Aggro Management

[Darkd]

<DIV>I would like to hear some of the sucessful aggro strats to keeping aggro post patch.  I just tried tanking for the first time post patch and could not keep aggro to save my life.  Pre patch I was like glue when tanking now one hit from a sout and I lose aggro.  I have ordinary gear and adept 1 taunts.  Dont want to invest in adept 3 taunts as I am just a grind tank and not ever going to raid tank.  I tried using our new spell that roots you and still lose aggro even while just spamming tuants.  Any help would be great as I dont want to give up on my zerker just yet but am at the point I fear just tanking.</DIV>

[GurgTheBash]

<P>What works for me (granted, I'm not 50 yet, and post-50 makes a HUGE difference in how much damage ALL classes make, so this may be worthless, post-50) is to instruct my groups "don't do a damned thing until I set, trigger, and release the first HO"...then I pull with arrow, clip the fighting chance, switch to melee, fire my three top damage one-mob CA's in a string to set up the HO, and fire off the taunt...by then, they're usually cemented on me, no matter WHAT the rest of the group does to them, and all I have to do is fire off the AEs and taunts periodically, while watchign for adds.</P> <P> </P> <P>Of course, if an add comes in, I have to pull as close to the same routine on it as I can, so as to lock it onto me, as well, and with group mobs, I do it as arrow pull, FC (HO set), Berserker Assault (HO trigger), group taunt, stunning cry.</P> <P> </P> <P> </P> <P>Been working well for me, even in groups where it's three nukers going nuts with area spells, a healer (or two), and me tanking.</P>

[cyberd]

<P>I use fearsome shout, bully and promise of violence along with Offending defense and I seem to hold agro fine</P> <P>If I have a guard or a pally in the group I will just let them tank as they can hold agro much better</P> <P> </P> <DIV> </DIV>

[FlameingInfer]

Zerkers used to be able to hold aggro better than anyone! no matter who did what while fighting.  Now I cant hold aggro at all.  I'm haveing the same problems.  I send a /feedback in to SOE saying that my taunting abilitys were the only reason i had a chance to compete with the guardian. cuz i could hold aggro no matter what happend.  Now the guards are better at taunting too!  come on SOE throw us a bone! at lease give us our taunts back. Quit favoring the Guardians!   Granted we can kick there [expletive ninja'd by Faarbot] in a duel but still,  i want my taunts back if anything!!!!

[pharacyde]

The con colour of mobs is very important now. You'll have no problem keeping agro from white and lower con mobs. Yellow con mobs should still be doable to keep agro from. Orange con mobs and higher you will strugle to keep agro. This is even if you recast resisted taunts immediately and use hold the line spell line. I tanked orange mobs with my guardian, and had to use rescue already after 3nukes from the wizard. While on the yellow con mobs I had no problem keeping agro. So you might have been fighting mobs that con too high for you. Try white yellow con mobs for now, your agro management should be better. <div></div>

[Dashel]

My routine is pretty straight forward.  Pull with an arrow generally.  Single target taunt on the way in, start melee, hit it with my melee taunt (Promise of Violence line).  From there depending on how tough a mob it is I'll throw in Offending Defense and AE taunts.  Thats normally plenty for me to hold agro.  Stuns and knockback seem to generate a lot of hate I've noticed.  If I'm going 1h + shield set up it's easier to lose agro because of the decreased DPS I'm doing.  Compound that by going into Defensive Stance.  To compensate, cycle all your taunts keep weapon guard and hold the line/offending defense up,   <div></div>

[freakbo]

<DIV>At lvl 40</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I throw up my few 30s buffs (wall of fury, etc) and then pull with arrow.</DIV> <DIV>Toss out Sunder group taunt, Mad cry single taunt (chosen master 2), Barrage, Whirlwind</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>For most groups I rarely have to do anything else other than continue to DPS (kick, extra swing, stuns, etc)</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>For groups where its more of an issues, I will actually continue to taunt or toggle the 'Hold the Line' series spell as needed..</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Only in crazy nuke happy groups do I have too much of a problem; at which point is fun and a challenge to try to keep ahead of them.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Use rescue to when an emergency occurs -- it works well.</DIV><p>Message Edited by freakboy9 on <span class=date_text>09-27-2005</span> <span class=time_text>04:48 AM</span>

[Khal]

<DIV>Almost 57 and haven't had many problems with agro.  2 of my taunts are master, and one is Brutal pledge, which is adept 1.  I group regularly with brigand, paladin, Warlock and ranger.  I arrow pull then throw a taunt or 2 then dps is usually good enough to keep it for the rest of fight.   I am usually using a 2 hander and offensive stance while tanking.  </DIV>

[Dashel]

<span><blockquote><hr>Khalad wrote:<div>  I am usually using a 2 hander and offensive stance while tanking.  </div><hr></blockquote> Me too, and I think it helps a lot when holding agro.  Furious Assault (or whatever it is..) goes off all the time.  </span><div></div>

[Pinche Va]

<P>I have found a defensive stance with a shield and 1 hander is not conducive to keeping agro. But I also have found tanking in offensive with 2 hander is way easier and I barely hit any taunts to keep mobs on me. I have a same level wizard friend with me most of the time. Tanking with a shield is 100% guaranteed to get him a beatdown. Going pure melee with 2 hander and he rarely pulls agro.</P> <P> </P> <P>Agro control in our def stance is not working very well for me.</P>

[Ep]

<DIV>i haven't lvl'd much but one day getting 70% exp with a swash,wiz,conjuror, with the swash 2 lvls above me i've had maybe 3% Aggro problems, maybe the pet assisted too fast, or just really big splurt dmg from the swash or wiz, but for 6hours it was a problem 3% Of the time. again i'd say it's all about aggro management, how you and your group handle it, i was tanking those lvl 57^^^ specters in tombs at lvl 50 with no aggro problems.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>i go 2h rgf offensive, and i make my healer work, wasn't ever scared of dying either, i don't see a need for def stance or a 1h unless it's an epic enounter.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>i don't even use offending defense, i find that i don't need it.</DIV>

[Rurg]

<DIV>Something I have found out from empirical evidence is landing the first blow after pulling is extremely important to holding agro.  If you pull with an arrow it wont count, it only counts once the mob is in melee range.  Here is my tricks for it..  Weapon Guard, pull with bow, smack Brutal Pledge when mob is in range, Bully, follow this by the 3 debuffing CA's bang bang bang, then just set there on auto attack until the mob is dead.  If it looks like it will be a long fight I will hit Brutal Pledge and Bully again about halfway thru the fight and again towards the end of the fight.  If I have severaly mobs with in arrow range, I will switch on Offending Defense, but I always make sure I have Weapon Guard up at the beginning of the pull, I will almost always get the first hit in with that, seems to keep agro off the overachievers in my group who get excited.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Thats my tricks, take with a grain of salt.</DIV>