News Original From Lushy's Blog of MMosie.
Statement: This article only represents author's opinion but doesn't indicate that MMOsite agrees or supports them.
Not Everyone Wants to Party
The idea of most MMO's is the allow other players to interact together, pushing forward to achieve a goal. The problem comes when you are not only forced to party in order to move forward, but also forced to party with people who you either don't like/haven't grasped the concept of the game/or are completely fine and competent players...but they just aren't the classes you need. Ever since RPG console games, the basic party lineup has always been the tank, the healer, the damage dealers, and it's always been a forced makeup for parties in online games who's design only allows certain classes to be able to carry out these jobs. It's always harder to find the Tank and the Healer in random party pairing in MMO's because those are the jobs that are crippled when it comes to solo play.
Not everyone wants to party the entire length of their MMO gaming career. More often than not, most players only party when their hand is forced, finding it easier to rely on themselves for things such as exploring and questing. Of course, interaction with other players takes away the grinding feeling of every day adventuring, but if you've played long enough to know what you're doing, you might find it easier to do the grind alone then risk partnering up with someone who will only hinder you. While most DPS classes will do fine on their own, somehow balancing minor events and battles, Tanks and Healers usually have the hardest time soloing and progressing do to their lack of damaging attacks. While Tanks can take a punch and Healers can mend their own wounds, it's rare to find a game where a true tank is able to hold it's own without any help. Due to these effects, it makes them a rarer breed in games, where gamers prefer combat over supporting.
Of course, Tanks and Healers aren't the only means of support. In some game, such as Raganrok Online or Final Fantasy, there are other classes that lack in the DPS to give buffs to parties, sacrificing their own well-being. The classic build of a "Bard" class forgoes most DPS and works to weave ballets of supportive magic, buffing their friends and de-buffing their rivals. Classic "Summoners" focus all of their personal strength and powers only their summons, as do some forms of Warlocks, Hunters, and other pet-based classes. Variations of "Buff-Based" classes are seen throughout different games, both online and off.
