06-28-2005, 11:18 PM
A good basic group composition is tank + healer + 3 dps classes. Possibly tank + healer + 2 dps + hybrid to allow extra flexibility. Or tank + 2 AoE dps + 2 healers for area effect teams.
So rather than there being too many hunters, I'd argue that from the grouping perspective there are too many hybrids.
As for classes attracting certain types
Hunter - appeals to explorer type players, offers self reliance, can seem noobish simply because pet control is actually quite difficult to get the hang of and can be spectacularly and memorably disastrous
Priest - for every kind-hearted priest playerl who just likes to heal people and socialise I suspect there are 3 players who chose priests for the element of social control. You always get invites, you can say and do things that would get other players /kicked or /ignored and no one with any sense annoys you. Less likely to attract new players simply because a support role is a less obvious choice than a main role
Warlock - appeals to the most thoughtful of players because it's a very complex class to play. It has a basic new player appeal in that it's a nuker with a meat shield which seems a sensible way to face a dangerous world. Generally though it's for players who want a challenge, possibly people who suspect there is some secret uber build hidden in this class which seems gimped but which Blizzard claims is balanced
Druid - jack of all trades class with near specialist level healing, it should be a lot more popular than it is. I see, perhaps with an overly critical eye, a lot of bad druids, players just locked into one approach. I guess it attracts a middling type, more sophisticated than the "i just wanna hit stuff" crowd but not the hard-core power-gamers
Shaman - the popular choice for Horde on my server. It has a strong reputation as a borderline over-powered class which attracts a lot of people. Very newbie friendly in that it's hard to get a shaman really wrong. Kill things, heal in a crisis. I must admit, I do get rather frustrated with the ones who can't even manage that, as we discussed in the other thread
Mage - good choice for killers and aggressive players in particular. Very newbie friendly as it's hard to get the class role wrong. Kill stuff. If you forget to bring drink it's still not a problem. Once the mage player masters sheeping, frost nova and giving drinks to the healer they become an exceptionally valuable party member still without needing any especially complex playing skills
Rogue - prime killer choice, also a popular choice for thinking players and people who like the role. Very newbie friendly in a pvp context because you're much safer as a stealth class than most. Seems to attract a lot of immature people, maybe it's just that the class is more heavily item dependent than most but I've trekked through a lot of instances with some rogue spamming "pls dun roll on the sword - i neeeeeeed it" beginning at least an hour before said sword could possibly drop and repeated every minute or two
Warrior - the prime choice for both the most and the least experienced. The most experienced players like warrior because no one affects the success of a group more than the tank and a great player has the greatest impact in this role. New people like the heroic feel, high capacity for damage and the prospect of a the most uncomplicated class to play. Easy to learn, hard to master.
Paladin - the basic appeal, I think is a fighter with heals, which makes a lot more sense than a fighter without heals. It's also the Alliance flagship class and it's a heroic class. I think more sophisticated players see paladins as the chance to get a taste of all the roles, as the best class for surviving and as a very good contribution to any team. Many paladins I've spoken to say they picked the class to play with friends. A class for socialisers, definitely
So rather than there being too many hunters, I'd argue that from the grouping perspective there are too many hybrids.
As for classes attracting certain types
Hunter - appeals to explorer type players, offers self reliance, can seem noobish simply because pet control is actually quite difficult to get the hang of and can be spectacularly and memorably disastrous
Priest - for every kind-hearted priest playerl who just likes to heal people and socialise I suspect there are 3 players who chose priests for the element of social control. You always get invites, you can say and do things that would get other players /kicked or /ignored and no one with any sense annoys you. Less likely to attract new players simply because a support role is a less obvious choice than a main role
Warlock - appeals to the most thoughtful of players because it's a very complex class to play. It has a basic new player appeal in that it's a nuker with a meat shield which seems a sensible way to face a dangerous world. Generally though it's for players who want a challenge, possibly people who suspect there is some secret uber build hidden in this class which seems gimped but which Blizzard claims is balanced
Druid - jack of all trades class with near specialist level healing, it should be a lot more popular than it is. I see, perhaps with an overly critical eye, a lot of bad druids, players just locked into one approach. I guess it attracts a middling type, more sophisticated than the "i just wanna hit stuff" crowd but not the hard-core power-gamers
Shaman - the popular choice for Horde on my server. It has a strong reputation as a borderline over-powered class which attracts a lot of people. Very newbie friendly in that it's hard to get a shaman really wrong. Kill things, heal in a crisis. I must admit, I do get rather frustrated with the ones who can't even manage that, as we discussed in the other thread
Mage - good choice for killers and aggressive players in particular. Very newbie friendly as it's hard to get the class role wrong. Kill stuff. If you forget to bring drink it's still not a problem. Once the mage player masters sheeping, frost nova and giving drinks to the healer they become an exceptionally valuable party member still without needing any especially complex playing skills
Rogue - prime killer choice, also a popular choice for thinking players and people who like the role. Very newbie friendly in a pvp context because you're much safer as a stealth class than most. Seems to attract a lot of immature people, maybe it's just that the class is more heavily item dependent than most but I've trekked through a lot of instances with some rogue spamming "pls dun roll on the sword - i neeeeeeed it" beginning at least an hour before said sword could possibly drop and repeated every minute or two
Warrior - the prime choice for both the most and the least experienced. The most experienced players like warrior because no one affects the success of a group more than the tank and a great player has the greatest impact in this role. New people like the heroic feel, high capacity for damage and the prospect of a the most uncomplicated class to play. Easy to learn, hard to master.
Paladin - the basic appeal, I think is a fighter with heals, which makes a lot more sense than a fighter without heals. It's also the Alliance flagship class and it's a heroic class. I think more sophisticated players see paladins as the chance to get a taste of all the roles, as the best class for surviving and as a very good contribution to any team. Many paladins I've spoken to say they picked the class to play with friends. A class for socialisers, definitely