Class Rework - Feedback/Alternative

Eeyore·7/29/2016, 11:16:25 PM·19 votes·1,508 views

I have a number of concerns with the upcoming Class Rework, largely concerning how many of the classes share the same definition.

http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/leagueoflegends/images/5/59/Assassin_Large.png/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/120?cb=20140907112830 Slayer - Slayers are fragile but agile damage-focused champions.

Assassin - Slayers that specialise in getting onto high priority targets.

Skirmisher - Slayers that have poor target selection, but instead boast the ability to kill anyone they can reach.

Feedback:

Assassin and Skirmisher are very good gameplay definitions.
The class's definition does not specifically exclude ranged champions, but does not include champions like Kalista, Lucian or Vayne who are fragile-but-agile damage dealers. There is perhaps some issue with the overall structure. You could take a World of Warcraft/Heroes of the Storm approach and make the "Slayer" class simply include all damage-focused champions (i.e. drop the "agile" requirement), then make Mage/Marksman a sub-class of Slayer (along with Assassin and Skirmisher).
The "Assassin" names feels like it needs the "ADC" treatment, since people still confuse "assassinate" with "assassin".
Kha'Zix and Katarina are both classified as Assassins but, by definition, would be better suited to the Skirmisher class. Kha'Zix, due to his isolation mechanic, has very poor target selection; and Katarina is not an "reach and kill a target" kind of girl, she's much more of a "kill everything in range".

http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/leagueoflegends/images/9/9d/Tank_Large.png/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/120 Tank - These champions excel at taking damage and disruption, but are not a significant damage threat.

Vanguard - Front-line tanks. These champions lead the charge and shatter the enemy's lines.

Warden - Protection tanks. These champions stand steadfast and protect their allies.

Feedback:

Saying Tanks aren't a damage threat is laughable.
There's a lot of Tanks missing from the Tank category (e.g. Dr. Mundo and Volibear), because they are classified as Juggernauts. Maybe Juggernaut should be a Tank sub-class? But then they aren't really "Disruption" focused. Perhaps Disruptions and Tanks should be two separate classes?
Rek'Sai is classified as a Vanguard, which is concerning. Are you giving up on balancing her as a stealthy predator?
Nunu being classified as a Warden makes me question what you have planned for his rework. I've always imagined him as a Juggernaut (perhaps with Enchanter as a secondary role). His current play style is definitely "Unique", so I'm not sure why you decided to call him a Warden.
Poppy being classified as a Warden sounds like you're classifying her lore rather than her gameplay. I guess you could describe what Poppy does as protecting her allies, but the gameplay is far too selfish with by-the-by utility rather than being specifically designed to protect her allies. She should be a Vanguard.
Sion and Tahm Kench are currently classified exclusively as Vanguards, but I feel both should have Juggernaut as a secondary role (or perhaps primary, in Sion's case).

http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/leagueoflegends/images/7/7b/Fighter_Large.png/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/120 Fighter - Fighters are tank-slayer hybrids - durable and damage threats.

Diver - Mobile fighters. These champions excel at jumping on priority targets.

Juggernaut - Immobile fighters. These champions are living area-of-denial - go near them at your own peril.

Feedback:

A class that introduces itself as a hybrid of two other classes seems... counter-intuitive. If they are defined by two other classes then shouldn't all these champions actually be defined by those two other classes?
The Diver class has the exact same definition as the Assassin class, with the only distinction being that Fighters are "tankier". Referring back to my issues with the Tank class, I really think that "being tanky" should be a class that is only defined by being tanky...
The Diver class and the Vanguard class contain virtually interchangeable champions, with the only real difference between them being whether or not they are AD or AP. Sejuani and Vi, for example.
The Juggernaut class would make much more sense as a Tank subclass, giving you: the battling-ram tanks (Vanguards), immobile tanks (Juggernauts) and the protection tanks (Wardens). They are all qualified by their ability to tank damage, and are all capable of being damage threats.
Why are Xin Zhao, Irelia and Pantheon classified as Divers while Jax is classified as a Skirmisher? They should all be in the same class, in my opinion.
Nocturne has a big "Dive" ability, sure, and his Darkness usually does engage a fight... but is this really his fantasy? Like Rek'Sai, I feel like he's just been tagged based on his current build and being tanky doesn't suit my fantasy of the Living Nightmare at all.
Why is Evelynn tagged as a Diver? Is that the fantasy you decided on in her rework? Have you given up making her an Assassin (old definition)? Stealth engage has been historically problematic (look at Rengar), and while that's how she currently plays too... this is a fantasy issue for me, and you said your classifications were based on their intended fantasy and not current balance.
Elise, like Evelynn, should not be tagged as a Diver. She is currently built as a tank but her kit has no tank qualities. She's a Mage/Assassin, and should at least be reworked into one of them...

http://vignette4.wikia.nocookie.net/leagueoflegends/images/5/55/Support_Large.png/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/120 Controller - Controllers are defensive casters that oversee that protect and create opportunities for allies.

Disruptor - Controllers that specialize in locking down the enemy and creating threat zones.

Enchanter - Controllers that heal, shield or enchant their allies.

Feedback:

Support-shaming is now canon.
The Disruptor class has the same definition as Tank class, meaning there is an issue with how the classes are defined. Leona could be a Tank + Disruptor, for example.
There is a classed called "Disruptor" and yet Blitzcrank is "Unique".
The Disruptor class contains two types of champions: area controllers (Anivia, Heimerdinger, Taliyah, Teemo and Zyra); and enablers (Morgana, Nami and Orianna). Those two distinct play styles are deserving of separate classes. The Enabler class would then gain champions like Bard, Lulu and Zilean (who are currently classified as Enchanters, despite Bard's heal being the least impactful part of his kit) and champions like Illaoi would make perfect additions to the area controller class.

http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/leagueoflegends/images/b/b9/Mage_Large.png/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/120?cb=20140907112829 Mage - Mages are offensive casters that cripple and burst.

Artillery - Mages that master range, but are the most fragile to being jumped upon.

Burst - Mages that focus on locking down and devastating targets from range.

Battlemage - Immobile mages that seek to be in the fray - wrecking all nearby enemies.

Feedback:

Overall I feel that too much has been put into making this class have subclasses at the expense of actual differences in the champions. All mages have their own unique area of influence - some are long, some are short. I do not think that having long range is actually a subclass when Xerath and Ziggs are siege champions, while Vel'Koz and Lux are just long-ranged burst mages, and Jayce, Nidalee and Ezreal are harassers. I also dislike that this class seems to be cementing the notion that AD Casters are not "mages" (with Jayce and Gangplank being the only notable exceptions, and I'm not sure I would personally call either of them mages even by AD Caster standards).
Artillery's name conveys a different image to the definition and champions contained within. Artillery should be defined by the ability to deal damage behind the front-line, which Jayce, Ezreal and Nidalee cannot do.
Kog'Maw isn't classified as Artillery but Ezreal and Varus are?!
Corki doesn't have a Mage secondary?
Jhin has Burst as his secondary, not Artillery?
Aurelion Sol, Brand, Cassiopeia and Malzahar are all classified as Battle Mages. Umm... maybe whoever wrote this list confused "short ranged mage" with mages that actually want to be in the middle of the enemy team? 'cause even Aurelion doesn't want to be surrounded... he just has a unique kiting pattern.
If you remove all the "short ranged mages" (mentioned above), you're left with AP Juggernauts and Karthus. Why not move Karthus to the "Unique" category, move the AP Juggernauts to the Juggernaut class and just remove the Battle Mage class? I mean, Mordekaiser is classified as a Juggernaut - so why aren't Vladimir, Swain and Rumble?
Artillery, Bombardier and Burst should be added as Slayer subclasses.

http://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/leagueoflegends/images/5/54/Marksman_Large.png/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/120 Marksmen - Marksmen excel at dealing reliable sustained damage at range.

Feedback

There's a lot of mages that fit that description, to be honest, and yet only Azir is listed. There's also "Marksmen" that don't fit that description, but are also listed. Ezreal, for example, is almost exclusively played as a poker and if he's ever in range to be a "sustained damage threat" he's probably dead. This class definition doesn't hold up to the Slayer and Mage subclasses, to be honest.
After a lot of effort was made to segregate the small pool of Mages, I'm surprised no subclasses were implemented here. You could easily split them into Hunters/Chasers (Vayne, Sivir, Lucian), Demos (Tristana, Jinx) and Sharpshooters (Ashe, Ezreal, Varus) - and I've intentionally ignored "casters" because any Marksman classified as a "Caster" should just have Mage as a primary/secondary. Although saying that, Hunters could have the Skirmisher tag and Sharpshooters could have the Artillery tag (as much as I dislike the name) - there's nothing particularly unique about most subclasses of Marksman that is exclusive to Marksman, and segregating them into new classes rather than existing classes just returns me back to a general structure issue.

http://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/leagueoflegends/images/3/3c/Missing_role.png/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/120?cb=20150522155738 The following champions are unclassified, or "Unique": Blitzcrank, Cho'Gath, Fiddlesticks, Kennen, Singed and Urgot.

Feedback:

Blitzcrank isn't a Disruptor?
Fiddlesticks, Kennen and Karthus feel like there should be a class for them...
Urgot is artillery, surely?

How I would implement it:

The overall objective of my class system is to clone the classic World of Warcraft 3x DPS, 1x Tank and 1x Support system, with elements taken from Heroes of the Storm to accommodate champions who are not focused on combat objectives. Ultimately I have combined the Slayer, Mage and Marksman classes into a single Slayer class (which I would call "Carry", but I thought it'd be best not to return to that state of mind), with subclasses that include Assassin, Mage and Marksman.

To address the muddied distinction between Vanguards and Divers--but in-keeping with the community's general attachment to the Fighter class--I decided to instead dissolve the Tank class from World of Warcraft holy-trinity. In my opinion, the only true tanks in the game are the Wardens - as it's an outright lie to say Vanguards (e.g. Malphite) aren't a damage threat.