Nerimash Team Blizzard has just posted a message on the official forum on the hybrid classes. Much has been written in recent weeks with sometimes, a little far-fetched assertions. Here is the official position and the policies of Blizzard. Attention when anthology.
The developers want to make a clarification about hybrid classes. For PvE, they consider that there are two types of classes: - If you can change your specialization to play a different role, then your class is hybrid. - If you can not play a different role, even after a respec then your class is pure. There are three different roles, you can indeed be tank, healer, or inflict damage. According to the vision of developers, even if some or many of your talent trees are dedicated to different roles, it always makes you a hybrid. It is possible to organize the roles based on talent trees very specific, as is the case for paladins. However, this is not the case for all classes, this can bring some freshness. So what are the different roles that can take your class count. Therefore, the definition that Blizzard Buffett has hybrid based on the ability of your class to take several roles. The opportunity to serve on several things during a fight, the kind of improvements or the synergy between certain classes is not taken into account. The developers hope that all classes have their place in a raid, with their specific capabilities. Even if you do not want to do something else inflicting damage, your class will always be regarded as a hybrid if it can take several roles. For pure classes, the only way to change roles and start a new character. Over time, there is a risk that pure classes disappear simply high-level raids, if there was no advantage to playing them. The developers believe that ideally, the pure damage classes (hunter , Mage, Warlock and thief) would inflict damage slightly higher than those inflicted by the hybrid classes. However, this does not always happen like that, because many factors come into account, as the skill of players, equipment, latency, or the composition of the group or raid, but also the nature of combat, who sometimes favor one class or another specialty. Contrary to what some players argue, there is no written rule that wants that pure classes inflict 5% more damage than hybrid classes, whatever the circumstances. We have indeed seen that many factors influence the amount of damage. If the developers want the pure classes inflict higher damage, it is simply because these classes can fill a unique role. If your guild or your raid does not need a special character class in the damage, then these classes will not have access to raids. Conversely, other classes were still able to change their specialization and thus play a different role in the short or longer term. The philosophy of the developers has evolved considerably since the release of Wrath of the Lich King, and they wish to continue in this direction for Cataclysm. In the original WoW, every class had a clear role. In BC, they wanted to ensure that certain classes can take several roles. The warriors have been imagined at the base to be the best tanks of the game and now they have the same level as thieves regarding the damage. Conversely, druids, priests, shamans and paladins have been thought to be competitive groomers, but they were much less efficient than pure classes or warriors in respect of damage. However, these classes brought bonuses and enhancements unique and powerful, allowing offset this gap. The contributions of these classes have been democratized with Wrath of the Lich King, the developers want to rethink this system for Cataclysm.
To summarize: Hybrid = opportunity to change their specialization to take another role (tank, care, damage). ≠ Hybrid can take several roles at once. ≠ Hybrid capital improvements and many other bonuses. Hybrid ≠ pure class, there is no difference in level regarding hybrids.