Guild Wars 2

OK, I’m feeling really good about this one.

These forums are full of complaints about combat lacking tactics. To my mind a simple solution is to give every class the option of a taunt move that immediately transfers aggro to them. The problem at the moment that I’ve experienced is that a boss will focus on one player at a time – the first player eventually goes down, and everyone runs to rez him. This creates a predictable rhythm to the encounter. Either:

(1) The boss is downing players more frequently than their team-mates can rez them. Therefore the boss wins. Or:

(2) The team is able to rez players more frequently than the boss can down them. Therefore the team wins.

What I think would make a huge different – and reward teams who communicate and are aware of each other – is having the option to transfer aggro to yourself at a critical moment. So as a ranger, I would be supporting a tanking warrior and see that he’s on his last legs and one more blow will down him. I taunt at the same time as he dodges, and the boss comes for me. I concentrate on dodging and escaping until the warrior has healed himself, and then he taunt-moves to attract the boss again.

Obviously, the problem is that players could potentially play taunt ping-pong to keep the boss in the centre of the battlefield. So:

Simple solution #1: a taunt only has a 50% chance of succeeding, and can only work at the same time as a successful evade by a player whose health is below 50%.

Simple solution #2: a boss can only be taunted once every 90 secs or so.

More complicated solution: difference bosses have different rules as to when a taunt is effective, which the players have to figure out. Maybe one boss just really hates the Norn, and a Norn taunt is three times as like to catch aggro than any other race. Another boss might only be affected by taunts by another player in melee range. Another is easily taunted, but always responds to taunts with an attack far stronger than any of its regular attacks. And so on.

One new feature = suddenly massively increased tactical depth.

It’s a somewhat nice idea that would have merit as an ‘OH SNAP!’ button. Just an issue:

- Having rules based on race would mean a certain races would be ‘demanded’ for speed runs. Anet wants to avoid this.

As for lack of tactics, there are plenty of tactics, but people aren’t being creative enough. Mainly revolving around Combo Fields and Finishers, timing attacks and conditions and ways of dropping aggro as opposed to someone else stealing it.

I wonder if it’s not so much an issue of being creative as the fact that everything is so short term – rate of change is too high to coordinate properly. As a ranger, I try to save my conditionals for just after other ones have worn off, but there’s no way to stop three other players laying on the same condition at the same time and wasting shots. I came up with this idea while trying to think of something both flexible as a tactic, and also easy to read visually, so that coordination doesn’t require frantic typing or mind-reading.

I do have trouble dropping aggro – best I can manage is fleeing the field of battle while my pet tanks, but often that doesn’t work.

Focksbot.6798:

I wonder if it’s not so much an issue of being creative as the fact that everything is so short term – rate of change is too high to coordinate properly. As a ranger, I try to save my conditionals for just after other ones have worn off, but there’s no way to stop three other players laying on the same condition at the same time and wasting shots. I came up with this idea while trying to think of something both flexible as a tactic, and also easy to read visually, so that coordination doesn’t require frantic typing or mind-reading.

I do have trouble dropping aggro – best I can manage is fleeing the field of battle while my pet tanks, but often that doesn’t work.

That’s where the tactics come in. Tactics and Combo usage are things discussed / implemented BEFORE the fight. This is a lot easier with a Guild, obviously.

Stealth can drop aggro, and Blind is the next best thing (miss attack). Smoke Fields (courtesy of Thief and Engi) give enemy projectiles a chance to miss, and Blast and Leap grant Stealth.

Of course, if you don’t have these, then it’s a bit hard. What weapon set / utility skills do you roll with?

interesting idea. I usually have aggro issues with my warrior (glasscannon GS build), even after death and corpse run(not as often as you might think) – boss or mobs ALWAYS aggro me again as soon as i engage them.

Of course, if you don’t have these, then it’s a bit hard. What weapon set / utility skills do you roll with?

For group events, twin axes, longbow and a combination of spirits, traps and entangle. My raven can put on blind and I have dodge set up to grant 2 secs of protection but it’s not enough to put away aggro usually – keeps me alive for maybe three or four dodges.