A dumb question from someone not very well-versed in gaming terminology.

CMDR_Un1k0rn

Would a tank in ESO be considered a so-called "support class"?

IndianaJames7

Yes, tanks and healers are considered support roles generally in eso. To be technical though class refers to something else (dragon knight/nightblades/ Sorc etc.) so role is the word typically used instead of class when distinguishing between support and dps.

Siohwenoeht

CMDR_Un1k0rn wrote: »

Would a tank in ESO be considered a so-called "support class"?

Eso's roles nominally follow the trinity (dd, healer, tank) but the healer and tank roles both provide more group buffs/debuffs than most other MMOs so they do "support" the dd's.

starkerealm

Depends a little on the game, but in ESO, yes, Tanks are a support role. Tanks in other MMOs? Not always.

Raideen

Typically you will have
Tank
Healer
DPS (Damager Per Second) or DD (Damage Dealers)
Support

Support is not an actual "class" perse, its skills or abilities that allow you to help the team. In ESO the 4 man dungeon would not work too well if you had support as an actual class or role.

Usually DPS are also the support, but Tanks can also support, and Healers can support.

I call Tanks, Tanks. I call DPS, DPS, I call Healers, Healers. I don't refer to support as even existing.

CMDR_Un1k0rn

Thanks guys. I was having a discussion with a good friend of mine and he was bringing the term up himself, and I was a little perplexed, hence my posting here this evening.

xenowarrior92eb17_ESO

@CMDR_Un1k0rn tanks and healers in ESO are DDs buff b!@&es.

starkerealm

CMDR_Un1k0rn wrote: »

Thanks guys. I was having a discussion with a good friend of mine and he was bringing the term up himself, and I was a little perplexed, hence my posting here this evening.

Yeah, okay. Then the short version is, ESO doesn't really have support. Healers and tanks get lumped in, because they fit the definition, but the game doesn't split it out.

In other games, support classes fill in an intermediate role. While the healers keep people alive, the tanks keep the boss occupied, and the DPS try to murder the snot out of it, the supports buff the DPS, debuff the boss, counter enemy units that are their problem, and otherwise help the rest of the team work more effectively.

Healers are sometimes classed as support, depending on the game, and the support character may have the ability to perform the other roles to a limited extent. For example, D&D's Bard, with it's restricted list of healing spells, it's access to fairly heavy weaponry and armor (for an arcane spellcaster), does set it up as a clear example of what a support character can do, in addition to being support.

In the case of ESO, though, all players (including the DPS) are including elements that are normally part of a dedicated "support" role.

Danikat

Incidentally some games will have literal tank classes, healer classes etc. who can't realistically fill any other role. I've encountered it more in Japanse RPGs (the Dragon Quest series for example) but it can happen in Western RPGs too.

I think it's more common in single-player games where you form a party with NPCs, because playing as a class that can only be a tank, healer or other support role would be frustrating without a party, so typically the player character will be a damage focused or jack-of-all-trades class and then pick up NPC compaions who fill the other roles. Possibly also because it saves a lot of time when deciding who to have in your party if you know just from the class name what they'll be doing.

Also MMO players spending more time trying to find a healer (or tank) to join their party than actually playing got to be a bit of a running joke, so I think a lot of games have made an effort to make it easier for players to switch roles if they need to.

SeaGtGruff

I'm disappointed, because I thought this thread was going to be about all those abbreviations that everybody uses. It took me forever to figure most of them out.

Jeremy

CMDR_Un1k0rn wrote: »

Would a tank in ESO be considered a so-called "support class"?

No.

Tanks are not a support class. They are a tanking class with a specific and primary role to play in combat. Which is to... wait for it... tank.

For some weird reason though a lot of the posters on this forum seem to believe everything that isn't DPS MOAR DEEPS is considered a support class, since of course it's the main job of everyone else to support them to do... yep, you guessed it - MOAR DAMAGE!!

This game does not have an official support class, sadly. Older MMORPGs did - and it's a shame modern MMOs no longer have them. So just mix in as much support elements as you are comfortable with. But ultimately your role in combat is to tank. It isn't to support.