An Adventurer Is You

"They're a classic team: Fighter, rogue, wizard, and cleric, with a jack-of-all-trades bard as the fifth man."

— Tarquin, The Order of the Stick, page 819

Hunt dragons and delve in the forgotten lore of a High Fantasy epic! Explore the galaxy and conquer alien planets in a science fiction universe! Balance your chi and master the martial arts in ancient China! An Adventurer is You! You can do anything!

Well, anything that your Class allows you to do. Games with a class-based system — such as almost every MMORPG out there, many Tabletop Games, and some other games such as RTSes or TBSes with RPG Elements — will provide distinct Classes that usually fall somewhere along the lines of various archetypal class roles, such as the Tank, the Healer, the Damage Specialist, the Trickster, etc.

So then, who IS The Hero, I hear you ask? Everyone is! The point of this system is to provide everyone with an important role, and for developers to ensure that players will be able to grasp game mechanics and battle tactics faster. If any Player wants to be the leader, their own personal ability is much more important than their Class.

An Adventurer is You is a set of the most basic and common such character classes that players can take for their characters.

(What'd you say? ...Oh, well, the Trope Namer is Kingdom of Loathing, which got the name from a certain bit of Engrish in the NES game Pro Wrestling.)

These classes are examples of Splats, and most Splats will reflect some of their attributes.

Compare and contrast Competitive Balance, where each character is designed to stand alone and compete with any of the others, rather than work together. See also Common Character Classes, Fantasy Character Classes, PVP Balanced, and the Player Party index. See A Commander Is You for a smiliar breakdown of archetypes and subtypes in strategy games.

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Categories:

• The Tank: Unless your party can kill everything in sight in one hit, you are going to need someone to soak up the damage those pesky monsters do. To make sure they're the target of all incoming pain, the Tank has the ability to "taunt" enemies into attacking them and ignoring the party members actually hurting them. If there is more than one tank in the group, one might focus on the boss while the second takes care of flunkies, or they might have to take turns for various reasons.
  • Before MMORPGs introduced the aggro system, the Tank was simply the class with the strongest armor and most Hit Points. These types usually stood at the front of the party in order to ensure they absorbed most of the damage, and often had high damage capability of their own, being more Mighty Glacier than pure Meat Shield. Nowadays, this archetype is often conflated with the "Melee DPS" class, and straddles the line between Tank and DPS.
  • The Meat Shield: The classic form of the tank, they have the highest amount of hitpoints and therefore can take hits that would kill a squishier character. Actual defensive abilities are optional.
  • The Mitigation Tank: Sometimes distinct from the previous option in that they have less health (still more than most party members), but the enemy would not do as much damage to them. They are highly likely to wear plate armor, if the game is in the fantasy genre, and often substitutes defensive power for offense. Typically has abilities to bolster their defences further or retaliate against the enemy.
  • The Avoidance Tank: This tank specializes in avoiding damage altogether, rather than absorbing it, either through superior dodging and parrying skills, or sometimes through passing the damage on to a different character. These tanks are often borderline Fragile Speedsters. Sometimes called The Dodge Tank.
  • The Regenerator: This version of tank is reliant on keeping themselves alive through self-healing capability. However, this is typically insufficient against the most powerful foes and a healer is still required.
  • The Magic Tank: In some games, the characters with the best defense against physical attacks tend to have the worst defense against magic attacks. The Magic Tank is a tank type who's specifically designed to be able to "tank" magic damage. Magic Tanks are frequently closer to the Spellcaster archetype than the Fighter archetype.
• The Healer: They make sure that the rest of the party doesn't die while they're trying to kill stuff. There tends to be a wide variety of healer forms with varying degrees of defensive and offensive capabilities. In older games they frequently overlapped with the Buffer as well (see below).
  • Healer Classic: Their style of healing is uncomplicated - when their allies take damage, they heal them and undo said damage.
  • Preemptive Healer: Rather than try to heal damage that has already been caused, the Preemptive Healer aims to prevent the damage from happening in the first place via various protective spells often called 'shields' or 'wards.' May overlap with some Tank archetype above if they can use the spells on themselves.
  • The Curer: Rather than specialize in healing damage, this particular healer specializes in curing detrimental effects such as poison and blind.
  • DPS Healer: This healer subtype combines direct damage-dealing abilities and healing, often severely sacrificing defense to make them even squishier than other healer or damage-dealing types. May employ some form of Life Drain or have their healing ability be based off the damage they deal.
• The DPS: Short for Damage Per Second, these classes are all about doing as much damage as quickly as possible. This role is traditionally separated into two broad categories: melee and ranged damage dealers. In many games they are counted as such instead of simply damage dealers.
  • Ranged DPS: They are typically Squishy Wizards: frail in melee combat, but can rain down death from afar. They are also frequently hybridized with other classes and are frequently given secondary abilities to make them distinct — for example, druids are sometimes mediocre healers who can also do some good spell damage.
    • The Nuker: This one is a spellcaster who specializes in "nuking" their targets with high-damage spells. If Elemental Rock-Paper-Scissors is in effect, it is often the Nuker's job to exploit it.
    • The Archer: Their ranged attacks come faster and typically don't have as many restrictions, but also pack less punch. Typically uses a ranged weapon instead of spells. Often have greater mobility and/or light armor to make them slightly less squishy.
    • The DoT Master: Short for Damage Over Time. Trades the ability to do massive damage in one shot for the ability to do continuous damage. Their abilities generally pack little initial power, but generally last a long while before they wear off and either deal incremental damage the longer the target is affected, or stack, allowing the character to bring powerful foes down with enough patience. In some circumstances, the effects may even spread to other enemies. Necromancers and other 'evil' classes often fall under this archetype.
  • Melee DPS has their defensive capabilities vary somewhat, but they're rarely as squishy as a ranged or as durable as a tank.
    • Blademaster: A Mighty Glacier type with a single massive weapon, who deals damage via slow but extremely powerful hits. They usually have close to the durability of a tank, if not the actual defensive capabilities - compare a barbarian in a loincloth wielding a battleaxe to a knight in full armor with a sword and shield.
    • The Scrapper: Specializes in dishing out a sequence of attacks as quickly as possible. To this end, Scrappers are frequently Dual Wielding. A Bare-Fisted Monk typically also fits into this category.
    • Backstabber: They rely on being behind the enemy to be able to exploit their weak spots. To make this easier, they are frequently given an ability to become undetectable by enemies. Typically uses knives or daggers. Frequently among the squishiest of the DPS classes.
• The Status Effect Guy: These classes are more focused on status effects than pure damage or healing.
  • The Buffer: Their main job is to use various beneficial abilities on their allies to strengthen them - to buff them up, if you will, which is how they first got their name. Pure buffers are very rare - expect to see them hybridized with another class. In the case of buffers, that class is often a healer type.
  • The Debuffer: Just as the Buffer works to make their allies stronger, the Debuffer works to make the enemies weaker, typically using standard status effects. Debuffers too are usually hybridized with another class - for example, a nuking debuffer might specialize in poison spells, or a melee debuffer might have attacks that also inflict a status ailment.
  • The Mezzer: The mezzer's specialty is "Crowd Control" - that is, to incapacitate the enemies and keep them from swarming out of control and slaughtering the rest of the party while the tank is busy. Mez is short for "mesmerize," which was an EverQuest spell that caused an enemy to stand around in a daze doing nothing. Both the Mezzer and the Debuffer are capable of reducing the amount of incoming damage, but one does it by weakening all enemies and the other by reducing how many enemies are attacking.
• The Resource Master: These classes are based around working with whatever a particular game calls that stuff that players use to cast spells (MP, Mana, Spell Points, Power, etc...).
  • Power Re-generator: This player's job is to keep the rest of the party in good supply of spell points. Power Re-generators usually have a hybrid build with another class, frequently a healer.
  • Power Degenerator: These ones attack the enemy's spell points supply to try and keep them from using their stronger abilities. Pure Power Degenerators are rare, and they can be hybridized with almost any other class.
• The Petmaster: Calls upon the assistance of powerful companion creatures. Exact proportion of master and pet power may vary, but typically a petmaster has a primary role and can function in some capacity should their minions be killed or disabled. However, their pet usually disappears or even turns on the party if the petmaster is killed.
  • The Summoner: Most common in traditional RPGs and almost unheard of in MMORPGs, the Summoner calls up monstrous beasts from beyond for one immensely powerful attack. These summons can be Awesome, but Impractical based on magic points cost and/or casting time. Regularly overlaps with The Nuker.
  • The Beastmaster: This character fights with a pet companion. Sometimes they'll have a few different pet types, sometimes only one.
  • The Minion Master: This character summons hoards of weaker pets rather than a few stronger ones. It already has its own trope page.
• The Jack of All Trades: The Jack can do a little bit of everything, but not as well as any of the character classes that specialize in it. Theoretically, their flexibility makes them ideal for adapting to an unexpected situation. In practice, it usually doesn't take players long to memorize situations and so the Jacks become Low Tier Letdowns in favor of the more specialized classes. Games have tried various ways to work around this, such as giving the Jack multiple "specs" or "builds" to put them on par with the other classes at the expense of quick adaptability. Jacks may also become the embodiment of Difficult, but Awesome - players who can get the most out of their wide assortment of abilities can be lethal with them, but most players won't master enough different skills to reach this point with them.
• Area Of Effect: Area Of Effect (AOE) is more a subtype that can be applied to any other class rather than a type of its own. An AOE class has abilities that apply to an entire area rather than to a specific target. An AOE nuker would cast spells with an explosive impact (e.g. fireball), an AOE tank might wade into the middle of the enemies and start using Spin Attacks, an AOE healer might use a spell that heals themselves and anyone within a certain radius around them. Usually to balance their ability to hit many targets, the AOE-capable class has less raw power than the direct damage version.

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Examples:

Tabletop Games

• Dungeons & Dragons, an old and long-running Tabletop Game, has been slowly tending toward these roles over time, and as of 4th Edition, officially took them on. But in editions past:
  • The Buffer is one of the the most powerful roles in Dnd. By improving the combat capabilities of their allies with the varied buff spells at their disposal, they can do much more damage than a direct damage spellcaster, as shown by Haste, which can deal much more damage than Fireball when applied to a melee character.
  • Furthermore, the Mezzer is split between two roles, the Controller (a role made possible by D&D's grid-based system), who controls where enemies are and can move, and the Disabler, which reduces enemy combat ability, or disables them entirely. Wizard/Sorcerer are the preferred class for both, but the builds for each are very different.
    • An entire family of melee builds focus on area denial using a combination of tricks to significantly extend the range of polearm or chain weapons and a variety of abilities to trip or stun targets. While much less common than wizard/sorcerer controllers, some groups may prefer them as they aren't limited by the friendly fire issues many casters face.
  • Fighters, Barbarians, and Paladins fill the Tank role quite admirably. Rangers and Monks can also tank, but aren't very good at it in 3rd edition. Clerics have heavy armor proficiency but fewer hit points, making them better tanks at higher levels.
    • The Knight class in the Player's Handbook 2 appears to have been specifically designed as a response to tank classes in MMORPGs, using the Challenge ability to draw enemies to him and away from other party members.
    • The Crusader from Tome of Battle: Book of Nine Swords is generally considered the best tank, as it channels damage taken into improved attack ability, can punish foes for attacking its allies, and can self-heal.
  • Instead of only being Tanks, the Fighter and Crusader also make decent Controllers with the right build.
  • The Bard is primarily the Buffer, and also serves as the Jack, having low-level Healer and decent Disabler potential. With use of splatbooks, the bard can even be a good DPSer
    • Outside of the core rulebooks, the Factotum is the Jack, with abilities that let it become second best at just about anything for a few rounds at a time, as well as full access to every skill. They tend to do best as Rangers or Scrappers, combining either Rapid Shot or the Iaijutsu Focus skill with the ability to take extra actions.
  • Clerics and Druids usually take on the Healer role. The Crusader can be an excellent Healer as well with the proper build. Bards and Paladins can be healers but are sub-par at the role. With the Shadow Sun Ninja Prestige Class, Monks can actually become very good healers.
    • The Cleric was also meant to be a tank; the class has decent HP totals, and is usually expected to wear heavy armor. It's not uncommon for the Cleric of a party to have the highest defense. They're not horrible at damage dealing, either. With a proper build (and self-buffing spells), Clerics and Druids can become a good DPSer, a good Healer, and an enormously resilient Tank, all in the same package, and probably have a couple spells left over for Mezzing. Thus, they're considered extremely strong.
    • Druids also make very good pet masters, starting play with an Animal Companion, and having the ability to summon more natural allies.
  • Rogues start out in the role of the Ninja DPSer with their deadly Sneak Attack, although most high-level monsters are immune to this ability. Most high-level DPSers are specialized melee builds centered on special attacks (Uber-Chargers) or Wizards.
    • Sneak Attack/Backstab have become rather secondary for Rogues. The central function of the Rogue (and sometimes the Bard) is having lots of "skills" that can be used outside of combat, to do things like negotiate with NPCs, disable traps, and search for clues.
  • Monks don't seem to serve any of the roles, being only mediocre tanks and DPSers and are generally considered the weakest class. They are, however, perhaps the best dip class in the game, weakened only by the fact that you cannot dip both barbarian and monk.
  • Wizards and Sorcerers can be the Nuker, Buffer, Controller or Debuffer, depending on spell selection. Or all of the above, while also being a back-up healer if the player Munchkins enough.
    • Nuking has gotten much less popular in 3rd edition, as it has been mathematically demonstrated to be the weakest build for a spellcaster of any type. Excepting spellcasters with even a basic arcane thesis or divine metamagic build.
    • For that matter, the general rule in D&D is that beyond 4th level, A Spellcaster Does it Better, as Wizards are the best at every role except Tank and DPSer, which go to the Cleric and the Druid respectively.
    • The Player's Handbook II, which also brought us the Knight class (see Tank), introduced the Beguiler, a wizard-like class dedicated to being a pure Disabler with high "skills" like the Rogue and Bard.
  • There are a zillion custom base classes and prestige classes, providing all kinds of variants, specialists and hybrids.
• The 4th Edition Dungeons & Dragons. While previous editions just pointed out the concept of overall party balance, 4e has established four archetypes, and strongly suggests that a party use each of them: Defender (Tank), Striker (DPSer), Leader (Healer/Buffer), and Controller (Nuker/Mezzer). Of the classes released in the three Player's Handbooks and various campaign-specific player's guides, the available classes are as follows:
  • Defender: Fighter, Paladin, Swordmage, Warden, Battlemind
  • Striker: Rogue, Ranger, Warlock, Sorcerer, Avenger, Barbarian, Monk, Assassin(special online-only class)
  • Leader: Cleric, Warlord, Bard, Shaman, Artificer, Runepriest, Ardent
  • Controller: Wizard, Invoker, Druid, Seeker, Psion
  • Furthermore, each class has separate builds (which eventually branch into their own classes) that can shift it into another archetype entirely. The list from the Player's Handbook is as follows:
    • Tank: Guardian Fighter, Protecting Paladin (has some healing capacity)
    • Healer: Devoted Cleric, Inspiring Warlord
    • Nuker: War Wizard, Scourge Warlock
    • DPS (scrapper): Battle Cleric, Great Weapon Fighter, Avenging Paladin, Tactical Warlord (also buffs allies to increase their DPS potential.)
    • DPS (ninja): Two-Blade Ranger, Trickster Rogue
    • DPS (ranger): Archer Ranger, Scourge Warlock
    • Mezzer: Control Wizard, Deceptive Warlock, Brawny Rogue (focuses on powers that disorient or knock down opponents, is also a capable DPSer, though not quite a scrapper or a ninja.)
  • The classes from the Player's Handbook 2 are mainly hybrids:
    • The Avenger is a Ninja DPS class with a dash of Mezzer; Isolating Avengers lean a bit more towards the later than Pursuing Avengers.
    • The Barbarian is a Scrapper DPS class; Rageblood Barbarians throw in a bit of Tank, while Thaneblood Barbarians throw in a bit of Mezzer.
    • The Bard is a Mezzer/Healer; Cunning Bards focus on this, while Valorous Bards throw in a bit of ninja/scrapper DPS and become more of a Jack.
    • Druids are Mezzers with both Ranger DPS (spells) and Ninja DPS (wild shape) ability; Guardian Druids focus on ranged attacks and throw in a dash of Healer, while Primal Druids focus on melee attacks.
    • Invokers are Nuker/Mezzers; Preserving Invokers focus on the latter, while Wrathful Invokers focus on the former.
    • Shamans are Healer/Petmasters who channel healing powers through their spirit companion as they send it into battle. Bear Shamans focus on defense (Tank), while Panther Shamans focus on offense (DPS)
    • Sorcerors are Ranger DPS/Mezzers; Dragon Sorcerors focus a bit more on doing damage, while Chaos Sorcerors focus a bit more on disabling their enemies.
    • Wardens are almost pure Tanks; Earth Wardens throw in a bit of Mezzer, while Wild Wardens throw in a bit of Scrapper DPS.
  • As well, most classes have some self-healing ability, meaning leaders are freed from some of the tedium of putting fellow party members back together and spend a bit of time beating (warlords) or blasting (clerics) seven colours of crap out of the nearest umber hulk.
  • the 5th edition of Dungeons & Dragons actually has a third party book known as “Flee Mortals!” Which applies these roles to the monsters: Soldiers are tanks, possessing better armour and various ways to draw aggro. Brutes combine melee DPS and meat shield tanking to maximise melee firepower. Artillery are ranged DPS using everything from sniper fire to magical lightning. Controllers provide the crowd control and debuffing aspects of Mezzers with Area of Effect firepower while Support provide the buffing aspects of mezzers. However; Skirmishers, Ambushers, Solos and Leaders don’t really map exactly out, subverting the trope.
• Pathfinder, essentially a retooling of Dungeons & Dragons 3.5 edition, finds its core classes filling the same roles. Like D&D, later books added in hybrid classes which blurred roles. For example, the Advanced Player's Guide introduced a true "Mezzer" class (the Witch) and a Petmaster (the Summoner).
• In Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, your role is heavily dependent on your (randomly rolled) statistics and (randomly rolled) career, as well as your (mostly randomly aquired) equipment, which most classes wield equally well at the beginning, leading to a complete breakdown in defined party roles: Most characters start up playing some kind of jack (such as a peasant, a dung collector or a charcoal burner) with all their stats around the 25-35 range. As you start entering the advanced careers things start looking more defined, however: Classes like the knight and veteran require heavy armour and allow characters to fulfill a tank role, while magic-possessing priests of Sigmar and Shallaya (not that you'll ever get a PC to play the latter) are fairly defined healers or buffers. Wizards with a school of magic may (depending on their school) be either nukers, mezzers, or buffers.
• Dark Heresy is more clearly defined in roles depending on class choices. The Arbites is a blood tank, the Assassin is a ninja-type DPS, the Guardsman is a scrapper, the Cleric and Scum are jacks/party faces, the Techpriest and Adept are good at non-combat roles such as driving and esoteric knowledge (the techpriest having mild mezzer powers), and the Psyker is good at rolling Perils of the Warp and getting the party eaten by daemons.
  • Rogue Trader and Deathwatch follow similar lines, though with classes appropriate to the premise of those two games.
• Exalted, having a point-buy system, allows you to build your characters any way you want, so you can invoke this trope as often as you wish. However, each Caste/Aspect has certain abilities they're inherently better at.
  • DPS: Dawn Solars and Dusk Abyssals tend to do well as Scrapper or Ranger DPS (have all combat abilities favored). Night Solars and Day Abyssals are usually stereotyped as either Ranger DPS or Ninja DPS, favoring many movement and evasion abilities. Many view Full Moon Lunars as most useful as Scrapper DPS or Tanks, as they favor physical attributes. Changing Moon Lunars and Endings Sidereals can be Ninja DPS if they decide to go with the ninja/assassin aspect of their Caste.
  • Tanks: Zenith Solars and Midnight Abyssals, who favor the Resistance and Integrity abilities, although their official role is to be priests. Full Moon Lunars, with their potential for ridiculous amounts of health and regeneration. Day Abyssals, Night Solars, and Serenity Sidereals favor the Dodge ability, giving them the potential to evade tank. Battle Sidereals have an inherent ability that makes them and their allies resistant to damage, plus they favor Resistance. Surprisingly enough, Twilight Solars and Daybreak Abyssals have a caste-inherent power that makes them negate damage, subverting the Squishy Wizard stereotype, and can use that to be a Tank if they emphasize more out-of caste abilities. Earth Aspect Dragon-Blooded are often viewed to be very tough and resilient, and Fire Aspects have an ability that hurts people that touch them. Dawn and Dusk castes also have an inherent power that makes them more difficult to hit (and weak-willed enemies will be unable to attack them at all.)
  • Nukers: Any Caste/Aspect that favors Occult and uses sorcery, which includes Twilight Solars, Daybreak Abyssals, No Moon Lunars, Air Dragon-Blooded, and Secrets Sidereals. While Sorcery effects are extremely various and capable of many things, many spells are nuking taken to the extreme; one of the weakest spells creates a swarm of sharp objects with the area of a football field; one of the strongest levels entire cities.
  • Healers: Twilight Solars, Daybreak Abyssals, Wood Dragon-Blooded, and Serenity Sidereals all favor the medicine ability.
  • Jacks: While supposedly emphasizing on diplomacy and business, Eclipse Solars and Moonshadow Abyssals have the unique ability to learn the powers of other types of Exalted and Spirits, giving them versatility no other Exalt has. Most Dragon-Blooded Aspects and Sidereal Castes are Jacks to some degree; almost all of them emphasize at least one combat ability, their specializations are more thematic than functional. Changing Moon Lunars are jacks to a more limited degree; while they favor social attributes, their job description is Assassin/Trickster/Scout/Ninja/Courtesan/Spy, and they have the tools to succeed at more than one of those jobs simultaneously as well as many others.
• In Magic: The Gathering, the whole color wheel (the 5 kinds of resources available) are based on this trope.
  • Red [Mountains]: Pure DPS: Pure red decks focus on direct damage, sacrificing long term survivability in favor of short-term advantages like cheap creatures and direct damage spells and on rare occasion bringing out the dragons. If Red can't win by mid-game, odds are it's not winning.
  • Green [Forests]: Beastmaster class, summoning a few powerful, uncomplicated monsters and beating the opponent to death with them. Also plays resource master, giving the player access to extra lands and mana to bring those big monsters out faster than the opponent is ready for, as well as dabbling in limited healing and card draw.
  • White [Plains]: Healer/Minion Master: Much like green, with a focus on an army of more numerous but smaller soldiers. White is also the closest thing Magic has to a pure healer, possessing some of the best healing spells in the game. Prefers to disable enemies rather than outright kill them, but when it does decide to kill, it kills everything.
  • Blue [Islands]: Mezzer/crowd control. Focuses on removing the enemy's ability to win, primarily through the use of counterspells and "bouncing" effects; returning a card to the opponent's hand and forcing them to cast it again, thereby making it vulnerable to counterspells. Blue also excels at finding answers to your opponent's threats, either through bulk card draw or finding specific cards. Please note however that early typecasting as the "clever" color gave Blue access to a lot of things it really shouldn't have, so of all the colors Blue comes the closest to a "Jack of all trades".
  • Black [Swamps]: A mixed bag, similar to Blue, but specializes in necromancy. Death magic lends itself just as much to the summoning and re-summoning of undead as it does to stealing the life from enemies, whether that's draining their life and adding it to your own or snuffing them out like a candle. Black also approaches the role of resource master by fully embracing Power at a Price; Your discard pile (or "Graveyard") is just as much a resource as your deck, so don't be afraid to discard your own cards. And if you want to lower your opponent's hitpoints you should be just as prepared to pay with your own.
• Champions, being a Point Buy System, allows the player the choice to take on any role they want without the restrictions of Class. A single character could, with the right combination of powers, take on the DPS, tank, mezzer, and buffer roles simultaneously.
• Ammo gives free choice of skills, and a random background specialization (often not random if the Director is friendly). Most of these are aimed either to inflict lot of damage in a short time, or to research clues and resources. The game lacks a true Tank as mostly you either can suck lot of damage or you die first round.
• Grogs fulfill the function of The Tank - Meat Shield in Ars Magica. In combat they hold off opponents so the Magi can cast their spells without interruption.
• Call of Cthulhu supplement The Asylum and Other Tales, adventure "The Mauretania''. The Russian Count has six bodyguards who act as The Tank - Meat Shield. All of them have the skill Block, which allows them to jump in front of any attack on the Count and block it with their bodies.
• Top Secret, supplement Top Secret Companion. A member of the Bodyguard subclass is trained to use their own bodies to protect other people, thus making them members of The Tank - Meat Shield group.
• Since Sentinels of the Multiverse is built around team gameplay, these archetypes come up frequently, though most characters fit into two or even three:
  • Tank: Legacy, Haka, Bunker, The Scholar, Void Guard Mainstay and Rhino Naturalist, though anyone with an Armor or self-healing ability will do in a pinch, and Visionary and NightMist can take up the role when playing the cards that grant them invulnerability.
  • Healer: Legacy (1940's), Argent Adept, The Scholar, Tempest, Void Guard Doctor Medico.
  • DPS: Ra, Haka, Fanatic, Chrono-Ranger, Void Guard Idealest.
  • Nuker: Tachyon, Bunker, Absolute Zero, Expatriette, Mr. Fixer, NightMist, and Unity (all of whom require some time to get out combinations of cards which then trigger to deal big damage.)
  • Buffer: Legacy, Argent Adept, Captain Cosmic.
  • Pet Master: Unity, Captain Cosmic, Luminary, Akash'Thriya.
  • Crowd Control: Tempest, Visionary.
  • Jack of All Trades: Wraith, Mr. Fixer, Omnitron-X, The Sentinels, Guise, Sky-Scraper, Tempest, NightMist.

MMORPGs

• Ace Online, despite being a sci-fi combat flight simulator and having only four classes, has a well-defined analogous role for each of them:
  • The B-Gear is the Jack-of-all-Stats, Master of One; it possesses a balanced stat growth and a respectably maneuverable flight characteristic. Being classified as a bomber, it specializes in its explosive (pun intended) Damage-Per-Hit, capable of taking most classes down in one well-placed shot, airborne or otherwise. Its special move is a literal Nuke; it self-destructs, taking both it and as many targets down as possible. For all its versatility however, the B-Gear is utterly reliant on getting their burst damage connect with their targets, and an aware enemy can outmaneuver it and its attacks and all other classes can rapidly wear down the B-Gear as it recharges for another attack run. An alternate configuration for defending map gates see it shift into a Damage-Per-Second mode by equipping rapid fire ammunition to literally rain bombs on a gate to prevent anyone from entering.
  • The A-Gear is the tank, a literal flying tank, that is. Misleadingly however, the A-Gear is actually an out-and-out Damage-Per-Second class, using its unavoidable main cannons^note Other class uses missiles and bombs, which can be avoided by literally doing a barrel roll to pepper any flying targets within its line of sight into colander. A sufficiently massed formation of A-Gears can completely lock a gate down by sheer volume of fire. It also possesses many of the few status effect skills present in the game, which allows them to slow down targets to prevent them from fleeing, and disabling a target's healing capability. Despite being a flying tank however, most of its useful skills are only useful when they actually land on the ground, and they are notably vulnerable otherwise.
  • The M-Gear is a cross between The Medic, Stone Wall-style Tank, and a Status Buffer. Very tough and loaded with skill points, it may not have the punch that the other classes possess, but in return, possesses an extraordinary battlefield durability. With its ability to heal itself, heal others, and provide much needed buffs, it is the favorite for a party leader, and a definite case of Shoot the Medic First^note That being said, it is easier said than done, considering a properly equipped, leveled, and piloted M-Gear can defend from no less than 20 or more players at once. It is also capable of not only hovering in place, but also flying backwards, giving it unprecedented close-quarters maneuverability. Its lack of firepower is notable, but thanks to their defensive ability and the aforementioned agility, is often capable of inflicting Death of a Thousand Cuts while suffering nary a scratch in return. To top it all off, it is also capable of removing any buffs from other Classes, rounding out its support nature.
  • The I-Gear is the Interceptor, that is, a Glass Cannon DPSer; heavy firepower but a very light frame. Although a notably easy class to learn, it lacks any game-changing skills that distinguishes them from other class at higher levels, and so pilots must learn to rely on the I-Gear's innate firepower, speed, and maneuverability to master it. Specializing in Damage-Per-Second, the I-Gear uses its missiles to damage enemies and possesses self-buffs to amplify its own damage output. Combined with its speed, it can pursue any target relentlessly and thus less reliant on ambush/camping tactics like the A-Gear class above. By modifying its stat distribution, the I-Gear can shift into Blink Tank category, utilizing its naturally high Evasion stat growth to nullify attacks outright. Combined with its still high speed and maneuverability, an Evasion I-Gear can outrun, outmaneuver, and outlast its opponents, providing a lethal distraction for opposing forces. Finally, an equal stat distribution of both Evasion and Attack gives it a respectable quality of both, making it a much more versatile class.
• Age of Conan there are 12 classes divided into 4 archetypes (categories that will give common skills between these classes) and all have a crucial function within a group. Only two classes are narco-hybrid: Bear Shaman (warrior/healer) and Heral of Xotli (warrior/wizard). Only classes that use magic can become powerful if they combine their specializations.
  • Mage: specialize in using black magic:
    • Demonologist: Nuke; Petmaster
    • Heral fo Xotli: Blademaster; Jack
    • Necromancer: Nuke; Petmaster
  • Priest: are the known healers:
    • Bear Shaman: Scrapper Jack
    • Priest of Mitra: Healer Classic; Ranged DPS
    • Tempest of Set: Healer Classic; Ranged DPS
  • Soldier: known as tanks:
    • Dark Templar: Magic Tank, Renegerator
    • Conqueror: Blademaster (if it's Carnage); Scrapper (if it's Brute)
    • Guardian: Meat Shield (if it's Juggernaut); Mitigation (if it's Tempest)
  • Rogue: specialized in causing very high damage:
    • Assassin: Scrapper; Debuffer
    • Barbarian: Blademaster (if it's Reaver); Scrapper (if it's Berserker)
    • Ranger: Archer
• Anarchy Online is an interesting entry both because of how skills are handled in the game (anyone can train any skill, with limits set by what profession you choose and how you spend your skill points), as well as the blending of each professions' toolsets. Using the above list, however, you'll find the following professions in these roles:
  • Tanker: Enforcer, Soldier, Martial Artist.
  • Healer: Doctor, naturally, with Adventurer and Meta-Physicist bringing up the rear for pure healing capacity, though other professions have healing capacity of some sort.
  • Nuker: Nano-Technician's strong point, but the Bureaucrat and Meta-Physicist also qualify. Adventurer, if you really wanted to try to shoehorn 'em in.
  • DPSer: Hard to say, one of the most famous DPSers in the game at this writing is actually an Engineer, not exactly noted for insane damage, which goes to show that focus on DPS is based on effort to a large degree, but the professions that are based around pouring on DPS are: Shade, Soldier, Agent, and Martial Artist.
  • Mezzer: Simply calms the enemies, which is the bailiwick of the Bureaucrat, Nano-Tech, and Trader, with the Meta-Physicist and Adventurer having some capacity in this area,
  • Debuffer : Doctor, Bureaucrat, Metaphysicist, Trader, Nano-Technician, and Fixer, with Agents bringing up the rear for debuffs.
  • Petmasters: Oddly enough in Anarchy Online most pet professions have the capacity for having multiple pets at any given time, the Meta-Physicist makes the most of this with a DPS pet, a mezzer pet, and a Healer pet, while the Engineer has 2 combat pets that they can heal, while the Bureaucrat can either charm 2 hapless enemies into fighting for him, providing impressive DPS, OR they can summon the mightiest lawyer in the entire universe to 'litigate' for him. Either way, they can also command an assistant that's usually the weaker of the 3 profession's pets. Traders can charm an enemy (forcing the Trader immobile, not a good thing to be) or summon a rather weak 'litigation force' at endgame.
  • Jack: The 2 definitive Jacks in the game are the Adventurer and Meta-Physicist. Not great in every role but able to fill holes when they pop up.
    • The Jack you never see is the Agent, who can literally change their profession to another, (barring the two Shadowlands professions of Keeper and Shade) and can thusly use the bulk of the game's available toolset...and yes, this means they have access to the Doctor's toolset, and can almost heal as well as a Doctor at endgame. They're not mentioned much through the early list simply because in the game, it's simply assumed that agents can do most everything that would be available (To a certain extent, agents can't use expansion based nanos and some initial nanos and equipment) and are usually either off killing other players (Agents are built for the sort of burst DPS preferred in the game's PvP.) or off in the hardest areas of the game killing pvm content. Naturally you don't see them because they're stealthy on top of it all.
• Asheron's Call uses a Point Build System, where characters spend points to buy skills of their choice. Skills have 3 rankings — untrained, trained, and specialized, which correspond to how many skillpoints are used — an untrained skill costs 0 points (and may be outright unusable), a trained skill costs anywhere from 2-12 skill points, and specializing a skill costs more still. Characters start with 50 points and gain more as they approach the game's max level of 255. However, the game's community has created its share of "templates" which are considered optimum character builds:
  • Tank - Any character with Melee Defense and high Endurance
  • Healer - Any character with Life Magic
  • Nuker - Any character with War Magic, although ranged weaponry may also count
  • DPSer - Any character with any weapon skill (Spear, Dagger, Sword, etc) or War Magic
  • Mezzer, Petmaster, Trapper - Do not exist, although there are debuff spells in Creature, Item, and Life Magic which can seriously affect the outcome of a battle.
  • Jack - Combination classes are common, including "3 School Melees" — a mage that takes a weapon skill instead of War Magic, allowing them to buff themselves up to extreme levels.
  • Note: Unless they changed things significantly, almost all characters require a good knowledge of item and creature magic in order to function at a minimal level, regardless of role.
• Aura Kingdom
  • The Tank: Primarily the Guardian, who specializes in Sword and Shield. Takes the least crit damage from enemies and make a lot of agro.
  • The DPS: The Duelist uses twin blades with high crit rate and the Ravager uses an axe to deal high crit damage.
  • The Mage: Contains a Bard that wields a harp to heal allies, a Wizard that uses staffs to conjurer powerful elemental damage, and a Sorcerer that uses grimoires to cause various debuffs on an enemy.
  • The Ranger: The Gunslinger uses twin pistols that can deploy traps and slow enemies and the Grenadier uses a giant cannon that deploys elements as ammo and turrets for support.
• Black Desert Online: While there are distinct character classes, most classes can fill many "roles" simultaneously. The deciding factor in many fights is who has the best gear and the best co-ordination. With that said...
  • Warriors and Valkyries are sturdy, can guard with shields, and can use grapples and throws to lock an enemy down for a moment.
  • Berserkers are sturdy stat-wise, but are more offense-oriented than other melee classes. They can dish out damage and lock enemies down with throws and Stomp.
  • Rangers are a mobile Ranged attack class. They usually stick to AoE DPS.
  • Sorceresses can blink-tank like crazy while fighting, and for that reason are good for fighting while outnumbered.
  • Tamers are mobile fighters, who can summon a giant wolf spirit to help them fight. They're good for overwhelming enemies with flood tactics.
  • Wizards and Witches specialize in AoE damage, but can also heal, defend, and buff allies.
  • Bladers (Musa and Maehwa) are mostly straight-damage units, but they can move around really fast on the ground.
  • Ninja and Kunoichi are highly mobile and specialize in locking down and ganking individual targets.
• City of Heroes
  • Scrapper - Scrapper-type DPSers; the subtype is explicitly named after them.
  • Tanker - The Tank, naturally.
  • Blaster - Nuker, Ranged DPSer, or a very fragile Melee DPSer.
  • Defender - The Healer, but don't call them that. All Defender powersets are more focused on preventing damage or giving buffs than actual restoration of Hit Points. In fact, characters of any Archetype can invest in the Medicine powerpool, getting HP-Recovery and Life-Restoration abilities. If you claim to be a 'healer', you'll be considered a Noob. The Defender's second hat is Ranged DPSing, with Defenders that focus on DPS gaining the colloquial nickname "Offender."
    • The Reason no one really heals? The Health pools in City of heroes are small enough that mooks can take a serious chunk of a players health by themselves. On the other hand, everyone regenerates and a respectable pace, and simply get that chunk back faster than the Mooks can take it out, meaning that abilities that heal are competing with innate regeneration while defense buffs aid regeneration.
  • Controller - A Mezzer/Healer Hybrid, and nearly every Controller powerset ends up with a Pet-summoning ability. For their secondary powerset, Controllers can choose from the same HP-Recovery/damage prevention focused sets available to Defenders.
  • Kheldian (Peacebringer or Warshade) - The Jack of the shapeshifting kind, though each has a different focus.
• ...And note also that the Archetypes in City of Villains were intentionally designed not to fit nicely into those categories.
  • The Brute, for example, is midway between a Tank and a Scrapper-type DPSer. Or rather, he's a Scrapper with more emphasis on slow, powerful offenses and tougher, less agile defenses. Many Brutes choose to skip their Taunt ability entirely to choose another attack, and the others mainly use it to ensure they don't run out of enemies to pummel.
  • Corrupter is a Nuker or Ranger-type DPSer combined with the Healer or Mezzer (and as with Defenders, if you call them a 'healer' you'll be laughed at). One powerset allows them to be a Trapper as well.
  • Dominators are Mezzer/Ranger-type DPSers. Their general strategy is to lock down foes and finish them off at their leisure—or, as the players love to joke, "tie enemies up and whip them."
  • Masterminds are pretty clearly Petmasters, and one of the few entries who operate with a horde. Secondarily, they choose from a suit of buff/debuff/heal options that parallel the Defender's primary. Interestingly, they were originally designed to be Tanks, using minions as disposable HP.
  • Stalkers are also pretty clearly Ninja-type DPSers, with invisibility-type stealth, though they also have the Scrapper's defensive powers.
  • Arachnos Spiders are DPSers/Nukers with a different focus depending on which sub-class you take. Crabs are an AoE-focused DPSer with an AoE nuke, while Banes are a stealth-based Meleer, similar to a Stalker in play style. Wolf Spiders are primarily a single target Ranger-type, but you lose this once you switch to one of the above.
  • Arachnos Widows start as scrapper-like DPSers, but can choose between Fortunata, a Mezzer/Nuker/buffer, or add on stealth to become a Night Widow, which combines Stalker-like gameplay with Mezzing.
    • Both Arachnos Soldiers can also provide decent team buffs, and they do stack.
• Champions Online divides its superhero Archetypes into five major types:
  • Protectors (the Behemoth, the Glacier, the Mountain and the Master) are Tanks (with the Master being a Dodge Tank)
  • Brawlers (the Blade, the Devastator, the Disciple, the Fist and the Unleashed) are Melee DPS
  • Avengers (the Inferno, the Marksman, the Tempest, the Soldier, the Squall and the Scourge/Cursed) are Ranged DPS
  • Sentinels (the Mind and the Inventor) lean towards support and crowd control
  • Guardians (the Void, the Grimoire, the Impulse, the Specialist, and the Savage) are a mixed bag of hybrid classes (the Grimoire does ranged DPS/support, while the Specialist does a mix of ranged and melee DPS).
• Dark Age of Camelot has a lot of overlap, mainly due to some radical differences in the three realms of Albion, Hibernia, and Midgard and quite a bit of leeway in how different classes can be specced.
  • The Tank:
    • Albion: Armsman, Paladin
    • Hibernia: Hero, Champion
    • Midgard: Warrior, Thane
  • Healer:
    • Albion: Cleric, Friar
    • Hibernia: Druid, Bard, Mentalist, Warden
    • Midgard: Healer, Shaman
  • Nuker:
    • Albion: Wizard, Heretic, Theurgist
    • Hibernia: Eldritch, Enchanter, Banshee
    • Midgard: Runemaster, Warlock
  • DPSer:
    • Albion: Armsman, Friar, Infiltrator, Mercenary, Reaver, Scout
    • Hibernia: Blademaster, Nightshade, Ranger, Vampiir
    • Midgard: Berserker, Hunter, Savage, Shadowblade, Valkyrie
  • Debuffer:
    • Albion: Cabalist, Heretic, Sorcerer, Reaver
    • Hibernia: Eldritch, Enchanter
    • Midgard: Runemaster, Shaman, Spiritmaster
  • Mezzer:
    • Albion: Sorcerer
    • Hibernia: Mentalist
    • Midgard: Healer
  • Trapper:
    • Hibernia: Animist
  • Petmaster:
    • Albion: Cabalist, Minstrel, Necromancer, Sorcerer, Theurgist
    • Hibernia: Druid, Enchanter, Mentalist
    • Midgard: Bonewalker, Spiritmaster
  • The Jack:
    • Albion: Minstrel, Theurgist
    • Hibernia: Warden, Bard
    • Midgard: Skald
• DC Universe Online has ten power sets - Fire, Ice, Earth, Light, Mental, Gadgets, Quantum, Sorcery, Nature and Electricity.
  • All powers could fill the DPS role, although Light, Fire and Ice seems most popular. It depends more on weapons than powers when it comes to different types of DPS.
    • The Nuker: All powers has an attack that takes several seconds to perform, such as "Final Ruin" for Sorcery, that deals double damage when target is below 35% health. For a player whose normal attacks deal about 70 damage (not counting combos), this could hit over 2000.
  • The Tank: Ice, Fire, and Earth.
    • The Regenerator: Fire.
    • The Mitigation Tank: Ice.
    • The Avoidance Tank: Earth.
  • The Healer: Sorcery, Electricity and Nature.
    • Preemptive Healer: Sorcery.
  • The Status Effect Guy: Called "controller", and is a combination of all three subtypes. Also a Power Re-generator: Grants power points to other players, which is essential for DPS to deal good damage and healers to heal. Again, whether they lean on any side depends on the weapon and the playing style more than the power.
  • The Petmaster: Sorcery. Although Ice, Earth, Gadgets and Mental gets one or two.
• EVE Online uses a skill point system. Special bonus? You can continue training a skill while logged out or at one time, even while your account is actually cancelled and otherwise unplayable ("ghost training" was taken out as of 2008). However, the ship types form what one might consider traditional classes, though the lines blur easily.
  • Battleship - Tank/Nuker depending on setup
  • Logistics - Healer
  • Recon, Electronic Attack Ship - Mezzer
  • Assault Ships, Battlecruisers, some Cruiser setups - DPSer
  • Fast frigates and interceptors, interdictors, heavy interdictors - The Trapper, in a limited sense; prevent opponents warping away and escaping.
  • Carrier/Mothership, Gallente drone specialist ships - Petmaster
  • Tech 3 ships - The Jack (T3 ships are modular and can be built in multiple configurations)
• EverQuest
  • Tank - Warrior, Paladin, Shadowknight
  • Healer - Cleric, Druid (can deal some DPS, also), Shaman (far more often used for their debuffing than healing, though)
  • Nuker - Wizard, Magician
  • DPSer - Rogue, Monk, Berserker, Necromancer, Magician, Ranger
  • Debuffer - Enchanter, Bards, shaman
  • Mezzer - Enchanter, Bard, Necromancer (versus undead, only, which is rare)
  • Petmaster - Necromancer, Magician, Beastlord
  • Jack - Bard (though thanks to the years of mudflation their role switched from being the jack to being a mezzer / buffer as the rest of their roles fell by the wayside.)
  • Note that Everquest also have some other roles, such as Manamaker (bard, magician, enchanter, beastlord), Slower (shaman, bard, enchanter) and Puller (Bards, monks, and possibly well-played Shadowknights, necromancers, enchanters, or rangers. Though in the right circumstances, any class could do it).
• EverQuest II has 26 classes. So classes can get pretty specialized.
  • Assassin: Backstabber DPS
  • Beastmaster: Petmaster
  • Berserker: AoE Tank
  • Brigand: DPS/Defense-debuffer
  • Bruiser: DPS/Avoidance Tank
  • Channeler: AoE Healer/Petmaster hybrid
  • Coercer: Crowd Control/Magic Healer hybrid
  • Conjuror: Petmaster/Nuker hybrid
  • Defiler: Preemptive Healer/Curer
  • Dirge: Buffer
  • Fury: Curer/Nuker hybrid
  • Guardian: Mitigation tank
  • Illusionist: Magic Healer
  • Inquisitor: Preemptive Healer/DPS
  • Monk: Healing Avoidance Tank
  • Mystic: Preemptive Healer/DPS^note The difference between Inquisitors and Mystics is that Inquisitors use "reactives" to heal damage as it's caused and Mystics use "wards" that prevent the damage in the first place
  • Necromancer: Nuker/Petmaster/Jack of All Trades
  • Paladin: Healing Tank
  • Ranger: Archer DPS
  • Shadowknight: DPS Tank
  • Swashbuckler: DPS/Offense-debuffer
  • Templar: Classic Healer/anti-AoE Healer
  • Troubador: Buffer
  • Warden: Classic Healer/Curer
  • Warlock: AoE Nuker
  • Wizard: Nuker
• Free Realms — This trope is avoided in Free Realms, where you can switch to any class at any time.
• Final Fantasy XI — Due to a unique combination of not completely understanding the MMORPG, the "support job" capability which lets characters use a secondary, half-leveled job, and a strong focus on encouraging party play, FFXI is a strange case, with a lot of theory vs. practice roles.
  • Tank — Theory: Warrior (meat/mitigation). However, in practice, the most useful things the Warrior brings to this table are Provoke and Defender, both of which are at low enough levels that anyone can use them. Warriors are more useful for melee damage.
    • Practice: Paladin (meat/mitigation/regenerator), Ninja (avoidance), Rune Fencer (avoidance/regenerator/magic), Puppetmaster (mitigation/regenerator). While Paladins still have good HP, their shields and self-healing are bigger deals for their viability as tanks. Ninja can create illusions of themselves guaranteed to be targeted instead of the ninja as long as the ninja has the monster's attention (and they can dodge just as well as the ninja can!); unfortunately, they're vulnerable to AoE attacks. Rune Fencer exploits Elemental Rock-Paper-Scissors to defend itself from magic, parrying to defend itself from physical attacks, and Regen spells and other buffs to handle much of the rest. Any of these jobs can use a Warrior subjob for Provoke, or a Dancer subjob for a weaker Provoke-alike, as well as healing that doesn't use MP. More recently, Blue Mage has also become a popular tank subjob for its combination of unique defensive buffs and its AoE spells. Finally, on the rare occasion that the adaptable (and therefore confusing) Puppetmaster is actually invited to a party, most often it's to have their automaton serve as a tank.
  • Healer — Theory: White Mage (classic/buffer), Dancer (classic/preemptive), Scholar (classic/preemptive).
    • Practice: White Mage still performs well, but Red Mage is frequently seen as a "healer" as well. Summoner used to be pigeonholed here for not fitting neatly and efficiently into any obviously useful role on its own and having a high MP pool that could be combined with a White Mage subjob, but times have changed by now. Dancer's capability to main heal effectively is considered insufficient, particularly at high levels; it's thus treated more as a DPS with healing capabilities. Scholar gets its heals as slowly as a Paladin, so it's rarely invited for the express purpose of classic healing unless the group needs frequent area-of-effect status heals; at later levels, however, it's a very efficient healer via area-of-effect prevention and regeneration of damage.
  • The Nuker — Theory: Black Mage, Geomancer.
    • Practice: Black Mage, Scholar (also part DoT Master). While Scholar was originally intended to be equally considered a healer and an Elemental Powers-flavored DPS, people treated it as a party-friendlier version of Black Mage and Square Enix quickly tweaked the job to accommodate, including by lowering the level at which they obtain their signature DoT spells. Later, it even gained the ability to create combo attacks with spells instead of weaponskills! As for Geomancer, it's invited purely for its buffing ability, which is very MP-hungry; between that and the tendency towards "AFK GEO", their Elemental Magic spells tend to be neglected.
  • The Archer — Theory: Ranger.
    • Practice: Ranger, arguably Corsair, Puppetmaster. Corsairs have a number of noteworthy gun weaponskills, the single strongest of which is the dark-elemental Leaden Salute. Corsairs are thus often wanted at least as much for their ability to one-shot certain enemies with that as for their AoE buffs. Between weaponskills, they often simply melee to build up the necessary TP; after all, bullets are expensive! Additionally, for perhaps the two or three characters in the entire game that have the gear and the skillup time investment to pull this off, Puppetmasters are perhaps the most powerful Archer class in the game; Sharpshot automata don't actually need ammunition, and the PUP themselves can skillchain with them for even more damage.
  • Blademaster — Theory: Dark Knight, Dragoon, arguably Samurai.
    • Practice: Warrior (when wielding a greataxe), Dark Knight, Dragoon. Warriors lack the degree of damage mitigation that Paladins and Ninjas are capable of, so this "balanced" class now favors its damage-dealing aspect; their greataxe weaponskills are as useful for debuffing as dealing out massive damage. While Samurai comes across as an attempt to hit a middle ground between Blademaster and Scrapper, its Scrapper side shines more.
  • Scrapper — Theory: Monk, arguably Ninja, arguably Samurai.
    • Practice: Warrior (when dual-wielding axes), Monk, Blue Mage, Samurai. Further cementing their position as a DPS class, Warriors dual-wielding axes can deal consistent damage quickly, which is a good way for them to adapt to evasive or shadow-using targets. Blue Mages used to rely on quick-casting physical damage spells to fill this role; however, in the face of a change in the mechanics underlying those spells, they now primarily self-buff to monstrous degrees and rely on sword attacks. Ninjas became a Tank, in part because their primary way of dealing damage (throwing shuriken) was financially impractical. Samurai tend to eschew stronger regular attacks in favor as building up TP for weaponskills as quickly at possible and combo attacking with themselves.
  • Backstabber — Theory: Thief, Ninja.
    • Practice: Thief. Square Enix tried to introduce a new pair of stances for Ninja to let them change between tanking and DPS modes, but the DPS stance largely went ignored. Thief rounds out its lower-than-average scrapper-style DPS with not just its Sneak Attack ability, but also hate control abilities like Trick Attack, Accomplice, and Collaborator, as well as the ability to increase mobs' drop rates; a good Thief tries to balance all these aspects.
  • The Buffer/Resource Master — Theory: Bard, Corsair, Geomancer (hybridized with Nuker).
    • Practice: Red Mage (hybridized with several other roles), Bard, Corsair (arguably hybridized with Archer), Geomancer (no hybridization). Buffers tend to also be Resource Masters, making them far more vital to an FFXI party than in the typical MMORPG, particularly at higher levels. Red Mage was quickly turned into a Buffer/Debuffer/Jack hybrid once it was clear that the game had no place for pure Jacks; while they lack the AoE capabilities of other Buffers/Resource Masters, their unique Debuffer specialization partly makes up for this and using their single-target buffs in a tight cycle to make sure everyone gets them eventually makes up for the rest. Bard and Corsair also perform the Buffer role admirably, and are far less likely than the Red Mage to be thrown into the Healer pigeonhole instead. Geomancers are so effective at this that some people buy second accounts just to have a Geomancer all but idle next to them, ignoring the job's nuking capabilities. Even when they're fully present and actively played, they're often expected to still ignore nuking in favor of using their subjob to backup heal.
  • Petmaster — Theory: Beastmaster, Summoner, Puppetmaster, and the idea that they'd be desired in parties. Dragoon also has a pet, but not really enough emphasis, control, or variety to really call it a true Petmaster as opposed to a Blademaster with a pet.
    • Practice: Beastmaster is the purest of the Petmaster jobs and good at what it does, but overwhelming amounts of misinformation and misunderstanding of the job caused it to be regarded purely as a solo job. (Fortunately, it's great at that.) Summoner was originally intended to use their summons for melee DPS while also using a Blood Pact (part pet command, part spell) once per minute, but the return on investment in summon auto-attacking is far too low compared to other magical ways of dealing damage and the Blood Pact timer was too long to give a summoner enough to do in a party, so they once tended to be forced to play primarily as Healers based purely on their large MP pools and abilities from a Healer subjob. Fortunately, by now they've been retooled to have separate timers for their offensive and defensive Blood Pacts and ways to greatly lower their cooldowns, turning them into magical Blademaster/Buffer hybrids. Puppetmaster's pet is a mode-shifting Jack, but this idea seems to be impossible for players to grasp, so Puppetmasters usually also solo — very well, in fact. They do get invited more than beastmasters do (which isn't saying much), usually being expected to be a Tank, on rare occasions an Archer.
  • Jack — Theory: Red Mage (everything at once), Puppetmaster (mode-shifting), Blue Mage (somewhere in between).
    • Practice: While all of these jobs can be played in this way, FFXI's world revolves around specialists... unless, perhaps, you're talking about Dancer, which can be played very effectively as a part-Healer, part-Scrapper, part-Debuffer, rivaling Red Mage in its ability to solo Notorious Monsters up until Trust magic made that distinction moot.
• Final Fantasy XIV has basic classes, which have defined party roles accompanied by matching abilities, and advanced Jobs that act as extensions of the classes, adding unique abilities but restricting the amount of Role actions usable at once. Up until to the release of the Final Fantasy XIV: Stormblood expansion pack, classes had cross-class abilities instead of Role Actions with access to nearly all of them in its basic form, and were restricted to a smaller set of abilities as its advanced Jobs, giving the character a more defined party role. Shadowbringers streamlined things fairly significantly, especially in the tanking department.
  • Tank:
    • Marauder/Warrior: Regenerator/Meat Shield, with a side of Blademaster.
    • Gladiator/Paladin: Mitigation/Meat Shield. Originally the weakest to magic damage, but now generally just the toughest.
    • Dark Knight: Magic Tank/Meat Shield. Also gets some Blademaster elements through Darkside and the Blood Gauge, which are used to increase damage output.
    • Gunbreaker: Mitigation/Meat Shield. Leans into Scrapper later on too, with special attack combos.
  • Melee DPS:
    • Pugilist/Monk: Scrapper. Reliant on positioning and stance chains.
    • Lancer/Dragoon: Blademaster with some AoE. Has the dubious honour of being the toughest of the DPS classes, but also the one most prone to jumping to their doom.
    • Rogue/Ninja: Scrapper with some DoTs. Ninja adds some AoE skills.
    • Samurai: Scrapper/Blademaster with some AoE skills. Very fragile.
    • Reaper: Blademaster with the same armor type as Dragoon, but with a Scrapper burst phase baked in.
  • Ranged DPS
    • Archer/Bard: Archer, gains some aspects of Buffer upon upgrading, along with some Power Re-generator skills.
    • Thaumaturge/Black Mage: The nukiest of nukers, cycling between quickly burning through all its MP in its high damage Astral Fire phase, and just as quickly recovering its MP in its low damage Umbral Ice phase.
    • Arcanist/Summoner: Mostly a Pet Master and DoT Master combo, with some ability to heal. Changed up with with a redesign in Endwalker, dialing back the pet aspect and doing away with DoTs entirely in favor of the classic nuker Summoner.
    • Machinist: Archer with shades of Pet Master, thanks to their turrets, with some Power Re-generator skills.
    • Red Mage: As a hybrid DPS class, cycles between a ranged Nuker - building up gauges balancing White and Black Magic attacks, and a melee Scrapper - spending said gauge to deal massive melee damage. At higher levels they also lean into Healer Classic with Vercure and Verraise. No match for a genuine healer, but handy in a pinch.
    • Dancer: A very technically inclined Archer. Dancer is all about complementing what your teammates are doing and gaining benefits off of that. They work great alongside those who have lots of area of effect attacks or spells.
  • Healer:
    • Conjurer/White Mage: Healer Classic, with some Pre-emptive. Also has some shades of Mezzer by causing knock back, sleep, and stun.
    • Scholar: The other upgrade from Arcanist, this is a Pre-Emptive Healer that's also a Pet Master with either a healing pet or a support pet, with some DoT capability on the side.
    • Astrologian: Healer Classic/Buffer. Pre-Endwalker, used a Stance System that alllowed them to act as either Classic or Preemptive Healer.
    • Sage: Pre-Emptive Healer with a side of Archer, being meant as a DPS healer that can heal a dedicated target when they damage enemies.
  • Other:
    • Blue Mage: Jack of all trades. They learn a huge variety of spells from monsters that can allow them to act as tanks, healers, or dps, although until they gain their specialized tank/healer stance abilities they generally stick to dps. However, they have a lower level cap than all other jobs, are restricted from participating in certain duties such as PvP, and the duties they are allowed in can only be joined as part of a premade party.
• Granado Espada
  • A character's role is dependent on which stance they're in, so the roles here are divided according to the weapon or stance
  • Tank
    • Meat Shield - Crusader Stance (Fighter, Trooper, Soldier)
    • Avoidance Tanks (Ania + Block, Lisa + Evasion) - plus points that these Avoidance Tanks specialize so well in being one, they get rewarded for blocking/evading by becoming even more tankier, or exchanging that for a sudden burst in damage.
    • Magic Tank - Rapiere Stance (Andre, Kurt, Eduardo, Garcia, Karjalainen, Raven)
  • Healer/Buffer (these two roles are usually intertwined)
    • Buffing Stances (Scout, Emilia, Viki, Valeria, Beroniff, Vincent, Elisa, Kano, Valeria Vendetta)
    • Curing Stances (Valeria, Elisa)
    • MP Master (Valeria)
    • Battle buffers (Rio, Lorch, Bernelli, Karjalainen)
  • Nuker
    • Elementalists (Warlock, Hellena, Ludin, Ion, Beatrice, Catherine (INT))
    • Damage-oriented Wizards (Telekinesis Wizard, Reckless Emilia, Eva Sharon)
    • Lute Users (Rio, Friede)
    • Tome/Cube/Encyclopedia users (Veronif, Vincent, Marchetti, Kano, Cherlyn)
  • DPSer (Archer/Backstabber): MORE DAKKA!!!
    • Rifle users (Musketeer, Bernelli, Romina, Natalie, Catherine (DEX))
    • Pistol users (Musketeer, Brunie, Garcia, Raven, Barrel)
    • Shotgun users (Grace, Lorch, Mary)
    • Crossbow users (Calyce, Ralph)
    • Builders (Jack, Yeganeh, Angie)
    • Lionel
    • Heyran
  • DPSer (Blademaster)
    • Sword users (Romina, Selva, Daria, Cruise, Grandies)
    • Dagger users (Catherine, Lisa, Soho)
    • Sabre users (Adelina, Panfilo, Adriana, Racel)
    • Rapier users (Andre, Karjalainen, Garcia, Kurt, Eduardo, Valeria Vendetta)
    • Javelin users (Peltast Fighter, Tora)
    • Kid Heroes (Ramiro, Tiburon)
    • J.D. (Who is one, as he wields Great Swords and Crescents not as a Scrapper)
  • DPSer (Scrapper) Scrappers here aren't the usual definition of a Scrapper. They are DPS that are more reliant on skill spamming rather than straight on normal attacks.
    • Great Sword users (Fighter, Idge, Claire, Grandice, Asoka, Mifuyu, Grandies)
    • Polearm users (Fighter, Claude, Alejandro, Catherine STR)
    • Martial Artists (Gracielo, Gertrude, Irawain, Byakko, Soso, Sorang, Liung, Olivia)
    • Artillery Units (Cortasar, Claire)
    • Nar
  • Mezzer/Debuffer
    • Darkness Stance (Wizard, M'Boma, Emilia)
    • Trappers (Jack, Angie, Yeganeh, Lorch, Scout)
    • Battle debuffers (Arnis users, Lisa, Racel, Heyran)
  • Petmaster
    • Anyone who has a summoning stance (Catherine the Summoner, Viki)
    • Or a summon as their personal skill (Claire, Kurt, Edward)
    • Cherlyn (Whose stance makes her summon an extension of her)
  • Jack
    • Soho (DPS (Dagger) + Healer/Buffer. Paid version has him also using martial arts)
    • Scouts (Healer/Buffer + Trapper + Debuffer/DPS)
• Guild Wars. The multiclassing system allows its characters to straddle two classes at once, fully embracing their role, or dabbling in multiple ones, and changing secondary roles in between adventuring. For example, a Warrior could use secondary Elementalist earth magic to make himself even more tank-like, or could use secondary Assassin skills to make himself more of a Tank/DPSer hybrid, able to murder bosses without dying too quickly amongst its minions. Many professions have the ability to dabble in a variety of roles depending on builds, and a build of a specific character may prove to fit into a different role than those below - for instance, a Ritualist can build specifically for healing and compete well with a Monk, and air elementalists are commonly employed, especially in PvP, to blind their opponents and have few traditional nuking skills, making them more of a mezzer.
  • Tank - Warriors and Dervishes. Warriors have great defense and health and focus on a wide vareity of melee techniques, while Dervishes specialize in enchanting themselves and hitting whole mobs with their scythes. (Some players claim that tanking is bad in the game and that all melee classes should be DPS, but if a party is to have a tank, these are the professions to use).
  • Healer - Monk. All classes have some self-healing, and a few can offer some roundabout means of healing others, but only a Monk (and Ritualists - see below) have skill sets dedicated to healing.
  • Nuker - Elementalist. Particularly fire elementalists, who are the game's hardcore artillery. Other elements mix in defensive and hindering powers, but in the end are still about blasting things.
    • Interestingly, because of the way elemental damage work, elementalists become progressively less efficient as one progresses in the game. While they are can clear the game, armor-ignoring-damage-dealers are chosen above elementalist against very high-level opponent and in optimal parties. Who can deal AL-ignoring damage? Pretty much everyone accept elementalist (and half the ritualist damage abilities).
  • DPSer - Assassin. Most of their powers focus on dealing whopping damage to single enemies, usually in melee. Because they're terribly fragile and dead meat if surrounded, they also have powers to get them in and out of the fight instantaneously.
  • Mezzer - Mesmer. A difficult class for beginners to play, because they're all about quickly shutting down the worst your opponents can offer, which means being able to recognize the same. Necromancers not acting as Petmasters also usually fit within this role.
  • Petmaster - Necromancer. Rangers and Ritualists can summon stationary spirits, and Rangers can get a pet to raise and coordinate attacks with, but only Necromancers will have a small army of their own following them about.
  • Jack - Ranger and Ritualist. Rangers are part petmaster, part mezzer, part DPSer, and part trapper. Ritualists are part healer, part petmaster and trapper (with their spirits), can enchant allies' weapons, and have a wide variety of grab-bag powers on top of all that.
• Guild Wars 2 turns some of the typical roles on their ear by making almost everyone at least basically competent at almost everything, while retaining some areas of specialization. GW2 lacks the typical EverQuest-style aggro system, so tanking in the traditional, meat-shield sense mostly doesn't exist, and everyone can self-heal to a point. Builds based around healing others are possible, but the resulting party role is more of the "make people not die guy" (via a combination of healing, prevention and killing the enemy faster) than the traditional healer.
  • Warrior - DPS/Tank, though often built as glass cannon. Warriors wear heavy armor, have high HP, have two different skills to allow near-continuous HP regeneration, and they can dish out stupid-large amounts of single-target damage as well as nearly as much against tightly clustered enemies. They also have skills that allow them to impede enemy motion, control enemy positions on the battlefield and to improve allies' capabilities. A properly configured warrior can heal their allies too, though not well enough to qualify as a true healer. Their elite specialisation, Berserker, gives them access to extreme condition-based damage and can turn them into walking fireballs, along with boosting their arsenal of control abilities and letting them letting them smack enemies around to reposition them.
  • Guardian - Tank/Support. Guardians get heavy armor and a lot of tricks to avoid being hit and to regenerate HP, and can spread a huge amount of boons to surrounding allies. They're probably the most support-oriented class overall - nearly all their skills include some kind of heal, buff, debuff to enemies or debuff-removal for allies as a side effect. This makes them excellent blink-tanks, buffers and debuffers. They also take on elements of the proactive healer, using shields and wards to prevent damage to themselves and allies. Their elite specialisation, Dragonhunter, grants them access to a bow and a large array of traps which can make them a competent Mezzer in addition to giving them much longer-ranged attacks.
  • Thief - Scrapper/DPS. Thieves are the archetypal Glass Cannon. They have a fair bit of battlefield control and other utility, and even some proactive and direct healing in the form of resurrecting downed allies and blinding foes to cut their damage output, but the thief's main role is to pump out loads of damage and bedevil a foe with conditions. They can do this either from afar, with bows and pistols, or up close with swords and daggers. Daredevil, their elite specialisation, makes them masters of evasion with a huge arsenal of weakening tricks and defensive maneuvers which take the glass out of Glass Cannon by allowing them to cripple enemies before they get hit.
  • Mesmer - Ranger/Controller. Mesmers excel at buffing, debuffing and ranged damage. They also have a ton of utility, ranging from clearing conditions to large-scale group support with portals and veils. Against single, focused opponents they're amazingly good at avoiding hits with stealth and clones while steadily wearing the foe down. However, when these abilities can't be used, they're among the squishiest of squishy wizards. Chronomancer, their elite specialisation, cements their role as a controller by allowing them to slow enemies' attack speeds and outright freezing them in place.
  • Necromancer - Condition Damage/Ranged DPS with a suprising side of tanking. Necros are cloth-wearing squishies at first blush, but they have the highest HP total in the game, the ability to seriously cut down on enemies' outgoing damage while simultaneously boosting received damage, and the incredibly useful Death Shroud, which is essentially a second health bar to draw from. They can also heal and regenerate allies, or take harmful conditions from allies and catapult them onto enemies instead. Necromancers are best when fighting battles of attrition: They excel at taking the most damage while wearing the enemy down with ranged and condition damage. Their elite specialisation, the BFS wielders known as Reapers, turns them into the slowest Melee DPS class in the game - but boy howdy does it hurt when they catch up to you. The spec also teaches them Shout abilities, which serve as area-effect attacks and can spawn minions which reduce the damage the Reaper takes from attacks, making them effectively a Mighty Glacier.
  • Ranger - Jack/Ranged DPS/Beastmaster. Controlling a pet is the Ranger's hat, allowing them to both do damage and control the battlefield. That said, rangers are capable scrappers and archers in their own right, even without the pet, and they have an array of traps that provide damage, debuffing and crowd control. They also often fit in as a jack; they can do everything from tanking to burst damage to condition damage and everything in between, depending on how they're built. Druids, their elite specialisation, are immensely powerful healers and gain Astral Power from healing allies, allowing them to transform into a Celestial Body Super Mode which can change the course of a losing battle single-handedly.
  • Elementalist - Nuker/Healer/Jack. The most obvious role of the cloth-wearing, Squishy Wizard elementalist is that of heavy artillery, bringing both nukes and DoTs to the fight. However, with the right build, the elementalist becomes one of the most effective group supporters in the game, featuring many combo fields that provide a variety of buffs and heals. They can also come surprisingly close to tanking by using their evasive and protective cantrips and careful use of debuffs and regeneration. Their elite specialisation, Tempest, focuses on further increasing their area-effect attacks, and provides a surprising variety of team healing options through Aura effects, along with allowing them to Overload their elemental attunements for colossal damage to nearby enemies.
  • Engineer - Jack. Engineers are slightly squishy, but their skill with guns, their incredibly flexible kits and utility belts allow them to do nearly anything competently. Access to a plethora of varied condition damage and direct damage skills allows for DPS builds of many flavors, while elixirs and the ability to chain off combos like an elementalist provides group utility. A well-played engineer fits into any party, either filling in its weaknesses or further bolstering its strengths. Their Scrapper specialisation gives them access to flying clockwork drones for every situation, including the longest-duration Stealth skill in the game, and allows them to use gigantic hammers and wrenches as melee weapons, making them incredibly durable, able to reflect projectiles in three different ways and capable of frying anything they can reach.
  • Revenant - Jack. Technically. Revenant abilities fall into one of five Legend stances, channeling the spirits of ancient heroes and monsters to copy their signature techniques and spells - Mallyx the Unyielding, Ventari, King Jalis Ironhammer, Shiro Tagachi and Glint. Between the five, Revenants can cover any role as well as their gear allows, although they may only equip two Legends at once..
  • It should be noted that none of these examples are set in stone. While some classes can do certain roles better than others, any class can play most roles perfectly well. While playing Guild Wars 2, you'll see extreme glass cannon Warriors and Guardians, tanky Rangers and Elementalists, Necromancers acting as healers, etc.
• Perfect World has eight classes (soon to be ten), most of which embrace these roles, with one or two exceptions. The Debuffer/Mezzer roles, for example, are shared, as just about every class has some sort of debuff/mez skill, be it a Blademaster's stun, a Cleric's sleep, or a Venomancer's increased damage ability.
  • Barbarian: Tank, specifically Tough, and anyone who tries to build one otherwise will be summarily kicked out of squad.
  • Cleric: The unquestioned Healer. Again, anyone who tries a more creative build will be kicked out of squad (which is a pity, since Clerics tend to do decent damage when they're built right).
  • Blademaster: DPS, usually. However, they can be built into effective tanks, both Tough and Evasion... 5-attack-per-second Fist Blademasters, who tank by sheer damage aggro, are one of the most contested builds in the game, because of how sheerly overpowered they are.
  • Wizard: Nuker, complete with slow, massive attacks and elemental rock-paper-scissors. This class has some minor Healer capabilities, but they are as slow as the attacks, so it is not recommended to be a primary healer.
  • Archer: The equivilant of the Ranger DPS, but with next to no melee abilities. They do have a knockback ability to help, but it has a long cooldown. Can serve as an Evasion Tank for long-ranged bosses.
  • Venomancer: Petmaster to the letter. However, they also have the unique ability to lure enemies for better crowd control, and have the best debuffs of any class.
  • Assassin: Intended as a Ninja DPSer, but this can translate into Evasion Tank builds, since their damage aggro is so high. However, tanking with this class is VERY easy to do poorly, particularly with a less-than-top-notch cleric.
  • Psychic: Too fast to be a Nuker, this straddles the line between Ranger DPSer (despite being magical in nature), a Nuker, and a Healer. The healing abilities are mild and not really strong enough to handle a tank that doesn't have their own potions, and the DPS, while fast, is not the top of the heap. It's a bit of a Jack in that way, except that it fails at anything melee or physical.
• Phantasy Star Online—While every job had a pre-determined use, Phantasy Star Online allowed players to tinker around with their characters, if they so choosed, thanks to the bonus stats from MAGs, stat-boosting Materials, and the variety of weapons characters could equip. If you wanted to survive on the higher difficulty levels, however, you would have to specialize. The following are the preferred setups:
  • Tank - HUcasts, HUcaseals, RAcasts and RAcaseals all had the highest defense of any class , the highest going to RAcasts (despite being long-range specialists).
    • Hunters and Rangers also count, due to their job as Kiters in that they would keep the enemies off of the Forces in the area.
  • Healer - FOnewearls were both the best healers and buffers, incidentally, as they had innate bonuses to those types of techniques, and could learn said techniques at the highest levels.
  • Nuker - The FOnewm in the original Phantasy Star Online was this, although the FOnewearl bumped him to second place in Phantasy Star Zero.
    • Also the FOmar, which makes up for its abysmally low defense with a boost in the ultimate techniques Megid and Grants.
  • DPSer - Hunters, in general, particularly of the Scrapper type. Special mention goes to the HUcasts, who boasted the highest attack stat.
    • Any Ranger with a good pair of mech-guns was a Scrapper to be reckoned with.
    • Additionally, a Ranger with a good Rifle or Pistol was a decent, er...Ranger. They were particularly vital against enemies with high Evasion.
    • HUnewearls and HUcaseals were Ninja, through and through, boasting heightened Evasion stats and quicker combos, particularly with Daggers.
  • Mezzer - FOnewearls, again.
  • Trapper - Any CAST, regardless of their job, was partially a Trapper, which made up for the fact that they couldn't learn techniques. Their traps came in various flavors: Fire-damage traps, Healing traps, and Stun traps. Phantasy Star Zero introduced Light traps, which confused the enemy. While it was never a good idea for a CAST to depend entirely on traps, they are useful in a pinch. casts also had the innate ability to see any traps set in the environment, without the use of items.
  • Jack - Hunters, in general, as they could equip most anything, save staves (except for Phantasy Star Zero). The HUmar was this, in particular, as they boasted the largest list of available weaponry, a moderate list of available spells, and overall-balanced stats. This made them particularly newbie-friendly.
    • What FOmars lack in defense they make up for with higher attack power and decent melee animations.
    • HUnewms became the best of Jacks in Phantasy Star Zero, as they could equip an absurd range of gear- even MND boosting weapons meant for Forces! Additionally, they had a respectable ATK due to being a Hunter type, but a decent MND stat because of their Newman race. Because of this, they were deadly with either Hunter or Force weapons, especially the latter because MND is used to calculate Force physical attacks, and lends to powerful casting and healing at the same time. Their only caveat? HP totals so abysmal, they'd require a heal after most average hits, and were guaranteed to be floored by heavier attacks from bosses.
• Phantasy Star Online 2 offers more room to customize character classes to one's liking with the addition of a skill tree system and sub-classes, in conjunction with the tried-and-true MAGs.
  • Tank - Hunters can be these, either of the Bulletproof Human Shield variety with their large HP pools, or of the classic variety with their higher-than-average defensive stats. Their skill tree also has a skill that lets them draw aggro from all surrounding mobs.
  • Healer/Buffer - This is the Tector's claim to fame, with skills that improve their healing and buffing in addition to widening the AoE of said abilities. Force, Bouncer and Summoner can all pull this off to a degree as well, but in their cases this is largely supplemental to their main roles.
  • DPS - In theory, any class can pull this off. Hunters are Blademasters, Fighters are Scrappers with a number of skills that allow for Backstabber play (though difficult to utilize), Rangers are generally DoT Masters with a minor in Debuffing (and a second minor in Nuking if using a grenade launcher), Gunners are Scrappers/DoT Masters, Forces are straight-up Nukers, Tectors can prove an effective Blademaster or Nuker in addition to their general Healer/Buffer role, Bravers are Scrappers (via katana)/Archers (via bullet bow), Bouncers are Scrappers with a minor in Healing/Buffing/Power Ge-generating, and Summoners can fall into any of the types due to the variety of pets available to them.
  • Debuffer: Again, any class can pull this off, thanks to weapons capable of having abilities that inflict status ailments. That said, the primary classes that utilize status effects are the Ranger (via specialized bullets and grenade shells, as well as traps), Fighter (skills that increase the damage done to debuffed enemies), Force and Tector (skills that increase the proc chance of a bad status via spells (and melee strikes in the Tector's case.))
  • Pet Master: Summoners are the Beastmaster subtype, but while the pets themselves can function in nearly any role thanks to how many different kinds there are, the Summoner him/herself will generally have to minor in Healing and Buffing in order to support them.
  • AoE: Originally, the physical version was part of the Hunter's job as the Meat Shield, with weapons that featured attacks with much wider range than any other. Come Episode 3 however, this has mostly become the territory of Bouncers, whose weapons are optimized for crowd control, with weapons that hit fast and attacks for them that can mow down multiple foes with ease. Forces have quite a few AoE tricks up their sleeves in their role as Nukers and Tectors can operate decently in this capacity as well.
  • Jack: The Main/Sub class system allows for multiple versions of this. Among single classes however, the Summoner is probably the closest due to just how much stuff they can do depending on pet type.
    • Hero has balanced growth in melee, ranged and magic and unique abilities to take advantage of this. You can however specialise it through gear.
• Phantasy Star Universe, which came in between the above two, expanded on the original Hunter/Ranger/Force dynamic to create a variety of Types. Some were more specialized versions of the original class, others were hybrids, and still more had their own unique niche.
  • Tank - The melee classes tend to be the strongest defensively, but Wartechers and Acrofighters in particular stand out for having some of the highest multipliers for defensive stats.
  • Healer/Buffer - Fortetechers and Acrotechers have access to the most powerful support Technics, and Acrotecher had the added bonus of being able to cast them faster than any other class. Guntechers and Wartechers are also capable of using support options.
  • Nuker - Fortetechers also have strong offensive Technics. Masterforce specializes even further in these at the cost of significantly weakening their support capabilities.
  • DPSer - Fortefighters are somewhat of a mix between a Scrapper and a Blademaster, having access to both fast and slow weapons. Fighmasters are Lightning Bruiser Blademasters with a Crippling Overspecialization that prevents them from using any ranged weapons.
    • Fortegunners, Guntechers, and Gunmasters are ranged DPSers that all use a combination of fast and slow ranged weapons. Gunmasters have the fastest firing speed out of the three, but they also have a much more limited selection of weapons to work with.
  • Status Effect Guy - Fortegunner's/Gunmaster's/Guntecher's Bullets are capable of inflicting more potent status effects as they level (the Bullet Photon Arts themselves, not the character or the class.)
    • Protranser's traps can also deliver powerful status effects.
  • Trapper - Protransers have access to the best traps in the game.
  • Jack - When not using Traps, Protransers can use a variety of ranged and melee weapons. However, they cannot use Technics.
    • Acrofighters and Fighgunners are also hybrids of melee and ranged. Acrofighter mixes Scrapper-style melee with fast-firing Archer-style ranged options, while Fighgunner is slower and more melee-focused, but it has better options for ranged foes that would give a Fortefighter or especially a Fighmaster a hard time.
• The Lord of the Rings Online:
  • Tank - Guardian (toughness), Warden (avoidance)
  • Healer - Minstrel, Rune-Keeper, Captain
  • Nuker - Hunter, Rune-Keeper
  • DPSer - Champion (blademaster/scrapper), Hunter (ranger)
  • Debuffer - Burglar.
  • Mezzer - Lore-Master
  • Petmaster - Lore-Master, Captain
  • Trapper - Hunter
  • Jack - Captain
• Ragnarok Online
  • Tank - Swordsman/Crusader/Knight, Rogue/Assassin (Dodge builds/'Blink Tanks' - although few realise Assassins also make a very effective 'Tough Tank'), Acolyte/Priest (an unlikely, but unbelievably effective tank when toughness and healing are combined), Merchant (the other role this class can meander into), Soul Linker (with Kaahi, a self-buff that autoheals up to 1400 hp every time they are hit in exchange for an amount of sp out of one of the largest sp pools in the game)
  • Healer - Acolyte/Priest (can play the Nuker against Dark and undead monsters), Alchemist (turned Petmaster)
  • Nuker - Mage/Wizard, Monk, (Bard and Dancer had the most powerful nuke skill in the game at one point,'Ragnarok', but it was removed after test-implementation for being too great a Gamebreaker and harassment tool)
  • DPSer - Hunter (ranged), Assassin (melee), Swordsman/Knight (melee), Sage (fast magic or magic cast from melee strikes), Monk, Blacksmith (when they're not making stuff), Gunslinger (ranged, most pointedly when a Gatling gun is involved), Taekwon Kids(Rankers), Star Gladiators (especially if they have Union on), Soul Linkers (one of the highest possible modifiers for single target magic along with fast cast)
  • Mezzer - Bard, Dancer, Sage, Rogue
  • Transcendental versions of normal classes sport enhanced skill sets and greater overall stats, opening up builds that may branch into other fields - High Priests and Lord Knights for example gained builds with a solid single-target nuke, High Priest's new buff halves any damage received and can make anybody into a half-decent tank.
  • Petmaster - Alchemist (this was arguably the class' primary function, but due to programming issues, the highly developed pet system (the 'pet' AI is openly customisable on a code level, for instance, and requires complete stat dedication to use effectively) went unimplemented for a very long time, leaving Alchemists with half a skill tree and the impression that pet-mastery was only a side-option)
  • The Jack - Rogue (which can operate almost any melee build effectively, and with good intelligence and appropriate use of their Plagiarism ability can double as a passable nuker)
    • Crusaders/Paladins, who fulfill the Healer, Tank, DPSer roles and have some ranged attacks, buffs, debuffs, and nukes. The other Jack would be the Super Novice, who can use all the skills available to the early character classes (Except the ones who require the use of a bow) but have really low Hit Points and Mana.
• Rohan Online has six primary classes based on races (with a seventh and possible eighth coming soon), who are mainly split into several categories depending on what their general "job" is and what they become later on:
  • Tanker: Human Defenders and Dekan Dragon Sages and some Dragon Knights, with the occasional Agility-based Dhan assassin filling out the Blink Tank role in addition to Ninja DPS. Giants can also tank as well.
  • DPSer: Human Guardian (scrapper), Half-Elven Scout and Ranger (ranger), Dhans in general but Avengers in particular (ninja), and Dekan Dragon Knights (scrapper). Giants who focus on two swords are usually DPSers.
  • Nuker: Dark Elf Warlocks and Wizards, with the occasional Elven Templar as a side to the Healer role. Both Dekans and Humans can get a melee-based AoE as well, but it's mainly used for tanking and aggro management.
  • Mezzer: Just about every class has a skill capable of stunning enemies, which is crucial in both PvE and PvP, but the primary debuffs belong to Dark Elves of both the Warlock and Wizard categories, with Dhans and Dekans also getting some nice melee debuffs.
  • Trapper: Dhan Predators and Half-Elven Rangers.
  • Healer: Elves in general, but the Elven Priest in particular. Dekans can also heal using the Health Funnel skill.
  • The Jack: Dekans, full stop.
• Warhammer Online has six racial armies — Dwarf, Empire (good humans), High Elf, Greenskin (Orc and Goblin), Chaos (bad humans), and Dark Elf — divided among two factions (Order and Destruction). Each army has four unique "Careers" that fall under four basic categories. Though explicitly designed to include PvE content, the game is very much PVP Balanced.
  • Tank — The High Elf Swordmaster and Black Orc use "proto-Jedi" sword-fu and cunning brawler tricks, respectively. The Dwarf Ironbreaker grows more dangerous as you hurt their allies, and the Dark Elf Black Guard thrives on growing hatred for their enemies. The Imperial Knight of the Blazing Sun fortifies their allies with battlefield commands, but the Chaos Chosen radiates debilitating fear. All have the ability to taunt NPC Mooks and even other Player Characters (forcing a temporary half-damage reduction to any target but the taunting Tank). All also overlap with the Scrapper DPS archetype enough for solo-play viability.
  • Melee DPSer — The Imperial Witch Hunter and Dark Elf Witch Elf promise to be Ninja badasses all the same, with offenses that grow steadily more dangerous. Likewise, the Dwarf Slayer and Orc Choppa build up and unleash fury as berserker-flavored Scrapper DPSers. The Chaos Marauder is also a Scrapper, but he prepares for a fight by mutating their body. The High Elf Career for this category, the White Lion, combines this with Petmaster and a dash of Tank: White Lion hunters wade into battle alongside their fierce feline companions.
  • Ranged DPSer — The High Elf Shadow Warrior and Chaos Magus are Badass Normal and Squishy Wizard forms of the ranged DPSer, with each showing varying shades of the Mezzer. The Dwarf Engineer is The Gunslinger with bombs, who stands between being a ranged DPSer and, unusually, a melee Nuker. Similarly, the puny Goblin Squig Herder stays at range, relying on their melee-range pets to cause major pain — a Petmaster. The Imperial Bright Wizard and Dark Elf Sorceress are traditional Nukers, with the complication that overusing their most devastating powers will explosively backfire on themselves.
  • Support — The healing Careers... but the only remotely traditional Healers are the Dwarf Runepriest and Chaos Zealot. And much less so the latter. The High Elf Archmagus and Goblin Shaman are general purpose casters who can zap as well as heal. The Imperial Warrior Priest and Dark Elf Disciple of Khaine are unusual "melee" healers — they actually need to be in the front lines hitting things to build up the energy they need to cast anything. They'll all probably be Mezzers to greater or lesser extents.
• World of Warcraft: Most of WoW's Classes are hybrids of the archetypes listed above, and the Talent system and benefits of higher-end equipment only make this more complicated. Some Classes have two or more "forms," each one with different strengths and weaknesses. Most players just lump the myriad of types into three categories: Tank, Heal, DPS. Buffing, Debuffing, and CC (Mezzing) roles are distributed throughout the various classes.
  • Death Knight — Tank, Scrapper-type DPSer or Blademaster-type DPSer, with a few elements of Damage Over Time or Petmaster thrown in, again depending on Talents. (Tank, DPS)
  • Druid — A mode-shifting Jack. With Talents, they can become a better Nuker, a better Healer, a better Tank, or a better Backstabber/Scrapper-type DPSer. They are the only class in the game to have four separate specialization trees instead of three, due to their versatility. (Heal, Tank, melee DPS, ranged DPS)
  • Hunter — Archer-type DPSer, Petmaster, Trapper who uses Traps. (DPS)
  • Mage — Nuker, Mezzer. Frost mages have elements of Pet Master by the virtue of a permanent elemental pet. (DPS)
  • Monk — A Jack that depends on Talents to become either an Avoidance Tank, a Healer, or a Scrapper-type DPSer. (Heal, Tank, DPS).
  • Paladin — A "Jack of all, master of one" that depends on Talents to become an effective Mitigation Tank with some Regeneration elements from powerful self-healing, Healer, or Blademaster DPSer. Healer has some elements of Preemptive Healers, though not as many as a priest. (Tank, Heal, DPS)
  • Priest — Healer and weak Nuker, but can become a ranged DPS with damage split between Nuker and DoT Master archetypes. Only class with two Healing trees, one for Classic Healer and one for Preemptive Healer (Though both have bits of the other). (Heal, DPS)
  • Rogue — Two talent specs for Scrapper-type DPS, and one for Backstabber. All three also heavily incorporate the ability to be a Mezzer. (DPS)
  • Shaman — Can become a Nuker, Scrapper, or Healer. Trapper who uses Devices called Totems. (DPS, Heal)
  • Warlock — Nuker, DoT Master, or Petmaster. All three specialites are using summoned Demons, each with a specific purpose, rather than the more generalized beasts a Hunter tames. Warlocks could also be said to be Debuffers due to their ability of weakening their enemy. Also, a minor specialization glyph allows warlocks access to an ersatz tanking form. (DPS)
  • Warrior — Tank, Scrapper-type DPSer or Blademaster-type DPSer. With the right talents and equipment, may also dual wield two-handed weapons, which technically has elements of both melee damage classifications. (Tank, DPS)
• Nexus Clash and previously Nexus War:
  • Tank - Seraph (highest maximum health, good armor, damaging defensive aura), Infernal Behemoth (strong regeneration skills, an even better aura, and the ability to ignore certain damage types), Holy Champion (can obtain absurd levels of armor and ignore several damage types), and Nexus Champion (can become very dodgy with proper balance and spells).
  • Healer - Any class can learn medical skills as a mortal, but the best at it are the Advocate (aura that heals over time, self-sacrifice skill to instantly heal everybody nearby) and Lightspeaker (summons pets that heal good-aligned characters). Both classes are also excellent at removing debuffs.
  • Nuker: any caster class can learn area-effect spells, but Wizards do more spell damage for less mana than any other class. The Void Walker, Doom Howler and Advocate classes can also throw out a lot of hurt.
  • DPSer: A balanced Nexus Champion has the highest theoretical damage, but inflicting any damage will cause them to move away from True Neutral. The Revenant has excellent accuracy at night and good damage, the Infernal Behemoth is very powerful under the effect of Bloodlust, the Holy Champion can do a lot of damage with Cloak of Steel forms, and the Seraph can hit quite hard but has rubbish accuracy.
  • Mezzer: The Dark Oppressor, as the name suggests. More (and more painful) negative status effects than any other class. It's also one of the few classes that can inflict unsoakable damage.
  • Petmaster: The Lightspeaker, Wyrm Master, and Elementalist classes. All can summon a squadron of powerful pets. The Holy Champion, Nexus Champion and Doom Howler also have several pet skills, although pets aren't the main focus of these classes.
  • Trapper: The Lich can summon an unlimited number of relatively weak undead pets. Since moving around depletes the pets, they mainly take the role of stronghold defense. However, the ability to bring more than a hundred ghouls along with them makes them powerful offensive petmasters as well.
  • Jack: The Eternal Soldier. Not as great a tank or DPSer as the listed classes, he also is not restricted by morality or daylight as other classes are, and focuses primarily on passive skills that enhance his basic abilites.
• Mabinogi
  • A free MMORPG run by Nexon NA, Mabinogi completely averts this trope with its non-exclusive, unlimited skill-based system. Although there are some minor racial limitations on skills and equipment, there are no character classes, and thus no class limitations on either. And unlike most skill-based MMORPGs, there is no max limit on the skill building points available, nor any exclusive skill paths (except the transformation skills listed below). It is fully possible to max out every skill path in the game, becoming a Jack who is god-like at everything. Few players choose to do so, however, given the sheer time and effort required; and the majority opt to build their characters as a low-level Jack, while developing higher-level skills along more traditional hybrid lines. Pretty much every common, and a few less common, standard and hybrid tropes are available through particular skills or skill combinations. Pure Healer and Squishy Wizard builds are very rare, however.
    • Pets are universally available (as a paid premium), and include fairly powerful user-editable AIs, allowing them to function as lesser forms of any of the usual tropes, including Tanks, Healers, DPSers, etc. Solo players typically use them to fill in their own areas of weakness.
    • Along with this, there's a type of Mode-shifting Jack. There are several race-specific "transformation" abilities available; which give skill and stat boosts for a limited time. If used on the Jack, they become more typical trope type. If used on a hybrid, the transformation either enhances the main skillset, or produces a hybrid of various sorts.
    • Humans have two, Paladin and Dark Knight. Paladin stat boots focus on creating a Tank/DPS melee juggernaut. Dark Knight offers an odd, random boost; so depending on the particular instance (and existing skills), can result in a Tank, Nuker, DPSer, or pure Jack. The Dark Knight transformation also offers a strong Mezzer skill.
    • Elves have the Falcon transformation. Due to their racial stats, Elves tend to focus on Ranger DPS or various Healer hybrid tropes; and Falcon emphasizes these abilities, while providing enhanced survivability.
    • Giants have the Savage Beast transformation. Giants are effectively designed for the Tank/Scrapper DPS melee role; and Savage Beast ratchets this up several levels.
• zOMG!
  • Gaia Online's Flash-based MMO claims to be free of this trope. However, the grouping of rings into "ring sets" create some semblance of classes.
    • Angel set - Healer/Ranger
    • Athlete set - Tank (tough)
    • Chef set - Tank
    • Demon set - Mezzer/Buffer
    • Medic set - Read the label
    • Ninja set - Ninja/Tank (evasive)
    • Pirate set - Jack/DPS
    • Prankster set - Mezzer/Nuker
    • Spaceman set - Buffer/Jack
    • Shaman set - Buffer/Mezzer
• Dungeon Fighter Online: The five main classes fit into their initial roles quite well, but the Prestige Classes allow each class to branch off into just about every other direction, with some prestige classes actually sharing roles and changing their abilities drastically.
  • Slayers are the Jack, with aspects of a Debuffer.
  • Fighters are Scrapper-type DPS
  • Gunners are Ranger-type DPS
  • Mages are Nukers
  • Priests are the Tank, with aspects of a Healer.
• Vindictus: There are sixclasses (canonically single characters), which can be customized a little based on which skills you level and whether you switch to the second weapon set.
  • Lann is a Fragile Speedster Dual Wield DPS character who gives the impression of a tornado of blades. Upgrading his swords to twin spears ratchets up his DPS to the highest in the game. Has a AoE-ish spinning attack.
  • Fiona is a Tank who shelters behind her shield until the opportune moment, then makes a devastating counterstrike.
  • Evie is a Master-of-One Jack. She can be a Nuker who uses a staff, or a scythe-wielding DPS character, and either way she has at least one Mezzer, Trapper and Petmaster skill available. Recent updates have pushed her more into a Nuker vs. DPSer. Originally also a strong Healer, later updates substantiall7 nerfed her healing abilities.
  • Kai is a standard Ranger type, with some minor melee abilities, and one short-range AoE skill.
  • Karok starts out midway between Scrapper DPS and Tank. He's huge and able to wear the heaviest armor, and his attacks are slow but devastatingly powerful. He also has a Grapple ability far beyond any other character's. Skill build will eventually push him farther toward either Tank or Scrapper.
  • Vella is a Dual Wielding DPSer; but is less of a Glass Cannon. After building her counter attack and dodge skills, she moves into Avoidance Tank territory. Her upgrade weapon is a pair of blades attached to long chains, give her an unusal AoE/ranged melee capability.
  • Along with character classes, there are also two mutually-exclusive transformation skills available: Paladin, which emphasizes defense, and is taken more often by Tank characters; and Dark Knight, which emphasizes damage, and is taken more often by DPS-oriented players. Both forms are used to compensate for a character's weaker aspects; especially to round out a Jack.
• Rift plays with this. There are four base classes (warrior, mage, rogue, and cleric) with nine (counting PvP souls) possible specializations each. And while there's likely to be a base class that's the best fit for a given role, no class is necessarily pigeonholed. The only two real restrictions are that warriors can't heal and mages can't tank.
• Star Wars: The Old Republic is all over the place on this one. There are four character classes, each class has two Advanced Jobs, and each of those jobs has three skill trees to build from, leading to all kinds of combinations. Though There is a general trend.
  • Jedi Knight/Sith Warrior: DPS/Tank or pure DPS
  • Jedi Consular/Sith Inquisitor: Ninja DPS/Tank or Nuker/Healer
  • Republic Trooper/Bounty Hunter: Ranged DPS/Healer or Ranged DPS/Tank
  • Smuggler/Imperial Agent: Ranged DPS or Ninja DPS/Healer
• Wizard101's classes
  • Fire: The DoT Master
  • Ice: Starts out as Meat Shield as well as Preemptive Healer, but also becomes the Mitigation Tank on top of that at higher levels.
  • Storm: The Nuker
  • Myth: Starts as the Beastmaster but later on they develop several features of the Debuffer and the Mezzer
  • Life: The Healer
  • Death: Doesn't really fall into any of the normal classes the closest being the Debuffer. They are based around the principles of give and take. They have several attacks with a Life Drain effect as well as several abilities that are Cast From Hitpoints
  • Balance: A Jack but slightly specialized to be the Buffer
• Pirate101 all classes can perform some buffing but class specializations:
  • Buccaneer: Blademaster and Tank
  • Pirvateer: Healer, and Meatshield
  • Swashbukler: Backstabber, Scrapper, and hints of Avoidance Tank
  • Musketeer: The archer with some Mezzer abilites
  • Witchdoctor: Nuker, all the status effects classes, and Minion Master
• TERA has ten classes in total, which fit into the standard archetypes fairly well-
  • Tank: The game's emphasis on action means you'll take large amounts of damage if you just rely on your armor and hitpoints. Lancers are by-the-book mitigation tanks, using their tower shields and defensive skills to absorb or minimize damage while controlling aggro with shouts and counters. Warriors are avoidance tanks with a side of Jack, using dodges, fast movement speeds, and their twin swords to deal respectable DPS while dancing around enemies. In a recent patch, Beserkers at the level cap could gain a skill that grants them tanking abilities, decreasing their DPS while letting them build aggro at a constant rate and changing the effects of many of their skills to increase survivability.
  • Melee DPS: Beserkers are Blademasters, using massive axes to crush enemies with the occasional weapon block and plate armor to avoid getting too beat up. Slayers, despite using a BFS, are more of a scrapper/backstabber combination, with increasingly fast combos that draw less aggro than warriors or 'zerkers, letting them hack away at an enemy's backside with impunity. Reapers (a class unlocked once you reach level 40 with one character) are AOE scrappers with chain-blades and the longest, widest range of the melee classes, making them ideal for killing groups of enemies.
  • Ranged DPS: Archers are exactly that as well as something of a status effect guy, spamming rapid pure-damage or DoT arrows, and can use traps (some debilitating, some lethal) to keep targets at a distance while they blast away. Sorcerers are the standard bathrobe-clad nuker, with incredibly powerful elemental attacks that can blow the hell out of anything unlucky enough to fall in their range. Gunners, a new class equipped with a BFG and a robot pet, rely on a resource called Willpower that increases with every kill-once they have enough, they unleash incredibly powerful nukes that slaughter enemies, which gives more Willpower, which lets them unleash incredibly powerful nukes...
  • Support: Pretty much all classes have some form of self-buff, with some getting a few that benefit allies (like the Lancer's Guardian Shout). However, two classes excel at keeping a party on its feet: Priests are a combination of Healer Classic and Curer, with some decent Buffer skills and a remarkable number of divine attacks thrown in for flavor. Mystics aren't nearly as effective at healing, but they have some VERY potent Buffs, some Mezzer spells, and their Beastmaster qualities let them summon a pet to help tank, attack, or heal as necessary, making solo or small-group play a little easier.

Single-Player RPGs

• Diablo (1997) emphasized solo-play more than group play. The warrior was not a tank, but just a Magically Inept Fighter, the sorcerer was a Squishy Wizard, and it was a Linear Warriors, Quadratic Wizards situation. The rogue was an archer and Jack of All Stats between the other two. Diablo II was still geared for soloing, but was better PVP Balanced, and classes edged closer to traditional MMO archetypes, while having absolutely nothing to do with normal party roles:
  • Barbarian - Scrapper-type DPSer, Tank
  • Amazon - DPSer of any of the three types, depending on what skills you choose
  • Sorceress - Nuker, but woefully dependent on Elemental Rock-Paper-Scissors considering you could only master one element
  • Necromancer - Petmaster or Nuker or Mezzer, depending on your choices
  • Paladin - DPSer, DPSer/Healer, or Healer, depending — the most team-oriented Class in the game, groups of Paladins could be far more powerful than groups of any single other Class.
  • Druid - Melee DPSer, Petmaster or Nuker, depending
  • Assassin - Ninja/Scrapper DPSer, but could choose to learn Traps.
  • Witch Doctor - Petmaster/Nuker
  • Monk - Ninja/Scrapper DPSer
  • Wizard - Nuker
• Since it was heavily inspired by classic computer RPGs of the 1980s, the Dragon Quest series has followed pretty closely to the traditional character classes. In-series, they’re referred to as vocations, and in certain games there is an Alltrades Abbey where players can change their vocation by speaking to the abbot. The main vocations are:
  • The Tank: The Warrior. Powerful meat shields that specialize in heavy equipment, they learn abilities that emphasize their strength as well as guard them from all enemy attacks. They are the slowest vocation in the game, however, and the most costly to keep maintained since they have the largest selection of weapons and armor.
  • The Healer/Status Effect Guy: The Priest. Priests more focus on healing magic and fortifying spells in comparison to the Mages, though unlike traditional depictions of the Healer, they are not useless in killing enemies. They can equip most weapons that Heroes and Warriors can use, though their physical strength is average at best. They can learn a wide variety of offensive spells and magic that enables them to keep up with the party.
  • The DPS: The Martial Artist. Martial Artists are extremely fast and can deal considerable damage with their high critical hit rate, making them an ideal substitute for Warriors as a DPS vocation if one is concerned about money. However, they can only equip claw-type weapons; if they equip swords or any other weapon, their attack will go down. They also cannot equip heavy or even medium armor, making them much more frail when compared to Warriors.
  • The Resource Master: The Mage. They specialize in powerful AOE spells like Kafrizzle and Kaboom. They also have some very unusual spells like Puff, which transforms the user into an uncontrollable dragon, or Hocus Pocus, which has all sorts of random effects, good or bad. They can also buff the attack power of party members with Oomph. A lot of their spells, especially the ones that are learned later, consume a ton of MP, so most players tend to conserve their MP for boss fights.
  • The Jack-of-All-Trades: The Hero and The Merchant. The Hero vocation is an all-balanced class with decent strength and magic, that is mainly exclusive to the player character. They can learn the Zap line of spells, which is unique to their vocation, as well as some of the most powerful healing and defensive spells in the series.
    • The Merchants are average in strength and defense, but they are able to pick up more gold than usual after a battle. They learn the least amount of abilities out of all the main classes, and the ones they do learn are used mainly outside of battle, like lowering the encounter rate or detecting the number of treasure chests in the room.

• Bloodline Champions uses Tank, Ranged Damage, Melee Damage and Healer archetypes to divide the individual bloodlines inside it. Tanks will generally win in a one-on-one manner due to high survivability and reasonable DPS, while Ranged Damage tends to depend on hitting their opponents while staying out of range from opposition, Melee Damage trade range for some extra damage, survivability, speed and more ways to get in range. Healers tend to lose one-on-one, but their healing is very valuable when other ways to regain health are much more cumbersome or much lesser powerful, as well as being able to gain energy from healing easily.
• The original Final Fantasy, like its later MMORPG incarnation, has the rudimentary class roles as follows:
  • Fighter: Tank/DPSer - Because he had the best armor AND weapons, the Fighter would often do a heavy amount of single-target damage in addition to shrugging off physical hits.
  • Black Belt: DPSer - Fairly weak at low levels, but this Bare-Fisted Monk could rival and even surpass the Fighter late in the game. He was also a lot cheaper to maintain: 24-Hour Armor is expensive.
  • Thief: DPSer - with a side of Magikarp Power. He was significantly weaker than the Fighter and Black Belt until his class change to Ninja, which gave him enough damage output and spells to compete.
  • White Mage: Healer - Pretty much speaks for itself.
  • Black Mage: Nuker/Mezzer - In addition to spells that blasted multiple enemies, the Black Mage could also use a few status effect spells like Sleep.
  • Red Mage: Jack - Useful early on for his average attack power and spellcasting ability, the Red Mage's usefulness would start to fade late in the game as more specialized characters began to dominate.
• Final Fantasy III expanded on the job system of the first game with the following classes (especially in the DS remake):
  • Freelancer/Onion Knight: Jack - The initial class. Balanced, but generally useless once you got real classes. Onion Knights, however, approach Game-Breaker once you find the Onion equipment (especially in the DS remake, where they can actually use magic).
  • Warrior/Knight: Tank/DPS - Knights also minor in Healer since they get white magic.
  • Monk/Black Belt: DPS(Scrapper) - A powerful Bare-Fisted Monk with high HP and damage.
  • White Mage/Devout: Healer
  • Black Mage/Magus: Nuker
  • Red Mage: Jack
  • Thief: DPS(Ninja) - Can also steal some good equipment.
  • Ranger: DPS(Ranger) - Deals damage from the back row.
  • Scholar: Healer/Nuker - Sort of an oddball class focusing on item usage.
  • Geomancer: Nuker - A more random and terrain-based nuker than the BM.
  • Viking: Tank - A more tanking-oriented class, with the Provoke ability.
  • Dragoon: Tank/DPS - More DPS-focused, with some damage-avoiding skills (Jump).
  • Dark Knight: Tank/DPS - Also has a minor nuking ability with the Souleater skill.
  • Evoker - Jack - Summons have random effects.
  • Summoner - Nuker - His summons are more focused on heavy nuking.
  • Bard - Healer/Mezzer - Harps can boost or even heal allies.
  • Sage - Healer/Nuker/Mezzer - Can use white, black, and summon magic.
  • Ninja - DPS(Scrapper) - Can throw shurikens for massive damage.
• Final Fantasy IV has fixed classes for characters, but some are cleanly defined enough to be archetypes:
  • Cecil (Paladin) is a Tank. Even more so in the DS remake, which allows abilities like "Draw Attacks" and "Counter." ^note And for some more resilience, throw in "Range" and put him in the back row
  • Rosa (White Mage) is a Healer
  • Rydia (Caller/Summoner) is definitely a Nuker
  • Edge (Ninja) is mostly a DPS.
• Final Fantasy V, with its Job system, allows any of the four party members to be any role (or a hybrid of any role, really), but the jobs themselves have specific roles.
  • Knight: Tank/DPSer - 2-handed grip ability doubles damage, and the Knight gets the best armor/weapons in the game. High HP, too.
  • Monk: Tank/DPSer - Only in the beginning, though. Inherent unarmed double-attack gets outclassed as weapons get stronger, and while the Monk has the highest HP, his armor is sorely lacking. Possibly a Scrapper.
  • Dragoon: DPSer - Uses the Jump ability to deal massive physical damage while staying out of harm's way..
  • Ninja: DPSer - Innate ability to use two weapons when attacking (hits twice). Also a Fragile Speedster and Glass Cannon thanks to high agility and light armor.
  • Samurai: Tank - Just like the Dragoon, the Samurai gets good armor but can also evade (through the Blade Grip ability).
  • Hunter/Ranger: DPSer - 4x attack!
  • Sorcerer/Mystic Knight: Jack - Good weapon selection with the ability to graft any spell onto his attacks, but poor armor.
  • White Mage: Healer - Gets spells like Protect for proactive preservation.
  • Black Mage: Nuker - Duh.
  • Time Mage: Mezzer - Haste, Slow, Stop, etc.
  • Summoner: Nuker - Starts out with slow, high-offense spells, but gains damage prevention and healing later on with the addition of spells like Golem, Carbuncle, and Phoenix.
  • Blue Mage: Jack - Some healing (White Wind), Nuker-style damage (Aqua Rake, for example), decent attack/defense.
  • Red Mage: Jack - The same as Blue Mage, but with traditional Black/White spells.
  • Trainer/Beastmaster: Petmaster - Of course.
  • Chemist: Mezzer/Buffer - The Drink ability.
  • Bard: Mezzer/Buffer
  • Gladiator: DPSer - Heavy damage output, but relatively frail.
  • Cannoneer: Mezzer/Nuker - Combine is a more offensive version of Drink/Mix
  • Oracle: Nuker - at least in theory anyway.
  • Necromancer: Nuker - as a darker version of the Summoner.
• Final Fantasy X: Each of the seven party members are a mix of traditional jobs from previous games, their default progression paths on the Sphere Grid resulting in the following:
  • Tidus: Melee DPS, Scrapper type; high natural speed and accuracy statistics, and a decent strength output from the beginning. Learns Haste, Slow and Delay magic to get in even more turns against those pesky enemies with high HP. His Provoke ability can make him a useful Mitigation Tank later.
  • Yuna: The Healer, Beastmaster (this is an innate ability unique to her) and Magic Tank, due to her white magic, aforementioned (and storyline-important) powers as a summoner and high magic defense.
  • Auron: Meat Shield and The Blademaster, with the highest Defence and HP (as well as his Guard and Sentinel, which allow him to take a hit for another party member) and his incredible physical attack power, contrasted by underwhelming speed.
  • Wakka: The Archer (with a ball), Debuffer and (later) Meat Shield, due to his status-attacks and slow but very impressive strength and defense statistics.
  • Lulu: The Nuker, Debuffer, Evasion Tank and Magic Tank; due to her high-damage black magic (at the start of the game, absolutely absurd amounts of level-grinding excused, she'll no doubt be dealing the highest damage), and godly Evasion and Magic Defence statistics.
  • Rikku: The Scrapper minus the attack power, whose use boils down to stealing and being the Item Caddy.
  • Kimahri: A Blue Mage, his Sphere Grid path is very short and centralised, meaning he can cross into any character's path. Jack of all Trades, with low starting stats and the ability to learn fiends' abilities.
  • Any character, once they've finished a second path on the Grid becomes a Jack of all Trades, only with incredible stats.
• Final Fantasy Tactics elaborates on Final Fantasy V's system with the following results:
  • Squire: Jack
  • Chemist: Healer with a splash of DPS due to an aversion of Fantasy Gun Control
  • Knight: Tank / Debuffer (can break enemy equipment)
  • Archer: Ranged DPS (while the "Charge" command is nominally a Nuker ability, nobody actually uses it because the victim can often move out of the way before the arrow flies.)
  • Priest/White Mage: Healer
  • Wizard/Black Mage: Nuker
  • Monk: Jack, and a really good one at that: phys attacks, ranged magic, healing and even a rez!
  • Thief: Debuffer (via stealing EQ), Ninja-style DPS
  • Oracle: Debuffer
  • Time Mage: Buffer/Mezzer
  • Geomancer: ...Good question. This is a weird class that uses Tank weapons, Nuker armor and long-range magic attacks for Cherry Tapping damage and a chance for Mezzer-type debuffing. So, a Jack, since "Kitchen Sink" doesn't really belong anywhere else.
  • Dragoon/Lancer: Tank (half blood, half Eva%, as with its Final Fantasy V cousin).
  • Mediator: Mezzer
  • Summoner: "All-purpose magic" (mostly Nuking, but with a splash of Healer, Buff and Debuff.)
  • Samurai: Evasion Tank, thanks to Blade Grasp.
  • Ninja: Ninja-style DPS with a side of Glass Cannon
  • Bard: Buffer
  • Dancer: Debuffer/Mezzer
  • Mime: Jack
  • Calculator: Awesome, but Impractical Nuker
  • ...And of course there's a bunch of unique classes which only one character in the game gets, but we're not going to get into that. Most of them are DPS (Agrias, Meliadoul, TG Cid), Debuffers/Mezzers (Mustadio, Meliadoul, Beowulf; Balthier in the remake) or Quirky Bards (Rafa and Malak).
• While there are no actual Jobs in Final Fantasy XIII, the Paradigm system allows the party to set up in a manner similar to Jobs. Being able to switch between them on command is the crux of the battle system.
  • Attacker/Commando: DPS. Used to inflict damage quickly and keep the Stagger gauge from dropping too quickly.
  • Blaster/Ravager: Nuker. Plays ERPS based on Libra information, elevates Stagger gauge quickly in addition to damage.
  • Defender/Sentinel: Pure Tank. Abilities are geared towards minimizing damage to self and drawing attention away from the party. Late battles will require intelligent use of this Paradigm to keep the party from being wiped.
  • Healer/Medic: Speaks for itself.
  • Jammer/Saboteur: Dabbles in debuffs. Can inflict damage, but nothing compared to COM or RAV. The debuffs are the draw, however, and clever use of them will make any fight easier - in fact, some may be unwinnable without a SAB around.
  • Enhancer/Synergist: Deals in buffs. You will need one in many late battles, so don't neglect it.
• Hellgate: London splits their classes among three factions: the Templar, who primarily wield swords and the like and walk around in medieval-looking armor, the Hunters, who use guns and various bits of technology, and the Cabalists, who are the wizardy types. Each faction has two classes, which could roughly be surmised as one offensive and one defensive.
  • Tanker: Templar Guardian
  • DPSer: Templar Bladesmaster (scrapper), Hunter Marksman (ranger, but with some nuking elements in the form of grenades and physical strikes)
  • Nuker: Cabalist Evoker, and to a lesser extent the Hunter Engineer, and certain Marksman builds.
  • Petmaster: Cabalist Summoner, who can have one Demon pet out a time, and any number of smaller elementals. To a lesser extent, the Hunter Engineer.
  • Trapper: Hunter Engineer, with elements of Nuker and Petmaster thrown in. They do have one "real" pet, which can be upgraded and given equipment, but they have several other "Bots" that follow them around and function more as mobile traps.
  • Healer: Templar Guardian. One of the skill is surprisingly effective at healing.
• And with Bravely Default returns the old school Final Fantasy Job System, including the following classes:
  • Freelancer: The basic Jack.
  • Monk: Scrapper.
  • White Mage: Healer and Buffer.
  • Black Mage: AoE Nuker, with a bit of Mezzer thrown in.
  • Knight: While a Mitigation Tank by default, certain support and abilities allow them to sacrifice some defense for more powerful attacks, allowing them to take the role of Blademaster.
  • Thief: Both Backstabber and Archer. High agility allows them to get in more hits per an action, while Godspeed Strike allows them both to base their damage on their speed stat and ignore physical defense.
  • Merchant: Power-Regenerator and Buffer that uses money rather than MP
  • Spell Fencer: Nuker, Mezzer and Magic Tank. While they're a Jack of All Stats, Sword Magic allows them to hit as hard as Black Mages with 1/10th the MP consumption, and most of their passive abilities boost their elemental resistances or Magic Defense.
  • Time Mage: Nuker, Preemptive Healer, Buffer, and Debuffer.
  • Ranger: The Archer.
  • Summoner: The Summoner.
  • Valkyrie: An AoE Blademaster. Often uses powerful, multi-target attacks which either take multiple turns to execute or consume BP
  • Red Mage: Jack. Has access to both Black and White Magic, but only up to level 4 spells. They also trade in magical power for less less squishiness
  • Salve-Maker: A Healer, Buffer, Debuffer and Nuker who uses items rather than MP
  • Performer: Party-wide Buffer and Power-Regenerator
  • Pirate: Blademaster and Debuffer. Uses powerful attacks that often lower the stats of opponents, but is very slow.
  • Ninja: Dual-Wielding Scrapper and Avoidance Tank. Most of their abilities either increase their attack rate or boost their Evasion.
  • Swordmaster: Scrapper and Mitigation Tank that uses counterattacks to deal most of their damage.
  • Arcanist: Nuker and Debuffer. Effectively Black Mages cranked up, sacrificing convenience for massively powerful attacks and extreme MP efficiency.
  • Spiritmaster: Preemptive healer and Power-Regenerator. Most abilities involve granting immunities to party members or reducing MP and BP consumption
  • Templar: Blademaster and Mitigation Tank. Relies on critical hits and BP consuming abilities to deal most of its damage.
  • Dark Knight: Physical DPS that often Cast from Hit Points
  • Vampire: A Jack that gains most of its abilities from the monsters you encounter throughout the game.
  • Conjurer: Buffer and Power-Regenerator. Also has a passive Nuker ability that allows you to instantly KO any non-Boss enemy that has twenty levels less than you.
• Mass Effect uses this, being a Third-Person Shooter with RPG Elements.
  • Soldier — The Scrapper and Tank, being able to use all armour and weaponry effectively. Is somewhat of a Jack due to also having access to First Aid (healing).
  • Engineer — The Debuffer and Mezzer. There's no Ninja DPSer, so this guy has the larcenous skills. Emphasis on crippling enemies via debuffs, in a technology-based manner. Can only use a pistol and light armour.
  • Adept — Combination Mezzer and Nuker. Focuses on manipulating physics to defeat your enemies. Can only use a pistol and light armour.
  • Vanguard, Infiltrator, and Sentinel are all hybrids of the preceding three classes:
    • Vanguard (Soldier/Adept) — The Scrapper and Mezzer. Has the Adept's offensive abilities, can wear medium armor, and has shotgun training.
    • Infiltrator (Soldier/Engineer) — The Ranger DPSer. Has the Engineer's offensive abilities as well as being able to wear medium armour and having sniper rifle training.
    • Sentinel (Adept/Engineer) — The Mezzer and Debuffer, with a bit of the Healer thrown in for good measure. Has both biotic and tech abilities, but has no real weapons training and can only wear light armour. Makes up for this with the Medicine skill, which increases squad healing.
• Mass Effect 2 (and Mass Effect 3, which uses the same combat engine) managed to mix the previous archetypes up a bit.
  • Soldier — A full-on Scrapper, with some shades of an Evasion Tank. A variety of strong weapons and ammo types, the Soldier can also use the time-slowing effect of Adrenaline Rush to avoid attacks and take reduced damage.
  • Engineer — Now a bit of a Jack, with shades of a Petmaster, Nuker and Mezzer; the Engineer can summon a Combat Drone to assist him/her, hack robotic enemies, throw fire for ranged damage and freeze enemies with Cryo.
  • Adept — Still a Nuker/Mezzer, but now with some extra damage-dealing capabilties to compensate for their lack of weapon choices.
  • Infiltrator — A DPSer with elements of both Ninja and Ranger. Can use sniper rifles and Incinerate to eliminate enemies from a distance, but can also use Tactical Cloak to sneak up on enemies and tear them up with melee strikes and an SMG. Also has some minor Mezzer elements with their ammo types.
  • Vanguard — A Ninja/Scrapper with some Mezzer thrown in for good measure. Their Mezzing biotics are mainly used to throw enemies off balance from a distance right before zooming in with a Biotic Charge and inflicting heavy damage with a shotgun to the face.
  • Sentinel — A full Debuffer now; a hybrid with a mix of tech and biotics, but they're mostly centered around crippling an enemy or removing defenses than doing outright damage. Has shades of a Tank with a powerful defensive buff, but this is more for survival than protection.
• Planescape: Torment (It's, of course, a Dungeons & Dragons game though)
  • The Nameless One could be either a DPSer or a Nuker depending of your class choice. He's always a good Tank due to his huge HP pool.
    • He's a mode-shift Jack, before the type was ever identified. The only thing he can't do is Healer.
  • Morte is a Tank, with taunting skill included.
  • Dak'Kon is a Scrapper DPSer/Nuker, being a Fighter/Mage multiclass.
  • Annah is a Fragile Speedster DPSer, with many stealth skills.
  • Fall-From-Grace is a Healer/Mezzer, as she uses the Cleric spell list (She's also the only character to do so).
  • Nordom is a ranged Glass Cannon DPSer, as well as the only character capable of non-magical ranged attacks.
  • Ignus, being a pure wizard, is a Nuker.
  • Vhailor is a Scrapper/Tank.
• Older, competitive Pokémon players usually groom their Pokemon along the lines of this trope. Tanks ("walls") usually have large HP and moves like Rest, Healers have status-correcting moves like Heal Bell, DPSers and Nukers are combined into one archetype (since Pokemon has no range) based around attacking (called "Physical/Special Sweepers"), and Mezzers have stalling and annoyance moves like Thunderwave or Wil-O-Wisp that inflict status afflictions. There are rarer builds which completely fall into the Mezzer archetype ("BP builds," after the Baton Pass move universally held by them) and DPS categories (so-called "hax" builds), plus Pokemon meant for two-on-two battles which more cleanly fall into this trope. There are even Petmasters involved, if one counts the players themselves.
• Sonic Chronicles, a Bioware-developed RPG featuring the Sonic The Hedgehog cast, adapts them into these roles. The characters are classified into 'Power', 'Support' and 'Shifter' classes, but the characters are very varied even within those categories. Note that for this entry, 'DPS' refers to single target attacks, and 'Nuke' is mainly multiple-target ones, since range isn't an issue.
  • Sonic (Power) is mainly DPS, but gains Nuking capabilities later in the game.
  • Tails (Support) is a Healer/Mezzer with a useful variety of buffs and debuffs as well.
  • Knuckles (Power) is DPS with Tanking potential.
  • Amy (Shifter) has Jack traits, with buffs and debuffs, but can out-DPS many Power characters!
  • Rouge (Shifter) is the Jack... and something of a weirdo as apart from stealing items (which becomes very unnecessary) she doesn't bring anything special to the team other than snarky remarks.
  • Shadow, (Power) like Sonic, is DPS with Nuking potential, though also with some specialised abilities.
  • Big (Support) is a truly textbook Tank, with self-healing and Taunt special attacks, though he can dish out damage when he wants.
  • Cream (Support)- Best. Healer. Ever. She can heal not only HP but Mana as well, including her own, and the latter power restores more mana than is spent on it.
  • Omega (Power): DPS and Nuker extraordinaire, with Tanker level defences. Utterly nasty single-target damage.
  • Dr Eggman (Shifter) is something of a Joke Character (or Lethal Joke Character), with pathetic stats and having only two abilities- a Nuke and a robot-only One Hit KO attack that requires the help of Tails.
  • Shade (Power) is a fairly plain DPSer with a few powerful combo attacks.
• The classes of the later Wizardry games, though characters can switch professions repeatedly, and thus most tend to become jacks of all trades, master of all.
  • Fighter - Equal parts Tank and Scrapper, depending on how they're equipped.
  • Thief: Ninja dps'er.
  • Mage: Nuker.
  • Priest: Healer, but later develops capable offensive magic.
  • Alchemist: Highly offensive mezzer, focusing on poison and acid to inflict ongoing damage effects. Also a capable healer.
  • Psionic: Nuker with mezzer elements and limited healer capacity.
  • Ranger: As per the usual Ranger variety of dps, but also develops into a potent mezzer/healer/buffer as they develop alchemy magic.
  • Bard: Ninja with a side of nuker when they develop mage spells.
  • Lord/Valkyrie: Fighter/Priest hybrids. Depending on build, they can be a Tank, Scrapper, or Healer-or all three.
  • Samurai: Scrapper par excellence, developing into a Tank and Nuker later in the game.
  • Monk: Ninja mostly, developing some nuking, mezzing, and healing when they learn spells.
  • Ninja: Ninja, obviously, and can potentially develop mezzing and healing abilities late in the game.
  • Bishop: The true magical jack-can heal, nuke, mezz, and buff with equal ease.
• The characters and default classes of Golden Sun fall all too neatly into class archetypes, though shuffling Djinn can cause class changes. The characters of The Lost Age, namely Piers and Jenna, are a little trickier to pin down, and class-changing items are introduced as well as more djinn-based classes.
  • Isaac: DPS
  • Garet: Tank
  • Ivan: Nuker
  • Mia: Healer
  • Felix: DPS like Isaac
  • Jenna: Part Nuker, part Healer
  • Sheba: Nuker like Ivan
  • Piers: Part Tank, part Healer
• Among the villains, we also get a few.
  • Menardi: Nuker, though her one Healing move will probably throw you for a loop.
  • Saturos: Jack, with a slight edge towards Tank territory
  • Alex: Apparently equal parts Healer and Nuker, though we never actually see him in combat
  • Agatio: Tank, with some Nuking capacity (say it with me: Rising Dragon!)
  • Karst: That One Boss. I mean, Jack (Jill?). Nuker, Healer, Debuffer, AND Mezzer, and she's good at all of them. Oh, and she has her sister's one-hit kill move. And she's pretty good at distracting the player, too!
• And again in Dark Dawn. Remember that these are core classes; monkey with Djinn and all bets are off.
  • Matthew: DPS. Functional as a Tank.
  • Karis: Part Healer, Part Nuker. Functional as a DPS to a light degree.
  • Tyrell: Tank. Functional as a DPS to a degree.
  • Rief: Healer. Functional as a Nuker, for what it's worth.
  • Amiti: Part DPS, part Healer.
  • Sveta: Part DPS, part Healer. Beastform adds Tank and Nuker functionality.
  • Eoleo: Tank. Functional as a DPS.
  • Himi: Nuker. Functional as a Healer, for what it's worth.
• Dragon Age: Origins - The main character can fill any of the specializations through one of three classes (with any of these classes able to be a Trapper):

  • Warrior: Tank (Sword + Shield path), DPSer (Scrapper with Dual Wield or Two-Handed Weapons, Ranger if specialized in bows)
  • Rogue: DPSer (Ranger or Ninja), Petmaster (with the Ranger Prestige Class), Jack
  • Mage: Nuker, Mezzer, Tank (with the Arcane Warrior Prestige Class), Healer (with a Prestige Class that takes this further), Jack

  • NPCs come with some class skills assigned, so can be more easily classified since their skill trees are set.
    • Alistair (Warrior): Tank
    • Morrigan (Mage): Nuker, Mezzer, Debuffer, Jack
    • Lelianna (Rogue): Ranger-DPSer, Jack
    • Sten (Warrior): Scrapper-DPSer
    • Wynne (Mage): Healer, Mezzer
    • Zevran (Rogue): Ninja-DPSer, Jack
    • Oghren (Warrior): Scrapper-DPSer
    • Shale (Special): Mode-Jack
    • Dog (Special): Scrapper
    • Loghain (Warrior): Tank
• Dragon Age II shoehorns companions into particular roles more than the first, giving them many more abilities to choose from in exchange:
  • Varric (Rogue): Ranger DPS
  • Aveline (Warrior): Tank
  • Bethany (Mage): Jack
  • Carver (Warrior): Scrapper
  • Merrill (Mage): Nuker, Mezzer, Debuffer
  • Isabela (Rogue): Ninja DPS, Ninja Tank (depending on chosen abilities)
  • Fenris (Warrior): Scrapper
  • Anders (Mage): Healer, Jack, also Nuker when possessed by Vengeance
  • Sebastian (Rogue): Ranger DPS
• Etrian Odyssey and its sequels:
  • Protector, Hoplite, Fortress, Dragoon, Beast: Tank
    • Fortresses and Beasts fall under Meat Shields, while the others classify as Mitigation Tanks.
  • Landsknecht, Gladiator, Fencer, Cestus, Masurao: Scrapper
    • Fencers, should they choose to focus on evasion, can double as Avoidance Tanks.
    • Cestus can choose to function as a Mezzer if they focus on their binding skills.
  • Medic, Monk, Herbalist: Healer
    • The Herbalist also can function as a Mezzer if they choose to specialize in ailments.
  • Wildling, Hexer, Arcanist, Reaper: Debuffer/Mezzer
    • Depending on game, Hexers focused on Revenge can double as Nukers.
  • Dark Hunter, Nightseeker, Sniper: Backstabber/Debuffer - They inflict ailments on enemies in order for their skills to hit hardest.
  • Alchemist, Zodiac, Runemaster, Warlock, Fafnir: Nuker
  • Imperial: Blademaster/Nuker
  • Arbalist, Ninja, Gunner, Ronin, Shogun, Bushi, Highlander: DPSer
  • Troubadour, Sovereign, Dancer, Shaman: Buffer/Healer
  • War Magus, Buccaneer, Survivalist: The Jack
  • Wildling, Hound, Necromancer: Petmaster
  • Farmer: Although they're horrible in battle, their exploration skills make them vital Trappers.
• The Touhou Labyrinth games, being inspired by Etrian Odyssey, naturally are also an example. However, with dozens of playable characters each, many of which falling in more than one category, it would take too long to list them all. The second game introduces subclasses, which are more clear-cut and generic, and can be used to either add a role to a character or to improve said character's pre-existing abilities:
  • Guardian: Tank(increased HP and defensive stats, with more defensive skills)
  • Monk: Scrapper(increased Speed and abilities that allow them to hit better)
  • Warrior: Melee DPS(increased Attack, increased Defense for the random stray hits, skills that further increase attack power)
  • Sorcerer: Magic DPS(like the warrior, but with Magic and Mind)
  • Healer: Healer (healing skills, improved healing, and status removal).
  • Enhancer: Buffer(stat buffs, stronger buffs, buff skills also heal, healing skills also buff)
  • Hexer: Debuffer(stat debuffs, stronger debuffs, debuffs on own party are weakened)
  • Toxicologist: Debuffer with a hint of DoT Master(weak status effect skills, status effects are strengthened, status effects on own party are weakened)
  • Magician: Resource Master(uses less MP for skills, restores MP for other characters)
  • Pharmacist: Oddball Healer/Buffer(turns debuffs into buffs, strengthens buffs that are already there)
  • Strategist: Passive Buffer(strengthens other characters just by being on the field)
  • Gambler: DPS(skills do more damage, but cost more MP, and received damage is also increased)
  • Diva: Resource Master(manipulates the ATB-gauges)
  • Transcendant: Jack(doesn't add any new skills, but increases most stats, increases damage dealt, and reduces damage taken)
• Xenoblade Chronicles 1 has a few examples, thanks to much of its combat system being based off MMO's:
  • Shulk: Backstabber DPS thanks to Back Slash, Slit Edge, and Air Slash, with some degree of Buffer and Preemptive Healer from his Monado Arts.
  • Reyn: A classic Blademaster and Meat Shield.
  • Fiora: Scrapper, complete with dual-wielded weapons. She remains this even as after her Mechon conversion. She can become a Regenerator after linking Dunban's skills.
  • Sharla: The Healer, all three variants depending on which arts she's using.
  • Dunban: Avoidance Tank crossed with Scrapper thanks to his combo moves. An optional skill tree allows him to be a Regenerator.
  • Riki: An oddball mix of classes. Part DoT Master/Debuffer, part Healer, part Magic Tank.
  • Melia: DoT Master/Debuffer, with some Buffer as a side effect of leaving her spells charged.
• In Xenoblade Chronicles X, the Player Character can choose from sixteen different classes, while NPC party members are restricted to one class each.
  • Drifters are Jacks. As a starting class, its starts are balanced, but considerably lower than later classes. Mitigating this setback is the ability to equip more skills than any other class.
  • Strikers are Tanks who have hearty defenses and aggro control. The Samurai Gunner branch favors a Mitigation-based style, while the Shield Trooper branch is more of a Meat Shield.
  • Commandos are DPS fighters use careful positioning with powerful attacks to bring enemies down, making them keen Backstabbers. The Winged Viper branch focuses on their Scrapper abilities, while the Partisan Eagle branch favors longer-ranged attacks, making them Archers.
  • Enforcers are Healers who can recover HP on the fly, as well as provide some light buffs and debuffs. The Psycorruptor branch turns them into Status Effect guys, while the Blast Fencer branch turns them into Scrappers who assail enemies with quick and powerful photon sword combos.
• In Xenoblade Chronicles 2, characters can mix-and-match their classes around depending on their Blades, which serves as a Stance System. That said, everyone has a default Blade that defines their class.
  • Rex (Pyra/Mythra): Like Shulk, he is a Backstabber with a variety of positional arts like Sword Bash and Double Spinning Edge.
  • Nia (Dromarch): A classic Healer.
  • Tora (Poppi): Tora cannot equip Blades other than Poppi, who has 3 forms. Each form can be customized but has a default class: Poppi α is a Meat Shield; Poppi QT is an Avoidance Tank; Poppi QTπ is a Blademaster.
  • Vandham (Roc): A Blademaster (beefy health) combined with Scrapper (twin weapons, high critical rate).
  • Mòrag Ladair (Brighid): An Avoidance Tank.
  • Zeke von Genbu (Pandoria): A Blademaster. He becomes a Scrapper once you unlock a certain New Game Plus upgrade.
• Xenoblade Chronicles 3 also has a class system that allows anyone in the main party to take any role and borrow traits from other classes that they've mastered (plus a fixed-role but interchangeable Guest-Star Party Member), but like 2, each party member has a default.
  • Noah (Swordfighter): Yet another Backstabber like Shulk and Rex.
  • Mio (Zephyr): Avoidance Tank with some Scrapper elements.
  • Eunie (Medic Gunner): Healer Classic with some Buffer on the side.
  • Taion (Tactician): Debuffer with some Healer Classic.
  • Lanz (Heavy Guard): Meat Shield with extra meat.
  • Sena (Ogre): A Blademaster (albeit with a hammer) with a passive skill that also makes her an excellent Mezzer with the right Master Arts.
• Super Mario RPG has everyone in the party play some form of the trope, thanks to Squaresoft (now Square-Enix) collaborating with Nintendo during development:
  • Mario: Jack of All Trades (except for healer). Above average physical attacker, above average defense, some abilities (jump and fireball) that fall under Elemental Rock-Paper-Scissors, and late in the game gets AOE abilities.
  • Mallow: Nuker DPS specializing in AOE and Elemental Rock-Paper-Scissors. Also acts as the party's Healer Classic.
  • Geno: Nuker DPS that mainly focus on AOE. Geno also is the party's Buffer Guy thanks to his Geno Boost, an ability that can increase an ally's attack and possibly defense.
  • Bowser: The party's meat shield tank with great defense and physical strength. Also specializes in AOE abilities that causes DOT (Poison) and a debuffer (Fear).
  • Toadstool: Healer of the party. Falls under Healer Classic and Curer, though the princess can also become an AOE Mezzer by disabling enemy skills or putting them to sleep.
  • Thanks to a hard-to-find piece of armor, anyone in the party can become the Meat Shield.
• Paper Mario has less of the true RPG influence from Super Mario RPG, but the essential roles are still present in the Party Members. Mario is excluded, since he himself can be pretty much anything short of a healer and is the only true damage soaker in the game.
  • Goombario: Is a true Jack-Of-All-Trades starting out, but becomes one of the best Nukers at the end of the game. His basic attack does 6 damage, the highest of all Party Members in the game and with a couple of Charges and one good turn of Multi-Bonk, he can do readily above 16 damage in a turn.
  • Kooper: Mezzer and AOE Party Member; as long as it's on the ground, he can burn, dizzy or simply hurt whatever is in front of him.
  • Bombette: Nuker with large N. All Bombette's abilities are variations of "blowing shit up".
  • Parakarry: Is the Archer and can hit all enemies on the field with his most basic attack. Is also a sort of Mitigation Tank, as some Touch Effects, such as Burn and Elecric, don't hurt him when he attacks.
  • Bow: The straightest Scrapper, does a sequence of slaps that all do 1 Damage quickly after each other. Also is a Mitigation Tank that allows Mario to take straight attacks without taking damage and make enemies flee the fight.
  • Watt: Backstabber, Debuffer and Buffer. Her attack ignores Defence and his abilities either Stun the enemy or buff Mario's damage.
  • Sushie: Nuker and Buffer in one. Has some fairly straight attacks and a Defence Buff for Mario. Additionally, two of her attacks are Water-based and act like Debuffers against Fire-based enemies.
  • Lakilester: Archer, Mezzer and Mitigation Tank. His normal attacks can hit any enemy and both of his special attacks deal damage to the entire battle. He can also make Mario avoid certain attacks.
• The main characters of Octopath Traveler start out like this in their default classes. With the multi-classing system, any of them can adopt any of these roles.
  • Ophilia (Cleric): Healer Classic and Buffer, also part Nuker when using her Light spells, and can act as a Summoner with her talent.
  • Cyrus (Scholar): Nuker, can also act as a Magic Tank.
  • Tressa (Merchant): Jack, with a wide variety of skills that let her cover Scrapper DPS, Nuker, Avoidance Tank and Summoner roles. Also a Resource Master (the resource being money, in this case) and Item Caddy.
  • Olberic (Warrior): Blademaster DPS and Meat Shield.
  • Primrose (Dancer): Buffer/Debuffer and Nuker, can also act as a Summoner with her talent.
  • Alfyn (Apothecary): Jack, primarily able to cover Healer Classic, Buffer/Debuffer and Curer, though with more damage options than Ophilia, and can cover just about anything else with his Concoct abilities.
  • Therion (Thief): Scrapper DPS, with elements of Regenerator, plus the ability to steal items and open purple chests.
  • H'aanit (Hunter): Scrapper DPS, plus Beastmaster and Summoner with her ability to capture monsters and call on them.
• In the PLATO dnd game from the early 1970's, you can play as a warrior who can wear better armor and deal more damage with weapons, a wizard who can cast more spells, or a priest who can use cleric spells that work well against undead and provide utility.
• Solasta: Crown of the Magister: You get an achievement ("The Classics") for recruiting a standard Fighter, Rogue, Wizard, Cleric party... and another for recruiting an absurd no-magic-whatsoever party ("I cast Fist").
  • Tank: Barbarian, Fighter, Paladin, and any character with a sufficiently high level and Constitution (since hit point rolls are maximized each level-up)
  • Healer: Cleric, Paladin (Occasionally Druid and Ranger)
  • DPS: Barbarian, Fighter, Wizard, Sorceress
  • Debuffer: Rogue, Ranger, Wizard
  • Jack-Of-All-Trades: Druid

Non-RPG Video Games with RPG Elements

• Advance Wars. In terms of the cheapo units that everyone uses:
  • Tank - Infantry
  • Nuker - Artillery, Anti-Air
  • Jack - Tank
  • DPSer - B-Copter, Mech
  • Mezzer - APC, T-Copter, Recon, the Flare and Bike in Days of Ruin.
  • The role of the Healer is taken up by cities, although the Black Boat from Dual Strike also counts.

• Also extends to the basic strategies of the C.O.s:
  • Tank: Sturm (in Multiplayer), Javier (his units had increased defense from artillery)
    • To a lesser extent, Kanbei—his units were of a "higher quality," so they could take a little more abuse. They were much more expensive, however...
  • The Jack: Andy, Nel, Rachel, Jake, Hawke, Olaf, Drake, Sonja, Eagle—their units had no statistical advantages, but they had no statistical disadvantages, either. Their CO Powers differentiated them.
  • Mezzer: Von Bolt's Super CO Power could stun enemy units.
  • Trapper: one of Kindle's CO Powers damaged any enemy units placed on a City...which, is normally what you want to do.
  • Scrapper: Grimm, Flak, Jugger, Max
  • Ranger: Gritt
  • Petmaster: The Super CO Powers of Hachi and Sensei allowed them to summon units most anywhere. Colin had this to a lesser degree: he could get quite a discount price on them, allowing for a Zerg Rush.
  • Addler, Koal, Lash and Sonja are harder to classify: the first two revolve around being able to move farther. Lash could muck with environmental bonuses, and Sonja's units have better visibility in the Fog of War levels, at the cost of being 'unlucky'.
• Battlefield 2142: A non-RPG example, along with the rest of the Battlefield series. Its class-based FPS action lends itself well to the archetypes. The specialized roles of the vehicles also apply:
  • Tank: Tanks, obviously, along with most every vehicle. With the exception of Anti-Tank Engineers and Recon with RDX, they're untouchable by infantry and light armor. The Goliath IFV in particular can only be eradicated by carefully placed mines, an unchallenged anti-vehicle turret, or a large number of attackers.
  • Healer: Assault can equip the Magical Defibrillator along with their standard Medical Hubs, and the Commander can drop supplies.
  • Nuker: Engineers, Recon with RDX, Tanks, APCs, and Gunships, as well as machine-gun wielding Support, so long as they are given the chance to set themselves up.
  • DPS
    • Ranger: Assault, Recon Snipers, and Tanks.
    • Ninja: Recon with Active Camouflage, Fast Attack Vehicles, and Hachimoto speeders.
    • Scrapper: Support (esp. with shotgun) and Battlewalkers.
  • Mezzer: EMP devices available to Engineers (mines), Support (grenades), APCs (mortar), and Commander (strikes).
  • Petmaster: Commander, probably, who can call in strikes. (Does not exist prior to Battlefield 2, though players can personally man artillery equipment.)
  • Trapper: Recon can lay explosives, Engineers have mines, and Support has sentry gun and infantry detectors.
  • Jack: Anyone, especially those near unused kits. Battlewalkers also count, as the only heavy armor that can unconditionally take on all other vehicles.
• The Lord of the Rings: Conquest is a perfect example of this.
  • Tank- Mages at a range, or Warriors at close combate
  • Nuker- Mage
  • DPSer- Archer(range), Warrior(close combat), Scout(backstab)
  • Healer- Mage
  • Status Effect- Mage
  • Pet Master- the Mouth of Sauron (summons orcs instead of hitting people with his staff)
• Battlefield Heroes has been announced to be using three classes:
  • Soldier: Has an average amount of speed and hitpoints, and goes for the Jack archetype, but includes some abilities which fall outside of the scale of heavy to light classes (such as an ability to see enemies through solid objects which is very much out of the scale), including some which will be directly helpful to allies, as well as healing them, making it the closest thing the game has to the Healer (all classes may heal themselves for self-sufficiency).
  • Gunner: Has the most hitpoints in the game and abilities to enhance their durability, but the slowest movement speed. Wields {{BFG}}s, making them Scrappers as well as Tanks.
  • Commando: Has the least hitpoints, but the highest speed. Has stealth abilities and is made for quickly killing the enemy from close combat or afar, making them Nukers and potential Ninjas and Rangers.
• Defense of the Ancients and it's official remake DOTA 2 use this for their various roles, As all major sources of damage are player-controlled, most heroes need to give people an actual reason to target them.
  • Initiators are a combination of Tank and either Area of Effect Mezzer or Nuker to give people a reason to hit them.
  • Carries are DPSers of different types.
  • Supports ran the gamut but most are either a Mezzer, Nuker, Healer, or Buffer/Debuffer.
  • Gankers tend to be Ninja-type DPSers or Nukers with various other mechanics based on the hero.
  • Pushers tend to be Minion Masters, aura-based Buffer/Debuffer or Area of Effect to kill mooks quickly and tear down towers.

• Team Fortress 2 is an online multiplayer First-Person Shooter with a Class system. Most TF2 classes are hybrids of the standard archetypes:
  • The Scout is a close-range DPSer. They are extremely fast, so they can dodge their fair share of attacks, but not as well as an Avoidance Tank.
  • The Soldier is a Ranged Area Of Effect DPSer that can also work as a Nuker. His unlocks add in large Limit Break Buffs.
  • The Pyro is a Scrapper DPSer with some Mezzer mixed in (being set on fire is distracting). Obviously they're also a DoT Master, but there are lots of ways to get around fire so they're not quite as efficient in that role as you'd think.
  • The Demoman is an Area Of Effect Nuker or Trapmaster. Alternatively they can specialize in Melee DPSing with a sword and shield.
  • The Heavy is a Meat Shield combined with a Blademaster. He can act as a Mitigation Tank and even heal himself (although not as efficiently as a Regenerator, to promote more reliance on Medics) with the right weapons.
  • The Engineer is a Summoner that summons a stationary Nuker, with a secondary Healer and Resource Master ability from Dispensers, and a Buffing Teleporter (in terms of improving the team's mobility).
  • The Medic is a Health Buffer that leans towards Healer combined with Regeneration. With Über, the Healed Target can turn into a Meat Shield with the Vaccinator and the Quick-Fix (or completely invulnerable with the Stock medigun), or an extremely powerful DPSer with the Kritzkrieg.
  • The Sniper is a Ranged Nuker with some added debuffs from unlockables.
  • The Spy has a Ninja DPSer's stealth ability combined with a close-range Nuker ability (backstab), and a device-specific Mezzer ability (sappers), which is enhanced by unlocks.
  • In Mann vs. Machine, the various upgrades allow for other roles.
    • The Scout tends towards being a Regeneration and Avoidance Tank thanks to his being healed from collecting money, as well as a Debuffer and Mezzer with certain items, which tends towards being his role as the Scattergun isn't worth much against the Robot Hordes.
    • The Soldier gets to be a really, really, really good nuker, and the increased emphasis on damage and upgrades for it turn his Limit Break buffs into nigh-permanent auras, making him a full-out Damage Maven as long as he has ammo.
    • The Pyro is a DPS, as usual, especially against Tanks as well as a Mezzer through his Airblast.
    • The Demoman, like the soldier, mostly gets upgrades to brute force damage, as well as further boosts to his melee, making Demoknights an effective crowd-clearer with rapid instant kills and healing as long as he can keep killing and downright obscene charge mobility.
    • The Heavy gets more mitgation tank features from the ability to shoot down entire Macross Missile Massacres with his minigun, mezzing knockback, and more raw power.
    • The Engineer's focus in this mode is even more on being the Resource Master, as well as a decent DPS source with his turret, but it's a well positioned Dispenser that provides nearly his entire contribution.
    • The Medic's milk syringes, self-healing amplication, combined with durability upgrades makes him a stupidly effective Regeneration tank, a Shield that makes him a closer-quarter DPSer and Tank while it's up, and the ability to revive.
    • The Sniper gets area effect damage for his rifle on headshots, boosting his DPS and Nuker abilities as well as slowdown on his Jarate for mezzing.
    • The Spy is largely a Utility Jack that lacks the effectiveness of other classes, besides his use against single giants.
• Overwatch has many characters that have many specific strengths and weakness, but the characters do not fit as well as one might expect. Each character has a few abilities they can use constantly (except when reloading, if they do), a few abilities that force you to wait a certain period of time before using them again, and an ultimate that charges as you do damage or help team members. These abilities can vary wildly in their functions; from pure damage to healing to crowd control. The characters are divided up into four categories.
  • Offense, as one might expect, is mostly based around DPS. Most of them function best in mid-to-short range and are fairly squishy. Many of them have additional abilities as well.
    • Tracer and Genji can be used as Avoidance Tanks as they are hard to hit and can reflect or remove damage.
    • Mccree, Doomfist, and Pharah have stuns and crowd control abilities, making them Mezzers.
    • Sombra is a Debuffer
    • Reaper and Doomfist are Blademasters
    • Soldier is not only a DPS, but a Healer as well
  • Defense are DPS with an emphasis on crowd control and area denial
    • Widowmaker and Hanzo are Archers
    • Bastion is an odd combo of Regenerator Tank and Nuker
    • Junkrat is a nuker
    • Mei is a Debuffer/Mezzer
    • Torbjorn is the closest thing the game has to a petmaster, as he has a turret that acts independently
  • Tank class is, well, tanks. Due to the nature of Overwatch all tanks have at least one crowd control option. All tanks have more health than the other classes.
    • Reinhardt and Orisa are Mitigation Tanks due to their shields.
    • D.Va and Winston are Avoidance Tanks, having less defensive options but more speed
    • Zarya and Roadhog also double as DPS
  • Support class are Healers/Status effect.
    • Moira and Zenyatta heal and do damage. Zenyatta also is a Debuffer due to the very powerful Discord Orb
    • Lucio and Mercy are Buffers as well as Healers. Lucio gives a speed boost and shields to his team and Mercy increases her teammates damage.
    • Symmetra is an oddity as she is a Buffer/Mezzer with shields and crowd controlling turrets. Unlike her fellow supports she cannot heal.
    • Brigitte is a Buffer/Mezzer/Healer as well but for different reasons. She gives armor, stuns enemies, and heals her team.
    • Ana is perhaps the most complex character being a Buffer/Debuffer/Mezzer/Healer

• Majesty, an RTS that's an Affectionate Parody of fantasy kingdoms in RPGs has several in the form of heroes.
  • The Tank: Adept, Cultist(in bear form), Dwarf, Gnome(After taking a level in badass), Healer, Paladin, Warrior
  • The Healer: Healer, somewhat Priestess
  • The Nuker: Priestess, Solarus(more in the expansion), Wizard(and how)
  • The DPSer: Barbarian, Monk, Warrior of Discord
  • The Mezzer: None(some monsters though)
  • The Petmaster: Cultist, Priestess...although Healers, Rangers and Wizards(especially Healers) use other heroes(Healers even henchmen) as their "pets"
  • The Trapper: None, although the Dwarves' building FIRES BALLISTA BOLTS.(Plus they give you the technology to build even more Ballista Towers.)
  • The Jack: Solarus. Offensive spells(with decent Int), good melee damage and H 2 H, good parry/dodge, good armor, good MGR...heck, they even DO EVERYTHING; from destroying lairs without you offering any reward to manning guardhouses to protect your henchmen. Also somewhat Dwarf, which is a great tank both physically and magically, always goes for your rewards, does decent damage...and helps build your buildings. And obviously the Petmasters can serve several purposes.
  • Some of the classes don't fit anything while others fit several, because the game does not ever intend to have any balance. The heroes are meant to be used for different things in a parody kingdom, simply being cheap is a good thing. On the online RPG based on the game, Heroes of Ardania, the power difference is much more noticable...but as there's no PvP it's still not a huge deal.

• Fire Emblem loves this, to an extent. Owing to the large variation in classes and the large number of characters, there are sure to be deviations from the archetypes, but they can usually be labeled as one of the archetypes:
  • The Tank: Generals, Wyvern Lords, and tankier Heroes like Gerik (usually) handle this from the physical side, while Druids and Bishops are magical tanks. Swordsmasters and Valkyries are the dodgy tanks. Berserkers serve as Meat Shields with their huge HP.
  • The Healer: anyone with a staff, though the Priests/Clerics/Bishops and the Troubadours/Valkyries fit this to a T.
  • The Nuker: Usually the Druids, though some of the Sages and deliberately overpowered magic units qualify.
  • The DPSer: Swordsmasters, Falcon Knights, and anyone else whose Strength or Magic is too low to reliably kill in one or two rounds, but whose speed lets them dodge enough attacks to stay in the fray for a while. Berserkers fall into this category too, but as an inversion of the Swordmaster and Falcon Knight. Berserkers have high strength but relatively low skill, meaning they are more prone to missing. When they hit, however, they dish out large amounts of damage. It should also be noted that both Swordmasters and Berserkers have an inherent heightened chance of scoring a critical hit, cranking up their damage potential even more.
  • The Mezzer: Oddly, it's the staff users. Enemies get access to poison weapons, but usually only your staff users can cascade debuffs (Sleep, Silence, Berserk) for your own side onto the opposition. ^note The exceptions are the two Tellius games, where unequipped enemy weapons can be stolen by your thieves. No enemies with poison weapons have any other weapons in Radiant Dawn, so you'll have to get lucky with the Disarm skill, but Path of Radiance has a couple of opportunities to pick up some poison weapons. There's also a poison spellbook that a late-game boss in Radiant Dawn drops when defeated. Fates added the dagger/shuriken weapon type, which differentiated itself from the Tellius games' knives by incurring debuffs. This gives Maids and Butlers additional debuffing power in addition to their staves, as well as turning Ninjas (the Hoshido equivalent to Thieves from previous games) into a hybrid debuff/DPS class.
  • The Jack: Once per game, you're likely to get someone with good, though not great, stats across the board. Some of the really durable magic users (like Hugh in FE:SoS) especially fit this. On the physical side, Heroes are considered the Jack. They don't have the top strength, top skill, top speed, or top defense/res, but they have good enough speed to double most enemies, good enough evasion to survive a mob, good enough HP and defense to take a few hits that they may not evade, and good enough strength to slaughter any enemy who dares to attack them. Heroes tend to be some of the best units in their respective games owing to their reliability/low maintenance.
• The Borderlands series:
  • The first game, Borderlands, has four "classes" but there is a lot of variation and hybridization that can occur (each character has three skill trees and gets plenty of points after all). Bear in mind that all 4 have powerful DPS and ranged combat is pretty standard for all of them (although the Brick and Siren are both capable of really shining in melee). The four characters fill most all of the archetypal roles between them (some of their trees being rather obvious analogues, some being more of a stretch):
    • The Tank: Good ol' Brick. Though the game lacks a defined "aggro" system, enemies can still focus on one character, and that's where Brick comes in.
    • The Healer: Roland, whose turret regenerates ammo and health, can Raise Dead on being deployed, has class mods that also regenerate ammo, and a classic Healing Shiv power.
    • The Nuker: Brick with maxed out launcher skills.
    • The DPSer: Mordecai as the Ranger, Lilith is the Ninja, and Brick are the Scrapper.
    • The Debuffer/Mezzer: Lilith, with her affinity for the Daze effect and elemental weapons.
    • The Pet Master: Roland with his Scorpio Turret (Not Mordecai, who has a pet, but it's more of a Limit Break than anything).
    • The Jack: Roland, who has the most Team-Centric abilities, and possibly the most varied set.
  • Borderlands 2, like it's prequel has four main classes that generally play similarly to their predecessors, though certain niches are filled by different classes. DLC introduces two new characters that play fairly differently to the others.
    • The Tank: Salvador, who can eventually gain the ability to draw Aggro. Krieg, who despite starting off as something of a Glass Cannon can eventually gain ridiculous survivability through healing more than the enemy can damage.
    • The Healer: Maya, who takes over Roland's role as the team medic.
    • The Nuker: Axton under the Gunpowder tree, Gaige with the Little Big Trouble tree.
    • The DPSer: Zer0 as either the Ranger or the Ninja depending on how he's specced. Krieg as the Scrapper.
    • The Debuffer/Mezzer: Maya under the Cataclysm tree. Krieg under the Hellfire tree. Gaige under the Little Big Trouble tree.
    • The Pet Master: Axton with his Sabre Turret, Gaige with her Death Trap.
    • The Jack: Axton, though his turret focuses on versatility and defense rather than healing.
  • Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel! has classes that while following similar trends (generalist, tank, DPS) has their own variations.
    • The Tank: Athena, whose special ability is a shield that absorbs all frontal damage. Wilhelm can be upgraded to be quite durable with potent healing.
    • The Healer: Athena, Wilhelm and Claptrap all have ways to heal allies.
    • The Nuker: Claptrap's Boomtrap skill tree, which focuses on explosive damage.
    • The DPSer: Nisha, who specializes primarily in ranged DPS. Athena can be built as the Scrapper. Aurelia can also specialize in sniping.
    • The Debuffer/Mezzer: Athena's Ceraunic Storm skill tree focuses on elemental damage. Aurelia can be specced to specialize in Cryo damage.
    • The Pet Master: Wilhelm, who summons both an offensive and defensive drone. Jack's Body Double is more The Minion Master.
    • The Jack: Wilhelm, particularly with the Cyber Commando skill tree. Claptrap can also be this by utilizing his action skill "VaultHunter.EXE" which gives him either the ability of another vault hunter, or an entirely new ability for a limited amount of time. This also works on co-op partners with less effect on them.
• Left 4 Dead Infected:
  • The Tank: Exactly What It Says on the Tin.
  • The Nuker: Both the Smoker and Boomer fill this role somewhat. The Smoker has a long-range attack but the Boomer is a more literal version, although he has to die for it to work.
  • The DPSer: Hunter (Ninja-type) and the Charger (Scrapper)
  • The Trapper: All of them to an extent, but especially the Witch and Boomer.
  • The Mezzer: The Jockey (kind of)
• Red Alert 3: Paradox bases much of its balance on a mix between this and Tactical Rock–Paper–Scissors, and the developers use MMORPG slang to describe their abilities. Some of the more explicit examples:
  • The Tank: Any suffiently large unit prevents targeting through them, which will typically force enemies to engage them first. While actual armoured vehicles don't fulfill this trope as you might expect (as they have the same number of hit points as anything else, just a different armour set), there are units designed for tanking. The Allied Peacekeeper is a Mitigation tank, with shield up, their ARV is a regenerating Metal Shield and their Assault Destroyer can outright force enemies to attack it while rendering all it's directions as "Front" to be a Meat Shield, the Soviet Scrapper uses an unusual armour type to essentially be an avoidance tank (so long as you are attacking the front...) and swarms of Syndicate Auxiliaries draw aggro for their squishy masters; though each Auxiliary is weak, as a mass they take a lot of time to chew through, when you can shoot them. The Japanese, otherwise a very flighty faction, can use their Tedate Projector to turn another unit into a tank by making it invincible.
  • The Healer: While repairing damage is nothing new in RTS, there are units designed to do so while the fighting is still happening. Confederate Ambulances, Chinese War Throne and Allied Pavlov Handlers are designed to run right up into the fight alongside their patients with an AoE healing radius, the Syndicate Dryad follows a single battlesuit around with a healing beam, and the Soviet Vampire converts points of damage done by its magnetic beam directly into a repair radius.
  • The Status Effect Guy: This is one of the Syndicate's hats, with units that can shut off their primary weapons in order to buff the speed, defense, and offense of their fellows. They also have large numbers of crowd control units, such as Helios Security and Atlas battlesuits, who are dedicated to forcing enemies away from their low-armour units. Mezzing and debuffing are among the most common support unit functions and secondary abilities; particularly notable examples are the speed leeching ARV and Myeche, the massive, slowly stacking damage reduction radius of the Alkonost, and the armour reducing area of effect on the Protectorate Screamer Jet. There's also the Allied MASS tank, which can turn any target into an Mighty Glacier or Fragile Speedster on demand.
  • The Order of the Talon's revisions are aiming to make the entire faction work in this faction, with the player making interconnected groups of units built more around tank/dps/nuke characteristics than Tactical Rock–Paper–Scissors.
• Instead of player characters being these, the various invaders in the Deception series fall into any number of these roles, each game having its own set of classes that fit into the various archetypes. Who you face in a chapter dictates what sorts of traps you should set up.
• With 30 different Warframes and counting, Warframe has all the bases covered, although many Warframes overlap a couple different roles.
  • The Tank: Rhino^*The Meat Shield: Rhino can outright negate damage by giving himself a second set of "hit points" that absorbs damage for him, with builds reaching upwards of the hundreds of thousands of Iron Skin health being possible., Frost^*The Magic Tank: Frost is known best for the ability to produce a shielded area that blocks projectiles and slows down enemies that try to enter it to engage in melee, Chroma^*The Damage and Mitigation Tank: Chroma's base armor is behind only Valkyr's and Atlas', but his abilities can drastically upgrade his armor, effective health, and damage, Atlas^*A combination of the group, who summons stone walls and elementals to absorb damage for him, but also has high armor and crowd control to mitigate damage; overlaps with The Scrapper due to his ability to rack up combos and deal large damage, Inaros^*The Regenerator: Inaros sustains himself primarily with a myriad of attacks that drain his targets' life force. The only reason he doesn't instantly qualify as Meat Shield with the highest health in the game is because one of his abilities uses his health as an additional resource pool, to add to his armor., Zephyr^*Although she has little armor and mostly mobility and CC skills, Zephyr also has the ability to cause projectiles to change course away from her, making her an Avoidance Tank.
  • The Healer: Trinity^*Besides group healing skills, Trinity is also a Regenerator/Mitigation Tank because of her ability to heal or transfer a portion of received damage to enemies, as well as a Resource Master with a similar ability to use enemies to regenerate energy.
  • The DPS: Excalibur^*With a number of straightforward attack skills, along with the ability to briefly stun enemies while causing them to take more damage from melee attacks, along with his ultimate, Exalted Blade. Which channels a high damage blade that fires beams out everytime you attack, Mirage^*Who is armed with lots of survivability and damage self buffs to herself can easily deal the most damage in the game through sheer using weapons. She also has a little bit of CC on her side with Prism, Ash^*Ash is mainly a Backstabber with his focus on exploiting melee attacks by either teleporting close or inducing bonus melee damage around him, as well as The Scrapper with a skill that lets him attack enemies with an unblockable series of melee animations, Valkyr^*Another Scrapper that brawls with enemies by making them helpless while vastly improving her melee speed. Her above average health and innate armor encourages her wade in to the fight and ignore damage, making her a classic Mitigation Tank, the twist being that her ultimate grants her complete invincibility, Mesa^*Mesa's most common use is as a stationary turret, enhanced by her damage buffs. Overlaps with Status Effect Guy and Mitigation Tank due to her applications against other ballistic enemies, Wukong^*A Scrapper, whose passive ability allows him to hold onto his melee combos and use them to enhance his ultimate. His other abilities keep him alive through the principles of The Regenerator and Evasion Tanking., Ivara^*An Archer whose abilities give her a bonus to headshot damage, with a bow that doesn't need to charge to deal its full damage. Her specialized arrows also make her a Status Effect Guy., Nidus^*Who passively receives increased ability damage each time his abilities inflict damage. Also a Regenerator with support-buffing capabilities..
  • The Status Effect Guy: Mag^*With the power to drain and restore shields, or cause enemies to attract projectiles. Also considered an Area of Effect type, because of the large effective range of her attack skills, Loki^*Who has no directly damaging skills, but has notable abilities like creating aggro attracting decoy targets and permanently disabling enemy guns in an area around him. Has a hint of DPS due to his Invisibility giving him a huge melee damage buff, Hydroid^*Hydroid has insane crowd control potential due to the nature of his abilites. He can even completely cheap out certain game modes with his ability, Undertow, which turns him into a puddle which slowly drowns enemies, Banshee^*Who has the ability to negate detectable noise, stun enemies, and create new weak points on enemies, Nyx^*Whose chief function is to turn enemies into temporary allies, or cause groups to turn and attack each other, Vauban^*Who can tag the environment with traps, suspend enemies in the air, or pull them into vortexes, Limbo^*Who can temporarily remove himself, allies or enemies from battle, as well as increasing enemy damage taken and restoring allies' energy, Nezha^*Whose abilities amplify his mobility and survivability, dispel negative ailments from allies, and can impale his enemies to prevent them from attacking, Titania^*Whose abilities include a multitude of party buffs, including from her passive, and inflicting crowd control by making enemies float.
  • The Resource Master: Nekros^*Noted for his looting ability, forcing dead enemies to drop extra resources they did not the first time.
  • Area of Effect: Ember^*Who can entrap enemies in a circle of continuously damaging fire, or cover the area in a series of explosions, Saryn^*Who can cause damage to spread from one enemy to another contagiously, or just straight up release a blast of massive damage, Nova^*Notable for her ability to "prime" enemies around her to explode upon death, potentially resulting in a chain reaction of explosions. The slowed and vulnerable state of "primed" enemies also makes her another Status Effect Guy, Nidus His attacks are all about doing area-of-effect damage as well as survivability, being able to revive as long as his mutation stacks are maxed out.
  • Jack of All Trades: Oberon^*Who is decently tanky, can heal, deal damage, buff allies, and inflict or remove status effects but without as much ease or effectiveness compared to other classes, Equinox^*Whose status as a Dual Mode Unit means she has every means of survival-enhancement in Night form, and can supplement allied damage output in Day form - but she has slow transitions between these two stages Octavia Her abilities lets her distract and damage enemies as well as being able to grant them buffs if they're able to perform actions in tune of her song.

• Team Kirby Clash Deluxe, which is something of an Affectionate Parody of JRPGs, covers most of its bases with the four main roles:
  • Sword Hero - DPS/Tank hybrid, specifically the Scrapper subtype. He can dish out a lot of attacks very quickly, and cover the entire party with his special shield, which makes him the group's main attacker and damage sponge.
  • Hammer Lord - DPS, specifically the Blademaster subtype (somewhat ironically). He's slower than the rest, but his attacks deal the most damage, meaning he can be a vital asset if the other party members cover him.
  • Doctor Healmore - Healer, obviously. He's the only one of the four who can revive downed teammates without sacrificing his own stamina, and while his own attacks are fairly weak, he can use potions which create healing areas of effect.
  • Beam Mage - Status Effect Guy (Time Stands Still, to be exact) mixed with Ranged DPS. Beam Mage's main gimmick is the Time Beam, which cumulates with each hit until eventually freezing the opponent. Aside from that, all of his attacks are ideal at long-range.
• Necesse doesn't force players to stick to one class, but equipment sets encourage the player to specialize in Melee DPS (melee weapons), Ranged DPS (either weapon-based with bows, guns, and thrown items, or magic-based with spellbooks and staves), or Petmaster (with weapons that either summon a small amount of creatures that last until dismissed, or can create a larger amount of temporary creatures).

LARP

• Amtgard, which has a typical fantasy class based system, demonstrates this pretty well, especially in the most recent version of the rules. Perhaps unusual in that a skilled player can make a class that is, for example, primarily for buffs (Druid), and make it nearly as good at DPS and Tanking as the primary tank, Warrior.

Forum RPGs

• Overlord Ascendant features a class system, with the creator admitting to have drawn inspiration from this very page. It features bewildering variety of classes, organized into various "Tiers", with higher tiers being more powerful than their counterparts lower down. Successfully completing certain conditions allows one to "tier up".

Non-Games

• Everyone in the continent of Elatra in An Outcast in Another World gets stats, Levels, and a selection of Classes to pick. Whether or not they decide to go down the combat route is up to them.
• The fictional, deliberately ultra-stereotypical MMORPG that The Noob takes place in has a fairly stereotypical class system with fighters (of which the main character is one), wizards, rangers (which are massively overpowered because the game creator plays one), healers (which can get away with anything due to teams demanding them) and rogues (which can't find teams).
• The RPG parody webcomic Gold Coin Comics features The Tank, The Healer, and The Nuker.
• Despite being has nothing to do with video games, Chaos Fighters is rife with these, ranging from generic knights and gunners to unique ones such as miners.
• The "Mythological Roles" in Homestuck are the classes for the players in SBURB/SGRUB. Some have been explained in detail. They consist of a Class and Aspect (element) that the Class controls or taps into in some way. The exact role a given Class would fill can vary quite a bit depending on Aspect. A Thief of Light is more or less a enemy-Debuffer / self-Buffer of luck, while a Thief of Life is more or less DPS. A Rogue would be like a Thief who can steal stuff and give it to allies, making a Rogue of Life part DPS, part Healer. And so on.
  • The four kids also fit here. John is The Tank but slowly turns into a mix of The Avoidance Tank by using his Breath powers. Rose is The Nuker and Mezzer as a result of her powerful dark/light magic. Dave is the DPS. Jade is The Archer, though eventually evolves into a Jack of All Trades.
• The characters in Phantalleum - Dual Crossage are identified with job classes. The author had gone as far as creating an entire list of classes intended for use for the entire Phantalleum series.
• A Mage's Power shows Basilard drilling these roles in his three new novice mercenaries. In their first fight, they forget their roles and he chews them out for it.
  • Eric, the battle mage, is supposed to provide cover fire but prepares barriers instead.
  • Nolien, the healer and buffer, forgets that he is also supposed to consider debuffing.
  • Tiza, the fighter and tank, goes all Leeroy Jenkins and thinks she's fighting by herself.
• The heroines of RWBY are based on your standard RPG party. Yang is the fighter, Weiss is the mage, Blake is the thief, and Ruby is possibly the "archer". Supported by Word of God.
• Horizon, the fictional MMORPG in which Noob is set, has various character classes and the main group is made of a warrior who's the tank, an assassin (the game's rogue-archetype), a summoner and a very clumsy healer. A engineer/gunslinger type character and a second healer join the cast later on and the Honorary True Companion is a warrior as well.
• Guardians of the Flame: Each of the students becomes an archetypal role-playing hero, complete with the abilities and limitations appropriate to their level and class.
• The Adventure Zone: Balance: Magnus, with his heavy armor and shield, acts as the Tank and consistently puts himself in the front of the formation. Merle is the Healer as well as casting defensive buffs. Taako is the DPS caster in addition to support magic.
• AFK involves a bunch of fantasy MMPORG gamers abruptly waking up in a world like the game they had been playing, struggling to survive there.
• Tower of God has the Positions that resemble character classes, although the world is too varied and fantastically realistic for them to be very rigid or clichéd. The explanation below simplifies their roles to show how some of them match the typical roles.^note You can also find out a lot more about this by reading the wiki than trying to figure it out from the comic itself.
  • Basic positions:
    • Fisherman: Frontline fighters, Damage/Tank.
    • Spear Bearer: Ranged or close-range DPS/Tank.
    • Scout: Reconnaissance, close-range combat.
    • Light Bearer: Information gathering, coordination; but also Barrier Warrior Tank/Preemptive Healer using force fields to block attacks involving Pure Energy or just a lot of stuff raining down on their team.
    • Wave Controller: Primary magic user; ranged/AoE DPS, Healer, maybe Status Effect Guy.
  • Special positions — either just rare or typically combined with one of the others:
    • Guide: Uses precognition to determine the best course of action.
    • Defender: Tank — quite standard expect for being a rare position.
    • Anima: The Petmaster.
    • Hwayeomsa: Ranged/AoE DPS Playing with Fire. Also potentially Healer if they're from the Yeon family (still using fire).
    • Jeonsulsa: Shock and Awe Ranged/AoE DPS.
• RuPaul's Drag Race: After several seasons across multiple countries, the drag queens competing on the show can be easily divided into two broad categories: high brow queens that are outwardly glamorous and take performance and fashion very seriously, and low-brow queens that are campy, thrifty, gothy, and/or simply odd. Within these two are several "classes." Each one has produced at least one season winner and several fan favorites. Naturally some queens fall under multiple categories, but those that don't fit into at least one tend not to last long on the show:
  • High-Brow:
    • Avant Garde Queens like Acid Betty and Sasha Velour are focused on the look, with professional-quality makeup and a high-fashion drag style, and often specialize in modelling on the runway or Instagram.
    • Celebrity Impersonators like Chad Michaels (Cher) and Derrick Berry (Britney Spears) base their act around one specific performer and have the unique challenge of proving that there's more to their drag than just impersonation.
    • Dancing Divas like Aquaria and Kennedy Davenport are focused on giving high-energy performances while serving high-femme ("fishy") looks.
    • Pageant Queens like Alexis Matteo and Jaida Essence Hall spend their time competing in Beauty Contests and often have multiple titles under their belts. If Black or Hispanic, they might also be active in the Ball scene.
  • Low-Brow:
    • Banjee Queens like Monet X. Change and Vanessa Vanjie Matteo are "ghetto fabulous" and often specialize in making creative looks on a limited budget.
    • Comedy Queens Like Bianca Del Rio and Jinkx Monsoon specialize in humor, whether it's through stand-up comedy, parody music, or other comedic performances.
    • Goth Queens like Sharon Needles and Yvvie Oddly focus on the macabre and freaky with a dark sense of humor, often dancing on the fine line between "shocking" and "tasteless."^note Relatively few goth queens have competed on the show since the creation of Dragula, which specifically caters to this style of drag.
    • Kooky Queens like Milk and Trixie Mattel go beyond drag and create characters that are outright clownish and cartoonish (in a good way), and are known for thinking outside the box, often standing out as "The Weird One" of the season.
• Survivor: During the 31st U.S. season (branded "Second Chances", contestant Jeremy Collins explicitly referred to "meat shields" when outlining his strategy of retaining other physically fit players until late in the game to protect him from being targeted for being the greatest physical challenge threat. The strategy worked sufficiently well that he won the season's $1,000,000 prize. This term has now become standard in the lexicon of the game's contestants and commentators, such as Rob Has a Podcast.

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