MMORPGs are full of unique classes and character archetypes, each with their own set of skills and diverse playstyles that contribute to their individuality and different team dynamics. Funny enough, in all my years of playing MMORPGs, I realized that the actual players themselves have their own set of archetypes, which, much like MMO classes, affect the outcome of how they play and interact with each other. Enclosed is my list of different player archetypes. Hope you guys enjoy!
So, which one are you?
The Guardian
“Oh! Hi there! Wanna join our guild?”**
Guardians are the awesome people you normally meet upon your early levels. These players are quite strong, but would rather go around helping those in need than waste precious time on guild/world chat. Although some Guardians are not guild officers, they often invite people to their guild, saying that everyone’s welcome and that their company is a great place to be. When you’re being harassed by people in WPVP, one call and he won’t even think twice about going there. These individuals often use DPS or Tank classes, but mostly stick to DPS because the Tank role has already been taken. When you need a partner for 2-vs-2 PVP, you can expect these guys to have your back. Also, even if you leave the guild, he’ll still be there to help you.
The Role Model
**
“Hey guys! I’ll be right back. My son needs help with his math”
Role Models are often hailed as guild leaders, mostly because of both their knowledge and dedication to the game. These guys are very calm and collected, and at times, they just laugh when your guild dungeon runs go bad. No one hates the role model, but that is also one of their greatest flaws. When guild drama occurs, these players tend to stay neutral, which means you may need to look for someone else to back you up against the resident guild jerk. Although quite knowledgeable and addicted to the game, the Role Models are men/women of utmost responsibility, which means that they’ll often call “BRB” to attend to their kids and other important IRL matters. These individuals are often found using Tank classes, and are often everyone’s first choice when running dungeons.
Mom
“Hey! What’s the problem?”
There’s always one is every guild. Moms are generally peaceful and nurturing players (mostly female) who always make sure everything goes well. Despite only knowing her for a few months, you always feel compelled to open up to her and benefit from her wisdom. Just hearing her voice on Ventrillo soothes the soul and, at times, is more than enough to stop guild dramas. The guild jerks often joke around with her, but what the hell, Mom loves everyone. Moms are masters of healing and—much like the Role Model—gets picked first when running dungeons/raids. Among everyone in the guild, Moms are perhaps the most calm and collected of all.
The Guild Jerk
“Stop being a noob!”
Guild Jerks are—well—the biggest assholes in the guild. These are the ones you usually see harassing unsuspecting people on world chat, and are solely responsible for the term “Barrens Chat” in WoW. These individuals are typically Role Models gone wrong. They do know a lot about the game, but are often disregarded due to their up-front and condescending behavior. The funny part is that they are usually friends with the guild masters, and are even officers, which means that they have the right to kick your ass out of the guild if you retaliate. Anyway, the Guild Jerk is also the source of racist and sometimes sexist comments like “Healing is for girls”. These characters are also invaluable to each group, given their knowledge and highly effective playstyle. It’s never the Jerk’s fault, so just suck it up when he runs his mouth about how crappy you hold aggro or deal damage. With that said, these people are not all bad—they just lack patience. In fact, they will most likely have your back when you gain their respect. Jerks are also masters of healing, perhaps even better than Moms, and the only reason why they don’t get picked first is because they’re giant assholes.
The Master Of Excuses and The Master Of None
“Damn f*ckin lag!”
“I didn’t practice... that’s why I lost.”
Since the name I gave ‘em is too long, let’s just call these guys MOE and MON. MOEs, as their ‘species name’ implies, are people who always have an excuse every time they screw up. Instead of owning up and admitting to their shortcomings, the MOE will instead blame the net, their rig, or even the game (tad absurd, ain’t it?). Let me get something straight—not all MOEs are weak, but their constant and almost instant excuses make it hard for them to evolve further, hence them being stuck on the same skill level.
The Masters of None (or MON for short), however, can be seen giving themselves empty praises. These are ‘pseudo-expert’ Hunters who do not know how to kite. MONs are pretty hopeless compared to their excuse-making counterpart, given the fact that they believe that they are already high-calibre players, despite normally causing wipes. MONs can be considered as the final stage in the ‘Master of’ metamorphosis. If a MOE doesn’t get treated properly, the person in question will inevitably turn into a MON (don’t worry, MOEs! There’s still hope for you!).
These players often use DPS on the account that they are unable to heal or tank properly. The catch here is that they always claim to be good at everything, despite the constant lack of evidence.
The Yes Man
“Sure! Yes! Alright!”
Remember that kid in class who didn’t graduate with honors but was given an award for perfect attendance? Yup! That’s them. These are individuals who only talk on guildchat/voicechat when they have something important to say. Although friendly towards other users, they are not as chatty as the rest of the crowd.
Yes Men are also mostly present in every guild activity, and will even accompany you to arena PVPs without question. Sad to say, these fellows are often the phantoms of each guild due to their incapability of rejecting offers. Once a raid or activity has been posted on the calendar, you can bet your ass that they’ll click “attending” a few seconds after seeing it. Perfect attendance indeed! Yes Men are often found using DPS classes since they don’t want to hold a potential guild raid by not attending—not that they won’t show up anyway.
Mute
“...”
Mutes are more of a sub-category of the Yes man. As their species name implies, Mutes are players who are always around to do stuff with the guild without saying a word. At times, you won’t even know they’re there until you check the party list. Mutes also enjoy joining other guild members on voice servers like Vent, but will only be there to listen to everyone. One of their strongest points is being able to carry out tasks with simple instructions. One “just dodge the AOE” and they’ll be dodging AOEs like crazy. If you need a good filler for your dungeon runs, Mutes are the way to go.
**Achievement Hunter
**
“What the hell is that highbie doing here?”
“Collecting Achievements”
It’s not really just in MMOs. Achievement hunters are individuals who value achievement collecting more than anything in the game. At times they would pick the worst ways to deal with enemy bosses just to unlock a certain achievement. They are quite helpful and knowledgeable in the game, but will mostly pitch their way of doing things just so everyone else can get the same title. Achievement hunters are charismatic by nature, which is why the group normally agrees to their otherwise unorthodox ways. These people often use classes with a high survival rate to easily traverse through obstacles and effectively unlock achievements.
Stable Master
“Wanna see my horse?”
Remember those players who keep running around in different mounts? Yes, the ones who stop in front of you just to showcase a bunch of rare rides. Stable Masters can be considered as a sub-class of Achievement Hunters, since owning a gratuitous amount of mounts normally lead to an unlockable achievement or title. These individuals lust over the idea of being able to ride every mount in the game. Perhaps they’re waiting for a chariot patch, where they will be able to show all of their hard earned mounts at the same time.
Million Dollar Man
“How much do you need again?”
The Million Dollar Man is the game’s persistent entrepreneur. These are players who enjoy manipulating the in-game market more than anything. They don’t really get along with people who share the same class as them due to the fact that they are constantly ruining each other’s strategies to monopolize the server economy. These guys use every class in the game, mastering different professions to meet the consumers’ demand. Even if you haven’t personally encountered these masters of money-making, there’s a huge chance you may have already purchased an item or two from them via the game’s auction house. Having a Million Dollar Man for a guild mate yields a lot of different advantages. For one, the group’s bank will always be full.
**The Muse
**
/hug /dance /cute /giggle /flirt
Muses are cute and beautiful characters with pleasing personalities online. The catch? They’re male. These pretty penis-carriers are proven to be useful assets to each guild due to their ability to make other players fall for them. In turn, their poor victims get hooked into joining guild activities, ensuring that the group’s activity pushes through. There’s no assurance as to what class these ‘tease-ticles’ play, but most of them are healers. Why? Because a cute healer is very irresistible.
Just a warning to all potential victims—if she’s too good to be true, get out while you still can.
Son Goku
“Hey! Duel me?”
Gokus are the players who (prefer to) know nothing but PVP. Despite not being geared enough for raids and PVE dungeons, they are well equipped for ‘twos’ and world PVP. These individuals are often found in front of main cities, sparring against other friendly players to test their strength and see what else is wrong with their otherwise good build. When in a guild, their lust for PVP becomes contagious and will eventually force the group to go player-hunting every once in a while. The hard part about Gokus is that they often wear their PVP gear even when doing dungeons, resulting in a few wipes. These guys often go for DPS classes, given the fact that they want nothing more than to deal utmost damage to their opponents.
The Dragonborn
“Good job, guys!”
Legend speaks of a player so good, he single-handedly beat the final boss in the dungeon after everyone got killed. Dragonborns are probably the rarest among the player classes. These are individuals who just pop out of nowhere, and normally joins in PUGs and Raid finder. Despite their unparalleled skill, Dragonborns always make sure to compliment their fellow raiders after clearing a dungeon despite how terrible the experience was. Dragonborns often use tank classes, and hold aggro unlike anything you’ve ever seen.
Remember... you can’t find Dragonborns... they find you.
Joe/Jane
“So, what’s new?”
Those who don’t belong in any of the classes mentioned are classified as Joes and Janes (well, that’s what I call em). These are people who are only there to have fun, and will most likely vanish from the guild and even the game after several months. These people are highly enthusiastic about getting better and extra knowledge, but will most likely not be around to cherish end-game content with you. Their class of choice is DPS, only because they think that tanking and healing requires too much work. They are often targeted by the guild jerk for being unable to dodge enemy attacks. When treated properly, the average Joe/Jane can evolve into formidable players.
And That’s That!
There you have it! I hope you enjoyed my little list of archetypes and even had a bunch of laughs in the process. I’m sure you guys have more classes in mind. Much like the ever expansive world of MMO gaming, more and more IRL classes are bound to make the cut as we continue to play.
Which one are you? A hybrid perhaps? Now you can find out! Take the short quiz to find out where you fall.
More Player Archetypes?
Got more ideas for classes? Tell us in the comments section below.
