The article discusses the status of control/debuff archetypes in MMORPGs, questioning if they are dead or not.
It explores the evolution of roles in MMORPGs, from the classic trinity of healer, tank, and crowd controller to more varied roles like debuffers and pullers.
The impact of games like World of Warcraft on the prominence of certain roles, like control characters, is highlighted.
The article delves into the challenges of balancing control archetypes in games, emphasizing the importance of maintaining meaningful tradeoffs.
It mentions how speedrunning dynamics interact with the role of control archetypes and the focus on optimizing time to kill in MMORPG encounters.
The author suggests that while balancing for control archetypes is possible, it often requires significant effort and might be overlooked in favor of other gameplay aspects.
Despite industry trends, games like City of Heroes and Guild Wars 2 still offer experiences with control archetypes, providing players with alternative gameplay options.
The article concludes by reflecting on the intrinsic challenges of balancing gameplay elements that deviate from maximizing success and minimizing failure in MMORPGs.