This week on Blog Azeroth, bloggers have been asking, “Does WoW need another party role?” I’ve put a lot of thought into classes I’d love to see in Azeroth, but party roles are a more difficult subject to contemplate. Presently, WoW has four basic party roles: tank, healer, damage dealers and crowd control. Even beyond those, parties may have off-tanks or secondary healers.

Often, party members fill more hybridized roles. Hunters and Mages are used on a regular basis as equal Damage Dealers and Crowd Control. Druids can tank and do serious damage. Paladins can, conceivably, tank and heal. (I’ve seen it done: one Paladin playing both Main Tank and Main Healer. That man is disgusting. He deserves fresh, home-made cookies.) Some classes, like Warriors or Rogues, may fill one role more than any of the others throughout a fight.

I’m really not sure WoW needs another role. I’m certainly no authority on game or party dynamics, but, based on my experience, I can’t think of any roles a party might need outside of the existing ones. As long as friends are staying alive and enemies are going down, I’d say the current system is working.

For other bloggers’ opinions on the matter, check out these links: