I agree with Hegenox and Fragile here. Paladins being able to use healing along with damage, combined with their threat abilities and CC would be great. Paladins also have group heals, AoE heals and HoTs. They have DoTs that generate threat too... so the healing threat will only help.
So,
I think that is a interesting thought - and I am going to touch on the roots of early gaming and EQ. I mean I think there has been a odd evolution on how aggro has happened to be "simple" - where users of tanks basically have a "aggro combo" which all but assures you maintain threat. That becomes the meta - We use this to reference tank skill.
But...
What if we think of this another way? What if Paladins have weaker threat gen and higher durability/survival? The idea would be that the skill of other players would need to be engaged in exchange for a tougher tank. Maybe the presence of a paladin means that the fight is less spikey/stressful but a longer fight as DPS need to reduce output in exchange for that comfort. I wonder if players would go for that as a tank option.
I realize many modern MMO players we will be "LOL I want to get this over with quickly" but I think the idea of a different type of tank introducing another possible tactic to use would be nice. This of course would depend if enrage sort of concepts exist.
I could envision a group composed of friends who actually manage their threat; rather then going at each others throats because "you can't hold threat" or "Heal the tank better". I could see a group of friends being fine with a Paladin tactic involving a slower roast experience rather then a tank grinding their teeth. Perhaps a Tank concept that is more about just enjoying the play of the class rather then enjoying the play of the role.
Just a possible way to address the threat issue - by considering whether or not it is offset by other factors and yet remains viable.
Nate said:So,
I think that is a interesting thought - and I am going to touch on the roots of early gaming and EQ. I mean I think there has been a odd evolution on how aggro has happened to be "simple" - where users of tanks basically have a "aggro combo" which all but assures you maintain threat. That becomes the meta - We use this to reference tank skill.
But...
What if we think of this another way? What if Paladins have weaker threat gen and higher durability/survival? The idea would be that the skill of other players would need to be engaged in exchange for a tougher tank. Maybe the presence of a paladin means that the fight is less spikey/stressful but a longer fight as DPS need to reduce output in exchange for that comfort. I wonder if players would go for that as a tank option.
I realize many modern MMO players we will be "LOL I want to get this over with quickly" but I think the idea of a different type of tank introducing another possible tactic to use would be nice. This of course would depend if enrage sort of concepts exist.
I could envision a group composed of friends who actually manage their threat; rather then going at each others throats because "you can't hold threat" or "Heal the tank better". I could see a group of friends being fine with a Paladin tactic involving a slower roast experience rather then a tank grinding their teeth. Perhaps a Tank concept that is more about just enjoying the play of the class rather then enjoying the play of the role.
Just a possible way to address the threat issue - by considering whether or not it is offset by other factors and yet remains viable.
That does make the Paladin working exactly like the EQ warrior was : Lower threat but better overall at doing his mitigation job, honestly I would not like to see a tank that has a bleeding edge over others, and if the difference is marginal then the paladin would be less desirable in the end.
Let's just make everyone have to work a bit over their own threat and remember the tank is not meant to snap aggro from everyone in a single hit, while keeping them at reasonnable mitigation levels instead.
I agree with @MauvaisOeil on this one. I ended up hating my class for several years when I discovered (after probably 200 hours of playing already) that the SHD was actually the "puller" and not a "tank" due to the Warrior being able to mitigate damage better (at least for several years). Fortunately I was on a pvp server or I would've quit sooner than I did because SHD was vastly superior in PvP to the Warrior... and starting over from scratch was not an option after playing for years to get to where I was... which was not where I even wanted to be but was better than starting over :(
If I play a class with a specific role, I want to be able to perform that role equally to others within that role without requiring a specific mechanic, gimmick, or absolute dependancy of a specific class to also be in my group. A group-centirc game should be overly group friendly - to the point where you always want to invite anyone of appropriate level as long as you have at least one healer and an ability to not get 1-shot (have a tank, pets, kiting etc).
When we start seeing "Looking for -- specific class -- for xyz encounter" is when we need to be concerned. LFG's should be "looking for -- role -- between levels # - #"