If you could change one thing about your favorite MMORPG class, what would it be?

Damage, Heal, or Tank. These are the main choices we are given when choosing both the class and the definition of our role when starting a new MMORPG. And it’s important, as this will ensure that we can contribute meaningfully to any type of group content. If you’re supposed to be a healer, there’s no point in joining a raid to do damage, right?

Unfortunately, while the holy trinity of MMOs dictates a class’s design and its role in the meta, that doesn’t necessarily mean the way the class works plays is the same in every game. A healer inside World of Warcraft could have the same role as one in Guild Wars 2but are functionally and mechanically designed differently.

A lot of MMOs seem to be coming onto the scene trying to shake up the meta a little, or at least offer a little more variety in gameplay, such as the “classless” design of New world for example. But even then, the Trinity still dominates.

However, if you could take your favorite class in an MMO and change something about it to make it play differently, make it more interesting, or even just shake up the monotony of skill rotations enough to add a little variety to the mix, what would that do ? They do?

For me, my favorite MMORPG is on disk The Lord of the Rings Online. i love my hunter I’ve been playing the same character since release in 2007, although I have to admit that going through the same tab targeting skill rotation gets boring at times. At some point there seems to be no more skill, only memorization.

Alternates can certainly help break up this monotony, but I’ve never really wanted to play an alternate – one reason I love the job system Final Fantasy XIV so much. But one thing I love from the inside out LotROs Custom class design is something Loremasters already have: utility.

While the yellow trait line allows the hunter to morph into some sort of mini crowd control character, it’s not really enough other than letting you set some traps. However, it sounds interesting to me to create a way for a hunter to put pressure on an enemy based on the amount of damage they deal, or whether they’re holding down a mob in the distance while the companions are attacking someone else. Something like a sniper who provides cover and surveillance for the group.

Using a mechanic like the Flank ability that Loremaster and their pets have might come in handy here. One thing I really enjoy about the Loremaster is how reactive you need to be while playing – reacting to a debuff placed on an enemy by your bear or other pet interrupts the standard rotation enough to get me on my toes keep.

It’s the same when I play FFXIV. My red mage might have a fairly standard white and black mana build rotation, but weaving damage and utility spells in between the basic skills makes things a little more interesting.

So what if the hunter might not be the primary damage dealer in the group (the rune-keeper can still be a glass cannon). What if you need to harass an enemy while the group focuses on adds? How could leveraging the hunter’s range and ability to deal damage contribute to that while also ensuring you’re reacting to what’s happening in front of you?

A surveillance stance, something that could pin down a strong enemy, such as a cave troll dashing towards you, which adds slowing, roots, confusion, fear and more – really acting as an alternative to crowd control when the loremaster is otherwise busy – sounds more interesting than just standing still and burning someone down.

Forcing the hunter to react to, for example, a troll trying to break the root would also keep me busy. Will the root I have laid on this enemy break soon? Can I pin the target and keep it out of the main fight long enough to make sure we don’t wipe? What can I do and how do I react if the target defies or breaks my crowd control? Those are all things I don’t have to worry about right now, but I think adding these kinds of choices would make it more interesting to play at times.

It’s probably just a spit ball. Does the hunter really need this ability? Probably not. The Loremaster is the undisputed king of CC in Middle-earth and the Burglar adds some pretty powerful options to the table as well. But I love the idea of ​​being able to play a Legolas-type archer who can snipe and cover allies from afar, long enough to make sure the party is in control.

But what about you? If you could change one thing about your favorite MMORPG class from a gameplay perspective, what would it be? Let us know in the comments below.