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Phase I of Alpha Two testing will occur on weekends. Each weekend is scheduled to start on Fridays at 10 AM PT and end on Sundays at 10 PM PT. Find out more here.
Check out Alpha Two Announcements here to see the latest Alpha Two news and update notes.
Our quickest Alpha Two updates are in Discord. Testers with Alpha Two access can chat in Alpha Two channels by connecting your Discord and Intrepid accounts here.
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Here's a timeline highlighting the evolution and popularization of the term "tank" in MMORPGs:
1974: Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) is released, introducing the concept of character roles, including the tank-like "fighter" class. Tank roles in tabletop RPGs begin to establish their prominence.
1996: Meridian 59, one of the earliest graphical MMORPGs, is released. While not using the term "tank," the game features character archetypes with high durability and defensive capabilities.
Late 1990s: MMORPGs like Ultima Online and EverQuest gain popularity and introduce the classic trinity roles: tank, healer, and damage dealer. Players start using the term "tank" to describe characters who protect the group by drawing enemy attention.
Early 2000s: World of Warcraft (WoW) is released in 2004 and significantly contributes to the widespread use of the term "tank." WoW's emphasis on class roles and group dynamics solidifies the importance of tanks in MMORPGs.
Mid-2000s: MMORPGs such as Final Fantasy XI, Guild Wars, and Lineage II continue to feature tank roles, further establishing the term's usage within the genre.
2010s: MMORPGs like Star Wars: The Old Republic, The Elder Scrolls Online, and Final Fantasy XIV maintain the tank role, keeping the term "tank" prominent in player discussions and group compositions.
Present: The term "tank" remains firmly rooted in MMORPG vocabulary, used universally by players to describe the role responsible for absorbing damage, drawing enemy aggro, and protecting the group.
Throughout this timeline, the term "tank" has evolved and adapted as MMORPGs have evolved. While the core concept of a durable character fulfilling a protective role remains constant, specific mechanics, abilities, and class names may vary across different games. Nonetheless, the term "tank" continues to be widely recognized and used by MMORPG players to refer to this important role in group-based gameplay.
And a deeper dive even earlier >
Between 1913 and 1974, several developments in gaming and storytelling influenced the evolution of RPGs and, by extension, the tank archetype. Here are some notable highlights during this period:
Pulp Fiction and Adventure Stories: In the early to mid-20th century, pulp fiction magazines gained popularity, featuring adventure stories filled with heroic characters and daring exploits. These tales often included brave warriors or defenders who fought against overwhelming odds, inspiring the concept of durable characters in future RPGs.
War Games and Miniature Battles: War gaming continued to evolve during this period, with games like Chainmail (1971) and Little Wars (1913) introducing rules for large-scale miniature battles. These games allowed players to control armies and deploy heavily armored troops, including tanks, which influenced the strategic and tactical aspects of future RPGs.
Early RPG Precursors: Before the official release of Dungeons & Dragons in 1974, various gaming systems and influences set the stage for RPGs. For example, Dave Arneson's Blackmoor (1971), a precursor to D&D, featured elements of role-playing and character progression. Additionally, the fantasy literature of authors like J.R.R. Tolkien and Robert E. Howard shaped the themes and settings that would later be incorporated into RPGs.
Tabletop Board Games: Traditional board games during this period, such as Avalon Hill's Tactics (1954) and Chainmail (1971), integrated elements of warfare and strategic decision-making. While not explicitly RPGs, they contributed to the development of character roles and the tactical aspects found in RPGs, including tank-like characters.
Science Fiction and Fantasy Novels: Iconic works of science fiction and fantasy literature released during this time, like Isaac Asimov's Foundation series (1951 onwards) and Ursula K. Le Guin's A Wizard of Earthsea (1968), expanded the imaginative worlds and heroic archetypes that would later be embraced by RPGs.
While the exact term "tank" as it relates to RPGs may not have been used in this timeframe, the cultural influences and developments during this period laid the foundation for the RPG genre and the tank archetype that would emerge later. The combination of pulp fiction, war games, literature, and strategic board games all played a role in shaping the concepts and mechanics found in early RPGs, including the enduring archetype of the tank.
Personally I find it interesting, thanks to him.
All this wikipedia copy and paste doesn't mean nothing.
Tolkien fought on WWI. I've never seen Gandalf saying, "The TANKS first!!!".
It's not about the term used by players, is what would it be said in a high fantasy world.
Be sure to celebrate the thread's 3rd anniversary when it's August!
Unless a part of becoming a given class involves joining a specific organization, I wouldnt expect any NPC to refer to any player classes at all. Ever.
Class names are a device for players, not a roleplaying device.
Related to this, I have realized that due to my perspective being heavily influenced by FFXI, I sort of expect most if not all classes to involve belonging to an organization. In that game, Dancers and various Mage classes belong to famous schools. Dragoons, Paladins, Warriors belong in the Royal Knights, Temple Knights or Iron Musketeers. Summoners are specifically referred to as Summoners because it's a 'forbidden' type of magic.
It's also not uncommon to hear NPCs say things like "walking the path of the Samurai/Ninja/Dark Knight" etc. and in that game it doesn't really break immersion when they do so, because every class comes with its lore, traditions, quests, storylines and so on. Basically, they make it clear each one of those is both a way of life and often times (part of) an organization.
But it goes further. Mobs also have names for classes, and it helps us identify what they are before we attack. But mobs themselves also belong to organizations, sometimes implied and sometimes specific. For example, when you fight the Divine Sentinels, you always know you are fighting a White Mage. And they are an elite squad of White Mages belonging to the Theocracy of the Yagudo during the Crystal War.
Anyway, not trying to drop FFXI lore here, moreso I am saying it's certainly possible to refer to classes by their names in the actual world without breaking immersion. As long as it isn't named "Tank", I mean godamn that is uninspired.
I want to leave you all with a question. When I find myself a humanoid mob whose class is Tank, is the mob name going to be "Kaelar Tank" or is it going to be something less jarring? If the answer is the latter, then why not apply the same standard to the player characters?
For a start, I can't see an organization that would have both Necromancers and Beastmasters be required to be in it, so it simply wouldn't work on a primary class axis. I don't see them doing it for each subclass either.
Also, Ashes has social organizations instead - scholars acadamry, theves guild etc. However, these won't be necessary for your class, and it would seem to me that you are able to join which ever organization you like. In this situation, it is most likely that they will use a non-class term.
Look at any of the suggestions above for alternativenames for the tank class, any one of them could well be what is used instead.
It's a tank'less job...
I'll see myself out.
you guys finally won...
Wow, I bet that thing could take a hundred hits from a world boss!
Ooooh, I know! That'd be a cool archetype name!
... and the world boss would still not be able to get out
The perfect way to farm a world boss.
*Grabs popcorn*
This is a solid point and it would be kind of sad to force much of the gameplay explanations to the meta level. Instead of a generic trainer npc, I'd like it more if clerics went to a church to relevel and get class specific quests etc. Unless the tanks go to a factory to get refitted, the current vibe I get is that Verra won't be acknowledging your archetype/class very much. Sadness.
Vanguard is BiS.
The Tank is my favorite class.
You are using old english roots of words - but you have no idea what the Verran roots of any of the words in question are!
Fact is, players will call the class "tanks", so the game may as well.
Yes, and I immediately realised I replied to a 4 years old thread, so I concede my point, edited my silly post, and as an apology I also provided an image of a Tank. From now on I pledge to call all tanks Tanks, for the rest of my days.
I am going to name my first born Tank. In honor of this incredible thread.
This is my personal feedback, shared to help the game thrive in its niche.
ok so now this is something to discuss. Steven has said that summoners will be able to tank. What do we do now?
So, the term 'tank' is actually more of a modern, applied term from non-fantasy sources rather than something inherently tied to traditional fantasy lore.
While the 'tank' role is essential in MMORPGs, it’s more of a gamer-defined term than one that originated in fantasy fiction itself.
While players might use the term 'tank,' it doesn’t necessarily mean the game’s lore should adopt it. Using modern, gamer-applied terms like that can break immersion and feel out of place in a fantasy world. The game’s setting should have its own unique vocabulary that fits its lore, rather than borrowing terms from outside the fantasy genre
When did he say that?