Breakfast Topic: Hybrids in WoW
by Eliah Hecht 
Dec 17th 2006 at 8:00AM
WoWWiki defines a hybrid class as a class that "combines the abilities of other base classes." That encompasses Paladins (Warrior + Priest), Druids (Warrior + Rogue + Priest + Mage), and Shaman (Priest + Mage + some sort of melee). Priests could also be considered hybrids in their own right, as they can heal well or put out good dps in Shadowform. My question to you this morning is: how well do hybrid classes work in WoW? For instance, the Druid is commonly described as a "jack of all trades;" the second half of the phrase is of course "master of none." Are Druids and other hybrid classes really not as good at any given role as single-role classes? Should they be?Filed under: Druid, Paladin, Shaman, Breakfast Topics, Features
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Tigraine Dec 17th 2006 8:46AM
BC changes this a bit.
Our warriors are more and more complaining that they are completely useless.
Here is a movie from a lvl 70 Warrior from Nihilum against a lvl 68 Feral dr00d
Tigraine Dec 17th 2006 8:53AM
damn.. forgot the link ^^
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2070983670833723535&q=burning+crusade+warrior
sep Dec 17th 2006 9:01AM
I'm a druid... and i really really regret it. I want to be fighting the good fight not a support healer. Any instances, quests pretty much WHENEVER i'm on a team i'm a healer. I'm never used for my warrior abilites. Its even worse that i hardly see any useful items for my Druid. I was carrying around a lvl 10 staff til about 20 (and i run instances like every day).
However the flip side is... if not for me we would never make it through any of the instances or alot of the quests. I personaly see druids as a horrible version of a priest (Granted i haven't played a priest yet :p). Then i read your posts on how BC still left Druids out... i'm getting worried... I'm hoping it gets better in higher lvls. Right now i feel betrayed :(
Arbuz Chokaro Dec 17th 2006 9:03AM
Druids in my opinion are great classes because, although not as great at their different phases as the actual classes, they're excellent fillers for any sort of role people are looking for in instance play. I've found it so much easier to get into groups since I can both tank and heal.
I don't really mind that I'm not as powerful as other classes. I have more fun this way without rolling a million alts.
Hugh "Nomad" Hancock Dec 17th 2006 9:48AM
Hybrids are arguably more powerful than single-function classes. The problem with hybrid classes is that they require fundementally different tactics to the conventional tank/DPS/Healer setup. Those tactics require a lot more co-ordination and are less well-understood.
If you want to see a hybrid class at its full potential, get onto some form of voice communication (or ideally be in the same room as the rest of your party) and go do instances as a 3-man or 2-man group. For example, a Pallie and a Hunter can do most of the instances in the game (I've not tried DM, Scholo or Strath yet, and the end of Uldaman's a bastard, but all the rest is doable) without needing any other party members - they've got all the abilities they need right there. But you do need to be able to communicate well and fast.
The Tank/Healer/DPS setup works well because it's simple, everyone only has one easily-understood role, and for most encounters it can go ahead with a minimum of communication. That makes it ideal for a mostly text communication game where you're often playing with people you don't know well. However, it's not the only game, or even the best game, in town.
Parallax Dec 17th 2006 10:11AM
though ofttimes better than master of one.
Sylythn Dec 17th 2006 10:25AM
Yeah, I find it quite unfortunate that the expectations on druids are - "ok, you can fill a bunch of roles - so I want you to do this...and only this". Attitudes like that nerf druids, no matter how good the player is.
The whole idea with a druid is that they can do it all, at any time, as needed. Their flexibility is their strength. But so many times in instance runs, I see them stuck to doing one role, in one form.
I'd be much happier if druids in my groups would, cat form for dps - oh crap, there's an add, bear form and tank until we get to him - whoops our healer can't keep up, heal a bit...etc. That kind of on the spot adaptation is what druids are for - and I think why a lot of players select them...unfortunately, it rarely sees the light of day.
When you play with 8 million other people, you can't expect the complex tactics to be understood by every group you're in.
Krianna Dec 17th 2006 12:14PM
Agreeing with Sylythn-- when I'm in a group with a druid who knows his stuff, it's quite fun, because that frees up other hybrids to do their thing, too. Only place I've seen trouble is making sure that healing is covered, because it gets to be so FUN to mowe through things. *Grin*
I think that a hybrid that chooses a group roll, gears for it and learns it well will usually be better than the class that is made for it, just because it takes a sort of dedication to their chosen job is rather rare. They'll be lacking in advantages, but they will in the long run work out better.
I love hybrids because it makes soloing most NPCs possible.
Hugh "Nomad" Hancock Dec 17th 2006 6:58PM
One other advantage that mostly-hybrid groups have over mostly-static groups is the ability to change roles and optimise for tough fights.
I'm a dedicated 2 or 3-man instance-runner, and with my current group (a 3-man Holy Trinity - Prot Warr, Holy Priest, Arcane Mage) we sometimes run across situations where we can't put out the needed DPS to finish an encounter quickly, for example, because we're all so rigidly set in our roles.
For a 3-Druid party, say, that would be much less of a problem - you can quickly and easily reconfigure your group in the middle of a dungeon to DPS like a bitch for this fight, have a tank and an OT for another fight, stealth through this bit, have more healing than the Stormwind Cathedral Bake Sale for the next bit...
You also tend to notice that there's a lot more aggro-switching in hybrid groups. In my 3-man, it's a case of "Me Tank. Me get hit. If anyone else get hit, we all in big poo-poo".
In my two-man Hunter/Pallie group, by contrast, aggro was all over the shop - on the Pallie, then onto the pet whilst the Pallie healed, then split between the pet and me for a trap, then back to the Pallie and the pet, then off the pet whilst I heal it, then...
That's another reason it's harder for PUGs to manage that sort of fight - the key word in "aggro management" there is "management", and that needs communication and trust.
I think with the "heroic" difficulty setting for 5-man dungeons, we'll see a lot more experimentation with tactics, and probably see top instance-running groups starting to use more of this flexibility.
Thijz Dec 17th 2006 2:19PM
Hybrids can be both. I think Druids are not that powerfull, but with all my characters i'm completely useless against a shaman!
Raynia Dec 17th 2006 4:04PM
I've only ever played my druid as a healer, thats why I started her in the first place. To me, my druid is not a jack of all trades. Shes a master of healing. In raids I usually see top 5 healing having at least 3 druids. Druids tend to get higher crits and good DoTs. I dont know about feral or balance, but Im sure they can be masters just as well as "base" classes.
blackjack21 Dec 17th 2006 7:37PM
I love being a hybrid class. Hybrid classes are fun to play because they require more than clicking two buttons to dps or heal.
For example, during the last fight in Scholo when party members get teleported out of the room. Our party's healer was teleported out of the room, so I popped out of cat and healed. When our warrior was teleported I jumped in bear and tanked. We were able to finish the boss because of hybrid abilities. I
Apocolipto Dec 18th 2006 12:33PM
My op. The Warrior is doing just what he should. Although i think they damage increases should be alot greater then they are along with Minor Defence increases. We are tanks and should be built for speed, str, and durability in combat. I do believe that blizzard could have given them alittle more of a boost then others. maybe more HP Or a faster Attack. other then that. No we cannot heal besides for First aid. so buy lots of pots.
Donner Dec 19th 2006 1:53AM
Meh it seems like hybrid classes just want to take the job of the warrior. And really where does that leave us warriors? Out of raids, cause in tbc theres really going to be no need for an arms or fury warrior.
chad Dec 18th 2006 4:44PM
It all depends on what you want to do. Managing large raids requires people to fulfil their assigned responsibilities efficiently. Smaller groups can necessarily adapt much more quickly to changes, since there are fewer people to coordinate.
My particular guild is druid-friendly, druid-heavy, and into end-game raiding. We regularly allow feral and `oomkin' druids to do their stuff in end-game raids, and we have a couple who are set up to switch mid-encounter based on the current situation. Mostly, though, our druids are healers, and there's a simple reason for it:
In PvE, a Druid could be a Healer, a Tank, a Melee dps'er, or a ranged dps'er. Spec and itemization are both very important, obviously, but if you want to switch-hit, then it becomes critical that you know how to pick/switch gear based on your starting role and any other roles you might pick up during the fight. Looking at each option in turn:
Ranged DPS: druids, frankly, are very bad at this. They can nicely buff actual ranged DPS classes, but the class simply doesn't have the tools to make this work well compared to other classes. A good moonkin druid can be a (sad to say) a bad mage/warlock/hunter/shadow priest.
Melee DPS: druids can be good rogue-replacements, but this is very gear-dependant, and they're usually competing directly with the rogues for the leather DPS gear, and with all dps classes for the untyped dps gear. A good cat-druid can be a decent rogue, but not a great one.
Melee tank: Druids can be decent warrior-replacements, if they can gear up for it. Luckily, bear druids care more about aspects of Leather armor that Rogues don't (Armor, Stamina, Defense), and they only have to compete with non-dps warriors for the untyped tank gear (so there's usually enough to go 'round). Especially in BC, a good bear druid can be a good tank.
Healer: This is where most druids get stuck, because this is where they really shine. A healing-spec'd and equipped druid is the best single-target healer in game (notwithstanding Pally lay on hands crits). Combat Rez, Innervation, excellent gear choices (leather > cloth, even for healing), Cure Poison, and probably the best long-duration buff in game made healer-druids excellent. Now that tree form is out... forget about it. Priests maintain a slight edge in party healing, but a serious raid needs both group healers and single/few target healers. Add in all the wacky stuff in the `healing druid' tree that actually enhances their non-healing abilities, and you have a solid member of any raiding guild anywhere.
So, do Hybrids have it tough? Druids and Shammy never did, and 2.0/TBC means that Pallies don't either. I'd be rolling a Pally now myself, but when the patch notes came out, several of my friends started one, and I don't really relish the idea of the all-pally party, funny as it is.
Is it more complicated to play a hybrid class? Somewhat, but one of the things that Blizzard did right was make several different playstyles for different classes. Hybrids mostly have their own play styles, even though we talk about them being `warrior+priest' or whatever. Priest, Mage, Rogue, and Warrior are all strongly distinct play styles... I don't see why Pally, Shammy, and Druid should be any different.
Rob Dec 18th 2006 7:46PM
Tier 1 & 2 gear dictates druids to healing.
There is not a single point of strength or agility on tier 2.
Kaziel Dec 18th 2006 7:20PM
First off, I'd like to introduce a possibly new concept. I don't consider Druids to be Hybrids. Here's a quote from one my raid alliance members:
"You are under the misconception that Druids are hybrids. We aren't. As you said a hybrid class can do multiple things at once i.e. Shaman and Pallies.
Druids are roleshifters. We shift from filling one role to filling another by shifting forms and changing gear. Yes we can and often do shift out in emergency situations to heal, innervate, and battle rez. But to fill any one role requires not only a change in forms but a change in gear."
My feeling is and always has been that Hybrids are classes that can simultaneously do two or more roles, if needed. This ability is most widely seen when soloing, as a hybrid will heal himself, tank the enemy (so to speak), and do DPS (either via spells, melee or a mix of both).
Roleshifters are similar to hybrids in the sense that they can fill the position of certain other functions in a party, but can really only do one at a time. You don’t expect a Druid, in cat form, to heal. They can shift out of cat form, heal, then shift back, but that isn’t as smooth as a Paladin who is meleeing, then drops a heal on the tank, only stopping to attack while casting. The tradeoff for being a roleshifter, is that you can fill another role better than a straight hybrid, since when you are filling a specific duty, your other abilities are limited if not unavailable.
Thing about hybrids, and to a lesser degree roleshifters are that the larger the group, the less their innate flexibility is worth. Basically when you are in 20, 25, and 40 man raids, you don’t need a lot of flexibility, because you will, most likely, already have the minimum amount of people you need, it’s just a matter of figuring out how many of each class you need. You don’t need, nor want someone with flexibility, you want high damage, good healing, or good tanking. Specialization is king in high member PvE content.
On the other hand, when you are dealing with 5 or 10 man instances you are met one really big problem: Getting the right class composition. Unless you’re in a guild with a lot of members who are always willing to help you out, most of the time you do smaller instances you will probably not have the ideal class composition. Also, if you’re PUGging it up, being flexible is a great boon with the ability to fill in where needed, and if called for quickly switch to tanking or healing if something goes wrong.
Derf Jan 18th 2007 8:40AM
Well, like Alamo states, Droods be teh l33tn335. And anyways, with the correct gear, a druid can be like the most insane healer OR tank. THe thing is that the gear before the expansion suxxors for feral druids, so you are forced to get Cenarion stuff, AQ stuff or PVP stuffs. OOO ya, DROODS b teh pwntage!