Now that the Taunt effect is being improved, I think it would greatly benefit the game to have a role system implemented, specifically in Team Up. Giving the host the option to enable roles would make finding reliable teams for more difficult dungeons (eg. Waterworks, Graveyard, Crannoc Dorcha) much easier. Rather than grouping up with 4 random classes and having to decide who tanks and who heals, you can enable roles and players can decide to join your party as either a DPS, a Tank or a Healer. This will prevent the hassle of having to leave the instance to find a more diverse team. As for how the role system is set up, it should be DPS/DPS/Tank/Healer.
I can see this being helpful, but I can also see it being an issue. This is a game for kids, after all, and I'm not sure that all of them would understand the idea of "I'm solely a tank now." Would this be a self-assigned role? Most parties don't have tanks. There are also other styles of play that don't neatly fit into these roles.
I play a balance buffer. I make other people do more damage, as well as give shields to people who are in danger of a lethal attack. I can't heal as well as a life wizard, though. Would I be a healer? Well, no. I can't get several thousand points of healing in one turn. I'm not really a DPS, because I'm not directly attacking the enemy except for a bit of support if one is almost dead. I'm definitely not a tank.
Do we have to add a support role now? Can we only have one DPS per team now?
If the roles are self-assigned, people might call themselves a tank without actually being able to attract damage solely to get into a queue more quickly. If they are assigned by the game based upon your class, this brings up other issues. I've run into life damage-dealers who are great at what they do. Are they now locked out of that playstyle for team ups?
While this could theoretically be okay, it just seems like in practice it would be terribly hard to implement. I imagine it would get more complaints than happy campers.
As stated in my original post, it is indeed the player's choice what role they fill, as well as the host's decision to enable roles in the first place. Most parties don't have a tank because nobody actually makes one early on, it's not until you reach the endgame where tanks start to become essential, though unfortunately the only class that can viably tank the team right now is the Death school. Now, thanks to the rebalance and the changes to the Taunt mechanic, any class can theoretically tank. With the way Kingsisle has designed this game, any class can fill any role. Ice wizards can DPS if they farm for the gear. Storm wizards can tank if they buy the Jade set. Anybody can heal with enough outgoing healing and a Life Mastery Amulet. You can do anything with any class, but some classes will excel at certain roles due to the way they are designed. I have a Balance as well and I used to have a similar playstyle. If you're squishy, can't heal well and don't have high attack you're a backup DPS. There is no such thing as a "support" role, the tank and healer can buff the DPS as well with Dragonblade, Dark Pact and Feint if they have the opportunity. You shouldn't need to shield anybody if you have a tank and healer keeping the team alive, you should be buffing the main DPS and yourself so you can take out any stragglers that survive the initial hit. There will be deviants, there's no guarantee everyone will respect the system and select their proper role, some players might pick their role but underperform due to a lack of gear or skill. It's not a perfect system, but it's much better than grouping up with 4 random players only to find out nobody is capable of tanking or healing and leaving the instance with a 10 minute penalty.
