MMO Friday Fight Round 3: Melee vs. Ranged DPS | MMORPG.com

System · November 8

MMO Friday Fight Round 3: Melee vs. Ranged DPS | MMORPG.com

Every MMO has multiple classes to choose from when you want to primarily be a damage dealer. Ultimately, all of those classes can be filtered into two groups: melee and ranged. Which reigns supreme? Mitch finds out in this week's MMO Friday Fight.

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Angrakhan · November 8

I always prefer the visceral in-your-face play style of a melee brawler for DPS. Ranged is typically safer and thus more effective because you just park in your spot and lob in your nukes. That doesn't mean it's as fun to play, though.

Scot · November 8

Angrakhan said:

I always prefer the visceral in-your-face play style of a melee brawler for DPS. Ranged is typically safer and thus more effective because you just park in your spot and lob in your nukes. That doesn't mean it's as fun to play, though.

Alt tank DPS is my favourite role.

urriel1970 · November 8

meh...ranged is better....better freedom of movement..more variety...melle is boring...slow minded slow paced.....ranged for the win....melee can get in the back of the line...!!!!

Wargfoot · November 8

I've yet to see a game where melee doesn't get hosed.

Dattelis · November 8

My playstyle has always been to play ranged for most new encounters and then melee when I'm more familiar with the fight. "You can't do your role if you're dead."

Daxxit · November 8

Funny you used GW2 as an example for this. There is no such thing as ranged DPS in that game. Everyone stands in melee range for boons.

KnightFalz · November 9

Ideally both. As I mainly solo my ranged battles generally turn into melee ones in short order. Accordingly I must be able to handle either well and often need to quickly switch between them.

Splattr · November 9

Daxxit said:

Funny you used GW2 as an example for this. There is no such thing as ranged DPS in that game. Everyone stands in melee range for boons.

GW2 wasn't an example, there were just some good pics that had cool looking melee and ranged characters.

KnightFalz · November 9

Splattr said:

Daxxit said:

Funny you used GW2 as an example for this. There is no such thing as ranged DPS in that game. Everyone stands in melee range for boons.

GW2 wasn't an example, there were just some good pics that had cool looking melee and ranged characters.

As it happens I do ranged DPS when I'm playing in GW2 as I'm primarily a soloist so it can function as an example after all.

My preference in games where I can equip multiple weapons is to have both ranged and melee available for the flexibility that provides.

Gorwe · November 9

I usually prefer melee dps because ranged dps has an ugly habit of developing Turret-itis. Meaning, being glued to the spot in order to do anything. And I in general do not really like to be "in the back". Funnily enough, I did enjoy both Gunslinger and Sniper in SWTOR.

So, from these two discrete choices?

Melee dps, all the way.

But what about hybrids, like, idk, Assault SW from WAR? That's a whole another issue. Maybe some other time.

waveslayer · November 9

urriel1970 said:

meh...ranged is better....better freedom of movement..more variety...melle is boring...slow minded slow paced.....ranged for the win....melee can get in the back of the line...!!!!

melee all the way, ranged is for scaredy cats who want to run away at any sign of a fight being hard

Scot · November 9

waveslayer said:

urriel1970 said:

meh...ranged is better....better freedom of movement..more variety...melle is boring...slow minded slow paced.....ranged for the win....melee can get in the back of the line...!!!!

melee all the way, ranged is for scaredy cats who want to run away at any sign of a fight being hard

That's fighting talk, take it outside but make sure they don't have too much room to run away.

Talraekk · November 9

I always start with a melee (my main), But.. over the past decade-ish, I go ranged, all the way. Many older (and newer) games have movement stopping abilities, and I tend toward any ability that doesn't have that.

Gorwe · November 9

Talraekk said:

I always start with a melee (my main), But.. over the past decade-ish, I go ranged, all the way. Many older (and newer) games have movement stopping abilities, and I tend toward any ability that doesn't have that.

Yes, there's this too. The reason why I have such a positive impression and outlook on mDPS is because rDPS are often far too static. Now, besides hybrids(Assault), there are also mobile rDPS(Skirmish SW fex). And the obvious question:

mDPS vs MrDPS(mobile rDPS)?

Even then, I would have to go with mDPS. There is just something about that playstyle that makes it very fun to me.

Splattr · November 9

urriel1970 said:

meh...ranged is better....better freedom of movement..more variety...melle is boring...slow minded slow paced.....ranged for the win....melee can get in the back of the line...!!!!

Melee to the back of the line? If we did that, we would quickly be right back up front, as even the lowliest of goblins can take down a glass cannon when there isn't melee there to protect them!

olepi · November 9

I guess my ranking would be:

1) pet classes -- I love pet classes, modern MMO's have dumbed down the pets though. My necro pet in Vanguard had more abilities than my main in ESO did.

2) ranged+ -- ranged with extra effects, like a slow, or a freeze, or a debuff of some kind. Ranged characters have to be able to do good melee dmg too.

3) melee+ -- melee with extra effects, I liked the character in Vanguard that used martial arts to attack and the attacks did healing to the group. Melee has to have a ranged ability to pull mobs.

cheyane · November 9

I love to play melee but I am so bad at it and I do better at range. I usually like to play pet classes but recently on my run in Wrath of Lich King in a server where I can solo through attunements all the content albeit an awfully long time if you start at level 1, I am playing a melee.

Gorwe · November 9

cheyane said:

I love to play melee but I am so bad at it and I do better at range. I usually like to play pet classes but recently on my run in Wrath of Lich King in a server where I can solo through attunements all the content albeit an awfully long time if you start at level 1, I am playing a melee.

Yeah, this is me with Tanks and Healers.

Tanks: I like playing this role, but never really got into it. Thus, I am probably not good at it. But I really like the concept.

Healers: For a reason or another, I am very, very good in this role. Don't really know why. Regardless whether it is an MMO or a MOBA etc. But! Healers are, typically, so god damn boring! They put me to sleep. Lol.

///

...what the...???

cameltosis · November 9

I'm melee all the way.

Visually, melee classes have always appealed to me. Plate armour and big sharp swords and axes are way better than leather armour, robes and bits of wood with string.

Mechanically, melee has always been more fun to me too. They're more involved as a player, requiring more movement on top of the usual damaging skills. In PvE, the enemies nearly always end up coming into melee range anyway, and if you're a squishy rdps that kinda sucks. I hate all the interupts that result from being hit as rdps. In PvP, melee tends to require more skill as sooooo many people go for easy mode rdps! Avoiding getting nuked by all the legolas wannabes is fun! Most MMOs give melee some sort of movement skill (like sprints, leaps etc) which are fun.

That said, I am ranking up a squig herder in WAR RoR at the moment, and having a lot of fun. It is ranged, but shorter range than most. It's speciality is moving whilst shooting so it doesn't suffer from turret-itis, and it has cool looking squig pets. It is definitely easy mode compared to melee tho!

Kyleran · November 10

I prefer hybrids of old like the Skald & Minstrels from DAOC back in the day. Minstrel was truly a bag of tricks and difficult to master, doubtful I could manage it today.

Which brings us to the Skald which I could still manage pretty well even with my slower reflexes.

I play a decent healer, but haven't done so for many years as few newer games really rely on a definitive trinity anymore.

These days healers often are asked to also damage which if that's the mission I prefer to DPS as a glass cannon mage. I loved DAOC's Theurigist but New Worlds take on a fire mage was big fun also.

I did tank for the first time in ESO a few years back and did fairly well due to having forgiving friends and guild mates who were willing to help me learn the fights. I enjoyed the role but lack the confidence to ever consider pugging as a tank.

olepi · November 10

Kyleran said:

I prefer hybrids of old like the Skald & Minstrels from DAOC back in the day. Minstrel was truly a bag of tricks and difficult to master, doubtful I could manage it today.

Which brings us to the Skald which I could still manage pretty well even with my slower reflexes.

I play a decent healer, but haven't done so for many years as few newer games really rely on a definitive trinity anymore.

These days healers often are asked to also damage which if that's the mission I prefer to DPS as a glass cannon mage. I loved DAOC's Theurigist but New Worlds take on a fire mage was big fun also.

I did tank for the first time in ESO a few years back and did fairly well due to having forgiving friends and guild mates who were willing to help me learn the fights. I enjoyed the role but lack the confidence to ever consider pugging as a tank.

My first MMO character was a Minstrel in DAOC in 2001. Still one of my favorites of all times. It wasn't action oriented back then but twisting kept your attention focused. Next I played a spirit cabalist, another pet class that did range nuking. Also a lot of fun.

Today's MMO's don't let you have enough skills available to play a good hybrid.

Valdheim · November 11

For me it totally depends on which MMORPG. If the combat is weighty and I can 'feel' the impact of my attacks then it's melee I prefer. If the ranged combat is highly mobile and feels impactful then I might switch from melee to ranged but unfortunately there are not many MMOs where this is the case. Currently returned to Monster Hunter which imo has peak melee combat. I'd love to see an MMO with combat like this!

Scot · November 11

Gorwe said:
Yeah, this is me with Tanks and Healers.

Tanks: I like playing this role, but never really got into it. Thus, I am probably not good at it. But I really like the concept.

Healers: For a reason or another, I am very, very good in this role. Don't really know why. Regardless whether it is an MMO or a MOBA etc. But! Healers are, typically, so god damn boring! They put me to sleep. Lol.

///

...what the...???

Nobody wants to play a healer so the team may have been bigging you up, "Yeah you were great, just more heals though."

Gorwe · November 11

Scot said:

Gorwe said:
Yeah, this is me with Tanks and Healers.

Tanks: I like playing this role, but never really got into it. Thus, I am probably not good at it. But I really like the concept.

Healers: For a reason or another, I am very, very good in this role. Don't really know why. Regardless whether it is an MMO or a MOBA etc. But! Healers are, typically, so god damn boring! They put me to sleep. Lol.

///

...what the...???

Nobody wants to play a healer so the team may have been bigging you up, "Yeah you were great, just more heals though."

No, no, no. The difference is visible. When I doubled down on boring, but effective playstyle, I managed to reach Platinum(and would've reached Diamond, but cba'd). Yet, when playing random inefficient things, Gold is like Diamond. Lol.

And I don't have a preset team, so there's that as well.

Scot · November 12

Gorwe said:
No, no, no. The difference is visible. When I doubled down on boring, but effective playstyle, I managed to reach Platinum(and would've reached Diamond, but cba'd). Yet, when playing random inefficient things, Gold is like Diamond. Lol.

And I don't have a preset team, so there's that as well.

Only kidding mate, you just made me think of how healers sometimes get a raw deal.

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