archetypes
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Leaderboard: What's your favorite MMO archetype?
There have been a lot of MMO classes thrown our way over the years, and if you add in a handful of skill-based games that let you create your own class, you end up with a decent variety of combat gameplay styles. The vast majority of these styles fall under several broad archetypes, though, and whether we're talking about ranged DPS or crowd-control, we all have our favorites. For today's Leaderboard, let's see which archetype wins the title of Massively comment section favorite. Vote after the cut! Ever wish that you could put to rest a long-standing MMO debate once and for all? Then welcome to the battle royal of Massively's Leaderboard, where two sides enter the pit o' judgment -- and only one leaves. Vote to make your opinion known, and see whether your choice tops the Leaderboard!
A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Upcoming Blaster changes
Not every game faces the mage problem, but a lot of them do, and it starts back in classic Dungeons & Dragons. The core of the issue is pretty simple to understand: Because mages have so much phenomenal offensive power, they need some staggering weakness to balance that out. As a result, the class is very physically weak and lacks any real defenses. But the counter to that is that this creates many situations in which the mage is just plain useless because he or she has no effective defenses to weather an initial assault. Blasters aren't mages. Unless they are, anyhow -- City of Heroes is kind of resistant to pigeonholing. Whether your Blaster is an arcane caster or just a guy with radioactive hands isn't important because the class still suffers from the mage problem. Blasters are one of the most powerful classes in the game when it comes to raw damage, but they're also one of the hardest classes to solo, and they're one that goes from hero to zero the fastest.
A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Why there are no more Epic Archetypes in City of Heroes
My weekend plans went cross-eyed, as they often do, but as a result I found myself looking through some old notes for future columns on City of Heroes. There were a lot of notes I took early on when I was first writing columns, some of which I wound up using and some of which wound up being discarded, but one particular idea jumped out at me: a column about potential future Epic Archetypes. Specifically, I was looking back over and noting how a lot of the archetypes I listed wouldn't actually work at all. I've gone on record as having been a big fan of EATs right from the beginning, as they're meant to be classes that break up the regular structure of the game's classes. That strikes me as laudable. But even disregarding the technical aspects of the epics that makes them more complex to develop and balance, I think there are some noteworthy basic problems with them on a conceptual level. We may very well never get another one just because the game has been structured to make them almost a design mistake that's never been corrected.
Behind the Mask: The real state of the game
Although Champions Online's most recent State of the Game has been out for a while, I sort of avoided talking about it in previous editions of Behind the Mask. The main reason was because I really wanted to cover the new powersets. However, that doesn't mean I don't have any comments on it. If you look at the history of the State of the Game and Ask Cryptic entries, they fluctuate quite a bit between good information and annoying PR. The January SOTG was full of annoying PR, and it bothered me greatly. It felt dishonest. I saw a lot of hype on little things that no one wanted and very little on what people really wanted. This week, I'm going to talk about the real state of the game: where CO is and where it needs to go. I'll also talk about some of the future stuff that Robobo mentioned in the SOTG. Is it good or bad? We'll see!
Champions Online reveals new Mountain archetype
Champions Online has a new protector in town, and he's about as subtle as Gregor Clegane (though quite a bit nicer). The game's newest archetype is called The Mountain, and Cryptic has revealed all the vitals on Champions' official website. The Mountain is "an embodiment of the rocks and earth that surround us, standing firm in the face of [his] foes," and Cryptic says that the archetype boasts knock-downs and considerable damage-soaking abilities. The devs have also provided a handy power listing that details everything from 1 to 40, as well as a few concept phrases -- like rock golem, earth elemental, and primordial entity -- to give you an idea what you're in for if you make a Mountain.
New Champions Online archetype available in regular and controversial editions
It might seem a little late for a demonic archetype, but Champions Online has still rolled one out into the store. The Scourge is a new ranged archetype focused on poisoning and debuffing the target, with less durability and melee power to balance its slow ranged ramp-up. Like all archetypes, it's free to subscribing players and available for free players in the cash store. But it's also tied to a new grab bag offered in the cash store, which is provoking a few player concerns. The Cursed Grab Bag, among other things, contains a special token to unlock the Cursed archetype, which is essentially a color-shifted version of the Scourge archetype. Some players are a little concerned about the slippery slope being established here, as the Cursed archetype is not free to subscribers (although color-shifting powers is). As a result, concerns have been raised about what this cosmetic change might mean for future archetypes being released, although as others point out, you can always just change the color if you subscribe to begin with.
Behind the Mask: Comparing the archetype bruisers
A lot of people seem to get the wrong idea about Champions Online's Gold archetypes. For the most part, the Gold archetypes are simply different options to play with. As I mentioned previously, the Master is kind of an exception, since it's the only dedicated archetype tank. However, this does not mean that the Master is the beat-all-end-all or that Gold archetypes are outright superior to Silver ones. For the most part, the Silver archetypes are better at their focused roles than the comparable Gold archetypes. This week, we're going to look at the damage-soaking tanky archetypes and compare them. I'll also give a quick comparison between these bruisers and a comparable freeform hero. There's quite a few to cover, so let's get to it!
A Mild-Mannered Reporter: In the case of archetypes
I can't say I'm unhappy about the announcement of a new round of powerset proliferation in City of Heroes, but I can be a little upset about the timing. I mean, really, Paragon? You couldn't have waited until my ten-part series talking about the powers available to each archetype was a little more cold in the ground before shooting it to pieces? Would that have been such a tragedy? Now it's pre-obsoleted before I even had the chance to develop a profound dissatisfaction for it. Oh, well. I might not be able to go back and edit all of the columns to accommodate all the upcoming changes (well, not credibly, anyway), but I can at least talk about the process and my thoughts behind the overall focus. And even if the columns won't quite stand the test of time, methodology matters, right? So let's get on with it and take a look back over the ten core archetypes, talk a little more about the epic archetypes, and even glance at the future of each given set.
Behind the Mask: I put on my robe and wizard hat
The Grimoire is Champions Online's magic-using archetype, and it's one of the most functional archetypes overall. Many players, including me, consider it to be the most complete package of all the archetypes (free or otherwise), providing strong team support, offense, and defense all in one. However, the Grimoire has a lot of quirks. He's not a blasty glass cannon, and leveling one up requires a lot of finesse and a totally different style of play. He lacks the ability to use easy damage attacks -- he can't draw a SMG or unleash mighty fire breath upon his foes. The Grimoire must approach battles much more tactically, especially in the early stages of the game.
A Mild-Mannered Reporter: In the case of Stalkers
It's kind of fitting that I wrap up this series on archetypes in City of Heroes just before I begin a six-week stint of a game chosen by popular opinion (go ahead and check in on Choose My Adventure if you're curious) because it's time for the last of the lot, one that seems almost obvious in retrospect when you look at the pattern in which I've been talking about each archetype. Scrappers were followed by a hybrid melee class, Brutes, which were followed by the Tankers, followed by the similarly party-oriented Defenders. Then we moved on to the inversely powered Corruptors, then the similar secondaries of Masterminds... and so on. Long story short, there's just one archetype left, and in many ways it makes sense that this one would come at the absolute end of the proceedings. After all, we're talking about a class that prefers to stay hidden, one that sneaks out of sight and destroys opponents through a sudden and unexpected blow to the vitals. That's right, it's time to talk about Stalkers, and whether you're new to the game or just the class, let's cap things off with the sneakiest player option in the entire game.
A Mild-Mannered Reporter: In the case of Blasters
In a way, there's a unique glory to unrepentant damage-dealing classes. Let the other characters focus on having unique and subtle hybrid style, through which every movement builds into some arcane methodology. That's all well and good, but you need to have a character option whose sole purpose in life is destruction. The sort of class whose idea of subtlety is shooting the target, shooting it again, and setting it on fire, and if there's anything left after all of that, maybe you'll ask it a question or two. A hammer is an excellent tool when you just want something smashed, after all. Blasters fill the role of unmitigated damage dealer in City of Heroes, and that makes them a joy to write about because they are focused without being monodimensional. Whether you're new to the game as a whole or just new to playing a ranged damage machine, read on for a discussion of the archetype, its abilities, and what can be expected when you decide to just blast everything into oblivion.
A Mild-Mannered Reporter: In the case of Dominators
Holy wow, it's been a really long time since the last archetype column. We kind of had an entire month (and then some) taken up with various anniversary shennanigans, and while I wouldn't exactly call that unfortunate, it did sort of take a bit of momentum out of the whole project. But we're back to discussing the archetypes of City of Heroes, and in a way today's discussion seems appropriate for being locked in place and unable to act for quite some time. Yes, today we're taking a look at how the other half lives when it comes to control-based sets with a look at the Dominator. Like every villainous archetype, the Dominator combines elements that were previously separate, but on the surface it looks an awful lot like a Controller. Whether you're new to City of Heroes or just to the archetype, it's a good time to understand the difference and show off the positive elements of the class, because while those differences from Controllers might be subtle, they're important.
TERA blog post redefines the holy trinity
En Masse Entertainment wants you to take everything you think you know about class roles and shove it -- well, you get the idea. En Masse's Scott James Magner waxes nostalgic on Dungeons and Dragons, EverQuest, and the establishment of the holy trinity. Scared of change? Don't worry too much. Magner says, "TERA isn't going to re-invent the wheel as far as class roles are concerned. Instead, we're redefining them as we move into the next generation of online games. TERA's eight classes fall easily into four in-demand roles, but how they do it is another story entirely." The Lancer and Warrior fill the tank role, but Magner is careful to point out that there is much more to to defending your allies than simply spamming your high-threat abilities; it's also highly dependent on blocking and dodging in a timely manner. Healers won't be playing whack-a-mole anymore, and Magner says that TERA's healers are "just as often in the thick of combat as the outskirts." Lastly, Magner thinks that the trinity should further divide into a "'foundation' of four," with DPS roles divided based on whether they are ranged or melee. The melee attackers deliver high damage with each strike, but the ranged attackers have an unbeatable attack speed. For the full details, head on over to TERA's site and check out the full article.
TERA releases Community Play Event numbers
If you're a TERA fan but not lucky enough to score an invite to En Masse Entertainment's recent Community Play Event (CPE), you can take heart in the fact that the company has released some information pertaining to all the players who did attend. We know, there's the potential for some salt in the wound here, but En Masse's Jon Tuite nonetheless has some interesting factoids relating to character races, classes, leveling trends, and many other data points. It seems that Castanics were the most popular race during the recent CPE, and humanoid races in general accounted for a whopping 68% of all characters. Tuite also points out that the Baraka race was the least popular (7% of the population) and postulates that the lack of a female version could be the culprit. In terms of class and party dynamics, the CPE data aren't far removed from your average fantasy MMO (i.e., there were a plethora of DPS types, fewer tanks, and even fewer healers). These stats are the tip of the proverbial iceberg, and you can indulge in more number-crunching at the official TERA website.
Storyboard: Archetype discussion -- a brief conclusion
Before I started writing up the archetypes that have made up a 10-part series (with two meta columns including this one), I only wrote out a very brief preamble in front of the Soldier column. As I said at the time, the goal was to provide character templates that work, in a broad sense -- characters that adapt easily to specifics and serve as a good jumping-off point for making something more original. It's a good way of glossing the series, made only slightly worse by the fact that it's not altogether true. From the first column, the archetypes I've been discussing have a long list of blanks for players to fill in, and that's been by design, because -- when you get right down to it, archetypes aren't characters. I touched upon this a bit when I stepped into the meta column, but now I want to be more explicit: Archetypes are at their core about motivation. They're not set to answer any questions about your character except for why he or she is out on the road, adventuring and questing and doing all sorts of unpleasant things.
A Mild-Mannered Reporter: In the case of Controllers
Every game has certain classes that seem unique. I don't mean to suggest that the rest of City of Heroes isn't unique, but when the game launched, the Controller was definitely in a league by itself. Time has shown that the Mastermind's personal army makes the archetype a bit more uncommon than a class focusing on holds and control elements, but the Controller was pretty unique stuff when the game launched almost seven years ago. Or at least, it was to me. Other audience members may feel differently. These days, with the trinity in most games having supplanted any unique roles, it's even more odd to think of "support" as a party role to be filled. But we're not here to talk about the gradual erosion of what was once a far more robust party structure; we're here to talk about Controllers. They're one of the original heroic archetypes, and they're also a very odd class from a design perspective, with a lot of offensive abilities but very little direct punch. So whether you are new to City of Heroes or just have never played with a hold set before, click on past the break for a look at what makes the archetype tick.
Storyboard: Of straw men and specifics
I was originally going to wrap up the initial little series of archetypes this week, but I decided to hold off for a week for a couple of reasons: first, because I don't want to just be rehashing what I said two weeks back when discussing how the series actually worked; and second, because there are a lot of smaller and assorted topics that I wanted to talk about for this week's installment of the column. We're approaching the first anniversary, after all, and that means it's a good time to start thinking about the next year. There's also more to be said about the archetype from last week, and that's where I'm going to start off. It seems as if pretty much everyone got the joke about that column; it was meant as a parody of an archetype that's all too common in MMOs: the Mary Sue in roleplaying form, the person who can do no wrong even as the player breaks all sort of rules for no reason beyond ego. But there's a reason I went with this archetype instead of my first idea for an April Fools' Day article -- I think this archetype can actually work in a game, if played with care and with a gentle hand.
Storyboard: Archetype discussion -- the Strawman
We've saved the best for last in our archetype discussions, because this character is the best. Without a doubt. He is pure, unadulterated awesome distilled into walking, talking form, and you could only hope to be half as great as he is. He saves princesses, slays dragons, and wins kingdoms, even if the game doesn't feature any of the above, because he is just that great. Whatever you do, he knows about it, and whatever you think you've mastered, he's even better. Don't hate him just because he's outdoing you at everything you try. The Strawman is our last archetype out of the initial round, and he's without a doubt better than any of the other loser types that we've covered up until now. After all, they all had one crippling flaw or another, and the Strawman neatly sidesteps all of those problems. He's the man with the plan, the dude with a justified attitude, and the solution rather than cause of all the problems your group of fellow players will encounter.
Enter at Your Own Rift: 'Role' play
In retrospect, it was all my fault. I had gotten too used to just throwing RIFT dungeon groups together and assuming that with the flexible soul system we'd be able to provide everything necessary no matter what archetype mixup we had. I suppose it's a testament to Trion Worlds' design that an exact group composition wasn't a top concern -- the goal is just getting five willing players together for a fun run. We were running Darkening Deeps, and I decided to start a group so that I could show off the dungeon to Rubi. We had two Rogues, two Mages and a Warrior, and I felt pretty confident going in that we would prevail. And while the Warrior stepped up and said he would tank -- taking the burden off of my Riftstalker build -- everyone else was curiously quiet when I asked if there was another healer who could back up my Bard heals for boss fights. Nothing. Not a peep. The other Rogue didn't have a Bard spec, and the Mages were whistling innocently when I asked if they happened to have a Chloromancer role tucked in their back pocket. Oh crud. This was going to hurt. Six trash pulls into the dungeon later, I called it and said that we simply didn't have enough healing power to make it through the bosses. My bad, I said, thanks for playing!
Storyboard: Archetype discussion -- the recursion
There are a lot of reasons a character would head off on the road to adventure. Sometimes it's out of a sense of duty, to a nation or to morality or even just duty itself. Other times it's a quest for knowledge, or acceptance, or cold hard cash. You might not want to be there, you might be seeking one profound goal, or you might just be along for the ride while everyone screws up around you. We've talked about each of these roles in turn, as archetypes for characters to fit into. But an archetype is not a character. An archetype is the idea of a character, boiled down and stripped of everything but the skeleton. You need more to make a character that isn't one-dimensional. I've spent the better part of the past several months discussing how the various archetypes work, but now I want to talk a little more about making them work together beyond just a character overview. (We still have at least one more installment of archetypes proper, but I wanted to write this up first.) So once you have the seed, what do you do from there?
