Hybrid Theory: What's a hybrid? v2.0
by Alex Ziebart 
Feb 23rd 2008 at 1:00PM
When I decided on my topic for today, I was mighty excited. A fire raged within me, and my fingers flew over the keyboard as soon as I sat down at the computer. My first column! Awesome! Yes! About three paragraphs in, I realized I should probably make sure my predecessor, Jason Lotito, hadn't done the topic yet. Unfortunately, he did. Fortunately, I completely disagree with what he said in every possible way.
Perfect.
What is a hybrid class? The basic answer is pretty simple: A class with multiple viable roles. Paladins, Druids and Shaman are obvious examples of a hybrid class. If you disagree with the fact that they're hybrids, you must be playing the wrong game. Holy, Retribution, Protection. Feral, Balance, Restoration. Elemental, Enhancement, Restoration. All of them are viable specs, especially in raiding. As fun as it is to mock Retribution Paladins, even they have a place in the end-game.
Basically, Shamadruidins are hybrids. Don't try to argue that they aren't because you will lose.
Beyond that, it starts to break down a little. Specifically: Warriors and Priests. My predecessor said no, they are not hybrids. Me? I say yes, they most certainly are hybrids. Prior to The Burning Crusade they probably wouldn't qualify, but at this point in the game they're far less specialized as a class. Nowadays, what determines how capable you are at any given role comes down to your talent spec. For example, you didn't even need to be Protection specced to tank Naxxramas back in the day. Warriors were simply the token tanking class. Sometimes you would have a Warrior doing damage(and lots of it) but overall, they existed to tank. The same thing applied to Priests, but for healing.
The Burning Crusade hit and it turned into a completely different game for these classes. Your spec matters, and these classes' off-specs are no longer simply 'tolerable'. They became even more viable, and legitimately useful. Arms/Fury Warriors are not just space fillers in raids anymore, when you're down a damage class. They are wanted specifically to do damage. Their personal damage is respectable, in addition to things such as Battle Shout(old) and Blood Frenzy('new') to buff their raidmates. That 4% damage shouldn't be underestimated. My raid usually runs with anywhere from 6 to 9 physical damage dealers. Each of them receives the flat 4% damage boost.
Priests? My word. Shadow has become unbelievably good. Are they the highest damage dealing casters? No, nowhere near it. However, having at least one Shadow Priest in the raid is nearly mandatory. A Shadow Priest's role in a raid is even more similar to that of the hybrid classes than a warrior. It is not the Shadow Priest's duty to do as much damage as possible, though that certainly helps. Their role lies in their utility. Vampiric Embrace, Vampiric Touch, Shadow Weaving, Misery. To a lesser extent, Mind Control.
Hmm... what does this sound like? Could it be... the Shamadruidins!? Multiple viable specs with high utility, all of which fill different roles? I think the signs are all there, honestly. The different roles for Priests and Warriors play very, very differently from one another. Hunters have utility, but their three specs essentially fill the same role. Ultimately, you shoot things in the face until they fall over. Your talent spec changes the base nature of the Warrior and Priest classes. Shadow is as different from Holy as Elemental is from Enhancement. Priests and Warriors don't have three roles they can fill, no, but they do have more than one. That is good enough for me.
In my not-so-humble opinion, Warriors and Priests are hybrids, just as much as Shaman, Druids and Paladins. As I continue writing Hybrid Theory, this will be reflected in my coming columns. All of these classes have their very own columns nowadays, so I'm going to be specifically focusing on the viability of their offspecs, and how to handle being a hybrid. I'm going to try covering a wide array of topics and gameplay styles, from PvE to PvP to maybe, maybe RP. Probably not RP, but you never know! As a warning, I'll probably be covering some topics Jason Lotito did some time ago, but as you can see already, our opinions on things differ greatly. Buckle up and prepare for a wild ride!
If you have any questions or comments, or have topics you would like to see covered in Hybrid Theory in the coming weeks, don't hesitate to post them right here or send a note our way!
Filed under: Druid, Paladin, Priest, Shaman, Warrior, Analysis / Opinion, Hybrid Theory
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
J0ust Feb 23rd 2008 1:09PM
The only true hybrids are Paladins and Druids. Classes that can tank, DPS, and heal.
Shaman's cannot tank.
anonymoose Feb 23rd 2008 1:41PM
Sorry, shaman most definitely fit the hybrid model just fine.
From Bliz's character description:
"(Shaman) they are the only real "hybrid" class in World of Warcraft"
I don't fully agree with the idea of shaman as the only real hybrid in the game though, but to say shaman aren't a hybrid is completely silly.
The second you can heal and dps or heal and tank you are an easily identifiable hybrid in my book.
Zepto Feb 23rd 2008 1:45PM
There is no such thing as a 'pure DPS' class as all classes are able to CC as well as DPS.
All classes have abilities that do damage and abilities that avoid/mitigate/remove damage.
Lucas Feb 23rd 2008 2:05PM
druids cant do multiple things at one, shaman and paladins can.
Shockadins and elemental shamans are arguably the best hybrids in the game. A good elemental shaman has enough +damage to heal with (700
dAnixx Feb 23rd 2008 3:56PM
In my opinion, hybrid classes are classes that dont just focus on doing one action, like healing, tanking or dpsing. So priests and warriors, since they can also dps, should also be considered hybrid classes. Not only druids, shamans, and paladins should be considered hybrid classes. Thats just my opinion though...
dAnixx Feb 23rd 2008 3:56PM
In my opinion, hybrid classes are classes that dont just focus on doing one action, like healing, tanking or dpsing. So priests and warriors, since they can also dps, should also be considered hybrid classes. Not only druids, shamans, and paladins should be considered hybrid classes. Thats just my opinion though...
Charlie Feb 23rd 2008 5:21PM
i love how everyone just replides to the first comment to stay on the first page =D.
@Zepto. What is meant by Pure DPS are the classes that in their 3 talent builds are meant to do nothing but DPS. Mages, Rogue, Hunters, and Warlocks. Generally these classes will have the highest DPS in a raid, but other classes, Retadins, Boomkins, SPs, Arms/Fury wars, Enh/Ele Shams are brought because they benefit the raid with buffs.
Which is one reason Retadin's aren't quite as accepted as they should be. (Big tangent here, lol) They have good overall raid utility, but out of all the non-pure DPS classes, they have the worst. The biggest problem with ret is that as soon as you buff it you can eazily make it OP in PvP. =/
OH, and @ Lucas. WTF are you talkinga bout. As the OP said, no. you are wrong. Druids are the ultimate hybrid, only class that can tank, heal, ranged dps, and melee dps. And they are also the best healers in a non-heal spec because of their hots.
So yeah, that just a silly comment, rank down.
Tanked Mar 7th 2008 10:44AM
Here's the issue with the concept of hybrids...
Being a hybrid implies that you can fill multiple roles.
However, what that really means is interpreted in a variety of ways. Can a protection warrior do dps? Sure. Can they fill the dps role? Maybe if they have an excellent set of fury gear.
Let's take shamans, since they are supposed to be the "maybe only true hybrid." The problem is that shamans specialize with their spec. Their roles are predefined by the spec and gear they pick up. Can an elemental shaman heal? Sure. Can they fill a healing role? Yes -- about as well as a protection warrior in fury gear.
The "hybrid" classes have become specialized. And while they still retain some utility from their other potential roles, they are much less the definition of a true hybrid.
Matthew Rossi Feb 23rd 2008 1:11PM
I disagree most strongly with this premise.
A warriors Tanking/DPS functions no more make it a hybrid than a rogues CC/DPS functions. Just as a warrior can spec to make tanking or DPS more reliable, so can a rogue spec for more reliable sapping: but just as any rogue can sap, any warrior can tank or DPS in any spec.
Prot warriors are optimized for tanking while Arms and Fury warriors are optimized for variant forms of DPS, but they all still retain the basic melee DPS and tanking ability of the class. A fury warrior in tanking gear CAN tank, he's just slower at building threat and less optmized for withstanding a beating. But a restoration druid in tanking gear is far, far less effective at tanking, caster DPS or melee DPS than a druid specced for those options.
In general, I think you're over-emphasizing variant abilities as evidence of hybridization. Warriors are not hybrids. They're melee who can tank or dps, partially because everyone in the game can DPS in order to solo and partially due to talent and gear selections that can optimize them for one role or another. Hybrids are classes that contain aspects of other, so called 'pure' classes so that shamans are essentially melee dps/healer/caster dps hybrids, while paladins are melee dos/healer/melee tanking hybrids, with aspects of warriors and priests - if warriors and priests are to be considered hybrids, then paladins are essentally hybrids OF hybrids.
Warriors are not hybrids. We have three hybrid classes in the game. Paladins, Shamans and Druids. And that's it.
Alex Ziebart Feb 23rd 2008 1:22PM
You're absolutely free to disagree with me, but there is a pretty vast difference in what a Tanking-specced "tank" class is capable of and what an off-spec is capable of in that role. An Arms warrior tanking in a raid is essentially like an Enhancement shaman shooting Lightning Bolts. They're terrible at it, but in a pinch, they're capable of doing it.
DPS and Tanking are pretty distinct roles, and the ability to flow from one to the other if necessary is a pretty good indication of being a hybrid.
At least, that's my opinion!
Imogynn Feb 23rd 2008 1:20PM
"shamans are essentially melee dps/healer/caster dps hybrid"
What is the functional difference between caster and melee dps?
If you want to claim that warriors aren't hybrid because they can only tank and do some damage like every other class in the game.
Then you can't argue that shamans are hybrids. They can only heal and do some damage like every other class in the game.
Charles Feb 23rd 2008 1:28PM
I think Alex has a valid point on the hybrid nature of certain classes. I'm sure most disagreement would centre around his use of the sacred word, "hybrid", rather than the concepts he espouses.
Personally I think the only true hybrid class in the game is an elemental shaman, who can seamlessly mix DPS and healing. But then, balance druids and shadow priests can do the same if they just drop out of their DPS form. Retridins and enhancement shaman can do the same, just with less mana and healing power. And if they're considered hybrids at DPS/healing, then feral druids who have to drop out of their DPS/tanking form to cast some weak heals certainly are too. Then there's the fact that feral druids can tank half a fight then DPS the other half, or vice versa. Warriors can do the same, but perhaps slightly less effectively. Or whatabout protadins, who can segue between tanking and healing without missing a beat?
Or to make matters more complex, what about mages/warlocks/hunters/shaman or any class that can switch "tank" from range or kite a mob, which is a form of tanking?
It's a helpful way of thinking of the game, whatever your view over the semantics of the word "hybrid".
Rahlnir Feb 23rd 2008 1:35PM
I guess we could come up with arguements for how every class is or isnt a hybrid.
I think the truth is pretty clear and Alex makes good points all around.
Matthew Rossi Feb 23rd 2008 1:36PM
Of course we're all free to disagree, and I don't expect I'll change your mind. But since I've tanked damn near everything up to Kael as both prot for MT and Fury for OT (granted, I stay prot most of the time) I don't think that my spec makes me that much worse or better. In fact, this is one of my biggest problems with protection spec: it lowers my DPS far, far more than it enhances my tanking.
Yes, I'm a better tank in prot. But I'm not so much better that I deserve the DPS loss I see: I can tank A'lar as fury, for instance, or Void Reaver, in the gear I'd use tanking them as prot. A prot warrior has better threat and better survivability, yes, but considering how easy defiance and last stand are to get, what do I really NEED out of protection after them to tank? Unless you're the guild's MT, the answer is 'not all that much'. Meanwhile, if you go deep prot for talents like Shield Slam and Devastate, both of which I love, you're not getting enough bang for your buck (so to speak) compared to the DPS you lose.
This is all more suited to a later warrior column, of course, but I very much feel that an attempt to label warriors as hybrids creates a false and unwarranted distinction between the three specs and magnifies divisiveness among warriors that really isn't necessary. An arms warrior can still tank, and tank at the highest content levels in the game, as long as he selects up to 15 points in protection. That's all you need. The rest is basically for that limited percentage of warriors who are main tanking. (Which is why I went 48 points in prot, I love to main tank.)
Alex Ziebart Feb 23rd 2008 1:59PM
Matt, I think the difference that Protection spec makes is being a bit underestimated. Protection has more survivability, yes, maybe marginally so all in how you look at it, but there are raidwide benefits as well. You're exactly right that you would want a Protection specced warrior as your Main Tank.
Devestate, Shield Slam, etc, give a raid-wide benefit in the form of threat. Maybe an off-spec could hold aggro, assuming they survive, but their threat would be nowhere near that of a Prot warrior. This throttles your entire raid's DPS making the fight longer, making the healers heal longer, potentially bumping your raid against enrage timers because everyone needs to hold back. The change came in the form of the Burning Crusade. A Fury warrior with Defiance could tank every boss in the game just as well as a Protection warrior pretty much. That isn't the case anymore.
Can offspec warriors tank? Yes. Are they as good at it as Protection? Not nearly.
Can a resto shaman shoot Lightning Bolts? Absolutely. Are they as good at it as an Elemental Shaman? Nope.
There's a strong possibility our two views on whether warriors are hybrids or not have this divide simply because of our gameplay styles. If you'd like, we should try and talk some folk into letting us take this debate into a venue other than the Comments field? :D
Lucas Feb 23rd 2008 2:07PM
You know, one could take the view point of prot tanks being an AoE dps spellcaster tank because ALL (they use a caster weapon so year -_-) of their damage and threat comes from holy spells.
Bresh Feb 23rd 2008 3:13PM
ooooo BLOGGER FIGHT!!!
But on the more serious side... When it boils down to it, your disagreement of the definition used for Hybrids is something *I* disagree with. (Summary: No pure "DPS" classes because they can CC.) There is no "CC" spec. When it comes right down to it, I'm more inclined to agree with the new guy. There's really only three types of specs in this game. DPS, Healer, Tank.
If you look through all the tree's you'll never see anything that would be considered a "CC" spec. Rightfully so, as it'd be far too limiting. Sure, there are individual talents that increase the effectiveness of any given form of CC, but CC as a whole is more of a trick that a bunch of classes have.
All in all, I think the new guy's a good addition to the roster here at WI. Good style, fresh perspective, and I'll be damned if he's not going to become more controversial than BRK at this rate. Keep it up Alex!
Heilig Feb 25th 2008 2:42AM
I think I have to agree with Matthew in regards to warriors. While shadow priests and holy priests are so different as to almost be separate classes, DPS warriors and Protection warriors are pretty similar. The major difference lies in gear, not spec. Many of the prot warrior's most important abilities are available to all warriors (shield block, shield wall, shield bash, taunt, disarm, sunder armor, etc) if they get in the right stance. DPS warriors vs. prot warriors is like comparing cats and bears. They're the same thing, just in different gear. Moonkins and trees are not even remotely similar to bear tanks. Compare warriors to prot pallies, whose primary skills (holy shield, avenger's shield, ardent defender) are not even available until the seventh talent tier and you begin to see what a hybrid is in this game.
A hybrid, in my mind, can be defined in two ways:
1) a class that MUST spec into its chosen role to be effective in that role
2) A class that can fulfill more than one role in the middle of a fight without changing gear (e.g elemental shammy or moonkin stopping DPS to heal)
By definition 1, the hybrid classes are shaman, druid, paladin, shadow priest. By definition 2, the hybrids are...shaman, druid, paladin, shadow priest.
Warriors do two things, regardless of spec. Hit hard, and get hit hard. There are no other options as a warrior. They aren't hybrids.
Imogynn Feb 23rd 2008 1:16PM
You know it may be worth pointing out something odd:
All classes that can tank are hybrids.
All classes that can heal are hybrids.
The only non-hybrid classes are dps classes, and while they may not be hybrids they all add very valuable things to raids and groups... in particular the best CCs in the game.
So the game seems to be:
hybrid and dps/cc classes.
Rahlnir Feb 23rd 2008 1:17PM
Hybrid means a mix of 2 or more different things. If a class can respec to fill more than one legitimate role in the holy trinity (tank heal dps) it is a hybrid.
All of the tanking and healing classes in the game are hybrids, none of the pure dps classes are. CC ability doesnt matter as it is present in every class to some arguable degree.