Not all tropes are bad. Familiar patterns ease us into unfamiliar settings and systems, and so I understand why MMO developers aren’t constantly reinventing every aspect of game design. Yet sometimes they’re overly slavish to lazy, watered-down designs — especially with classes.
We see the same thing over and over again. Paladins fighting with a big shield. Mages in their bathrobes throwing out fireballs. Necromancers summoning agreeable skeletons. Rogues with two daggers, a mask, and a penchant for crouching in broad daylight and hoping that nobody sees them.
Maybe it’s time for a class refresh on these and even more? If you had to pick a stereotypical class design and single it out for a top-to-bottom renovation, what would it be?
Every morning, the Massively Overpowered writers team up with mascot Mo to ask MMORPG players pointed questions about the massively multiplayer online roleplaying genre. Grab a mug of your preferred beverage and take a stab at answering the question posed in today’s Daily Grind!
