Good afternoon everyone! In topic after topic, the word "Hybrid" is mentioned for builds.

In fact, it's tossed about so far, and appears to have so many meanings, it's become naught more, to the casual observer, than a catchphrase, just like "organic" or "going green".

This toipc is to help people clarify, be it to themselves, or others, exactly what it means to build a hybrid character.

In fact! This topic is not a "Definition" topic. It is a discussion. If you wish to post specific gear used, effects of not only damage, but tankyness, team vs solo on a build type, go for it!

However, in the end, this is as good of a "one stop shop" for your hybrid catchphrase as any.

Anyone wishing to flame, please reconsider. Between casting/healing/melee, Kill-Power/Tankyness, Magical Defense/Physical Defense, weapons ratios, heavy weapons vs normal, caster splash, etc. this is a massive topic, and one that seems to have been very misunderstood. Flaming will get you nowhere. And once you've flamed someone over their opinions, it's very hard to change your own stance, no matter how much you might like to later.

Best of luck to a healthy conversation. I'll add my input later, after I've considered it for a time and spent a while refining it.

Fake Edit: Bonus points to anyone taking extra stats such as critical strike, mpk, lpk, etc. which effect the entire spectrum of any decent hybrid into account regarding their opinion on the subject.

Going as pala, i stat untill i got 70 int, and rest into dex!

Favorite lvl 45 hybrid armor/charm is:

Rare crystallized scale armor
Level Req: 45
Physical Defense: 39 to 156
Magical Defense: 30 to 90

+118% Enhanced Effect
+37% Heal Mastery

Angelic ice XII
Level Req: 45
Spell Damage: 69 to 82
Mana Cost: 93

+33 Strength
+114 Max Life
+1% Damage Return
+35% Heal Mastery


and im able to solo the cata easily with the ~70hm and tankage



at lvl 55 im rolling:

Rare ultimanium plate mail
Level Req: 55
Physical Defense: 42 to 126
Magical Defense: 0 to 16

+47 Dexterity
+41% Heal Mastery


Angelic ice XII
Level Req: 45
Spell Damage: 69 to 82
Mana Cost: 93

+33 Strength
+114 Max Life
+1% Damage Return
+35% Heal Mastery

which gives a total of 47dex/33str/76hm, and thats pretty GG in a 2+ man cata

Those are my "2 cents"

Well, I'll add my opinion

I think the definition of a hybrid is, a character that can change into anything the "team" requires. Melee/Caster/Healer, I wont add tank, because well robe using tanks are not very appreciated.
Anyone who can stat accordingly and has the gear to swap between what the "team" needs, well to me thats the best definition, someone who's a full teamplayer and is willing to get/do what is needed to help everyone out.

This can also be for solo, you might get bored and want to go caster a few lvl's you can do so, if stated correctly and of course you do need the gear

Kinda like "to morph" I like that word more for my definition of "hybrid"

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Some also like to say hybrid means, someone who can melee/heal at the same time, with decent dmg and heals of course.
Some say same for melee/cast.

This post was edited by James84 on Oct 21 2010 01:58pm

It is simple enough to evaluate these depictions of Hybrid vs Pure class...

Pure Melee = a character that is built to deal the most damage that that class can yeild
Pure Healer = a character that is built to deal the best Heal that class can yeild
Pure Caster = a character that is built to deal the most damage from casting as possible
Melee / Healer (Hybrid) = a character that is built with the intention to cause nice damage and also be able to yeild a good heal when needed
Melee / Caster (Hybrid) = a character that is built around casting damage vs melee monsters and melee damage vs casting monsters
Melee / Healer / Caster (Pure Hybrid) = a character that can combine all 3 areas to aid him/her self no matter what... It takes a skilled player to ensure that their mana pool is used wisely.

My Hybrid can Cast / Melee and Heal... dependent on group.
1. I am mainly Melee when we have a good Healer
2. I am Healer if there is no Healer
3. I am caster if we have NO CASTER and a good healer


This post was edited by izParagonzi on Oct 21 2010 01:59pm

The definition of a hybrid is a multi-purpose char.

Example Caster / healer

Melee / Healer

Melee / Caster

etc

when i started playing "hybrid", it just meant that you played a melee char that was able to heal himself (and others).

so the gear should give you the ability to perform decent damage, while also pushing your heals with max mana/int/hm.

so my gear looks like this:

Mystical ultimanium sword
Level Req: 55
Damage: 59 to 597

+170% Enhanced Effect
-4% Mana Consumption
+45% Heal Mastery

Mystical spiderthread padded robe
Level Req: 55
Physical Defense: 0 to 63
Magical Defense: 149 to 373

+76% Enhanced Effect
+20 Strength
+52 Intelligence

Rare wind XII
Level Req: 45
Spell Damage: 25 to 114
Mana Cost: 93

+53 Strength
+29% Heal Mastery

Rare focused heal XII
Level Req: 45
Heals: 598 to 717
Mana Cost: 93

+229% Enhanced Effect
+15 Strength

giving me the ability to heal 500+ per shot and still do decent damage.


now with the recent update, i think there will be another form of "hybrid", that will cast until mana is empty and then switch over to melee, or just splash each wave once.
they will only need str/dex and int/max mana on their gear, and ofc a high ee charm and high ee weapon, giving you the ability to splash each group once and then finish them with melee.
the "old" hybrids are still needed though, because they give the casters in the run the ability to focus completely on splashing and thus making the run a lot faster

Logic seems defective.

Ladder slasher is too simple of a game for this topic to be worth having. Hybrid = anything that isnt pure, such as pure melee or pure caster. EE armor is counted for either in my opinion, the only 'tank' worth mentioning is one using tons of vit/int items along with that EE armor.

Everything we do in this game is defined by gear. Use the best of what you can find/afford and play how you want to play

Also how is organic a catch phrase, its a description of something. Thats like saying the word cold is a catch phrase

edit - sick robe

Mystical spiderthread padded robe
Level Req: 55
Physical Defense: 0 to 63
Magical Defense: 149 to 373

+76% Enhanced Effect
+20 Strength
+52 Intelligence

This post was edited by KakeWalk on Oct 21 2010 02:15pm

Indeed? If it's so simple, what in the world are so many forums needed for for it? Perhaps Trades, HC Trades, and Guild Discussions are all that's required? I'm glad you find it so brilliantly simple though. Perhaps I'll soon hear of all the newbies and pros alike that your astounding experience has helped to a quicker MQ.



My cat's shit is organic. Do you particularly want to use it to fertilize your tomatoes? A "Catch Phrase" is a word or term used to describe multiple other things, such as in the case of organic, "Healthy, More Valuable, Higher Quality", when in reality, many times that's 100% false. AKA, a market term with no true value.

Regarding your comments on a tank, you've clearly not built one.

Overall, fairly disappointing comments from folks so far, and I'm more and more inclined that anyone who uses the term "Hybrid" discontinues this practice, as they are clearly misleading folks as to what it is they're trying to convey.

Seeing as some seem to have missed the point, a "hybrid" by definition, has split roles. It can do two things at once (suck electricity and gas both to form combustion, and use the gas to create more electricity, for instance). If you switch gear, you changed your char. That does not define it as a hybrid. How you stat, what stats gear has, as well as all of the "useless secondary mods", all make a huge impact on your ability to create an effective "hybrid", aka character that can cast, heal, and/or melee all effectively, depending on the paticular mob/group of mobs that comes up.

Now, like your "Hybrid" vehicle, most (not all) "hyrbid" builds do not have quite the same power. For instance, you may be defensively superior due to equal vit similar dex, but more int, yet weaker due to less strength. Yet now you can splash cast, and your overall damage goes up, even though your average goes down. So what did you gain? Overall more damage, but you may be less effective vs some mobs, like EPs, ambush, Shamans, sneaky, etc. However, with the added defensive balance, perhaps now rather than sitting back, you can sit middle, or front.

As far as ee armors go, I've watched people with 200+ee plates get eaten alive by ambush, yet also seen people with 50ee robes tank up front, and manage to survive. Obviously there is a bit more to the equation than simple "EE".

And that, effectively, is what this topic is about. A true "hybrid" melds all the strengths and benefits of a build together to insure you can survive and serve a solid purpose, no matter the team, no gear switches required. Not the strongest in the team, but perhaps the steadiest. IE, using ALL the strengths in such a way that you balance out any serious weaknesses.

I've still not heard anything about damage return, mana syphon, mana skin, magic damage reduction, physical damage reduction, LS, LPK, MPK, MPA, LPA, crit strike, and what armors such as the above robe seem to LACK when it comes to helping define a truly effective "Hybrid" character.

What if I said a "true hybrid" is something that is effective at two things at 1 point in time. Or better yet, can do either one of the two things at a single point in time and can switch back and forth between the two without difficult.

One could say a "tank" who is effective at taking damage but also can inflict damage is a hybrid.

To answer your question directly, I believe it is based off of the principle above and it is up to each person to define what "effective" is.

Does a person who averages less damage but can splash become more efficent / effective than a tank who can heal or possibly do massive damage at one point of time? This would be based off the persons preference and the groups needs.

In regards to my characters, they are effective for how I play. But to many others, they would not want to play as slowly as I. Nice thread though!