Nov 09
29
Hybrids vs pures
Some commonly used terms, when comparing damage across classes, are “pures” versus “hybrids”, and some people think that there should be a noticable difference between these classes. A hybrid is a class that is able to cover more than one role in a raid – a druid can do damage, tank or heal.
A pure, naturally, is a class that can only furfill one role ever. Back in the days, a hybrid would be a “jack of all trades, master of none”, and was viewed as slightly behind the pure classes with the roles they offered. In Vanilla-WoW, druid tanks were nearly non-existant, and while they could be used as tanks in The Burning Crusade, they fell short on some fights, specifically those designed around warrior abilities.
But the whole problem with hybrids was that people asked “Why bring them when X can do better”? Why would we bring a shadowpriest when a mage can do more damage? Why use a feral druid to tank when a warrior does it better? People was annoyed by the fact that they weren’t “just as good” and was left out, or forced to get into another role.
A major argument is that, while a hybrid can change his spec and completely change his playstyle, a rogue was still just a rogue no matter what he did. So in one regard, it was unfair that a hybrid only had to level one character, and be able to play the class in many different ways, while a pure was “stuck” with the playstyle he chose when he made it – perhaps at a point where he or she didn’t know excactly how playing their class would be at endgame.
On the other hand, the people rolling a hybrid wouldn’t know, that they would be forced into one viable spec if they wanted to raid, with their two other specs often inadequete for raiding. Healer classes especially – priests, druids, shamans and paladins – weren’t really usefull as anything else back in the days, and that limited their options anyways. Would a new player roll a druid if he knew that he couldn’t do as much damage as the “pure classes”?
Hybrids today are quite a lot closer to their pure class counterpart. Tanks especially are balanced to being as close to equal as possible, and fights are made to be tankable by any tank class, even if one is better than others on some fights. In regards to damage, Blizzard has often claimed that pures should be slightly ahead of hybrids, but in practical matters that is simply not how it is. Some hybrid classes has been dominating pures for quite a while – feral druids and death knights spring to mind. Other hybrids are quite equal to their pure idols (moonkins, amirite?!), while there is a group of hybrids (enhancement shamans and shadow priests especially) have been left out, and are far, far down the meters. So if it is Blizzard’s design to handicap hybrids, they haven’t executed this concept correctly.
But which classes are actually hybrids, and how should they be taxed? In reality, we only have four pure classes: Mages, warlocks, hunters and rogues. Every other class can support more than one role in a raid. Warriors and death knights can DPS or tank, priests can heal or DPS. Paladins can heal, tank or do damage, and druids can be casters, melee DPS, tanks and healers. Should we be taxed more if we have more options? Should warriors have a 5% tax because they can DPS? Should paladins be taxed 10% across their specs because they have three to choose from? Should druids be the weakest class because they can play the game four different ways? Then, on the other side, should rogues have a tax aswell, because one spec is predominately better for PvP? Should mages have a little nerf, because they can change their spec to fit a fights mechanics, where a moonkin is still a moonkin? I am sure you are getting my drift.
And while the level 80 warlock can only play as a level 80 warlock, and has to level a whole new class if he wants to change his gameplay, you have to apreciate the amount of effort that a hybrid has to put in to be viable in both specs. I have to maintain both a set for moonkin aswell as a whole different set for tanking. Thats a lot of gold, and a lot of time to accumilate these items and the gold needed for enchants and gems. In truth, the gear I get for my offspec is gear that nobody else wants, and usually not the gear that the real feral tank has, so in a way I have a slight tax – I am not as capable a tank as our main feral tank.
In the end, lets look at how realistic the whole argument is: I have never, ever had to switch out of moonkin form to toss a few heals on the tank. If we are at that point in a fight, it is usually lost anyways. Heck, I dont even pop a rejuvenation on myself when we run back from a whipe, cause I will get any health back once I eat my buff food. Even though I *can* support different roles in a raid, I rarely do. And while I suppose I could heal a 5 man instance, I doub that I will ever offer to do so. While I can respec to feral tanking, my gear is not as good as those of my fellow druids, and I couldn’t excactly just stroll in and tank Trial of the Grand Crusader on 25 man. Yeah, we have a slight benefit from having multiple playstyles to choose from, but that comes with a price.ยด
