My aggro experience..need some suggestions

[Sairian]

<DIV>Hello all,</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>                First off my group setup tonight in Runnyeye..me 31 warlock, 39 Swashy, 38 SK, 2 Assassins (33 and 34 at the time i think) and a 35 Fury healer.  Hunting typically linked encounter mobs ranging from 2 to 5.  After tank pull and taunts, I assume, I start off with steal breath debuff.  I usually start the casting of it right before/after mob has roughly -20% health.  I tend to follow this up with putrid cloud, concussive, then negative absolution.  If any mobs are still alive after this I may drop blue suffocating cloud to finish off whatever mobs are left.  If I EVER live long enough to get this far!  My problem lies in the fact that on numerous occasions I tend to have aggro and get a 2 shot death after putrid cloud.  Hell, even one time after just casting steal breath..go figure.  Other times I made  it to casting my second damage after my concussive spell but I am almost guaranteed to die if both land.  Is this aggro generation as a warlock intended or a standard?  I would hope to goodness not!  I'm fascinated by this class as an alt right now and am having a blast (literally) but tonight was the FIRST time it was not fun at all for me!</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>                I felt almost useless in the group at times.  Reason being is because on multiple encounters when we are supposed to shine i hear, i am nothing but a healer mana drain due to my aggro..hence, I hold back and I can't do squat due to fear of aggro and death.  Now here is the kicker..on the single pulls, I can can cast almost EVERY red single target spell right off the bat from the pull and rarely pull aggro!  What gives?  Am i doing something wrong?  Any suggestions on what I can do to make my life easier without seriously neutering me by just not casting?  Thanks.  FYI....I died a total of 6 times first time i was with the group and 7 the second go around.  Imagine the look on the menders face :smileyhappy:</DIV><p>Message Edited by Sairian on <span class=date_text>08-15-2006</span> <span class=time_text>02:56 PM</span>

[Celestiant]

My warlock is upto almost 49 by now and at first, I had this same problem as you. I eventually learned how to really pace myself depending on the group setup. A lot of this depends on which class you're using as main tank. If the main tank isn't especially good at holding agro (and shadowknights notoriously aren't), then you really have to hold back on your damage output.My main is a 70 Guardian and even with Adept 3/Master taunts, a warlock can pull aggro easily. I can usually prevent this however with my moderate line (aggro decreaser)... not to mention an assassin's hate transfer. So as much as you'd love to just nuke the entire encounter into the next age, you really must adapt to each group/raid you're in. Learn the tank's habits and abilities by starting out slow and progressively building up that dps until you find that threshold of certain death.Hope that helps and good luck! Warlocks are ton of fun, when we aren't looking foolish while eating dirt after overzealous nuking.<div></div>

[Enil]

When you get into a new group, at first pull give the tank a few secs to settle the mob down then go full out with your single target spells.  If you pull aggro then you know the tank aggro management is crap becouse a warlock doesnt really do good single target damage.  If the tank holds aggro on that fight, experiment slowly with aoe damage spells inbetween the single target spells.  That way you learn the tanks limits and are doing as much damage as is safe for you and the group.    On the note of good tanks with bad aggro management tools is that they can compensate by constantly switching targets and taunting each one.  However, meelee classes that have to nuke from behind dont really like that tactic <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /><div></div>

[Sairian]

Really appreciate the input.  I'll hopefully try again with another group tonight and see how well it goes.  I'll start out slow with the single target spells and gradually increase up to the encounter/AoE spells and see how well it goes with the tank.  In hindsight perhaps I am being a little overzealous before feeling out the tank first.  Keep you updated as it goes along and see if I can be group productive without to many dirt naps :smileyhappy:  As a side note:  my main is a 66 SK and in all honestly if there is and ever was one class I love having in groups but at times hated due to holding aggro it is the warlock.  They are above and beyond any class as aggro stealing magnets!  Thanks.

[TheSlashman]

<div></div>get use to the assassins going bonkers and not drawing aggro due to hate transfer.  Still don't understand why us mages pull aggro when they are killing us on the parses..  oh well another SOE ingenious idea.<div></div><p>Message Edited by TheSlashman on <span class=date_text>08-16-2006</span> <span class=time_text>05:13 PM</span>

[Ak47Buffalo]

Hi guys,Just thought I'd add that I have also had more aggro problems with my warlock then any other class I have played. I think a lot of the time it is due to a bad tank but equally often it's simply your AE nukes that do the trick. I duo sometimes with a necromancer and he has only an app4 version of the spider pet and he can hold aggro off me from single nukes and some AE's midway through the fight. Thus I feel that any human played tank should be capable of this same feat if they are competant. Often times I have drawn aggro from only using single target nukes (granted they are all masters but even so, less deadly then Wizzy nukes). These tanks imo are worthless. The one thing that almost every single tank ive come across has a problem with is AE's. One Negative Absolution will draw aggro unless it kills all the mobs remaining hp in one hit. Putrid cloud when used early can also do the trick. I would suggest to start off with single target nukes as others have pointed out. Furthermore, use your deaggro skills frequently. I use both concussive and Nullification in every battle, twice in longer ones. With all that said I think it ridiculous that warlocks are given all this AE when they can't even use it. Hopefully something is done to allow us to use AE's in the future without drawing aggro on every cast.<div></div>

[Sairian]

<DIV>Not to derail my own thread, but you mentioned a hate transfer from the assassins.  Does the warlock ever grow to the point where they get one?  Specifically an AE one?  Thanks in advance.</DIV>

[BaronVonPitviper]

<DIV>Assasin and swashy both have a buff they place on a group memeber that funnels hate they generate directly to the member. An active conduit the character gets, not like a troubie with aria or a pally with amends that is kind of passive. The devs could get a little creative and totally revamp our curse (nothing, void ect) line from a straight stat debuff (this is so useless really as it is) and make it a hate transfer as with the assassin and swashy. Doesn't really need to be as big as a % and could even scale down when stacked with those other classes. Even if they didn't stack between class types, raid leaders could determine per encounter who's hate transfer would be on the MT. Outside of the raid situation, it could be something we could actively use in group settings where we dont have a troubie or a pally buffing us with their passive agro redirects. It would be very very very useful in group situations with mulltiple mobs so we can fully flex our DPS muscles when we need to. We CANNOT cast are aoe in dungeons like Nek3 and live. Hell, it could have a duration of like 5 mins and use 10 nils for all I care.</DIV> <P>Message Edited by BaronVonPitviper on <SPAN class=date_text>08-17-2006</SPAN> <SPAN class=time_text>11:29 AM</SPAN></P><p>Message Edited by BaronVonPitviper on <span class=date_text>08-17-2006</span> <span class=time_text>11:30 AM</span>