General Discussion

In a fantasy-themed MMORPG, you have players whose primary job it is to heal, they pray to the various gods and bring down healing powers on themselves and other players.  They are generally called Clerics.

In a science fiction-themed MMORPG, you also have players whose raison d'etre is healing.  They carry medicines and syringes and high tech instruments which can patch up a players.  They are generally called Doctors.

In a war themed online game, there are players who have the ability to heal players and repair vehicles in the field.  They carry tools and a med kit and are usually referred to as Medics or Engineers.

Each of the above works.

But how MISERABLE would it be to be a superhero whose entire range of powers existed to heal other superheroes?  How thoroughly sad would that guy be?  "Faster than Ibuprofen!  More powerful than Zantac 75!  Able to remove a stuck bandage in a single pull!  It's NURSEMAN!"

I'm having a little fun with this, but this is something I discussed with other testers during the closed beta of City of Heroes.  It doesn't seem to me that a healer class lends itself to a superhero game, especially since superheroes are supposed to be pretty tough characters.  I mean, what self respecting superguy would want to team up with him?  "Hey, Green Lantern!  I see you're headed out the door with Nursie!  Are things getting a widdle tough for ya, Gweenie?"  It'd be worse than having to drag Aquaman along!

Has any CoH player chosen to be a healer?  If so, do you regularly get pwn3d by a bunch of entry level clockworks while the other superheroes laugh at you?  Just curious

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There are 10 types of people in this world...those who understand binary, and those who don't.

MMORPG.com Staff

Koltrane, you just hit upon something that has bothered the living begeezus outta me since I started gaming in the online community. Forget about the super hero genre. EVERY genre seems to require some form of healing class if you want to be successful and reach the high end game. Personally, I absolutely hate the fact that you can't do some of the really cool things in most games without a nurse maid along for the ride. I always believed what made the fantasy genre into a high adventure was the heroic struggle of the lone wolf or even just a small band of heros working against overwhelming odds. I mean, seriously, what the hell is so heroic about getting beat down by a buncha mobs that you could easily handle if there were a healer to support you?

I understand the desire to encourage gamers to group and have classes that compliment one another or fill a niche within a the group. But I feel that they have placed an unusually large emphasis on the healing classes. Warriors and Wizards might be a dime a dozen, but the minute a healer comes along, let us all bow down and start kissing their asses or we won't be able to level or go into that high level dungeon. And the thing that really steams my melon is that many people choose to play these classes simply for the deference and preferential treatment they receive.

Conan didn't need any stinking nurse maid. Solomon Kane never screamed "Medic" when he was down. Hell, even Boromir went down kickin ass and blowin his horn. Where are the heroics in these Heroic Fantasy Games? It makes an old man wonder about the future of the male species.

Grym Goblinsbane

i was wodnering why coh had a healing class lol

i cant remember one cartoon with a super-medic guy healing ppl in battle

no relavence

My husband plays a cleric because that's what he always does, back to the P&P RPGs.  And if you asked clerics in EQ (above a certain level), they would say they don't get treated better than other classes.  They are also expected to show up for everything, no matter what else is going on. No matter what you wanted to do, when you are needed (and you are ALWAYS needed), people expect you to be there.

And people will frequently demand free heals, buffs, and resses, and then get nasty if they are refused. My husband's answer to them is "Group with a cleric!"... to which they invariably respond, "No, I am soloing!" His response to that is "Then solo yourself a heal."  And let's face it-- a cleric's soloing opportunities in EQ are pretty limited. In many games, a healer needs a group as badly as the group needs a healer. When groups are hard to find, healers are the ones kissing butt to get into a group.

My husband got sick of it enough that he's recently switched to playing a mage (EQ's nuking pet class...) full time. Now he occasionally gets asked to summon something, but, for the most part, he doesn't get asked for anything. He shows up on the raids he wants to go on, and noone cares. It's all good.

~*~
neschria
Bludgeoner of Bunnies

Conan didn't need any stinking nurse maid.

dang right, but those "maids" are there partly to allow others to take on monsters they normally could not have by healing them when they get the snot beat out of them. I, personally, believe there's nothing wrong with the healer class. If someone wants to use a healer to get ahead in exp then that's their choice.

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Originally posted by Grym

Koltrane, you just hit upon something that has bothered the living begeezus outta me since I started gaming in the online community. Forget about the super hero genre. EVERY genre seems to require some form of healing class if you want to be successful and reach the high end game. Personally, I absolutely hate the fact that you can't do some of the really cool things in most games without a nurse maid along for the ride. I always believed what made the fantasy genre into a high adventure was the heroic struggle of the lone wolf or even just a small band of heros working against overwhelming odds. I mean, seriously, what the hell is so heroic about getting beat down by a buncha mobs that you could easily handle if there were a healer to support you?

Nothing.  It would be nice to see a MMOG completely eliminate healers (except in a town or something where you could retire after a tough fight).

I understand the desire to encourage gamers to group and have classes that compliment one another or fill a niche within a the group. But I feel that they have placed an unusually large emphasis on the healing classes.

I agree, especially in advanced games where there is no possible way to get to the higher mobs without wholesale healing.  Would you go on a Plane of Growth raid without a single healer in the group?  Of course not!  Not because you're a wimp, but because the game dynamics are such that IT CAN'T BE DONE without a bunch of healers.

Warriors and Wizards might be a dime a dozen, but the minute a healer comes along, let us all bow down and start kissing their asses or we won't be able to level or go into that high level dungeon. And the thing that really steams my melon is that many people choose to play these classes simply for the deference and preferential treatment they receive.

The healer class has more than its share of primadonnas, that's for certain.  However, it seems to me that every game has one or two classes that are in high demand and for which people are always screaming (clerics and chanters in EQ, bards in DAoC Hib, etc.) Certain personality types tend to gravitate towards those classes specifically for the attention they get from other players.  It doesn't always make for a pretty picture.

Conan didn't need any stinking nurse maid. Solomon Kane never screamed "Medic" when he was down. Hell, even Boromir went down kickin ass and blowin his horn. Where are the heroics in these Heroic Fantasy Games? It makes an old man wonder about the future of the male species.

You, me and this guy, too.  When I hear a man talking about how upset he is that "Friends" is going off the air, I know who is playing the healer superhero. 

Let it be known, however, that I think the healer works in most other genres.  While it may not be as heroic for a fantasy team to bring along a healer, she certainly has her place.  I just can't picture a superhero who spends all his time patching up the guys who are doing the real work.  Who would buy a comic book about THAT?

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There are 10 types of people in this world...those who understand binary, and those who don't.

MMORPG.com Staff

The healer class is there to allow people to take on more than they are allowed to handle.

Conan did have a healer, because that old wizard guy brought him back to life with that girls help.

These games are designed so that you can kill a certain amount of creatures alone, but you simply arent meant to become a dragonslayer and you should need help doing so.

This may mean taking a small army of fighters, or a healer. Its not heroic, but then no true hero would wander to his death on his own.

The games are about roleplaying, and not about being so Uber that you can kill anything on your own.

4 stars sucks :( i want my 5 stars back!

When all else fails, Poke 'em in the eye with a good sharp stick.