with a buff that only the pet had. Also, since most of my buffs were also exclusive to me and could be cast on others, I could find a use as a buffer.

What I'm trying to say is, if a hybrid had a unique specialty that no one else had. That way, they'd be a hybrid but still have a use in a party. To top it off, I present a cheap diagram of what I mean:

» Advertisement «