Lesson 1 - Agro management
A) I have a very limited range in which I can control the flow of the battle 0 -3m). If you are fighting outside my area of effect, you’re on your own. NO RUNNING AROUND LIKE A FUCKING CHICKEN WITH ITS HEAD CUT OFF!

B)If you have an add you need help with, come to me... I can take aggro off you but again, only inside my area of effect.

C) It is easier for me to generate aggro from the start. It’s a lot harder for me to remove it from you once you have it. With that in mind, letting me run the pace of the battle works better for the whole team. Use the damn button next to my name please. That way we all know you’re on my target.

C part 2) Hunters - wait for me to engage before you attack. Otherwise he's going to run right past me and attack you. Unless it’s a large mob and your using pin down. That makes life easier.

C part 3) Captains... No marking targets or other actions until I have established aggro.

C part 4) LM's - Stun all you like, but please wait for me to have aggro before you start the fireworks please.

D) Warn before firing off any skill that might generate additional threat to you. That way I know I need to follow up with threat generating skills myself.

E) If you have skills turned on that increase your threat level, turn them off or deal with the fact that I can't keep aggro off you and its now your responsibility to keep the healer alive.

F) Fully 1/2 of my skills require me to have and maintain agro. If I don't have it, I am very limited in my fighting ability.

G) If your fucking pet rushes a mob, it’s your responsibility. He's got aggro and have fun with that. Set him to defend or attack your target only please.

Lesson 2 - "The Pocket"
A) Seeing how I have a very limited range, the best place for everyone else to be is behind me to the left or right. Hereafter this is the pocket. You’re a quarterback and I'm your offensive line. If you’re not there, again, have fun with the mobs you pull and aggro you get. Cause I can't help you.

B) Bow's still work at 3-5m. Don't bullshit me. Get in the pocket with everyone else.

Lesson 3 - Stun/Puzzle
A) Warn before stunning anything. And expect that if you stun it on top of me, it’s going to get AOE damage and not stay stunned long.

Lesson 4 - The Healer
A) Sorry guys but I need to keep the healer alive more then I need to keep you alive. So If he has aggro, he is 1st priority. Doesn't mean I can’t still help. Come into my AOE and get in the pocket and all will be fine.

B) My Protection ability goes onto the Healer first. That -10% Threat means he can heal us better.

Lesson 5 - Armor and health (morale)
A) I usually have more of both then you. This means I can absorb more punishment then you. Let me take the pain, it’s what I'm for.

B) I also have skills that reduce the amount of damage I take and increase me to close to 90% Block/Parry levels. This means I can take a lot of punishment.

C) If we are running from a mob and I stop..... I can keep myself alive... Your job is to keep up with the healer. I often stop and take aggro so that you guys have a chance to clear the area. I will be along soon.

To Review:

Make use of the pocket, attack my target, stay close, and follow my lead. Works much better. Less Dying and more silver for all.

Thank you in advance for your cooperation

Lesson 1

A) Anybody that is running better be running to the healer or the tank. Unless the healer says it is time to go.

C) The button is really small, please announce your target as well, possibly allowing a few secs for all to target. This works well pre-battle, during the fight, use the button.

C Hunter part - Traps work well pre-battle, letting them set up a trap is huge.

C Captain part - The only poor mark is the one that does damage cause it creates aggro, it is shitty anyway. Letting the Captain know your target pre-battle allows either heals per hit or added damage per hit. Marks have a casting range that is pretty dam far.

C LM part - Again, letting them know ahead of time works great so that they can stun the ones out of AoE to control the crowd.

D & E) Captains have one that pulls all aggro to them and one that makes them invincible. I use this when the tank is in trouble or dead.

G) Pets can start to get aggro but will quickly lose it to the tank or the top DD.

Lesson 4

A) If the healer goes down, your next protection better be the Captain, cause he is the only one that can rez in battle.

To review:

You are a tank. You look like a tank, you walk like a tank and talk like a tank. Your job is to absorb the attacks while others blind/cripple/stun/reduce mob skills. Pre-battle is not your game, in battle is. We need to take the mobs down as fast as possible. If you limit the skills of others, the battles can go on forever.

There in lies what started this thread for me.... When some players have aggro they are not running to me. And hitting that button should be second nature to us all by now. But your right calling targets would be great, just that no one is doing it. Hell i'm open for anyone to call targets and start the roll. But as a group we are always attacking different targets. That makes the battles longer then needed and causes more damage. Those fucking hunter traps are fucking useless. For the most part. The battle never occures behind them. I'd rather the hunter setup a camp fire and we battle on that. Faster healing between fights. The marks that dont create aggro are fine, but it seems that they all do. And again if you have aggro I'm just another sword. I LOVE for LM to stun adds, but if you guys are pulling in with fireworks, I can not establish aggro. The captians aggro skill is useful, but shouldnt be abused. And isnt the rule here. Every class has skills that say "This Skill generates additional threat". If you are firing one of those, let me know so I can wait to hit my aggros. Otherwise tag- your it. And we all know pets run off and attack mobs. We should never have to fight multipule mobs because a pet pulled a leroy. If the healer goes down and we are not close to finished, I'm fucking running. Get out of range and res from as far away as the captian can. And yes I am a tank and your completly right about my role. Unfortunatly I can't do a lot without having aggro. If they are not attacking me, I can't use most of my skills, and my morale and armor are pointless. I might as well just be another pet autoattacking closest target.

So back to the review,
Your exactly right, I'm a tank. My job is to get everythng pissed off and attacking me. Thus leaving everyone else open to do thier roles. If you are not in the pocket and letting me keep aggro, I cant do a lot. And in that case the healer usually dies quickly, and is soon followed by a lot of respawns back at the circle.

With the levels we have now, we should be able to roll through just about anything and come out ahead in gold. Yet everytime we try something now, it seems to end in back to town to repair and shit... i dont have enough to repair now. And it could be so easy as us needing to remember how to play as a team. Group up, call targets. Every game any game.

Right?

I agree with all the stuff you guys said, and I wanted to add a few...

When we are in a cave, dungeon or any other closed area, we need to make sure we are all in a tight group.. Minstrel, LM and Hunter included.

I understand the tendency to stand at range for those classes, but this game encourages the close-in combat. Besides being sure that you are in range of the healer and the tank, being in a close group keeps the number of mobs we agro down and allows you the added damage from your melee attacks (they gave us swords for a reason).

None of our skills have a minimum range, and proximity to the mob doesn't have anything to do with whether or not you pull agro off the tank. If you are going to anyway, at least the tank doesn't have to chase the mob down when your nuke gets his attention.

The other thing we need to work on is moving faster than the spawn rate. When we clear a room in a dungeon or cave, we need to quickly hit the next one. If we notice we are moving through slower than the respawn rate, we need to at least start fighting from a corner, or against the wall so we draw less. No matter how good our group is, we need to get out of combat and regen once in a while.

Besides that, the only other thing I would add is please help me watch your health. I do my best to keep an eye one it, but if you wanna glance over once in a while, you'll live longer.

i'll try to remember this

DDM_LordSoth wrote (View Post): › With the levels we have now, we should be able to roll through just about anything and come out ahead in gold. Yet everytime we try something now, it seems to end in back to town to repair and shit... Right?

I have to point out that a few of those trips to the repair shop started out with someone yelling "LEEEEEROYYYYY!!!".

I wonder who that was...