Moba Research - Player roles & character types/classes

Heros Of the Storm

Overwatch

Offense

DON'T TAKE OFFENSE, HERO

The Offense class is designed to deal out tons of damage but at the risk of dying quickly. They tend to have very low health, so mobility and positioning are vital to succeeding in this role.

What often sets the Offensive class apart from the others is the characters are wholly self-sufficient. They can operate on their own with little help, as they have all the necessary skills to kill targets while running around the map. 

The main goal of any Offensive character should be securing kills and clearing enemies off of an objective. You rarely want to be the one capturing or pushing an objective -  instead, you should be moving around the edges of the map, quietly - or noisily! - picking people off.

Of course every class has a drawback, and the Offense class suffers from low health. You can't take more than a couple hits, as your health typically ranges from 150-200. Aggressive play is rewarded here, but you should be mindful of the enemies around you and what abilities and weapons can end your killing spree..

Defense

EDITDEFENSIVE

The Defense class can also dish out tons of damage, but the abilities here generally lend themselves to protecting an area, not aggressively jumping into the middle of the bad guys. These characters set traps, lay in wait for people to walk by, or secure an area with turrets and other machines.

The Defense class is most similar to Offense. They both focus on high damage, but unlike the Offensive class, Defensive heroes tend to move more slowly, and have skills that focus on holding down an area, not running through a map killing everything.

Use a Defensive character to lock down an area with traps, and then lay into anyone who walks by with your high damage weapons. If you must move, do so slowly and in the shadows. You never want to be the one running into an area first, and certainly shouldn't be jumping into the center of big team fights!

Support

EDITA SUPPORTING ROLE

The Support class helps the team through direct buffs and healing, or by disabling and hindering your enemies. Supports don't tend to deal much damage, but can make or break a fight by healing Tanks, or crippling enemy Offense heroes!

The main goal of any Support should be to help your team. Kills aren't a priority for you - but preventing kills is! Keep your Tanks alive so they can move instantly into battle. Heal allies who are trying to run away from someone, and they can then turn around and kill their pursuer. If you have some disabling skills, use them to hinder any allies bold enough to chase after you or an ally.

Playing a Support can often be a tough, thankless job due to not being in combat and getting kills, but it cannot be understated how much of a difference having even one on a team can make.

TANKED UP

The Tank class is about being up front in the thick of things, drawing the attention - and bullets - of your enemies. They have the most health, and usually have skills that allow them to survive longer and protect their allies.

The main goal of a Tank is to be on the frontline. Due to their high health, they can absorb a lot of damage while drawing the attention of your enemies. This gives your Offensive and Defensive allies time to shoot the targets while they're otherwise distracted. This doesn't mean Tanks can't get kills - but they do tend to dish lower damage than either combat-focused classes.

Tanks are generally equipped with abilities that allow them to either protect themselves - allowing them to survive longer - or protect their allies through special shields. However, what makes a tank truly shine is cooperation. Unlike the Offense and Defense class, which can operate independently of the team, the Tank class relies on others. No tank should be without a Support to keep them alive.