SK Advanced Tactics

[Jebaris]

<div></div><div><p><font size="3" face="Times New Roman" color="#ffffff">I am hoping we can share some advanced tactics that some new SKs may not be aware of. </font></p><p><font size="3" face="Times New Roman" color="#ffffff"></font> </p><p><font size="3" face="Times New Roman" color="#ffffff">Use FD as a taunt</font></p><p><font size="3" face="Times New Roman" color="#ffffff">It is possible to cast FD line on someone else in the group. Target and cast FD on a caster that over aggroed to get back to the top of the hate list.</font></p></div>

[Lord Montague]

<div></div>There is a teamwork component that goes into this, and often I consider my FD to be a last resort effort.  9 times out of 10, if someone draws hate and they immediately back off, I can usually get the hate back.  A couple things to always bear in mind are the reuse timer, and if it's used on someone that's not accustomed to grouping with a Shadowknight it can be a bit disconcerting.

[Cybin]

<b>- HATE CONTROL -</b>Best thing you can do to keep and hold aggro on other than your taunts is get a HO off and completed with a taunt right off the bat. Keep the HOs going if no one in the group is adding to the HOs start and complete them yourself. Also bare in mind that when a HO is started you want to be the one that finishes, because whoever finishes it get gets all the hate.<b>IF YOU LOSE AGGRO: </b><b>FD </b>- Make sure your group knows they can click off the FD when they are ready to get up. I know that if you plan to use the FD on mages that have taken aggro you better be quick cause they drop fast. Be warned casting FD through the target is not the best idea because if the caster dies before you get off the FD, the mob will turn back to you and you just FD'd yourself, -very embarrising.<b>Rescue</b> - Get this up to Adept III asap, but don't use it to taunt only if you have lost aggro, other wise does very little.<b>Harm Touch</b> - can also be used to get aggro back as a last resort.<b>Shield Bash</b> - now that SOE increased the hate this ability generates, it is very useful so use it often.<b>Kick - </b>The stun factor can save the life of a healer or mage. First thing I do when I lose aggro is kick or shield bash to buy me that extra few seconds I need to save the day. <b>Intervene</b> - Don't forget about this little gem. It can make the difference between a dead healer and/or group wipe.Ryon - Let Rage the Battle'Mage<div></div>

[Lord Montague]

<div></div><p>Here's a little trick I call the <strong>Ghetto Ward</strong>.  As a main tank, we have very effective lifetaps for maintaining our health, which makes the life of the healer that much easier.  There are times when we are not the main tank in the group, so those same lifetaps can be used to just do straight DD.  But if you're not taking damage, then the health replenishment portion of that lifetap is essentially going to waste.</p><p>What I often do when I'm off-tanking is make use of <strong>Intercede</strong> (which I highly recommend getting to Adept III so you can intercept as much of the damage as possible) on the main tank and then immediately hit <strong>Devour Vitae</strong> or, if there are sufficient targets to warrant its use and we're not in any danger of getting adds, <strong>Tap Veins</strong>.  Granted, this takes a little bit of cooperation from the healer so when they see my health drop down to the yellow, or even orange, they know it's because I'm intercepting damage and not to divert healing away from the main tank.  If I do it fast enough, and I've not taken too much damage, they don't even notice anything happened.</p>

[EnraptureE]

<div></div><div>What the previous posters said is good.  I'll add, that if I'm MT & you're getting beat bad & healer is having a hard time keeping you up due to say boss mob, but the agro is still on you & you want to get another heal off, FIRST, stun it, then cast your ward.  The reason for this & its huge, is that the 3 or so seconds while your casting ward, you are doing no dmg to it, save your caress.  Couple in the hate the healer has by healing you alot & what'll happen is it'll then jump to the healer.  Getting it stunned, will give you a half the cast time or so, to ward without losing the hate.  Secondary effect to this, is that you won't get interupted casting & further compound the whole scenario, if your trying to ward & get interupted 2 times = 12 sec where you did no dmg = healer in trouble.</div><div> </div><div>If its multiple mobs & your MT, do at least your 1 quick cast AE DoT.  As much as I like to do AE's, I find that if I'm casting them, I lose agro due to cast times, typically on the mobs I'm not targetting.  The exception to this is, on the initial pull, if its say 4 mobs, I'll AE taunt HO & then tap veins, which usually gives me good heal from 4 alpha strikes & pisses them off for doing 1100+ dmg on all 4 mobs at once & healing yourself.  The advantage to doing it early is that your group members won't have had time to gain hate.  Its not as effective lets say later in the kills where the heal might come more in handy, but its better used.</div><div> </div><div>If your not MT I throw off the AE's DoT's at the start of the fight, then usual lifetaps (especially if I'm intervening) & agony, stuns etc..  I'll tap veins near the end of the mobs life, so that I don't get agro & yes I did say that.  Its not every fight, but it has happened, when you've been doing 4 AE dots, agony, lifetaps, other dots & general melee that when I've tap veins, I'll get 1 or more mobs on me (which isn't huge, due to being able to live for some time, till tank gets it back, but it freaks out the healers & 95% of the time, you got the hate from tap veins & there goes your heal for 1 min)</div><div> </div><div>If your going to FD as another had posted, definately don't mob target it.  What has happened, is which is worse than you FD yourself, is that you FD the MT, which usually leaves them confused & unsure of whats going on, while the mobs are then killing the healer.</div><div> </div><div>Another nice thing that has happened to me, is one time I was practically the main healer with a monks mend.  I basically warded & intervened the whole time.  On one nasty pull, things got hectic & I switched to mob target, to throw taunts in, as the MT was nearing death.  I cast intervene as it popped & I didn't even notice the quick change of mobs targets.  3 seconds later, I'm dead & I don't know why as I went from 5k health to 0 instantly.  Upon log inspection, the time I casted intervene, the mob had the conjurer pet targetted for a few seconds & I had interceded it instead of the MT.  Ok, nothing earth shattering about that.  Except, the conjurers have a nice little ability, where they can explode their pet.  Well, I had interceded the whole pets hps from it self destructing onto me & essentially was killed by the conjurer.  In fact I even had the name of the conjurer as the "last killed by" on my bio lol.</div><div> </div><div>I now rarely target mobs unless I'm MT heh</div>

[Jebaris]

<div></div><blockquote><hr>Lord Montague wrote:<div></div><p>Here's a little trick I call the <strong>Ghetto Ward</strong>. </p><hr></blockquote>This is a Gem. thanks!

[Jebaris]

<div></div><blockquote><hr>EnraptureEQ2 wrote:<div></div><div> In fact I even had the name of the conjurer as the "last killed by" on my bio lol.</div><div> </div><div><hr></div></blockquote>OMG I love it. Im going to go do that on purpose as soon as i log.

[SonnyA]

<div></div><p>Here's a tip for you all. It's probably a bug.</p><p>Unlike priest reactives, Heinous Blessing (or any blessing) will apply its aggro to the recipient of the heal. Not the caster of the reactive. So it's great to help the MT maintain aggro.</p>

[hukikatlok]

<div></div>Make sure your priest gives you a res thingy and teach the finger wigglers how to not draw agro. A few deaths usually does the trick.

[Lord Montague]

<div></div><blockquote><hr>hukikatlok wrote:<div></div>Make sure your priest gives you a res thingy and teach the finger wigglers how to not draw agro. A few deaths usually does the trick.<hr></blockquote>That comes down to basic teamwork, which of course should apply regardless of what group you're in.

[rabid.pooh]

<div></div><blockquote><hr>Cybin wrote:<b>Intervene</b> - Don't forget about this little gem. It can make the difference between a dead healer and/or group wipe.Ryon - Let Rage the Battle'Mage<div></div><hr></blockquote>Intervene doesn't take into account mitigation, so you'll be taking a big punch when using this ablity, so be weary.  Use as a total last resort, using this ability against a raid mob can get you one shotted.

[erimus]

<div><hr>SonnyA said</div><div><p>Here's a tip for you all. It's probably a bug.</p><p></p>Unlike priest reactives, Heinous Blessing (or any blessing) will apply its aggro to the recipient of the heal. Not the caster of the reactive. So it's great to help the MT maintain aggro.<p></p><hr></div><p>Now thats something Id never heard before! Thats awesome, Ive actually been told to be careful casting that on the MT and avoid it sometimes because of the unwanted aggro.  I guess your Explanation makes sense that I have never drawn aggro from this tactic LOL  Thanks for the info <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /></p><p>Anecio</p><p> </p><p>Message Edited by erimus on <span class="date_text">03-20-2006</span><span class="time_text">07:45 PM</span></p>