All healers are supports but not all supports are healers. People say sum isn’t a support because she can’t heal. In my opinion everything about her can be justified as a support tool. Turrets can be used to locate enemy locations as well as cut off an area of a small time, the shield can be used to save teammates, the shield gen minimalizes damage put into your non regenerating health and helps survivability, and tele is a way to get back just like res. With Brigette you heal with armor pack and inspire, can assist the front lines and use your flail to make space, possibly shield stunned or slept teammates, stun nearby enemies to deter them from approaching whip shot to Boop people away, and the ultimate also minimalizes damage. These characters are supports in my opinion, not defenders or dps or tanks. If you find a way to prove that most of their abilities are not able to support people I salute you, you may try to change my mind
In the same way that people pick the “defense” heroes on attack, the support classification is meaningless. Really they should break it down this way:
DPS (all offense/defense heroes), main tank, off-tank, main support, and off-support (for lack of better term).
If you consider sym a true support, do you consider torb a support? He supplies more health than sym through armour packs. His turret and ult is far better.
I mean torb also does what sym does with his turret, on top of being able to give his teammates armor. I think that him being defense is what causes confusion with sym being support.
In a way yes torb is a support in small part, he provides area denial and a health buffer
Do you see the problem in the argument though. Torb is actually considered by the vast majority of players a true defense hero. By that I mean people think he’s next to useless on attack and doesn’t give enough armour to be considered a healer. Sym falls into the exact same classification.
This is why I said a support in a small way, he can support his team, but not the most reliably, like a full support. I would divide the supports into main supports (most reliable) partial supports ( like torb, can support in small ways and do other things) and utility supports who can help in ways other than healing ( like sym)
It’s only a classification. It shouldn’t bother people too much
In the game, these are where certain abilities usually lie:
Defense heroes have area denial tools. Junkrat’s traps and bombs, Mei’s blizzard, Torb’s turret, etc—these abilities make areas dangerous. These also include “wall hacks” like Hanzo’s Sonic Arrow and Widow’s Ult. Some non-defense heroes have defensive abilities, too: Sym’s turrets and Pharah’s rockets (in the same vein as Junkrat and snipers), for example.
Tank heroes have barriers and crowd control abilities. Orisa’s Halt, Rein’s shatter and charge, Roadhog’s ult, Winston’s ult, Zarya’s ult, and D.Va’s ult are all zoning tools. Some non-tanks have abilities that fit this, too, like McCree’s and Brigitte’s stuns.
Supports either enable the team or disable to enemy. Speed boost, damage boost, healing boost, general healing, armor provisions, shield generation, resurrect, teleport—enabling; anti-healing grenade, discord orb—disabling. Torb’s armor and Sombra’s hacks fall into this category, too.
I’m sure I’m forgetting some examples, but these are just off the top of my head. Be careful using the term “support” too lightly. You say Torb’s turret supports the team, but that is really a defensive ability according to the game. Technically you can “support” the team as Reaper by killing the enemy, but obviously dealing damage is not a Support ability.
Usually I think of support as a way to midi gate damage (not including barriers with the exception of sym). I kinda say torbs turret and suns turrets because they can support in a way. Overall you are right area denial is more of a defense class trait.