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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.
Comments
Well, technically, the "Tank" name ISN"T the Class name, but just the archetype of role you're playing more-or-less. The class names come after you obtain the second archetype to meld with your primary, THEN that's when you have a legitimate Class name: Tank/Cleric = Paladin. The logic behind the "Tank only being a military vehicle, so it doesn't make sense to have it as a name of a class/archetype" is kind of flawed, in my opinion. Because, the same could be said about any of the rest of the archetype names: Ranger being a French word/name/term used to mean "warden" or "forest guardian". So to use Ranger as just a basic class type that relies on bow and arrows, and have nothing related to being a "warden" or "forest guardian" would mean it doesn't deserve be called that.
Though, I guess it doesn't help the argument, when you have the other archetypes have names like, Cleric, Mage, Bard, Fighter, Rogue, and Ranger, compared to just, Tank. Though, I'd say that Tank is fine, for the most part, but I can understand where you're coming from. It just sticks out as the oddball, if they were going to just name the role you're playing, it would've been better to have given Cleric -> Healer, Mage -> Nuker(though Mage in itself is pretty general overall as a role and a class name), Bard -> Support, Fighter -> Warrior(it's really the same case as Mage), Rogue -> Assassin(again, same as Mage), and Ranger -> Hunter(yet again, same situation as Mage).
The archetype names are just too broad in themselves, just like Tank, but we're so used to seeing them as regular Classes in most games, no one would bat an eye at it really. Plenty of games would give Mage as your Class to select from the start, next to a Ranger, or Cleric, and the Tanks would usually be the Fighter or Warrior; but eventually throughout the game you'd upgrade that Class to a more advanced Class(Priest, Berserker, Hunter, etc) they'd be more defined in playstyle and move skill set. Some games just give you the most established Class from the start and you level it(Necromancer, Guardian, Paladin, Beast Master, Druid, etc).
TL;DR, The name Tank is for the archetype, or role you're playing, like all the other names for the given roles you'll select. The only real Class names are after you gained your secondary archetype; so you could say your official Class isn't complete till you've gained it.
Basically yeah. It serves it's purpose, but no one really likes it.
The only other way would be to make up a completely new word which would just be plain weird
There is a problem with stating you have a trinity and there being HEALER, DPS and TANK roles. The issue is you literally have a class called tank. Most players who are brand new and have absolutely no idea how this game works in depth flat out will just see the name "Tank" and be like "Ohhhh okay so that is the tank I see I see
Then they see a summoner who has tank secondary and is a brood warden (who I presume is a valid tank capable of tanking content) and they are like "THIS ISN'T A TANK. HOW DARE YOU BRING THIS, YOU LITERALLY AREN'T A TANK LEAVEEE".
Sadly I'd say that people wouldn't just do that but I've played long enough to know that the naming of particular things does trickle. Reputations are built sometimes off the dumbest things.
You're sassy. I like that.
"LF1M tank, but not that archetype specifically! You can also be archetype X" :>
They could name it knight and the meaning of it would be the same.
You could pretty up the name, but the name "tank" is pretty straightforward in its meaning.
When people see special names through their own perspectives they think it means other things and complain later when they "say" that it was an ambiguous name choice for a class and demand changes to the class to fit their perspective "idea" of a class name.
There is nothing ambiguous about "tank" in an MMO game. Just like summoner, and fighter. Tank in the gaming community has been pretty concretly defined and fits just as well as fighter, sorcerer, summoner, etcc...
Just my thoughts here
Think of it this way, most mainstream MMORPG NPCs will not refer to your character by the mechanical terms like DPS because it's close to breaking the 4th wall. Healer may be the only exception in my mind because it is not a gamey acronym or an analog to a military vehicle.
For those who argue that there are no other names that don't become confusing, I've listed a few that I think would fit a fantasy world (some better than others) that do a decent job of expressing the idea behind the archetype.
I agree it's not a huge deal, since it is semantics, but if we stripped flavor from everything we'd have a pretty bland game. So flavor has importance.
This is the same thing I thought when I first saw the class chart. It was right after I had learned that the game would be based around the trinity system. The name "Tank" stands out to me not so much that it's not "fantasy enough" or even that it's the name of a vehicle, but that this is a game with specific roles in a party. One of those roles is literally the same as the name of one of the archetypes.
While yes I do think it won't cause much confusion when creating your character as to what you're getting into. I think it will cause unneeded confusion and discrimination when it comes time to form a party.
It's why they don't call the other classes anything else because they are just using the class names people are familiar with by playing for years. They should have probably named Ranger, Archer though. Most people are probably going to call them Archers regardless.
It's not really going to matter anyway cuz it's not a class name. I don't think people are going to use anything but the class names except for before level 24.
They might still call Tanks, Tank generally though.
U.S. East
You know, this is an excellent point. While yes, "Tank" is the only real descriptor, they are all just categories and not actual class names.
And looking at the actual class names, I'm surprised people take issue with "Tank" but don't have a problem with Dreadnought?
/throws fuel on the fire
oh yes, let the arguing re-commence!
How are you going to unword "Tank" that has been in use for decades?
I mean to say, even if you can't really force people to use the terms you want. Change the label, sure, but what's the point in the effort if it just gets called the original term anyway?
Very semantic sure... But you didn't address any of the counterpoints already made about your argument.
That is a true statement and accurate observation. But I just don't care heheh I'm going to call it Tank no matter what (more than likely). I wish you all, all the best.
It’s not that we shouldn’t use the word tank at all when referring to mmorpgs. It’s that they are literally calling an archetype “tank” rather than the role it will fill as a tank. They are borderline breaking the fourth wall in a fantasy world setting. A lot of people in this thread are missing the point. Of course the term tank is fine and should be used, just not as a primary class/archetype.
Good point. Now I hate the cool name dreadnought. Thanks 😄
That's fair.
however all the tank/* whatever will be referred to as tank when looking for group etc or having any conversation regarding the class/archetype.
if they're going with the class roles it'd be more logical to have a base archetype named 'healer' instead of cleric and cleric would be a fighter/healer hybrid.
also have a sense the majority of players are going to be disappointed with the "64" mostly nebulous classes and would have rather had a smaller pool of more focused and accurate archetypes.
They were going to be referred to as a tank anyway though. No matter what name they give the archetype people are going to be saying looking for a tank. So they just made the term correct while they were at it.
U.S. East