Archetype: Rock < Paper < Scissor <<< Atom Bomb

[illumius]

The problem dates back to the days when Graword was affecting the balance. He was very afraid that his choppa and marauder would be killed from afar, so he nerfed all the RDPS on the order side.

Specifically, an engineer is not needed at all. He is very demanding on the player's iq, and even with proper skill, he will be inferior to everyone else. In fact, only 3-5 people are currently playing good engineers, while the rest are only giving free immunities and morals to destruction

[Sanctific]

MMORPGs always had Archetypes. In Classic games it was Tanks, Healers, Damage Dealers and Supporters.
Most of those had sub types like melee / range bow or magic / high or low armor / 1 or 2 hand weapon / elemental fire, nature, chaos… and so on.

Spoiler:

But the basic formula was mostly this:
DPS does dmg and kills stuff.
Tank tanks and protects.
Healers heal and resurrect.

There are a few games that let you switch your role as you please whenever it fits. But in those games, it is mostly fair and square. Late stage AoR and RoR took another route. A not so fair and square route. Sure, everybody wants to be the Hero. The Main Charakter. But here we are today.
Tanks want to be DPS. BUT they still want to be TANK
Healers want to be DPS. BUT they still want to HEAL
DPS want to be DPS. BUT You made Tanks and Healers almost unkillable.

In the original Game it started with the basics: Armor type and numbers, value of resistances and Toughness.
- WH/WE had the lowest base defense and armor. They were made to be assassins. Highest risk highest reward. No real AOE dmg. All channeled into high hitting a single chosen target that would be dead if it’s teammates would not intervene instantly.
- BW/Sorc had the highest magic type dmg on single target and strong AOE mid to low range specs.
But they would demand to be played in combination with a healer to not blow themselves up.
- SW/SH( wl/mara criss cross mirror hell) SW/SH: Strong range dmg with kiting in mind. Fragile when caught.
-Wl/mara mid defense mid dmg. A little bit tanky wanky Bruiser type stuff.
Then Slayer and Choppa got into the game. They would demand to be played with Healer and Tank since their mechanic made their dmg ramp up and their defense shrink at the same time to a peak where they turned into the hardest hitting melee aoe class of glass.

Balance on life was like a monthly Bingo game. Every now and then they changed the flavor of the month balance, where they Buffed or Nerfed classes. Resulting in another class to be the new alpha predator of the lakes.
BUT the MAIN CLASS IDENTITY was always the SAME.
DPS do dmg, Healers heal and Tanks protect. The only exception where Shamans kiting whole Warbands from Reikland to the Maw and dual wielding DOKs stacking parry so high that they could tank 55++ war camp melee guards (who remembers Murkels and Erdknuffel from Drakenwald will know what I am talking about)

But this is 2025 RoR. Balance changes on top of balance changes on top of balance changes.
Why even Play DPS classes anymore? DPS Tanks and DPS Healers straight out defeat any pure DPS class right now in 1 v 1 situations. Lately WP 2H aoe build even out damages Engi or slayer aoe builds. Pew Pew Laser beam classes are more effective on killing roaming groups then actual range dps classes.

Long story short. The situation for most DPS classes right now is bottom floor.
The Classes with all the buffs/debuffs/absorbs/heals got their dps buffed way to much.

LOL!

Someone's engineer apparently got killed in lakes by a solo DPS zeal ;p And then, apparently, by a solo chosen...

From my own perspective, as someone who has meaningfully levelled pretty much all the classes to at least 60+ (apart from from WE coz of sick popularity and SH + Shaman coz of looks) and who levels his toons in solo roaming almost exclusively (well, i do weekend SCs occasionally just for the event rewards) - the only class which which is VERY uncomfortable in solo roaming is sorc (can still roam, can still kill...but super uncomfortable to play in solo environment). All other classes - can be effective solo roamers if the "pilot" is at least remotely aware of such concepts as environmental awareness, positioning, movement (this one is super important), LOS, GCD management, typical rotations of classes they oppose etc. Therefore everyone CAN kill everyone in solo (albeit with a few very nieche exceptions).

In my own experience - the only thing which truly is...erm..."loved" up is the inability for certain melee classes to do anything meanigful to ranged kiters like, for example, WP vs any ranged (no chances for WP unless he ninja-jumps ranged so the fight would start when WP is already in melee range & smashing). Yeah, WP may still use flee & AP pot but the same may be mirrored by their ranged opponent, so...

In all other cases - well...you know, as they say, "a poor dancer blames his balls".