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Are Hybrid Builds Endgame viable?

I always see tanks, dps, and healers, but could you make it through endgame content with a Hybrid Build, or is it too "jack of all trades"-ey?

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  • flowcytoflowcyto Posts: 12,740 Arc User
    edited November 2020
    Afaik, it's generally of a mix of the 'jack of all trades' issue and the fact that any Hybrid slotted auras are much weaker and can be disruptive to their Support counterparts' (since stacking the same aura buff on an ally has a DR, and a weaker Hybrid one could get picked as the main one sometimes).
    <CO stuff> .: Petco :. // A basic FF building guide (see 1st reply) // PSA on Power Activation Delay // Ayonachan's Gift Horse (misc stat data)
    - Be safe and have fun, champs - for science!
  • pantagruel01pantagruel01 Posts: 7,091 Arc User
    nytrone wrote: »
    I always see tanks, dps, and healers, but could you make it through endgame content with a Hybrid Build, or is it too "jack of all trades"-ey?
    Depends what you mean by 'viable'. There isn't really any content they're good at except maybe soloing QWZ dailies because for team content a dedicated dps is better at dps than you, a dedicated healer is better at healing than you, a dedicated tank is better at tanking than you, and there isn't really a role for 'do two or more of those things at once'.
  • phasestarphasestar Posts: 116 Arc User
    Agreed, but there really should be such a role.
  • pantagruel01pantagruel01 Posts: 7,091 Arc User
    phasestar wrote: »
    Agreed, but there really should be such a role.
    The fundamental game design is "get as much toughness as you need to survive, and then put the rest into attack (or healing)". To create hybrid content you basically have to create content that a dedicated dps or support can't survive.
  • jaazaniah1jaazaniah1 Posts: 5,424 Arc User
    Instead of having a build that runs in the Hybrid role (which is what I am assuming you mean) it might be better to take 2 passives and pick the build that is most suitable for the moment. You could also have (partial/complete) separate sets of gear and mods for different builds. E.g. for your tank build you'd have more Con, but when DPSing you use the gear that has the mods that tie into your form. E.g. a might DPS build would then have more Str mods tied into Enrage and Knocks.
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  • flowcyto wrote: »
    Afaik, it's generally of a mix of the 'jack of all trades' issue and the fact that any Hybrid slotted auras are much weaker and can be disruptive to their Support counterparts' (since stacking the same aura buff on an ally has a DR, and a weaker Hybrid one could get picked as the main one sometimes).

    I'm sure there was something Hybrid builds were good at, maybe they're best for PvP content? I've never really messed with PvP at all, so I don't know, but that's the only other thing I can think of. The devs must have designed Hybrids for a specific niche somewhere, right?
  • flowcytoflowcyto Posts: 12,740 Arc User
    edited November 2020
    nytrone wrote: »
    flowcyto wrote: »
    Afaik, it's generally of a mix of the 'jack of all trades' issue and the fact that any Hybrid slotted auras are much weaker and can be disruptive to their Support counterparts' (since stacking the same aura buff on an ally has a DR, and a weaker Hybrid one could get picked as the main one sometimes).

    I'm sure there was something Hybrid builds were good at, maybe they're best for PvP content? I've never really messed with PvP at all, so I don't know, but that's the only other thing I can think of. The devs must have designed Hybrids for a specific niche somewhere, right?
    Gameplay that involves direct combat will tend to favor the Trinity roles (tank, healer, dps) over Hybrids- at least as far as challenging group content is concerned. Most ways to give Hybrids more of a niche there would be pretty contrived and/or unlikely to happen (ex. a walled garden of Hyrbid-only group content w/ competitive rewards, or bosses that do deadly AoEs if no Hybrids are around, etc).

    Otherwise, as Panta said, Hybrids are good for soloing some stuff, and yea maybe in pvp (for what that's worth). In a game that stresses customization like CO, it makes sense to have a Hybrid option overall, whether it ends up having a strong niche or not.
    <CO stuff> .: Petco :. // A basic FF building guide (see 1st reply) // PSA on Power Activation Delay // Ayonachan's Gift Horse (misc stat data)
    - Be safe and have fun, champs - for science!
  • pantagruel01pantagruel01 Posts: 7,091 Arc User
    edited November 2020
    nytrone wrote: »
    I'm sure there was something Hybrid builds were good at, maybe they're best for PvP content? I've never really messed with PvP at all, so I don't know, but that's the only other thing I can think of. The devs must have designed Hybrids for a specific niche somewhere, right?
    Hybrids are probably the best at soloing, but the game wasn't so tightly designed as that. They're decently useful at the desert mechanon event, and perfectly competent off-tanks in content that uses off-tanks (e.g. TA, warzone OMs).
  • squirrelloidsquirrelloid Posts: 869 Arc User
    edited November 2020
    nytrone wrote: »
    I always see tanks, dps, and healers, but could you make it through endgame content with a Hybrid Build, or is it too "jack of all trades"-ey?

    Hybrids basically shouldn't exist in practice. I can only think of three reasons to ever choose to be in hybrid, and two are varying levels of stupid (see bottom of post). There is no real advantage to being in hybrid over picking a role.

    DPS roles don't take a penalty to healing or hp, so being in hybrid doesn't improve your durability, yet it crushes your dps potential. If you must have an aura, hybrid auras are barely better for you personally than support versions of auras (although support does take a hp and damage penalty), and significantly worse for other players.

    And team content necessarily rewards you for choosing one role and excelling at it. Hybrid doesn't do that, so is a terrible choice for team content.

    The only three reasons to use hybrid are:
    1. You're a tank who doesn't want to generate as much threat (because someone else is tanking) and wants to deal more damage. Note: Generally tanks take the Protector spec: Bulwark, so this doesn't actually work so hot at decreasing threat. Also, you'd be better off taking a second (dps) slotted passive, and switching to dps role, assuming you have the power slot. Yet this is the only non-stupid reason to be in hybrid.
    2. You want to play golf with henchmen. (Max str or max ego character with a powerful knock, like haymaker. AoPM plus pure stacking that SS for maximum knock distance). Needless to stay, this is kinda stupid.
    3. You want to play a PFF tank with no con SS, and use Bulwark specifically for bonus threat (since you don't care about hp). This entry started with 'you want to play a pff tank', so it is stupid by definition.
    nytrone wrote: »
    I'm sure there was something Hybrid builds were good at, maybe they're best for PvP content? I've never really messed with PvP at all, so I don't know, but that's the only other thing I can think of. The devs must have designed Hybrids for a specific niche somewhere, right?
    Hybrids are probably the best at soloing, but the game wasn't so tightly designed as that. They're decently useful at the desert mechanon event, and perfectly competent off-tanks in content that uses off-tanks (e.g. TA, warzone OMs).

    Nah, tanky dps is the best at soloing. Significantly better dps, no real decrease in survivability per time, and more dps means more survivability long term (because stuff dies faster and thus deals less damage to you overall). Hybrids have pretty much no advantages over a well-built dps for any practical soloable content.
  • pantagruel01pantagruel01 Posts: 7,091 Arc User
    DPS roles don't take a penalty to healing or hp, so being in hybrid doesn't improve your durability, yet it crushes your dps potential.
    Hybrid role gives a bonus to healing strength based on your superstats, and lets you use a defensive passive. There isn't a lot of content where that actually matters (mostly solo tanking; on my devour essence build it's easier to solo tank Gravitar in hybrid than in tank) but it's a non-zero set.
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