SanJ
06-06-2005, 06:22 PM
<DIV>I was fortunate enough to ding level 50 this weekend through some solo play and a lot of duo play. I have been noticing a trend on the mid to upper level 40 mobs where the first inital hit seems to take my health from the green to yellow. After the first "big hit" the mob damage seems to stabalize much better. However, the first hit is usually just enough to drop you from offense to defense mode where you're playing catch up on healing.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I tried several new pulling combinations with the mind set of avoiding (someway) the first "big hit." I found an answer fairly quick that I'd like to share for comment and group discussion. I was trying to solo 46-47 ^^ mobs with just food/drink and no potions or uber elite gear (sans my 2 ebon armor pieces, 2 imbued standard (non rare) rings and 2 hex dolls).</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>In solo play, I had been 1. nuke to pull 2. begin HO and complete HO 3. damage and heal as appropriate with HOs when available</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>In duo play, I had been 1. nuke to pull 2. begin HO 3. cast Call to Glory as the mob ran in and 4. depending on my duo partner complete the first HO myself for hate or let the partner open a 2 person HO.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I had noticed in both scenerios that I was getting hit hard on the first mob running to engage me. Often times, I'd have to abort the HO and toss in a heal to stay in the green on health. I quickly reverted back to initiating HOs and healing instead of being primarily offensive.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>The change I employed in both solo and duo play included:</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>1. nuke to pull 2. start an HO as the mob started to close the fighting distance gap, 3. (THE NEW ONE HERE) shield bash, which I turned into a cute timing game of trying to meet the mob head on like two cars colliding at high speeds.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>What I noticed different was:</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>a. I avoided in a LOT of situations the first big hit the mob lands that puts us in defense mode healing ourself<BR>b. I was able to quickly and much more easily complete the HO with less delay then before<BR>c. Instead of watching my recast timer for the next heal, I was firing off Refusal of Grace and sometimes even Sworn Strike before my first heal!</DIV> <DIV>d. The same mob I deemed using old tactics as a bit too much to take down as it burned a sacrement, my LOH and all my mana with very close calls, now were falling without use of my sacrament, without use of my LOH and often times with me in the yellow or very high orange instead of threads of red.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Give it try and let me know what you think and what you do that is just as successful or even better.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Thanks,<BR>Kalen</DIV>