Glorious Alpha Two Testers!
Alpha Two Phase II testing is currently taking place five days each week. More information about testing schedule can be found here
If you have Alpha Two, you can download the game launcher here, and we encourage you to join us on our Official Discord Server for the most up to date testing news.
Alpha Two Phase II testing is currently taking place five days each week. More information about testing schedule can be found here
If you have Alpha Two, you can download the game launcher here, and we encourage you to join us on our Official Discord Server for the most up to date testing news.
"Tank" class name and my case for why it needs to be changed.
Hypotheos
Member, Alpha One, Alpha Two, Early Alpha Two
I know this has probably been mentioned in the past, but I feel like it needs to be brought up regardless.
The word "Tank" is a modern term, like as in mechanical metal tanks used in modern wars. Meaning something sturdy and meant to withstand damage to protect people (within).
In MMO terms, it simply describes the roll that certain class or archetype plays in the "holy trinity" (Tank, DPS, Healer/support}, NOT who they are, or how they should be identified.
This would be the equivalent of calling a mage, conjurer, sorcerer, warlock, or wizard "Magical Ranged DPS"
Or calling a rogue "Stealth Melee DPS" or "Backstabber" or "Sneak attacker"
Or calling a priest, cleric, shaman, druid, templar, inquisitor simply "Healer"
Or calling a bard, troubadour, dirge, poet, minstrel, balladeer simply "Support"
"Tanking" is the role they play. Magical Ranged DPS is the role they play. Healing / Support is the role they play. Melee DPS is the role they play. These are like "roles" in Mobas, ADC, Jungle, Top, APC, etc. These are rolls and their descriptions, not identities or names of classes.
These should not be what they are called. I can put up with a lot of potentially immersion breaking things like pokadoted raptors, I mean its a fantasy world after all, why not.
But this just seems too simple to look past.
Tank can be changed to any number of the following terms that are actual names for classes that would perform the function of Tanking:
Guardian, Warrior, Protector, Myrmidon, Defender, Preserver, Warden, Steward, Champion, to start.
As well as many less commons ones based on the type of "tanking" they do, whether its using plate armor to mitigate damage, or wearing light armor and avoiding damage and hits while protecting their allies. There are literally a hundred names that you could come up with to better contextualize the specific type of "tanking" the class will be doing.
Starting with the archtype of "Tank" .....it just doesn't fit at all with the rest of the archetypes or classes.
If you're going to include "Tank", you might as well just have the following 8 starting archetypes:
"Tank" (Tank)
"Healer" (Cleric)
"Support" (Bard)
"Magical Ranged DPS" (Mage)
"Physical Melee DPS" (Fighter)
"Physical Ranged DPS" (Ranger)
"Magical Pet Class" (Summoner)
"Stealth Melee DPS" (Rogue)
I'm obviously not seriously suggesting to do this, but use it simply as an illustration to show how out of place "Tank" is in the current format. Personally, I would like to see it replaced with one of the more generic "tank" role names like "Guardian", "Defender", or "Protector"
The word "Tank" is a modern term, like as in mechanical metal tanks used in modern wars. Meaning something sturdy and meant to withstand damage to protect people (within).
In MMO terms, it simply describes the roll that certain class or archetype plays in the "holy trinity" (Tank, DPS, Healer/support}, NOT who they are, or how they should be identified.
This would be the equivalent of calling a mage, conjurer, sorcerer, warlock, or wizard "Magical Ranged DPS"
Or calling a rogue "Stealth Melee DPS" or "Backstabber" or "Sneak attacker"
Or calling a priest, cleric, shaman, druid, templar, inquisitor simply "Healer"
Or calling a bard, troubadour, dirge, poet, minstrel, balladeer simply "Support"
"Tanking" is the role they play. Magical Ranged DPS is the role they play. Healing / Support is the role they play. Melee DPS is the role they play. These are like "roles" in Mobas, ADC, Jungle, Top, APC, etc. These are rolls and their descriptions, not identities or names of classes.
These should not be what they are called. I can put up with a lot of potentially immersion breaking things like pokadoted raptors, I mean its a fantasy world after all, why not.
But this just seems too simple to look past.
Tank can be changed to any number of the following terms that are actual names for classes that would perform the function of Tanking:
Guardian, Warrior, Protector, Myrmidon, Defender, Preserver, Warden, Steward, Champion, to start.
As well as many less commons ones based on the type of "tanking" they do, whether its using plate armor to mitigate damage, or wearing light armor and avoiding damage and hits while protecting their allies. There are literally a hundred names that you could come up with to better contextualize the specific type of "tanking" the class will be doing.
Starting with the archtype of "Tank" .....it just doesn't fit at all with the rest of the archetypes or classes.
If you're going to include "Tank", you might as well just have the following 8 starting archetypes:
"Tank" (Tank)
"Healer" (Cleric)
"Support" (Bard)
"Magical Ranged DPS" (Mage)
"Physical Melee DPS" (Fighter)
"Physical Ranged DPS" (Ranger)
"Magical Pet Class" (Summoner)
"Stealth Melee DPS" (Rogue)
I'm obviously not seriously suggesting to do this, but use it simply as an illustration to show how out of place "Tank" is in the current format. Personally, I would like to see it replaced with one of the more generic "tank" role names like "Guardian", "Defender", or "Protector"
5
Comments
Personally, id love to be called "Tank-Tank" for a class name. It would push me to abandon being a bard.
Call us whatever really, we will still be called the tank anyway. Not fine with the survivability/playability/balance of the archetype as it currently stands...but i still have faith it will get fixed.
+1 from me.
Like are we *never* going to have instances where non-Tanks need to be the tank? In WoW there were plenty of instances where non prot-warriors fulfilled the tank role in groups and raids. In EverQuest some groups ran with pets as tanks. It just feels weird to make the name of the class the role it sometimes, but not always, fulfills.
I can see it now, que the lightly sad but sincere instrumental music: "Do you suffer from low GPH? Does your hand not work like it used to? Has your guild become frustrated that your performance doesn't last as long as it used to? Now's the time to talk to your guild about Re-roll. With Re-roll, GPH will be a problem of the past, and you can focus on having fun again.
Is that not the purpose of having multiple threads though? We can raise both concerns at once. I mean, we've got like ten threads about Grit changes going right now lmao, which I love. There's SO much hate about Grit right now IDK how they can miss in.
In any case I'm cool with this one existing too. I don't want to get to launch and it was like "aah, we spent so long arguing about whether that skill should be a 10s or 12s cooldown that we never brought up the other legitimate concerns.
The neglected child of the Ashes classes. Every other class gets a good name, but tanks just called by what they do. On top of struggling to find a purpose in a PvP game.
Most high fantasy like this is based around medieval Europe, in those times the guy in stories people wrote (the one saving the damsel in distress or taking out the bad guy) was the Knight-Errant, Errant means to wander an Errant is a Knight whose wandering in search of adventure. and Knights were more like not just fighting in armies but served all kinds of people for various reasons.
The fighter can have a generic background story like you would get out of mass effect, like the fighter comes from arenas and mercenary work where the Tank is the one who comes from running protection and more "Noble" settings like advisor of a lord or someone whose an escort/bodyguard
I say the Tank should be named Errant, and the Tank/Tank should be Knight and not the Tank/Fighter cause the Knight would be like the opposite side of the coin for what a fighter would come off as.
this will fit into the lore as well the Errant can be an ex military or someone who served a noble and is now wandering looking for adventure, you meet other Errant who came through the stargate for the same reason and can be the focal point for making the tank your second archetype
the name Errant is also more tame allowing you to become a class with a more badass name without sounding as generic as tank
I love this, not just because it's an idea no one has suggested before (at least as far as I've seen), but I've learned a new word, and since 90% of my early vocabulary was formed by playing video games, this could help educate the public.
Think of the social good this can do, Steven...