The problem with having “Tank” as a class name

Hello all, I believe this discussion may have come up before, but I really would like Steven and friends to reconsider the name “Tank”. Overall, they have done a good job at naming the other classes and subclasses, but they ruin the immersion of the game by using the class name “tank”. Tank was a code name given to military vehicles being created in 1915. It has been a slang term for classes and archetypes in many video games given to the role that is used to absorb/mitigate or “tank” damage. Having a class name feels very uncharacteristic compared to the other class names. It’s like naming your cat “Cat”. It’s cute and punny, but is that what they really want for their game? What class do you play? Oh, I play a tank! Yea, but like what class? TANK!! *insert meme of a tank with a face on it... drooling*

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CROW3

It feels incomplete to resurrect this topic without our resident necromancer. Where is @Nagash?

JustVine

If tank's name changed it would be a shell of it's former self.

So lets call it Caliber.

Barkbat

I think your personal qualms with the word "tank" matters little. it's a word the vast majority is already familiar with and its used to describe a purpose.

If a class is only called guardian , sentinel, warden, protector or whatever then what does that even mean? Is it a tank, healer, support or some beefy damage dealer? As an example there's games who have used warden as a druid nature based class and other games that have used it for a holy priest/cleric type.

My point is the name of the class doesnt matter, the description does and you're gonna have to write walls of text that still fails to accurately describe the playstyle just to avoid the word "tank".

daveywavey

Figured I'd necro my old Tank piccy, too...

HazardNumberSeven

Yeah, I can agree that 'tank' doesn't really fit in a fantasy setting, because afaik there aren't any tanks in AoC universe (if there are, my apologies).

Tank feels very meta and OOC. It's like if cleric's class was actually called 'ambulance'...

Protector or something. Meat shield? I dunno lol. It's just a name, shouldn't be too difficult to improve on if they want to. It's also not the end of the world if they leave it.

Just a suggestion and opinion.

JustVine

HazardNumberSeven wrote: »

Yeah, I can agree that 'tank' doesn't really fit in a fantasy setting, because afaik there aren't any tanks in AoC universe (if there are, my apologies).

Tank feels very meta and OOC. It's like if cleric's class was actually called 'ambulance'...

Protector or something. Meat shield? I dunno lol. It's just a name, shouldn't be too difficult to improve on if they want to. It's also not the end of the world if they leave it.

Just a suggestion and opinion.

Hmm... I could get behind protector but there is a hidden problem. It will colloquially be shortened down to 'prot' a sometimes derogatory term for protestant in Ireland/North Ireland. That being said I do think its a fairly good substitute for tank. After all Assassin shortens to ass lol.

daveywavey

JustVine wrote: »

HazardNumberSeven wrote: »

Yeah, I can agree that 'tank' doesn't really fit in a fantasy setting, because afaik there aren't any tanks in AoC universe (if there are, my apologies).

Tank feels very meta and OOC. It's like if cleric's class was actually called 'ambulance'...

Protector or something. Meat shield? I dunno lol. It's just a name, shouldn't be too difficult to improve on if they want to. It's also not the end of the world if they leave it.

Just a suggestion and opinion.

Hmm... I could get behind protector but there is a hidden problem. It will colloquially be shortened down to 'prot' a sometimes derogatory term for protestant in Ireland/North Ireland. That being said I do think its a fairly good substitute for tank. After all Assassin shortens to ass lol.

And 'Nightshield' shortens to...... yeah, I'm not gonna go there...

But, I'm quite happy for you to call my Bard/Tank Siren "Sir".

JustVine

daveywavey wrote: »

JustVine wrote: »

HazardNumberSeven wrote: »

Yeah, I can agree that 'tank' doesn't really fit in a fantasy setting, because afaik there aren't any tanks in AoC universe (if there are, my apologies).

Tank feels very meta and OOC. It's like if cleric's class was actually called 'ambulance'...

Protector or something. Meat shield? I dunno lol. It's just a name, shouldn't be too difficult to improve on if they want to. It's also not the end of the world if they leave it.

Just a suggestion and opinion.

Hmm... I could get behind protector but there is a hidden problem. It will colloquially be shortened down to 'prot' a sometimes derogatory term for protestant in Ireland/North Ireland. That being said I do think its a fairly good substitute for tank. After all Assassin shortens to ass lol.

And 'Nightshield' shortens to...... yeah, I'm not gonna go there...

But, I'm quite happy for you to call my Bard/Tank Siren "Sir".

Lol. I think I will stick to the two syllables.

CROW3

HazardNumberSeven wrote: »

Tank feels very meta and OOC. It's like if cleric's class was actually called 'ambulance'...

I'm absolutely going to alt an Ambulance.

Sathrago

HazardNumberSeven wrote: »

Yeah, I can agree that 'tank' doesn't really fit in a fantasy setting, because afaik there aren't any tanks in AoC universe (if there are, my apologies).

Tank feels very meta and OOC. It's like if cleric's class was actually called 'ambulance'...

Protector or something. Meat shield? I dunno lol. It's just a name, shouldn't be too difficult to improve on if they want to. It's also not the end of the world if they leave it.

Just a suggestion and opinion.

If people really need a "logical" reason as to why it's called tank. Here's one. Different cultures and languages uses different terms to describe different things. Language was made up from the very beginning and new words are made everyday. Some words are used to describe specific things. In Verra, they quite possibly decided that tank was the jumble of consonants and vowels to articulate "Hey that person over there that is standing in dragon breath and not dying."

There are MANY fantasy words out there that are just madeup on the fly and evolve to mean certain things. Some of them are made up so purely that they have no real root in reality aside from the imagination of the creator. A perfect example of this is H.P. Lovecraft. Dude had some demons in his head that people were not expecting to see when they read his writings.

Now, bringing it back to the term tank, is it really so crazy that a fantasy world uses a word differently than we do?

HumblePuffin

JustVine wrote: »

Hmm... I could get behind protector but there is a hidden problem. It will colloquially be shortened down to 'prot' a sometimes derogatory term for protestant in Ireland/North Ireland. That being said I do think its a fairly good substitute for tank. After all Assassin shortens to ass lol.

Is this actually a thing? Do WoW players in Europe not call it Prot pally/warrior? Serious question I’ve never heard this before.

On topic I get why “tank” doesn’t really have good optics, but I feel like everyone is just going to ask for a “tank” anyway, unless they want a specific primary archetype tank class. Feels like they’re cutting out the middle man, so it really doesn’t bother me if it stays.

If they did change it I like a lot of the ideas in this thread. Some additional ideas: commander, oppressor, arbiter, templar(this is only because of aion, I tend to think of aion’s templar when I think of fun tanks it games).

Nerror

Cripsus wrote: »

Yea, you don't have a "class" yet, but you have to be classified as something levels 1-25. You aren't nothing you are identified as a tank because that is your archetype. This is just semantics. If you are level 12 and someone asked you what class are you playing in AoC. Are you really going to say, "It's an Archetype not a class, nerd". I hope not, because it would make more sense to just say "I play a tank". Just would be cooler to say, "I play a warrior", or "I play a sentinel". Because of reasons stated throughout the entire thread, tank is lame and ruins the immersion.

Yeah this whole thread is about semantics

Guardian or some such would probably have been better, but I am starting to care less and less either way. They could call it Kampvogn for all I care now. (Danish for tank, literally means battle wagon)

CROW3

I’m beginning to lean toward ‘pain train.’ 😳

Cypher

How about this:
Currently, Tank + Fighter = Knight. I propose instead that “Tank” be replaced with “Knight” and then Knight + Fighter = Crusader
If you dislike that for whatever reason, replace “Tank” with “Guard” or “Guardsman” and achieve the same result. (I’d prefer the former solution personally though)

(I’m neutral and don’t care if it’s called Tank or not, but this is a viable solution to this non-issue).

CROW3

'Crusader' is kinda cleric-y isn't it?

Cypher

CROW3 wrote: »

'Crusader' is kinda cleric-y isn't it?

No not really. Paladin is much more cleric/tank-y lol

Enigmatic Sage

I honestly dont see it as a problem per se.
regardless of what you call it people will be like
"what is that?"
"a tank"
"oh, ok thanks!"

The fact that using it as a dual purpose in relation to secondary archetypes pairs well with class naming.
I'm down for whatever its name is whether it be a vanguard, tank, meat shield etc

A dual tank archetype = guardian
so you'd be a guardian not a tank tank.

So it's not really calling tank a class so much as an archetype.

Enigmatic Sage

daveywavey wrote: »

JustVine wrote: »

HazardNumberSeven wrote: »

Yeah, I can agree that 'tank' doesn't really fit in a fantasy setting, because afaik there aren't any tanks in AoC universe (if there are, my apologies).

Tank feels very meta and OOC. It's like if cleric's class was actually called 'ambulance'...

Protector or something. Meat shield? I dunno lol. It's just a name, shouldn't be too difficult to improve on if they want to. It's also not the end of the world if they leave it.

Just a suggestion and opinion.

Hmm... I could get behind protector but there is a hidden problem. It will colloquially be shortened down to 'prot' a sometimes derogatory term for protestant in Ireland/North Ireland. That being said I do think its a fairly good substitute for tank. After all Assassin shortens to ass lol.

And 'Nightshield' shortens to...... yeah, I'm not gonna go there...

But, I'm quite happy for you to call my Bard/Tank Siren "Sir".

you sure you're fine with siren and not rock lobster?

not sure if you've seen this or not, It reminds me of armoured bards

CROW3

"It's nawt a TOOBAH!"

Snekkers

Idk why anyone is continuing this. But class name tank is same as class name Mage, or Ranger, its all calling cat "Cat". And real class name u have in this table, where u combain it with second archetype

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