Which role — tank, healer, or DPS — do you play in MMORPGs and why?

The Holy Trinity—tank, healer, and DPS—has shaped MMORPG party roles for roughly 25-30 years. It remains an inescapable framework across the genre, even in games like Guild Wars 2 where support or tankier builds still fill similar functions. Some games tweak the formula: City of Heroes adds a 'controller' role, Final Fantasy XIV includes the Dancer who deals much of its damage by buffing others, and World of Warcraft has the Augmentation Evoker with a comparable gimmick.

But typically one player deals damage, one soaks hits, and one keeps the group alive. I’ve played all three roles and, in Final Fantasy XIV, I jump between them in casual content to mix things up. I keep returning to damage dealers—rogues and ninjas—because I like being agile and stabbing things.

Most player bases skew toward DPS since a dungeon usually needs only a single tank and healer; who’s playing an MMO to accept personal responsibility? Not me.

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