Every class should be a Hybrid.

[Teriz]

At this point in WoW's evolution, there's really no purpose for "pure" classes anymore. Warlocks, Mages, Hunters, and Rogues are seriously harmed by not having viable healing or tanking specs to fall back on. The 7 hybrid classes have better access to dungeons, raids, and are more flexible in terms of overall spec design. An Enhancement Shaman for example is pretty different than an Elemental Shaman in terms of playstyle. Meanwhile a Mage, though having a wealth of spells and abilities, plays pretty similarly from spec to spec, especially with the Mage bombs being such a significant DPS contribution to every Mage spec in MoP. Warlocks also had this issue, but thankfully they were revamped in MoP (ironically by giving the class a psuedo-tanking spec).

I just don't see the point of having pure DPS specs anymore. Blizzard should seriously consider adding healing or tanking specs to the four pure DPS classes. If that requires a fourth spec to make it happen, then so be it. As it stands, pure classes are at a severe disadvantage to the hybrid classes.

[bklutz]

what else would you have rogues hunters mages and warlocks do besides dps?

[Kaleredar]

brb, loading my bow with healing arrows

realistically, what are you going to tell people?

"oh, I'm sure you loved DPSing as combat for the past four years but, heh, guess what, now you either tank as combat, or you switch specs."

[LocNess]

As a Mage, I do not support this message. I like DPSing.

[Mormolyce]

I think pretty much any future MMO with a trinity type system will have all classes hybrid or something along those lines. However to do that in WoW would be too much of a change at this point. Also it's pretty horribly incompatible with the lore (not that that stopped ToR - a bounty hunter healer I ask you...).

[apepi]

If every class was a hybrid, no class would be a hybrid....

[Airwaves]

NO!, I play pure dps now days to avoid ever been asked to tank or heal. (I tanked for 6 years)

[bklutz]

the only way i could see this working would be making a support-like style spec...provide part time buffs and debuffs while doing okay damage.

[link4117]

the only way i could see this working would be making a support-like style spec...provide part time buffs and debuffs while doing okay damage.

Indeed. And they tried that in vanilla and it was horribly boring for those players, but necessary for the raid. I don't see them going back that way. Well, I hope they don't anyway.

[Ethes]

I think having these 'pure' classes is a perfectly good way for people who don't want to tank or heal to play. I've got a lock and a hunter myself and I enjoy both these classes. Don't see why either of them should have a healing or tank spec. I think it is useless, I knew perfectly well what I picked when I did...

[randomnamegenerator16]

Well... It's not bad idea. I mean: warlocks and hunters should have option to be tanks (pets!) and mage can use magic to heal his allies (yeah, that would be very similar to priest...). But rogue? I don't see any possibility to make them something more than pure dps.

[Teriz]

what else would you have rogues hunters mages and warlocks do besides dps?

Mages=Healing (time magic)
Hunters= Healing or tanking
Warlocks= Healing or tanking
Rogues= Tanking

It would probably take a fourth spec for this to happen though. Changing existing DPS specs to tanking or healing would tick off way too many players.

[Junir]

No thanks, i think GW2 did this looks like its working great! I like the feel of having a role in WoW, I play heals mainly have for years and its nice to go be a complete tard when i DPS or try tanking and see the game through thier screens.

[ManjiSanji]

(Tank) "Ow
Ow
OW
OW OW OW OW
Son of a bitch, stop stabbing me!"

(Rogue) "What, I'm a rogue healer. I'm using my...healing...poisons."
(Tank) "WELL IT'S NOT WORKING!"

[Actarius]

Mages- I find it challenging to incorporate either a tanking or healing spec into the mage class. They are masters of Fire, Frost, and Arcane. No where in the WoW universe is Fire, Frost, or Arcane used to heal another humanoid. Evocation and rune of powers can heal a mage, but, to my understanding, this is due to an influx of arcane energies, which can be transformed into sustenance for the mage. Tanking is definitely out of the question, unless a major re-haul is done, and the class begun to look more like a battlemage.

Warlocks- Easily made into a tank, healing could be done through shadow energies, similar to the vampiric thing done my spriests.

Rogues- They could become tanks like druids were in previous expansions, dodge and health orientated. Instead of being a meat shield, rogues could evade and parry most attacks, but being hit hard when they are actually hit.

Hunters- Similar to mages, I doubt any healing or tanking spec could be made out of the class right now. With some major changes, we could have our first ranged tanks though.

[Airwaves]

No thanks, i think GW2 did this looks like its working great! I like the feel of having a role in WoW, I play heals mainly have for years and its nice to go be a complete tard when i DPS or try tanking and see the game through thier screens.

It works fine is Gw2? what are you talking about? The whole idea of tanking,healing and dps does not exist there. The combat system is nothing like wows. You can't even compare the two.

Why do people even make comments like this?

Mages- I find it challenging to incorporate either a tanking or healing spec into the mage class. They are masters of Fire, Frost, and Arcane. No where in the WoW universe is Fire, Frost, or Arcane used to heal another humanoid. Evocation and rune of powers can heal a mage, but, to my understanding, this is due to an influx of arcane energies, which can be transformed into sustenance for the mage. Tanking is definitely out of the question, unless a major re-haul is done, and the class begun to look more like a battlemage.

Simple, Warmage tanking spec. They can wear plate sp gear because they need to get something else into that gear.

[Stellarus]

Is this a serious thread? Or what I'm confused.

[Teriz]

Mages- I find it challenging to incorporate either a tanking or healing spec into the mage class. They are masters of Fire, Frost, and Arcane. No where in the WoW universe is Fire, Frost, or Arcane used to heal another humanoid. Evocation and rune of powers can heal a mage, but, to my understanding, this is due to an influx of arcane energies, which can be transformed into sustenance for the mage. Tanking is definitely out of the question, unless a major re-haul is done, and the class begun to look more like a battlemage.

Warlocks- Easily made into a tank, healing could be done through shadow energies, similar to the vampiric thing done my spriests.

Rogues- They could become tanks like druids were in previous expansions, dodge and health orientated. Instead of being a meat shield, rogues could evade and parry most attacks, but being hit hard when they are actually hit.

Hunters- Similar to mages, I doubt any healing or tanking spec could be made out of the class right now. With some major changes, we could have our first ranged tanks though.

Actually Mage healing would be the easiest to justify. They would just use time magic to heal. Temporal Shield and Alter Time already do this.

[Deleted]

At this point in WoW's evolution, there's really no purpose for "pure" classes anymore. Warlocks, Mages, Hunters, and Rogues are seriously harmed by not having viable healing or tanking specs to fall back on.

No, what would hurt them more is having healing / tank specs rammed into them regardless as to if it fit or not.

Having more tank specs doesn't make more tanks, if you don't want to tank - you don't tank. If you want to tank, you roll a class with a damned tank spec. All removing pures dps trees is going to do is mean that people who didn't like dps tree 1, but liked dps tree 2, no longer like their dps class.

"At this point in WoW's evolution" it's far too late to going changing things that drastically, if you rolled a class without a tank / healing tree and you want to tank or heal, go roll a different class, because the problem isn't on blizzards end, you've just clicked the wrong thing - pures have been pure for 8 years now, mages have yet to have any problems not being able to heal people with their fire.

[Aquamonkey]

brb, loading my bow with healing arrows

realistically, what are you going to tell people?

"oh, I'm sure you loved DPSing as combat for the past four years but, heh, guess what, now you either tank as combat, or you switch specs."

Killing floor has an entire spec based on shooting syringes full of healing goodness.