What could have been a fourth role for players in WoW apart from support?

[Jervaise]

Currently the PvE end of things are played as a Tank a Healer and a Damage Dealer. You could argue PvP is more complex and more than just mere DD and Healing.

However, if you were in the dev team and it were decided to include a new role, especially for PvE, what do you think could have filled this spot?

Now, I do want to leave the support role out because mainly it's too broad.

Also;

A) It's the obvious go to option
B) We unofficially had it in the past like shadow priests of TBC
C) Jack of all master of none approaches don't cut it in today's competitive environment
D) I want to spark thoughts for more creative routes


This thread isn't about asking if a fourth role is needed. It most probably isn't needed at all.

[Heffladin]

Offtank, healer hybrid, as somras Early shaman talents suggusted.. other than that .. leaves mostly CC.. buff class such as bard? Hmm

[Lochton]

A fourth role would be support, unless you split up DPS into two rules, Ranged and melee.

[Jargathnan]

The trinity works because it covers all of the bases: those being killed, those keeping others from being killed, and those doing the killing. Doesn't leave much room for a fourth role, especially if you remove the support role. So I'm not sure anything beyond the three is even necessary. Support would be the only role I'd consider, personally, if a fourth had to be introduced.

[Deleted]

LotRO and D&D 4.0 both have a "support"/"controller" role, and group play is quite good there, so I would go with either of these. And while the usual D&D party has about 4-5 members (pep & paper RPG), LotRO group content is a multiple of 3: 3 man dungeons, 6 man dungeons, 12 and 24 man raids. I think, adding a 4th role to WoW would also increase the group size for dungeons and probably also raids.

[Deleted]

a troll - someone who tries to wipe the group. He should have skills like stunning group members, disarming, buffing bosses etc.

[mikepic]

Buffer/Debuffer: Light damage to enemy but debuffs the enemies so they take more damage, are slowed, attack slower. Buffs group to attack quicker, light heals, take less damage, breaks stuns, increase stats, etc.

Not saying all of those but mix and match for balance. Maybe call it a Bard?

[FelPlague]

Currently the PvE end of things are played as a Tank a Healer and a Damage Dealer. You could argue PvP is more complex and more than just mere DD and Healing.

However, if you were in the dev team and it were decided to include a new role, especially for PvE, what do you think could have filled this spot?

Now, I do want to leave the support role out because mainly it's too broad.

Also;

A) It's the obvious go to option
B) We unofficially had it in the past like shadow priests of TBC
C) Jack of all master of none approaches don't cut it in today's competitive environment
D) I want to spark thoughts for more creative routes


This thread isn't about asking if a fourth role is needed. It most probably isn't needed at all.

well we allready had this fourth roll in the game for some time
offtank, a spec that is not so great at tanking full on boss, but more for tanking adds.
this used to be alot bigger way back when, but now adays not so much
also we had an actual support spec for awhile
WOTLK demo lock where you went full spellpower and spirit with specific talents and glyphs so that you could give your raid group as much spellpower as possible.

btw i mean Support Spr/Spl demo lock... my fave version of the spec yet...

[Peacemoon]

A 4th role would be an enabler. I.e buffs/debuffs/crowd control. A lot of the support powers in City of Heroes did this rather than heal. On WoW though this is sprinkled through the other specs.

Disc priest is closest to this.

It’s the sort of role a bard would fit if we ever had one.

[clevin]

Honestly people read the damn OP. They explicitly say "Aside from support roles..." and you all start listing... support roles. Sheesh.


On topic - I don't think there's a need for anything past the trinity for the reason Jargathnan lists - the three roles cover everything. Roles spring out of a need, not the other way around and the trinity covers all of the needs to win. There are no other needs said from someone who can gain the bosses' attention and take their attacks, people to do damage to the boss so that it dies and someone to heal the damage being taken by these roles.

[Darktbs]

Difficult, i assume that most things would fall into Tanking, Healing, Damage or Support niches.

[Peacemoon]

Honestly people read the damn OP. They explicitly say "Aside from support roles..." and you all start listing... support roles. Sheesh.


On topic - I don't think there's a need for anything past the trinity for the reason Jargathnan lists - the three roles cover everything.

I wonder - could your two points be related?

Thanks,

[Dhrizzle]

Currently the PvE end of things are played as a Tank a Healer and a Damage Dealer. You could argue PvP is more complex and more than just mere DD and Healing.

However, if you were in the dev team and it were decided to include a new role, especially for PvE, what do you think could have filled this spot?

Now, I do want to leave the support role out because mainly it's too broad.

Also;

A) It's the obvious go to option
B) We unofficially had it in the past like shadow priests of TBC
C) Jack of all master of none approaches don't cut it in today's competitive environment
D) I want to spark thoughts for more creative routes


This thread isn't about asking if a fourth role is needed. It most probably isn't needed at all.

A) It's obvious because it's the only real alternative in the way WoW plays.
B) Shadow Priest didn't play a support role, they played a DPS role that had built in support buffs.
C) A Support role isn't a "Jack of All Trades." Theoretically I guess you could have a support class with temporary buffs that allow it to take on one of the trinity roles for a limited time but in general a support role will choose to enhance the roles at different times to aid in an encounter. Think of a bard that can play songs to boost defenses, damage or regeneration depending on what the group needs at the time; maybe with some CC, light-healing or damage of their own thrown in.

D) Oh alright then, how about an infiltrator that plays solo or in small groups to disable certain mechanics and draw off adds into traps whilt the rest of the raid deals with the main encounter.

Or a builder who has a totally different UI and sets down vehicles, machines or structures to aid the raid and shape the battle-field.

[Holdodlig]

If a support isn't the 4th role, then you couldn't have any 4 role because you could make any kind of mechanic to fit a 4th role would be to allow the group to deal damage, take damage or heal other. It could be by soaking damage (which is a form of tanking), buffing, or any mechanic you can do, it will be a support.

[kail]

DPS/Healer, similar to disc priest. I could see ret paladins turning into the melee equivilant, maybe a rogue class as well. Having 3 dps specs for a single class feels like there could be some flexibility to their raid roles instead of their damage numbers.

[Roia]

Hmmm... that would be a difficult role to create, as pretty much anything falls into the holy trinity and/or support types.

You could have something like a "puzzle-solver" type role, and create encounters where maybe you have to get your raid out of traps, or solve random clues that would debuff the boss, or buff your raid. However, would this role become particularly engaging during a boss fight? Would you be able to balance a boss against something that would ultimately have to have some kind of randomness to it to be interesting. In wow though, this might fit better as say a secondary profession that every class could choose to do, rather than a class built around it.

[Evaddon]

The fourth role would have to be support. Anything else wouldn't fit. Wouldn't have a role?

Support means anything from Healing/Dps hybrid. Buffing/DPS hybrid. Tanking/DPS hybrid, Buffing/Healer hybrid, Tanking/Buffing hybrid

[clevin]

I wonder - could your two points be related?

Thanks,

If someone can't think of a non-support role response to OP's point, either don't reply or reply like I did, explaining why you think that. But to ignore the OP and start posting roles that are clearly support roles indicates the commenter either didn't read the OP or doesn't understand what a support role is.

[Deleted]

buff bot like def paladins in classic? wasn't fun, didn't work.

[crakerjack]

Create a style of raiding where the bosses are actual players and the mechanics are spontaneous and unpredictable. The player wouldn't be able to control the boss or who it attacks, but it can control when it does mechanics such as aoe, single target, soak, more adds, dodge etc. That sounds more entertaining than a new role.