Guild Wars 2

This is a really noob question, but I’m wondering how Piercing works.

As I understand it, it’ll go through mobs instead of just stopping at my target (normal skills.) Do I have to target the furthest mob or targeting the nearest mob will also hit the mob behind it in a straight line?

“As I understand it, it’ll go through mobs instead of just stopping at my target (normal skills.)”

That is correct.

" Do I have to target the furthest mob or targeting the nearest mob will also hit the mob behind it in a straight line?"

It doesn’t matter as long as the second mob is on the same line as you and the mob you are have targeted.

Imagine it as an AoE in the form of a strait line. Everything it is in the AoE area (the line in this case) gets hit.

Thank you for the clear and prompt answer!

So AoE (narrow) cone?

more like a line then a cone

It is better to target the furthest mob. The engine draws a line straight from the center of your character to the center of the target and continues to entend out from there. A hit counts on any enemy that the line passes through. When an enemy is close, it projects as a target over a wider angle of fire than one that is further away, so you are likely to hit it even if you aren’t aiming directly at it. The same is not true when one is distant.

Some abilities stop at their target, but pierce things on the way there (like warrior longbow pin down, and I think mesmer greatsword autoattack.)

For those specific skills, it’s necessary to target the furthest enemy if you want them to pierce.

You don’t have to target the farthest enemy in order to pierce, but it is often helpful to. Because of the way projectiles are fired (center of your model to the center of the enemy model), shooting at a close enemy often makes the shot go either up or down at a fairly steep angle if the enemy is slightly larger or smaller than you, making it hard to hit targets past it. Firing on something farther away will get you a much nicer straight line.