A question about holding aggro with high levels

[cr0wangel]

I have a little question. I am currently berserker 66, it seems I get a hard time to keep aggro with players higher level (read mostly the level 70). My taunts are of good quality, adept 3 and one is master 2 (as it's the master spell we get), my equipment is not fabled but its good, xegonite armor, legendary weapons and jewelery, you get the idea. Even if my taunts are adept 3, the higher levels always seem to get aggro, mostly rangers, last night it was a brigand I grouped with, or wizard or monk/bruisers. Is it something I am missing or not doing? I taunt often, I use rampage and open wounds to do more damage, when possible I tank in offensive stance to do more damage but still, I guess it's a matter of level, I am 66 and they are 70, they unleash everything all the time so they get aggro? It bothers me since I look like a bad tank because they get aggro, but my taunts are good and I taunt often, maybe I should rely on doing some HO? Any tricks to keep aggro with higher levels (until I level myself...)<div></div>

[Rousso]

<P>Holding aggro at the higher levels is skill and luck. If you have the right combination of skills and timing down you should be able to hold aggro most of the time. HOWEVER - SOE decided, in its infinite wisdom, to make taunts resistable. If you are 66 and tanking 70 mobs, it is possible that the mobs are resisting your taunts.</P> <P>A strat i use to hold aggro pretty consistently is to cast chaos (anarchy line mit buff), rampage, and open wounds, then pull the mobs in - either with bow or body pull to avoid aggroing other non-linked social mobs. As the mobs close I pop off the ae uninterruptible taunt, and then weapon shield and insolent gibe. Once the gibe is up I start a HO that I fast close with a taunt and let my auto attacks run while I have open wounds up. While I am auto attacking I throw in some violent pledge and spam the AE taunt whenever it comes up.</P> <P>Once OW drops I use some of my AE skills like bloodbath and beserker rush while continuing to cycle my taunts.</P> <P>I keep my rescue up for an emergency - but with the DPS I generate with rampage and OW and the hate i generate through my AE taunt and other taunts I usually controll aggro pretty well. Another tip is to start in offensive stance for the DPS - and if you start losing too much health or dropping too fast, switch into defensive stance.</P> <P>Even with all that I sometimes find myself unable to hold aggro. If you get a lot of resists or have a high DPS in the party who consistently pulls aggro (like the warlock in my guild who parses out 24,000 dps on some fights) sometimes you gotta talk 'em down. Tell em to give you a few seconds at the beginning of the fight to establish aggro. I even made a macro for that. If you are 4 levels below the DPS you might also need to tell em to tone it down a bit or be prepared to tank. Try everything you got first to hold aggro but if you still have problems its on them and not you.</P> <P> </P>

[Artalis the Elder]

<P>A trick I used until I cought up in lvls is to take your time on getting the mob into position and hit them with taunts and damage on the way back. Most good players won't actually start casting until the tank has the mob in position.</P> <P>Also remember taunting is not enough. Damage is key. Get that str up there and make sure you are beating the crap outta the mob. If you are losing aggro on the mobs that you are not actively attacking (this used to happen to me a lot when tanking for conjurors and warlocks) then make sure you spread that damage around by switching targets. Do make sure to go back to the mob that the caster's pets are on though cause if you don't it will peel off you, gank the pet and then the caster.</P> <P>My pull strategy usually involves a bowpull followed by a single taunt as the mob nears and then a group taunt as they all come in or to reinforce the aggro. Then if its a single mob I beat the crap out of it spamming all my ca's until my taunts are back up.</P> <P>If it's a group of mobs I do the same taunt strategy followed by all three ae's. I try to use Open wounds at least on any encounter with 3 or more mobs in it. Really helps with aggro. Be careful using Insolent Gibe though... you can grab a LOT of adds like that.</P>

[BradO 1812]

<P>Learned some nice tricks back in Silent City when I was basically a MA for a Warlock!!! MT</P> <P>If DPS classes are going crazy, hold off using your stuns and knockdowns until you lose agro.  You can hold it for a bit with your other skills, then when you lose it to the Wizard/Ranger/etc.  just 'Zerker Mez' the mobs with your stuns/knockdowns, interrupts work nice against caster mobs too.  By the time you've run out of these arts, crazy DPS classes will generally have killed the mobs without them even getting hits out.  Helps to be offensive too to get the CA's to land.</P> <P><img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /> Running in Silent City with my Zerker, 2 warlocks, 2 wizards and a..  Illusionist I think was some of the best adventuring I ever had, just glad I was in ventrilo for that group or I probably would have gone mental at the warlocks about agro and disbanded.</P> <P>WARNING: This Technique isn't quite so good for high health named mobs.</P>

[PlasticL]

<DIV>There are methods of improving your hate gain; some are mentioned above, but when it comes right down to it... if the DPS classes in your group feel the need to go balls out too early they are going to gain agro no matter what you do.</DIV>

[rightormig]

<P>Hi alak its ugnorat here *wave*</P> <P>keeping agro is never fun I sugest you become friends with a troubador/dirge/swash/assassin/coercer until you manage to get your taunts to a to master 1 if you have Decent enough gear then Go the Agi line for dragoons cyclone for a 24% chance to ae off every attack And offensive 10% with a big nasty 2 handed sword and if all that fails theres always the STR AA line which sucks [expletive haxx0red by Raijinn] But 10% hate gain can also help.</P> <P>Anyway Goodluck with your zerkage </P> <P> </P>