Line #310 Main/CombatAndSupport


1	In a lot of video games, as well as most other media forms, there are usually two types of characters: Those who handle the main objectives (i.e. the main protagonist(s)), and those who support whoever is handling said main objectives (i.e. the main protagonist's various companions). Sometimes, it's in the form of the soldiers who fight on the battlefield, and the operators who guide their troops from the mission control room, or special forces operators and regular soldiers. Other times, it's TheMentor providing teachings to TheHero, who would make good use of said teachings to complete the rest of the mission.
2
3	Regardless, you can't have too many people handling a single job. Have everyone handle the combat role, and they'll die too quickly and easily. Have everyone handle the support role, on the other hand, and they'll be unable to complete their main objectives. Split the whole team into two halves, one focusing on combat, and the other focusing on support, and you've created a well-balanced [[TheTeam team]] that can handle anything.
4
5	This concept is very much TruthInTelevision. Everyone can only do so much in modern militaries (and likely long, long past that...at least OlderThanPrint, since European knights had squires to take care of their equipment).
6
7	See tropes such as AnAdventurerIsYou for more information.
8
9	----
10	!!Examples
11
12	[[foldercontrol]]
13
14	[[folder:Video Game Examples]]
15	* In the ''Franchise/AssassinsCreed'' franchise, Support includes:
16	** ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedI'': Vigilantes (or mercenaries in ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedII'') for better combat and scholars (or thieves/courtesans in ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedII'') for better stealth.
17	** ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedII'': The Villa (Rome in ''[[VideoGame/AssassinsCreedBrotherhood Brotherhood]]'', Constantinople in ''[[VideoGame/AssassinsCreedRevelations Revelations]]'') for an income of money, an influx of tourists, and procurement of such items as medicine, weapons, and armor.
18	** ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedBrotherhood'': The assassin apprentices for team attacks and retrieving new gold and items. They can also level up over time as if ''ACB'' were an [=RPG=].
19	** ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedRevelations'': Assassin's Dens, which need defending in TowerDefense-style gameplay. They are great for renovating each home city too.
20	* ''VideoGame/TheBannerSaga''
21	** Combat: Varl Warriors and Shieldbangers; highest strength/armor but lowest willpower.
22	** Balance: Human Raiders, Landsmen, and Spearmen; average strength/armor and willpower.
23	** Support: Human Archers and Menders; lowest strength/armor but highest willpower.
24	* The Creator/BioWare ''Franchise/{{Star Wars\|ExpandedUniverse}}'' games
25	** VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic's character classes
26	*** Combat: Soldier and Jedi Guardian
27	*** Balance: Scout and Jedi Sentinel
28	*** Support: Scoundrel and Jedi Consular
29	** VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic's sides of the force:
30	*** Combat: The dark side and its emphasis on force damage and debuffs,
31	*** Support: The light side and its emphasis on force healing and buffs.
32	** ''VideoGame/StarWarsTheOldRepublic'''s character classes
33	*** Combat: Jedi Knight and Trooper (Galactic Republic), Sith Warrior and Bounty Hunter (Sith Empire) - good for main damage and tanking
34	*** Support: Jedi Consular and Smuggler (Galactic Republic), Sith Inquisitor and Imperial Agent (Sith Empire) - excellent for supporting damage and healing
35	*** Note that any class can pick from two advanced classes, and each advanced class has three specialization trees. Meaning a Sith Inquisitor, for example, can pick Sorceror (Damage/Healing) or Assassin (Damage/Tanking). There's a ''lot'' of options.
36	* ''VideoGame/{{Borderlands}}'':
37	** Combat: Brick (close-quarters combat) and Lilith (elemental damage)
38	** Support: Mordecai (long-ranged sniping) and Roland (healing and supplying)
39	* ''VideoGame/{{Borderlands 2}}'':
40	** Combat: Salvador (fighting at close-to-mid range with his "Gunzerker" talent), Axton (mid-to-long range with aid from his Turret), and Krieg (A close-range CombatSadomasochist).
41	** Support: Maya (crowd-control through Phaselocking, and healing with the Harmony skill tree), [=Zer0=] (sniping, distracting the enemy with [=Decepti0n=]), though both can be specced for Combat with the right skill tree.
42	** Either: Gaige can be specced for Combat (through the Ordered Chaos and Little Big Trouble skill trees) or Support (through Best Friends Forever)
43	* ''VideoGame/BorderlandsThePreSequel'':
44	** Combat: "Jack" (primarily mid-long ranged damage dealer who can gain benefits from allies dying)
45	** Balance: Athena (close-ranged support/tank with a versatile [[LuckilyMyShieldWillProtectMe Aspis]]), Wilhelm (tank/healer with fire support from drone), Nisha (either mid-long range damage dealer or close-range tank), Claptrap (support/healer or close-range explosives expert)
46	** Support: Aurelia (long-ranged sniper and Cryo damage specialist)
47	* ''VideoGame/BreathOfDeathVII'':
48	** Combat: Dem and Erik
49	** Support: Sara and Lita
50	* FirstPersonShooter weapons and vehicles:
51	** The weapons:
52	*** Balance: Assault rifle,
53	*** Combat: [=CQB=] weapons like submachine guns, shotguns and handguns, useful for reaching objectives,
54	*** Support: Long-ranged weapons, such as machine guns, sniper rifles and missile launchers, useful for defending objectives.
55	** The vehicles, if there are any:
56	*** Combat: [[FragileSpeedster Fast and weak]] vehicles, like humvees and aircraft, for reaching and capturing objectives faster.
57	*** Balanced: [[MightyGlacier Slow and strong]] vehicles, for example tanks and warships, which support the faster units in taking objectives, and have enough firepower to be classified as Combat anyway.
58	*** Support: Artillery and, if available, stuff like supply trucks, [=APC=]s et cetera.
59	* ''VideoGame/CapcomVs'', i.e. ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom3''
60	** Combat: Active combatants, who do most of the fighting unless tagged-out,
61	** Support: Reserve combatants, who can use assist moves and team combos, as well as tag-in to take their teammates' places.
62	* Capture-objective games:
63	** Balance: JackOfAllStats, for a balance of capturing and defending objectives,
64	** Combat: FragileSpeedster and/or GlassCannon, for capturing objectives,
65	** Support: MightyGlacier and/or StoneWall, for defending objectives.
66	* ''VideoGame/ChronoTrigger''
67	** Balance: Chrono, Frog, [[spoiler:and Magus]]
68	** Combat: Robo and Ayla
69	** Support: Lucca and Marle
70	* ''VideoGame/CthulhuSavesTheWorld'':
71	** Combat: Cthulhu, Sharpe, Ember and Dark Umi
72	** Balance: Umi, Paws and Molly
73	** Support: October, Dacre and Elona
74	* ''VideoGame/DarkestDungeon'': This dynamic can be found in the Swine King boss fights: the King itself is Combat, with Wilbur as support, and killing Wilbur is... contraindicated.
75	* The VideoGame/{{Diablo}} franchise
76	** ''VideoGame/Diablo1997''[='=]s classes
77	*** Combat: Warrior
78	*** Balance: Rogue
79	*** Support: Sorcerer
80	** ''VideoGame/DiabloII''[='=]s classes
81	*** Combat: Barbarian and Assassin
82	*** Balance: Amazon, Paladin, and Druid
83	*** Support: Necromancer and Sorceress
84	** ''VideoGame/DiabloIII'''s classes
85	*** Combat: Barbarian and Monk
86	*** Balance: Demon Hunter and Crusader
87	*** Support: Witch Doctor and Wizard
88	* The ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountry'' franchise
89	** Combat: Donkey Kong, Kiddy Kong, and Chunky Kong; suited for combat due to their attacking power,
90	** Support: Diddy Kong, Dixie Kong, Tiny Kong, and Lanky Kong; good for navigation due to their mobility.
91	* VideoGame/{{Doom}}, especially in co-op and team multiplayer:
92	** Combat: Close-quarters weapons, as example, fists, the chainsaw, the shotgun, and the plasma gun.
93	** Support: Long-ranged or backup weapons such as the pistol, the chaingun, the rocket launcher, and the {{BFG}}9000.
94	* The ''Franchise/DragonAge'' franchise:
95	** Classes:
96	*** Combat: Two-Handed Warrior; Archer Rogue; Dual Weapon Rogue; Primal Mage,
97	*** Support: Creation Mage; Weapon and Shield Warrior.
98	** The ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins'' party:
99	*** Combat: Leliana, Morrigan, Oghren, Shale, Sten, Zevran
100	*** Support: Alistair, [[spoiler:Loghain]], Wynne
101	** The ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOriginsAwakening'' party:
102	*** Combat: Justice, Nathaniel Oghren, Sigrun, Velanna
103	*** Support: Anders, Justice
104	** The ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII'' party:
105	*** Combat: Aveline, Carver, Fenris
106	*** Balance: Isabela, Sebastian, Varric
107	*** Support: Anders, Bethany, Merrill
108	* {{Driving Game}}s such as ''VideoGame/GranTurismo'', ''VideoGame/MarioKart'', ''VideoGame/NeedForSpeed'', and ''VideoGame/RidgeRacer''
109	** Combat: Lightweight cars, which can go fast but can't handle well. Good for drag races and straight roads.
110	** Support: Heavyweight cars, which can handle well but goes slow. Useful for drift races and winding tracks.
111	* Franchise/TheElderScrolls: Present in the FighterMageThief breakdown of the series' classes/skills - Combat, Magic, Stealth. To note:
112	** Combat: ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin
113	** Balance: Stealth
114	** Support: Magic (though those focused on purely offensive spells can tend toward Combat as well).
115	* ''VideoGame/{{Evolve}} hunters:
116	** Combat: Assault (Direct combat)
117	** Support: Medic (Heals hunters), Trapper (Tracks and restrains monster), Support (Buffs hunters and debuffs monster)
118	* The Franchise/FinalFantasy franchise
119	** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyI'''s character classes:
120	*** Combat: Warrior/Knight, Thief/Ninja, and Monk/Master
121	*** Support: Red Mage/Red Wizard, Black Mage/Black Wizard, and White Mage/White Wizard
122	** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyII'', in terms of starting stats:
123	*** Balance: Firion (hybrid)
124	*** Combat: Guy (physical combat)
125	*** Support: Maria (magic)
126	** The ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyII'' rereleases' Soul of Rebirth storyline:
127	*** Combat: The physical fighters, Josef the monk and Ricard the dragoon.
128	*** Support: The spellcasters, Minwu the white wizard and Prince Scott of Kashuan (Scott acts somewhat as the group's black mage).
129	** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIII'''s character classes:
130	*** Combat: Freelancer/Onion Knight, Warrior, Thief, Monk, Ranger/Hunter, Knight, Viking, Dragoon, Black Belt, Dark Knight, and Ninja
131	*** Support: White Mage, Black Mage, Red Mage, Scholar, Geomancer, Evoker/Conjurer, Bard, Magus/Warlock, Devout/Shaman, Summoner, and Sage
132	** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIV'',
133	*** Combat: Cecil, Kain, Yang, Edge, and Cid
134	*** Support: Rosa, Rydia, Tellah, Edward, Porom, Palom, and [=FuSoYa=]
135	** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyV'''s character classes:
136	*** Combat: Freelancer, Knight, Monk, Thief, Mystic Knight, Berserker, Beastmaster, Ninja, Ranger, Samurai, Dragoon, Gladiator
137	*** Support: White Mage, Black Mage, Blue Mage, Red Mage, Time Mage, Summoner, Geomancer, Bard, Dancer, Chemist, Mime, Cannoneer, Oracle, Necromancer
138	** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI'',
139	*** Combat: Locke, Edgar, Sabin, Shadow, Cyan, Gau, Setzer, Umaro, and Gogo
140	*** Support: Terra, Celes, Relm, Strago, and Mog
141	** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyTactics'' splits the entire JobSystem down the middle. Each character starts out with access to only the Squire ("KnightlySwordAndShield") and Chemist ("CombatMedic who throws {{Healing Potion}}s") classes, but by leveling those up they unlock access to new ones.
142	*** Combat: Squire, Archer, Knight, Thief, Monk, Lancer, Geomancer, Samurai, Ninja
143	*** Balanced: Mime
144	*** Support: Chemist, White Mage, Black Mage, Oracle, Time Mage, Summoner, Mediator, Dancer, Bard, Calculator
145	** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIII'', in terms of {{Limit Break}}s:
146	*** Combat: Squall, Zell, and Irvine
147	*** Support: Rinoa, Selphie, and Quistis
148	** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIX''
149	*** Combat: Zidane, Steiner, Freya, and Amarant
150	*** Support: Garnet/Dagger, Vivi, Eiko, and Quina
151	** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX''
152	*** Combat: Tidus, Wakka, Auron, and Rikku
153	*** Support: Yuna and Lulu
154	*** Balance: Kimahri
155	** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIII'''s paradigm roles
156	*** Combat: Commando, Ravager, and Saboteur
157	*** Support: Sentinel, Medic, and Synergist
158	* ''VideoGame/FTLFasterThanLight''
159	** Crewmen:
160	*** Combat: Mantis, Rockmen and Lanius; anyone manning the weapons system
161	*** Balance: Humans and Slugs
162	*** Support: Engi and Zoltan; anyone manning non-weapons system
163	** Drones:
164	*** Combat: Combat (of course), beam, fire, anti-personnel and boarding drones
165	*** Support: System repair, hull repair, defence, anti-combat, shield overcharger and ion intruder drones
166	* The VideoGame/GoldenSun franchise
167	** ''VideoGame/GoldenSun1'':
168	*** Combat: Garret
169	*** Balance: Isaac
170	*** Support: Ivan and Mia
171	** ''VideoGame/GoldenSunTheLostAge'':
172	*** Balance: Felix and Piers
173	*** Support: Jenna and Sheba
174	** ''VideoGame/GoldenSunDarkDawn'':
175	*** Combat: Tyrell and Sveta
176	*** Balance: Matthew, Amiti, and Eoleo
177	*** Support: Karis, Rief, Amiti, and Himi
178	* ''VideoGame/GodOfWarPS4'':
179	** Combat: Kratos performs the majority of the combat using his brutal fighting style.
180	** Support: Atreus uses arrows to damage, distract and build up the finishing gauge, as well as set up team combos and summons.
181	* The ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'' franchise:
182	** Combat: Master Chief. His job is to defend Cortana by killing any and all enemies in their way.
183	** Support: Cortana. Her job is to provide combat intel and computer hacking for the Chief.
184	* ''[[VideoGame/TheJoyOfCreationReborn The Joy of Creation: Story Mode]]'''s memories:
185	** The Bedroom:
186	*** Combat: Freddy, Bonnie, and Golden Freddy. The former two provide the most direct danger, and Golden Freddy's outright supernatural abilities [[SanityMeter exacerbate the danger of young Nick's fear and hallucinations]].
187	*** Support: Chica and Foxy. Chica merely stuns Nick should he have his lamp on or pretend to sleep in front of her; and Foxy only kills Nick if he stares at him, but blocks the lamp and curtains.
188	** The Living Room:
189	*** Combat: Freddy and Foxy periodically scan areas of the room, and they kill Val should either of them see her. Val must use the television to desynchronize their arrivals.
190	*** Balance: Bonnie behaves similarly to Freddy and Foxy, but he can't be paused, can't enter at the same time another animatronic does, and appears more rarely. He wouldn't be challenging to deal with by himself.
191	*** Support: Chica can't directly kill Val unless it's 5 AM, but she puts the pressure on her to not use the camera system for extended periods of time.
192	** The Office:
193	*** Combat: Foxy and Chica. The former tries to get Scott through the office entrances and must be deterred through the cameras, and Chica can wriggle to the office, prompting Scott to find her cupcakes to fend her off.
194	*** Support: Bonnie and Freddy. The former can break Scott's camera (though Foxy never appearing at the respective entrances again renders Bonnie a HelpfulMook), and the latter enforces a requirement for Scott to repeatedly flash his light at him to escape at 6 AM.
195	** The Basement's second segment:
196	*** Combat: Endo C instances are the most present danger, necessitating that you keep your eyes and ears peeled when searching.
197	*** Support: Endo R's occasional approaches put pressure on you to be able to reach the bathroom in time.
198	** The Basement's last segment:
199	*** Combat: Endo B instances, as much as they CantMoveWhileBeingWatched, are the more mobile and active threat.
200	*** Support: Endo C instances step back to this role, acting as a pair of roadblocks.
201	** The Attic:
202	*** Combat: The Fallen[[note]]Endos B, R, C, and F[[/note]]. They're the most imminent dangers to you, as well as the game's main means of diverting your attention from the lower cameras.
203	*** Balance: [[spoiler:Creation]] slowly approaches you and must be periodically halted with the camera lights. He's the memory's main antagonist and [[spoiler:the one Michael tried to feed Scott to]].
204	*** Support: Golden Freddy. He must be flashed with camera lights to make progress, but his only direct attack is to occasionally appear behind you, preventing you from using the side doors for too long.
205	* The ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'' franchise:
206	** The main party of ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsI'', ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsChainOfMemories Chain of Memories]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII II]]'':
207	*** Balance: Sora, balanced between Goofy's combat skills and Donald's magic skills.
208	*** Combat: Goofy, as he's a good damage dealer and tank for Sora.
209	*** Support: Donald, as he's capable as a spellcaster and healer for Sora.
210	** ''VideoGame/KingdomHearts358DaysOver2''' Organization XIII members
211	*** Balance: Roxas and Xion
212	*** Combat: Xaldin, Lexaeus, Saix, Axel, Marluxia, and Larxene
213	*** Support: Xemnas, Xigbar, Vexen, Zexion, Demyx, and Luxord
214	** VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep
215	*** Balance: Ventus, since his keyblades are more balanced,
216	*** Combat: Terra, since his keyblades are more strength-oriented,
217	*** Support: Aqua, since her keyblades are more magic-oriented.
218	** VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII:
219	*** Combat: Sora and Riku
220	*** Support: Kairi, Donald and Goofy ([[MightyGlacier defense]] and [[SquishyWizard spells]]), and Mickey (SupportingLeader, emergency backup).
221	* The ''VideoGame/Left4Dead'' franchise:
222	** The Infected:
223	*** Combat: The Hunter, Tank, Charger, and the non-playable Witch.
224	*** Support: The Boomer, Smoker, Spitter, and Jockey.
225	* ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'' franchise:
226	** The franchise's two main protagonists:
227	*** Combat: Link and his weapons and equipment,
228	*** Support: Zelda and her magical capabilities.
229	** Any game where Link has a FairyCompanion:
230	*** Combat: Link himself, he does all the action,
231	*** Support: The FairyCompanion provides Link with alerts and useful information (or sometimes is just plain [[SidekickCreatureNuisance annoying]]).
232	* The ''Franchise/MassEffect'' franchise:
233	** The six selectable main classes are elaborations on the FighterMageThief trio. A "Soldier", for instance, is full Fighter, and an Engineer full Thief, while a Sentinel is half Mage and half Thief:
234	*** Combat: Soldier, Vanguard, and Infiltrator
235	*** Support: Adept, Engineer, and Sentinel
236	** The ''VideoGame/MassEffect1'' squad each have one of the above classes. In the same order ''as'' those classes:
237	*** Combat: Ashley, Wrex, and Garrus
238	*** Support: Liara, Tali and Kaidan
239	** In ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'', PlayerParty members stop corresponding directly with classes:
240	*** Combat: Jacob, Garrus, Grunt, Thane, Legion, and Zaeed
241	*** Support: Miranda, Mordin, Jack, Tali, Samara, Morinth, and Kasumi
242	** The ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'' squad plays it half-and-half. You always have access to a basic FighterMageThief trio in the persons of James, Liara and EDI, but other characters can be more complicated; Tali is also an Engineer / Thief, but has a completely different skillset than EDI.
243	*** Combat: Ashley, Garrus, James, and Javik
244	*** Support: EDI, Kaidan, Liara, and Tali
245	** ''VideoGame/MassEffectAndromeda'':
246	*** Combat: Drack, Liam, Vetra
247	*** Balanced: Cora
248	*** Support: Jaal, Peebee
249	* ''VideoGame/MegaManClassic''
250	** Combat: Mega Man, his brother Proto Man, and Bass
251	** Support: Dr. Light, Roll, Rush, Beat, Eddie, and Auto
252	* ''VideoGame/MegaManX'' perhaps exemplifies this trope better than any other ''Mega Man'' series.
253	** Combat: X, Zero, Axl
254	** Support: [[VideoGame/MegaManXtreme2 Iris]], [[VideoGame/MegaManX5 Alia]], [[VideoGame/MegaManX8 Layer, Palette]], [[VideoGame/MegaManXCommandMission Nana]], the unnamed Navigator in ''VideoGame/MegaManMaverickHunterX''
255	* ''VideoGame/MegaManLegends''
256	** Combat: Mega Man Volnutt
257	** Support: Roll Caskett, her grandfather Barrell, and Data the monkey
258	* ''VideoGame/MegaManZero''
259	** Combat: Zero
260	** Support: LaResistance, especially Ciel and Cerveau.
261	* ''VideoGame/MegaManBattleNetwork''
262	** Combat: Net-Navis such as [=MegaMan.EXE=]
263	** Support: Net-Ops such as Lan/Netto Hikari
264	* ''VideoGame/MegaManStarForce''
265	** Combat: Geo Stelar, especially when he fuses with Omega-Xis to become Mega Man,
266	** Support: Omega-Xis, as he provides Geo with his powers to become Mega Man.
267	* The ''VideoGame/MetalGear'' franchise:
268	** The main storylines of each installment:
269	*** Combat: Solid Snake (as well as Raiden in ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid2SonsOfLiberty'', and Big Boss/Naked Snake in ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3SnakeEater'', Portable Ops, and Peace Walker)
270	*** Support: Col. Roy Campbell, Otacon, Mei Ling, Naomi Hunter [[spoiler:before she committed suicide in ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid4GunsOfThePatriots'']], Rosemary, Meryl Silverburgh and her Rat Patrol, and so on.
271	** ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolidPeaceWalker'''s Mother Base:
272	*** Combat: ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin, well-suited for the Outer Ops missions.
273	*** Support: Troops who stay behind at Mother Base to either heal troops (medical bay), restore morale (mess hall), build new equipment (R&D labs), or provide intel/supplies during missions (intel).
274	* The ''VideoGame/{{Metroid}}'' franchise's suits:
275	** Combat: Samus' power suit and its many variations, i.e. the varia suit, gravity suit, and fusion suit.
276	** Support: Samus' Justin Bailey suit/zero suit, which increases her agility at the expense of firepower.
277	* ''VideoGame/{{Minecraft}}''
278	** Combat: Tamed wolves and iron golems
279	** Balance: The player
280	** Support: Cats, snowmen, horses and villagers
281	* ''VideoGame/MondayNightCombat''
282	** Combat: Tank, Assault, Gunner. Played with, since pretty much anyone with Juice is a good leader for an attack on the enemy moneyball and turrets (the Sniper and Assasin tend to be very good at getting it constantly).
283	** Support: Sniper, Assasin, Support and Pit Girl as an NPC who is responsible for getting the turrets up and warning their team about their moneyball being under attack.
284	* ''{{VideoGame/Omori}}'''s main party exemplifies this trope on a sliding scale. From Combat to Support:
285	** Aubrey makes powerful swings and counterattacks with her bludgeons; she's the party's [[MightyGlacier tank]] and the most combative.
286	** Omori relays fairly strong attacks and inflicts [[DamageIncreasingDebuff Damage-Increasing Debuffs]] on enemies, making him a strong overall contributor to the party's offense.
287	** Kel's [[FragileSpeedster speed]] can be exploited for multiple purposes. While it's an element of his infamous nuke strat, the more obvious use is to quickly [[ItemCaddy use items]] to aid the party in battles.
288	** Hero is the StoneWall who can [[SupremeChef cook]] to [[WhiteMage heal the party]] without using Snacks, making him the main supporter.
289	* ''VideoGame/OctopathTraveler'' and ''VideoGame/OctopathTravelerII'':
290	** Combat: [[JackOfAllStats Merchant]] (Tressa, Partitio); [[MasterSwordsman Warrior]] (Olberic, Hikari); [[DeviousDaggers Thief]] (Therion, Throné); [[TheBeastmaster Hunter]] (Ha'anit, Ochette). What these characters have in common is that they have a ChoiceOfTwoWeapons.
291	** Support, meanwhile, only get to equip one weapon natively: [[WhiteMage Cleric]] (Ophilia, Temenos); [[BlackMage Scholar]] (Cyrus, Osvald); [[DanceBattler Dancer]] (Primrose, Agnea); [[CombatMedic Apothecary]] (Alfyn, Castti).
292	** {{Zigzagged}} in that, fairly early in the game, you can unlock the ability to assign each character one sub-class, and these classes can be changed at any time[[note]]Though you still have to spend Job Points to unlock abilities. Also, you have to jump through some hoops in the second game to get extra "Licenses" before you can equip the same subjob on more than one character; the first game does not let you do this at all[[/note]]. While it's totally possible to keep the Combats and Supports segregated, you can also run around with eight Balanced characters, or even mix-and-match at your discretion.
293	** Finally, there are secret classes that can only be equipped as a subjob:
294	*** ''1'': [[spoiler:Warmaster is Combat; Starseer and Runelord are Balanced; Support is Sorcerer.]]
295	*** ''2'': [[spoiler:Armsmaster is Combat; Balanced is Arcanist and Conjurer; Support is Inventor. Notably, the other three classes are reworks of the first game's Warmaster, Starseer and Runelord, but Inventor has nothing in common with Sorcerer, which was basically an {{Exaggerated}} BlackMage.]]
296	* ''{{VideoGame/Overwatch}}''
297	** Combat: The offense and tank heroes, e.g. Tracer, Winston, etc.
298	** Support: The defense and support heroes, e.g. Widowmaker, Mercy, etc.
299	* ''Franchise/{{Persona}}'':
300	** ''VideoGame/Persona3'':
301	*** Combat: Junpei, Akihiko, Aigis, Koromaru, Shinjiro
302	*** Balance: The Protagonist, Yukari, Mitsuru, Ken
303	*** Support: Fuuka
304	** ''VideoGame/Persona4'':
305	*** Combat: Chie, Kanji, Naoto
306	*** Balance: Yu, Yosuke, Yukiko, Teddie
307	*** Support: Rise
308	** ''VideoGame/Persona5'':
309	*** Combat: Ryuji, Ann, Yusuke, Haru, Akechi (original), Yoshizawa
310	*** Balance: Joker, Morgana, Makoto, Akechi (Royal)
311	*** Support: Futaba
312	* In general, the PlayerCharacter[=/=]NonPlayerCharacter relationship:
313	** Combat: The player character. His job is to complete quests for each non-player character,
314	** Support: The non-player character. His job is to provide quests, items, information, companionship, and other services.
315	* Franchise/{{Pokemon}}:
316	** Combat: Physical attack/defense style pokemon, e.g. Mega Charizard Y, Mega Mewtwo X, Gallade.
317	** Support: Special attack/defense style pokemon, e.g. Mega Charizard X, Mega Mewtwo Y, Gardevoir.
318	** ''VideoGame/PokemonXAndY'' brings us a {{Mon}} whose ''gender'' determines this:
319	*** Combat: Female Meowstic, who primarily learn offensive moves via level-up.
320	*** Support: Male Meowstic, who primarily learn support moves via level-up.
321	* [[RealTimeStrategy Real-Time Strategy Games]]:
322	** Combat: Army units, designed to attack enemy structures while defending allied structures.
323	** Support: {{Worker Unit}}s, designed to build and expand structures and gather resources to mass-produce army units.
324	* The Franchise/ResidentEvil franchise:
325	** VideoGame/ResidentEvil0:
326	*** Combat: Billy Coen
327	*** Support: Rebecca Chambers
328	** VideoGame/ResidentEvil
329	*** Combat: Jill Valentine and Chris Redfield
330	*** Support: Barry Burton and Rebecca Chambers
331	** VideoGame/ResidentEvil2:
332	*** Combat: Leon Scott Kennedy and Ada Wong
333	*** Support: Claire Redfield and Sherry Birkin
334	** VideoGame/ResidentEvilCodeVeronica:
335	*** Combat: Chris Redfield
336	*** Support: Claire Redfield and Steve Burnside
337	** VideoGame/ResidentEvil4:
338	*** Combat: Leon Scott Kennedy (and Ada Wong in the Separate Ways storyline)
339	*** Support: Ashley Graham
340	** VideoGame/ResidentEvil5:
341	*** Combat: Chris Redfield
342	*** Support: Sheva Alomar
343	* RolePlayingGame [[CharacterClassSystem character classes]]:
344	** Fantasy {{Role Playing Game}}s:
345	*** Combat: Physical combat classes, i.e. the Warrior and the Rogue,
346	*** Support: Magical classes, i.e. the Mage and the Cleric.
347	** Modern/Sci-Fi {{Role Playing Game}}s:
348	*** Combat: Military classes, i.e. the Soldier and the Sniper,
349	*** Support: Science classes, i.e. the Engineer and the Medic.
350	* ''VideoGame/SecretOfMana'':
351	** Combat: Male Hero (physical combat)
352	** Support: Female Hero (healing/defensive magic) and Sprite (offensive magic)
353	* The ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'' franchise:
354	** VideoGame/SonicHeroes
355	*** Combat: Knuckles, Big, Omega, and Vector; good for combating enemies with their strength,
356	*** Balance: Sonic, Amy, Shadow, and Espio; useful for both combat and platforming with their speed,
357	*** Support: Tails, Cream, Rouge, and Charmy; essential for navigating platforms using flight.
358	** VideoGame/SonicAdvance3:
359	*** Combat: The player-controlled leader, who does most of the work.
360	*** Support: The AI-controlled partner, who provides extra abilities.
361	* The VideoGame/TalesSeries:
362	** ''VideoGame/TalesOfPhantasia'':
363	*** Combat: Cress, Chester, Suzu
364	*** Support: Mint, Arche, Clause
365	** ''VideoGame/TalesOfDestiny'':
366	*** Combat: Stahn, Gaar, Leon, Bruiser, Chelsea, Mary
367	*** Balance: Rutee
368	*** Support: Philia, Karyl
369	** ''VideoGame/TalesOfEternia'':
370	*** Combat: Reid, Chat, Max
371	*** Balance: Farah
372	*** Support: Keele, Meredy
373	** ''VideoGame/TalesOfDestiny2'':
374	*** Combat: Kyle, Loni
375	*** Balance: Judas, Nanaly
376	*** Support: Reala, Harold
377	** ''VideoGame/TalesOfSymphonia'':
378	*** Combat: Lloyd, Presea, and Regal
379	*** Balance: Colette, Kratos, Sheena, Zelos
380	*** Support: Genis, Raine
381	** ''VideoGame/TalesOfTheAbyss'':
382	*** Combat: Luke, Guy
383	*** Balance: Anise, Natalia, Asch
384	*** Support: Tear, Jade
385	** ''VideoGame/TalesOfVesperia'': You could argue that everyone save Judith and Rita count as Balanced, but if you didn't you'd get this:
386	*** Combat: Yuri, Repede, and Judith
387	*** Balance: Karol, Raven
388	*** Support: Estelle, Rita
389	** ''VideoGame/TalesOfGraces'':
390	*** Combat: Asbel
391	*** Balance: Hubert, Sophie, Richard
392	*** Support: Cheria, Malik
393	** ''VideoGame/TalesOfXillia'' and ''VideoGame/TalesOfXillia2'':
394	*** Combat: Milla, Alvin, Gaius ([=TOX2=] only), Ludger ([=TOX2=] only)
395	*** Balance: Jude, Leia, Muzet ([=TOX2=] only)
396	*** Support: Elize, Rowen
397	** ''VideoGame/TalesOfZestiria'': Somewhat zigzagged as one of the main mechanics of the game is "[[FusionDance Armatization]]" LimitBreak, in which one of the humans (Sorey, Alisha, Rose) combines with one of the "Seraphim" (anyone else) and becomes hyper-powerful. But when they're separated, they fall into the following categories:
398	*** Combat: Sorey, Alisha, Rose
399	*** Support: Mikleo, Lailah, Edna, Dezel, Zaveid
400	** ''VideoGame/TalesOfBerseria'', its {{prequel}}:
401	*** Combat: [[AntiHero Velvet]], [[FullyEmbracedFiend Rokurou]], [[PragmaticVillainy Eizen]]
402	*** Balanced: [[TokenGoodTeammate Eleanor]]
403	*** Support: [[MoralityPet Laphicet]], [[ThenLetMeBeEvil Magilou]]
404	** ''VideoGame/TalesOfArise'':
405	*** Combat: Alphen, Law, Kisara
406	*** Balanced: Dohalim
407	*** Support: Shionne, Rinwell
408	* VideoGame/TeamFortress2:
409	** Combat: Scout, Pyro, Heavy, Demoman, and Soldier.
410	*** Technically the Demoman counts as support, but his presence on the frontlines makes him a combat class. He's the closest thing in the game to artillery.
411	*** The Scout and Pyro also arguably blur the lines. The Scout is good in 1v1s but decidedly [[GlassCannon too squishy]] to hold his own in mass combat. The Pyro finds his greatest utility in keeping projectiles and enemies away from [[AmbiguousGender her]] allies, getting behind enemy lines and distracting them, or prowling tight quarters where it's hard for enemies to escape [[AmbiguouslyHuman its]] flames, none of which lend themselves well to direct damage in the thick of battle.
412	** Support: Engineer and Medic for direct backup, Sniper and Spy for precision elimination.
413	* The VideoGame/TeamIcoSeries:
414	** VideoGame/{{ICO}}:
415	*** Combat: Ico, the physically strongest of the pair,
416	*** Support: Yorda, who can magically open any locked doors.
417	** VideoGame/ShadowOfTheColossus:
418	*** Combat: Wander; his job is to kill the various colossi through finding and attacking their weak spots with his sword.
419	*** Support: Agro; like any other horse, his job is to quickly transport Wander to each hidden colossus.
420	* VideoGame/TheWorldEndsWithYou:
421	** Combat: Neku Sakuraba, the main protagonist,
422	** Support: Shiki, Joshua, Beat, and Rhyme.
423	* VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft's classes:
424	** Combat: Warrior, Rogue, Paladin, Hunter, and Death Knight
425	** Support: Mage, Priest, Warlock, Shaman, and Druid
426	* VideoGame/{{Xenosaga}}:
427	** Combat: KOS-MOS, Zigguraut 8, Jr./[[spoiler:Rubedo]], and Jin Uzuki
428	** Support: Shion Uzuki, Chaos, and MOMO
429	* The various roles fulfilled by champions in the [[MultiplayerOnlineBattleArena MOBA]] game ''VideoGame/LeagueOfLegends'':
430	** Combat: Carries and Assassins whose job is to deal damage.
431	** Balance: Tanky DPS who have the toughness to take hits for their allies while still dealing enough damage to be threatening.
432	** Support: Tanks and Supports who protect and assist their allies via damage absorbtion, healing, and crowd control abilities.
433	* ''Franchise/TheWitcher'' video game trilogy.
434	** Combat: The Swordsmanship tree, for players to jump into combat as quickly as possible.
435	** Support: The Alchemy tree, for players who would rather play more strategically with potions, bombs, and oils.
436	** Balance: The Signs tree, for a mixture of entering combat quickly and strategic thinking.
437	* In VideoGame/WorldOfWarships, all ship classes can do a mix of this, though some are more suited to one than the other. Players who ignore this and prefer to engage in pure combat regardless of their preferred ship class are often sunk quickly and can cause whole matches to be lost for their team.
438	** Battleships are primary combat vessels as one would expect, however at high tiers their numerous anti-air guns make them effective at support in defending carriers from enemy air strikes.
439	** Cruisers have a strong combat role, but are also suited to anti-air support and anti-destroyer support, as their guns turn and fire faster.
440	** Destroyers are primarily support ships, working best to capture targets and to harass enemy ships, although they can go toe-to-toe with battleships and carriers in direct combat with their maneuverability and torpedoes, but they will not survive long against cruisers.
441	** Carriers are primarily long range combat ships, using their dive bombers and torpedo bombers to devastate enemy battleships and cruisers, though they can also provide fighter support against enemy bombers.
442	* VideoGame/XCOMEnemyUnknown's soldiers:
443	** Combat (offense): Close-quarter Assault troops and long-range Sniper troops.
444	** Combat (defense): Heavy soldiers and MEC troopers.
445	** Support: Support soldiers (obviously) and Psionics.
446	[[/folder]]
447
448	[[folder:Non-Video Game Examples]]
449	* Franchise/{{Gundam}}
450	** Combat: [[SuperPrototype The Project V mobile suits]], Gundam Mk. II/Zeta Gundam, Operation Meteor Gundams, Strike Gundam, Celestial Being Gundams, Gundam Barbatos.
451	** [[TheBattlestar Support]]: White Base, Argama, Peacemillion, Archangel, Ptolemaios, Isaribi.
452	* Any typical HumongousMecha anime, whether SuperRobot or RealRobot:
453	** Combat: The army of pilots and their mass-produced mecha fighting and dying on the battlefield. Maybe at least one AcePilot and his SuperPrototype, AceCustom, or any other type of one-off unit, like the main-protagonist or his [[TheRival rival]], e.g. Amuro Ray and Char Aznable from ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam''.
454	** Support: A home base support staff, consisting of MissionControl and [[TheEngineer a team of engineers to build and repair the mecha]].
455	* ''FanFic/{{Horseshoes and Hand Grenades}}'':
456	** Kamen Rider Girls (in terms of abilities):
457	*** Combat: Yuki, Miu
458	*** Support: Erin, Tomoko
459	** Cosmic Hunting Dogs (in terms of abilities):
460	*** Combat: Abe, Taira, Rumi, Teruhiko
461	*** Support: Mari, Jun, Ibuki, [[spoiler:Miura]]
462	* The UsefulNotes/BigFivePersonalityTraits:
463	** Balance: Neuroticism
464	** Combat: Openness and Conscientiousness
465	** Support: Extraversion and Agreeableness
466	* FourTemperamentEnsemble:
467	** Combat: Choleric (and sometimes Sanguine)
468	** Support: Melancholic and Phlegmatic
469	** Balance: Leukine and Sanguine (and sometimes Melancholic)
470	* FourPhilosophyEnsemble:
471	** Combat: The Cynic and The Optimist
472	** Support: The Realist and The Apathetic
473	* [[TheKirk Kirk]], [[TheSpock Spock]], and [[TheMcCoy [=McCoy=]]], of the [[Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries Star Trek fame]]:
474	** Balance: TheKirk, as he focuses on mediating between TheSpock and [[TheMcCoy The [=McCoy=]]]'s arguments, all while [[TakeAThirdOption struggling to invent a third option]].
475	** Combat: TheSpock places the mission above innocent lives.
476	** Support: TheMcCoy, on the other hand, places innocent lives above the mission.
477	* Dynamic Duos, examples being BrainsAndBrawn, RedOniBlueOni, SensitiveGuyAndManlyMan, and TomboyAndGirlyGirl may fall into this too:
478	** Combat: Brawn, Red Oni, Manly Man, Tomboy.
479	** Support: Brains, Blue Oni, Sensitive Guy, Girly Girl.
480	* 3rd Edition ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' {{Character Alignment}}s, Good and Evil notwithstanding:
481	** Balance: Neutral
482	** Combat: Chaotic
483	** Support: Lawful
484	* Series/MightyMorphinPowerRangers:
485	** Combat: The physically stronger Power Rangers, such as Jason (Red Ranger), Zack (Black Ranger), [[spoiler:and Tommy (Green Ranger)]]
486	** Support: The more intelligent Power Rangers like Billy (Blue Ranger), Kimberly (Pink Ranger), and Trini (Yellow Ranger)
487	*** Franchise/PowerRangers on the whole tends to have a split with the Rangers as Combat and their Mentor, MissionControl, and similar allies as Support.
488	* Comicbook/FantasticFour:
489	** Combat: The Thing and Human Torch, due to their aggressiveness, arrogance, and impatience,
490	** Support: Mr Fantastic and Invisible Woman, due to their much calmer and more considerate demeanors.
491	* Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer:
492	** Combat: Buffy, Willow, Faith, Angel, Spike, Riley - strength and speed and slayer powers. Magic in Willow's case.
493	** Support: Giles most often, Anya, Cordelia, sometimes Willow in the early seasons, pre-magic. Xander. However, this wasn't set in stone, especially with Giles.
494	* ''Series/{{Angel}}''
495	** Combat: Angel, Gunn, Wesley, Cordelia
496	** Support: Fred and Lorne - Fred was physically smaller and Lorne a pacifist. However, like on Buffy, the roles were flexible and Fred sometimes fought as well. Cordelia could also be support in the early seasons, but tended toward combat as the series progressed. Doyle was mostly support due to his preference to avoid fights when possible, but he did become combat a few times.
497	* ''Literature/{{Animorphs}}''
498	** Combat: All of the Anis are combat most of the time.
499	** Support: Tobias, in the early books before he regained his morphing ability and to a lesser extent later on. Erek King and the other Chee.
500
501	* ''Franchise/LyricalNanoha'': The Riot Force 6:
502	** Combat: Nanoha, Fate, Signum, Vita, Subaru, Erio
503	** Balance: Hayate, Teana, Zafila, Reinforce Zwei
504	** Support: Shamal, Caro, Vice, Griffith, Shario, Alto, Lucino
505
506	* ''Franchise/LyricalNanoha'': Jail Scaglietti, his Numbers + Zest's group
507	** Combat: Tre, Cinque, Sette, Nove, Wendy, Deed, Zest, Garyuu
508	** Balance: Otto, Dieci, Agito
509	** Support: Scaglietti, Uno, Due, Quattro, Sein, Lutecia
510
511	* ''[[Literature/AMagesPower A Mage's Power]]'': Dragon's Lair teams are split in this manner. Fighters are up front and fighting the enemy, but their purpose is to protect the mages. The mages (one healer and one battle mage) support the fighter with buffs and cover fire, but the battle mage is also the heaviest hitter.
512	* In ''Fanfic/BreakItDownButterfly'', Nooroo describes the purpose of the butterfly miraculous's [[TheChampion champions]] as a support group for the actual miraculous-wielders.
513
514	* Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse's ''Film/{{Eternals}}'' is about a SuperTeam of ageless aliens who have BeenThereShapedHistory for, uhh, the entirety of history -- which is why all their names are related to mythological characters, which their exploits inspired. While they ''are'' 7,000 years old and typically know how to handle themselves in a crisis, their power sets still divide evenly down the middle, and -- probably not by coincidence -- when they do their lineup at the beginning of the film, all the Combat types are on the left and the Supports on the right:
515	** Combat: Ikaris (SupermanSubstitute, NumberTwo), Makkari (SuperSpeed), Thena (SpontaneousWeaponCreation), Gilgamesh (BoxingBattler with PowerFist), Kingo (HandBlast)
516	** Support: Ajak (HealingHands, TheLeader), Phastos ({{Technopath}}, GadgeteerGenius), Druig (MassHypnosis), Sprite (MasterOfIllusion), Sersi ({{Transmutation}})
517	[[/folder]]
518
519	[[folder:Sports Examples]]
520	* Motorsports:
521	** Combat: The driver
522	** Support: The pit crew, strategists, mechanics, engineers and designers, physios and psychologists, administrators, directors...
523	* UsefulNotes/{{Cricket}}
524	** Combat: When fielding: The bowler (and sometimes some of the fielders depending on positions) whose job is to dismiss the opposing batsmen. When batting: The top order batsmen to do the all important scoring
525	** Support: When fielding: The fielders to stop the batsmen from making more runs and taking advantage of opportunities to dismiss them created by the bowler. When batting: The lower order batsmen to fill out the numbers and make a few extra runs in the time remaining (or when paired with a top order batsmen to just stay in so the other guy can keep making runs as long as possible).
526	* Golf:
527	** Combat: Players
528	** Support: Caddies
529	* Association football:
530	** Combat: Strikers
531	** Balanced: Midfielders (tend towards combat) and defenders (more into support)
532	** Support: Goalkeeper
533	** The playing eleven are also combat, if you consider the reserves and the gaffer as support.
534	* American Football:
535	** Combat: The high-profile offensive players - almost always the quarterback, considered the on-field general.
536	** Support: Almost always the offensive line - they rarely get media coverage since they rarely touch the ball, but they're the ones who have to open holes in the defense for the running backs to exploit or keep the quarterback off his back when in pass protection.
537	** Balanced: Wide receivers and running backs (especially halfbacks) fall into either role depending on the kind of play called - during running plays wide recievers either block for the runner or go downfield as a distraction, while running backs in pass plays are either in as an extra blocker for the quarterback or as a safety valve receiver if the big pass downfield isn't there (sometimes both). Tight ends and fullbacks tend to slide more towards Support as their blocking abilities are usually considered more important for their position, though fullbacks carry the ball on occasion and some tight ends are good receiving options.
538	[[/folder]]
539
540	[[folder:Real Life]]
541	In fact, everything in real life can be sorted into combat and support.
542	* Construction? The builders are combat, the engineers and architects support.
543	* Retail? Shopkeepers fight, suppliers help.
544	* Healthcare? Doctors treat patients, nurses and attendants take care of them.
545	[[/folder]]

Context Main / CombatAndSupport