Ward Aggro

[Eaeaden]

<DIV>Can someone clear up how Ward aggro works?  Does it generate hate when the spell lands?  When a ward prevents damage?  How does ward aggro and heal aggro differ?</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I think I know the answers to my questions, but sometimes the way the pull goes makes me think otherwise.  Aggro seems to be very unpredictable in this game.  I've noticed that once the tank loses aggro, he/she almost never regains it before the mob dies.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Thanks!</DIV> <DIV>Planck, Mystic of Guk</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV>

[thedu]

<blockquote><hr>Eaeaden wrote:<div>Can someone clear up how Ward aggro works?  Does it generate hate when the spell lands?  <font color="#ff0066">As I understand it when the ward absorbs damage. Prewarding is typically not suggested.</font> When a ward prevents damage?  <font color="#ff0066">Yes</font> How does ward aggro and heal aggro differ? <font color="#ff0066">The both generate hate but I wouldn't know what the actual amounts are.</font> </div> <div> </div> <div>I think I know the answers to my questions, but sometimes the way the pull goes makes me think otherwise.  Aggro seems to be very unpredictable in this game.  I've noticed that once the tank loses aggro, he/she almost never regains it before the mob dies. <font color="#ff0066">Is there a typical scenario you usually have problems with?</font> </div> <div> </div> <div>Thanks!</div> <div>Planck, Mystic of Guk</div> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div> </div><hr></blockquote><div></div>

[Rorrak]

<DIV>Prewarding is fine with a competent tank, just make sure they're pulling with taunts or taunting on incoming if they use an arrow or hex doll to pull.  When I'm MTing raids I always have my hate reducer (the T7 Master reduces hate gain of target by 38% and grants a 55% chance to use my avoidance if they do get aggro) on my MT mystic and even with prewarding and debuffs right away she very rarely pulls aggro anymore.  </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>- Rorrak</DIV>

[Eaeaden]

<BLOCKQUOTE> <P>Prewarding is typically not suggested.</P> <P><FONT color=#ff0000>Ok that answers the main question I was trying to figure out.</FONT></P> <P><FONT color=#ccffff>I've noticed that once the tank loses aggro, he/she almost never regains it before the mob dies.<BR></FONT>Is there a typical scenario you usually have problems with?</P> <P><FONT color=#ff0000>This is something I've noticed both on my prior berserker and my current mystic.  I don't have anything definitive, just my anecdotal observations.</FONT></P></BLOCKQUOTE> <P>Thanks to both of you for your help, I will play around with it a little more tonight.  My Blackburrow group had two rangers as the "tanks" so the rules of what-to-do I'm sure were different.  On a side note, I crowned the first member of my purple club on one of the pulls.    He was even laying there saying, "I'm alive!" while the insta ward bought me and the other healer time to get him back up and running.  It was classic, we all laughed about it the rest of the night.</P> <P>Thanks again,<BR>Planck, Mystic of Guk</P> <P><BR> </P>

[Terq]

There was a post by a dev somewhere (too lazy to look it up, and yeah, I know, that "mythical dev post") that said agro is on a 1:1 ratio with damage.  Ie, 1 pt damage = 1 pt agro.  I would imagine that heals work the same way, whether they are wards, or direct heals.  Easy enough to test, though I am not going to be the one to do it.

[Banditman]

No need to go to all THAT trouble.<a href="http://eqiiforums.station.sony.com/eq2/board/message?board.id=commnews&message.id=8078#M8078" target=_blank>Here is the post.</a>In this post, Lockeye states that Heals and Wards actually accrue less hate per point than damage does.<div></div>

[Eaeaden]

<BR> <BLOCKQUOTE> <HR> Banditman wrote:<BR>No need to go to all THAT trouble.<BR><BR><A href="http://eqiiforums.station.sony.com/eq2/board/message?board.id=commnews&message.id=8078#M8078" target=_blank>Here is the post.</A><BR><BR>In this post, Lockeye states that Heals and Wards actually accrue less hate per point than damage does.<BR> <BR> <HR> </BLOCKQUOTE><BR>Wow, thanks for the link.  Good stuff!

[MilkToa]

<DIV>Pre-warding works fine in most situations but you definitely don't want to pre-ward if the tank is body/aggro pulling a mob.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV>

[LadySortile]

<BR> <BLOCKQUOTE> <HR> Rorrak wrote:<BR> <DIV>Prewarding is fine with a competent tank, just make sure they're pulling with taunts or taunting on incoming if they use an arrow or hex doll to pull.  When I'm MTing raids I always have my hate reducer (the T7 Master reduces hate gain of target by 38% and grants a 55% chance to use my avoidance if they do get aggro) on my MT mystic and even with prewarding and debuffs right away she very rarely pulls aggro anymore.  </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>- Rorrak</DIV><BR> <HR> </BLOCKQUOTE> <P><BR>Rorrak is right. He rarely (really close to never) took aggro from me . Usually before a big fight (during a raid per exemple) I put my single ward, group ward and Bolster on him and I only got aggro if the Taunt is resisted. As soon as he pull the mob I start to do my debuffs. </P> <P>Conclusion: Rorrak is a competent tank <img src="/smilies/8a80c6485cd926be453217d59a84a888.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /> </P> <P>- Sortilege </P>

[hdm7k]

<P>I don't pre-ward because if the mob dies fast then you lose the "after-ward" heal. Also this way I can't pre-generate aggro. I usually let about half a bubble of MT damage go through (mileage varies, if I see half the zone inc then all bets are off) and then start my group ward (GW is good in case there's somebody that decides to munch on my furry bear butt), then I'll cast solo/group as appropriate.</P> <P>Last night in TT, I (50 Mystic) was grouping with 2 Guildies (57 Ranger, 52 Templar) and two different tanks (one had to bail) 59 Zerker and a 59 Monk. We did okay with me not pre-warding. My debuffs bounced 90% of the time so I stopped bothering. The Templar ended up backup healing and she would melee/cast whatever offensive spells a Templar has. We had a couple times where Ranger asked "EVAC?" and since I was only working the ward HP countdown I'd spin and check. Said NO to both EVAC questions. Of course I popped Obelon (sp?) on the MT and said "STUNNED FOR 1100!" since I knew both tanks would have a good hold on aggro.</P> <P>My only complaint is they kept letting my dog steal aggro and die. <img src="/smilies/9d71f0541cff0a302a0309c5079e8dee.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /></P> <P>So I left him on guard me and never sent him in. That way I could check him to see if he was interested in anything. <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /></P> <P>Howard</P> <P> </P>

[Banditman]

The reason your dog steals aggro is the same reason you don't pre-Ward.If you don't let the dog's Aura of Warding fall off before engaging the next mob, it's nothing more than a pre-Ward, which will get you aggro if your tank doesn't understand what's happening.<div></div>

[Loral]

Can also be because tank switched target to maintain aggro, and pet was still on old target. It happens mainly with Monks, as they have a hate proc only on target they are actually hitting. They tend to switch target every now and then, depending on group setup/Monk habits.