Aggro

• A common question is: "How should I kill monsters safely?"
• Or "How do I avoid getting Additional monsters (Adds)?"

When you first start playing, monsters happily ignore you until you attack them.

At around level ten you start to meet monsters which will attack you as soon as they see you.

And not long after that you start to meet monsters which ignore you at first, but turn on you in a group if you annoy just one of them.

Glossary

• Aggro - "This means the monsters are mad at you and you've 'activated' them to attack you. They are now in the motion of trying to reach and attack you." (by iknowmymom from "Commonly used abbreviations" topic). ^^ You can aggro "unactivated" mob by attacking it, but for some monsters you get aggro if you just get too close. If you are DD you can also steal aggro from someone else by doing enough damage, and clerics may cause heal aggro. You can easily guess if you stole aggro because mob will try to get in range to hit you and will also turn to face you.
• Tank - guy who really like to be beaten by mobs; usually barbarian because they usually have a lot of HP and -which is more important- have/should have good aggro skills which help him to hold monster aggro on himself. Sometimes blademasters or venomancers with a tank pet like to play the tank role, which may be bit more dangerous because pure Damage Dealers like to steal aggro.
• Damage Dealer - DD - archer, wizard, venomancer, blademaster, psychic, assassin, and sometimes cleric; people that are supposed to do damage to the monster which tanked by someone else. The more damage they can do the better, but the tank needs to be able to hold aggro.
• Lurer - usually venomancer with pet; if the tank doesn't think that he will be able to survive attack of few monsters at once, have the veno lure one mob from group (damage one with her pet and store it) and the tank should catch it.
• Aggro Radius - "The radius around the monsters where they will 'wake up' and attack you." (by iknowmymom). Typical aggro radius length for mobs in many dungeons is 10-15m.
• Aggro Range - bigger than the aggro radius; the area around a monster where he will chase you if you aggro him. If you walk enough far away from mob's spawn point then mob will 'reset' (yellow light around him). However, in dungeons mobs will follow you outside of their aggro range. If you die outside of mob's aggro range, and if no one from squad uses any skill which cause aggro, the mob will reset. But if you die in mob aggro range (often even 50-100m) the mob will switch to closest party member.
• Aggro Steal - when an "aggroed" monster switches to another person who does more damage (or more DPS) or uses aggro skills.
• Heal Aggro - Clerics: if you will heal someone too close to an unactivated mob you will aggro that mob on yourself. But also, for example, if an archer attacks one monster from a four mob group and they all run after him, if you try to heal that archer, then the three mobs which the archer didn't damage will aggro on you. Just activated (but not hit) mobs will consider your heals like damage done to them. Also note that if you don't stop healing that archer and he hit mob just once, the 4th mob will also aggro on you after some time.
• Holding Aggro - mean making mob/mobs to focus just on you, normally by dealing most damage and/or using aggro skills.

File:Aggroradiusrange.png

Aggro radius and range.

How does aggro work?

• Some monsters get annoyed if a player gets too close.
• Some monsters get annoyed if you fight another similar monster nearby.
• All monsters get annoyed when they get hurt. Each attack generates aggro, and also the more damage, the more hate.
• Almost all skills also cause some aggro.
• Some skills build up a lot more aggro.
• Monsters lose aggro over time, and have a limited range.
• If a monster doesn't have aggro on anyone, it will rush back to its spawn point (healing itself up with the yellow bubble of invulnerability) and go back to wandering around.
• By the way, monsters in dungeons don't lose aggro as easily as those outside, so running away from them through whole instance may be not good idea.
• Put together, this means that if there is no one in party that uses special aggro skills, then the attacked mob will usually choose the person who dealt most damage.
• But not always. Some bosses will strike out at anyone in the area, and some bosses will choose to reset their aggro at certain times.

What does that mean? It means that if you whack some random monster, then all of its friends may come over to whack you back. And if a Cleric throws a heal at you, all of those friends will then hate the cleric more than you, and so will rush over to kill the Cleric. Who will hate you forever.

Instead, go after each monster on its own (or a few at a time), and wait for the aggro to be firmly established on the tanks before throwing big spells or healing.

Tank

A tank's job is to be at the top of every important monsters hate list. Barbarians are especially good at this, having lots of skills that annoy monsters out of proportion to the damage they do (flesh realm). However, some monsters (mainly those with magic attacks) are more easily tanked by a Wizard, Psychic, or other Arcane Armor wearer.

Tanks should have a high defense and lots and lots of hitpoints. One useful trick is for the tank to already be regenerating health before the monster hits them. Ironheart Blessings are great for this.

As a tank, you should always keep one eye on your team. It often happens that someone unintentionally pulls some monster, and you are supposed to help that person. Otherwise the monster will kill your whole team, one by one.

As a team-guard you should always run in the lead, but also remember to wait for slower classes.

You will have to learn to cooperate with your puller. Give her some space to pull, and be ready. Don't let mob to hit her (usually, your puller will be a veno, which is squishy class).

When pulling ranged mobs, wait for it to get past you, then hit Flesh Ream (Barbarian skill). This will make it kite AWAY from the group it just got pulled from, and TOWARDS the rest of your party.

You should remember that even if Flesh Ream is very powerful aggro-skill, it effect don't last forever and depends on damage that party members are doing. High level damage dealers or those pure-build ones may 'steal' monsters from you. Although, they should be careful, you should be too and use aggro skill more often.

Another aggro skill that may help you in keeping monster's hate is Devour - it also has the strongest in-game physical defense debuff and lowers the target's attack power.

If you decide to tank few monsters at once, you can use the Roar skill at the beginning (barbarian's area of effect aggro skill). But after that, remember too use FR on each mob from time to time (or other strong AoE skill).

Learn to combine skills, to build up chi and hold aggro efficiently.

Roar works by clearing out the monsters hate, and then giving you a bit of hate. So you get the monsters attention, but it is very easy for someone else to pull the monster off you again.

Keep the cleric on your six while tanking bosses. Correct your position if the boss moves. It's always safer if the cleric can heal from the maximum (possible) healing range. You should obey this rule especially on AoE bosses, since, in many cases, cleric will be able to heal outside of AoE range. Though sometimes the cleric may choose different position (quite common behavior on bosses with random aggro).

File:Tankguide.png

In most cases it's best if the cleric can heal from the maximum range (possible exceptions: Ancient Evil, Illusion Lord, Twilight Emperor).

Damage Dealer

You are supposed to help tank kill monsters faster, but you have to do it carefully.

Attack the same mob the tank is poking. Watch carefully, because poking barbs like to switch mobs fast to hold aggro. And if you have problems with guessing which one tank is poking, then 'scroll out' camera and watch closer to tank. You may also help yourself by using the assist-attack button.

Typically, against a boss, the tank wants a couple of seconds before the pets go in, maybe another second before the other melee classes go in, and the casters can start firing in their spells a little after that.

You do need to be careful to give the tank some time to gain enough aggro so that the monster won't immediately give up on the tank and attack you (including someone healing the tank).

If you're trying to avoid stealing aggro, you should use slow skills to give your tank a chance to really get mob attention. Also, if you have multiple targets and tanks on each one, you can switch targets with each attack.

Never whack one monster from a detached group of mobs with single attack skill. All of its friends will come over to whack you back. And if a Cleric throws a heal at you, all of those friends will then hate the cleric more than you, and so will rush over to kill the Cleric. Who will hate you forever.

Don't attack a pulled mob before the barbarian aggros it, you just make barb's and cleric's work harder.

When the Venomancer is pulling, you are supposed to stay few meters behind barb (he needs some space to catch mob).

If you unintentionally aggroed something, don't run in a random direction away from your group. Get to the tank, who should take mob off you. Also, never run out of cleric heal range, no sane cleric will leave party to heal you.

If you think you're going to do a huge amount more damage than the tank, hold off for a bit longer.

High dexterity fists or daggers users should be careful too (hight damage per second rate).

Don't use AoE attacks if the barbarian isn't using his and Flesh Ream on every single mob (FR looks like a glowing pawprint plus an orange fire explosion on the mob and minor fire explosion on the barb).

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Flesh Ream - the strongest aggro skill.

Normally, a barbarian uses Roar at the beginning, but if he uses it in middle of battle, then it probably means something 'bad' is happening (new unwanted mobs joined, or old ones are loosing aggro) and you are supposed to stop DD (BTW Roar appears as a counterclockwise spinning golden sword plus an aura on every mob).

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Roar - use it only at the beginning or when you're loosing aggro.

If you are trying to steal aggro to keep other people alive, use your fast skills (and save your slow AoEs for situations where you have no better alternative).

Generally, you're not allowed to play hero if you're too squishy (weak, low HP). But there is one case: when cleric is about to be attacked. It is really better for whole squad if you die than him. And your sacrifice will be appreciated.

Stuns, sleep, paralyze or any other immobilize skill will be handy when you want save someone.

DDs should always spread around tanked boss/mob if it is possible and safe (but stay in heal range). It is easier for the tank and cleric to guess which one of you stole aggro, if that happens.

Also, don't stand too close to mob/boss if you don't need too.

If you do take aggro, then you need to stop attacking to allow the tank to get it back. You also need to not run away from the tank (because the monster will follow you) and you especially need to not lure an AoE monster into the cleric. If you have to, your role is to die to allow the situation to stabilize. Preferably, just wait for the tank to get aggro back. If anyone other than a barbarian was tanking then you really need to stop attacking. Very few other characters have the instant 'reset aggro' abilities of barbarians. (There's a genie skill, 'Alpha Male', though)

When 'zhening' (killing many monsters at same time while cleric use Blue Ball) you are supposed to 'catch' mobs with your AoE before they hit cleric (BB will aggro every mob in range). For example: Blademasters should stun physical mobs, and wizards and archers should position their AoE attacks carefully.

Another very effective way to catch incoming monsters is to use the Alpha Male genie skill. It's a very strong aggro AoE which may by used by any class, although it does overwrite 'bramble'.

The Archer's 79 level skill, Elven Alacrity, doesn't aggro, so you may use it if someone from your team is in trouble (i.e. chased by mobs while rushing).

AoE buffs wont re-draw aggro from someone else on you.

Cleric

Your main role is to heal the tank and keep rest of party alive. But before you heal anyone, you should know about few things.

Learn to predict who will get hit; the aggroed mob will try to get in range to hit their victim and also turn to face them.

Pre-heal tank with 2-3 IHs, but don't do it when he is too close to mob, which case you should cancel heal by hitting the ESC key.

Healing too close to 'unactivated' mobs will wake them up and aggro on you.

Healing a person that has just activated a mob (didn't hit it, just passed too close) will re-draw aggro on you immediately.

Healing a person who hit mob just once (and stopped) may cause aggro heal after some time too. After a few of your spells, some bosses may lose interest in it's first victim and go after you (this may happen when pulling).

Also remember, when a person aggros a group of mobs by hitting one, the rest of the mobs from this group will attack you if you start to use spells.

Healing a luring veno will also draw aggro on you; wait until after the tank aggros the mob (best if he use Flesh Realm).

Ask party members to spread around tanked mob/boss a bit (if it is possible/safe). You will have more time to react then. It is really hard to guess who you will have heal if DDs stand in same place or in one line.

You may be the next target of mobs if the person who you're healing dies (unless somebody's else is smart enough to steal them from you).

If you aggroed mobs on you, never attack them; use HP pots, Plume Shell, heals, and try to get to a tank if it's possible

Be aware that Regeneration Aura (Blue Ball) and Heaven's Wrath (Red Ball) cause aggro too.

Seals also aggro, so remember, if you decide to paralyze a monster who is running after somebody, you may become the next target in mob's hate list.

One skill that may be useful and which doesn't steal aggro is Wings of Protection (a level 79 skill).

Revive doesn't draw aggro, but remember to wait until the mob/boss is far enough away that he won't aggro on the revived person.

Casting single-target buffs wont draw aggro.

Purify will aggro.

File:Positions.png

Squad members should spread around the boss, but within healing range, and avoid all standing in the same place or one line.

Puller

To pull a monster, you need to get aggro on that monster, and that monster alone. Then you step back, and it will run towards you out of its group, so that the rest of your group can safely pile in without attracting every monster in the area.

There are a few ways to do this - you can try and get close enough to annoy it, but far enough from its friends that they can't see.

You can try and hit it from a huge range so that its friends can't see you.

You can use a skill which doesn't draw aggro from the adds (Zeal genie skill: Earthflame, for example)

But most reliably, you have a Venomancer attack with her pet. The monster, and all nearby monsters hate the pet, and will attack. Then she unsummons her pet. Not have it run back to you, but actually put it back in the bag. This causes the monster to hate the Venomancer - but all the other monsters just shrug and go back to work. The Venomancer then hides behind someone big, who proceeds to beat the monster up. Job done; resummon the pet and fetch the next one.

See: Venomancer Luring for more information on how to lure with a Venomancer's pet.

It is helpful to tell your team which monster you are pulling, or stick to some simple rule such as "The one on the right first" so that they can target it. This is especially helpful if the monster runs fast, or is small and hard to click on once it starts moving.

You should also use "Assist attack" (in the action panel, Alt-E, drag it to one of your shortcut bars). By targeting the lurer (click their name in the squad list) and then using this action you will copy their target. You do not auto-attack, despite the action's name.

Bramble just tanks; bramble reflect damage, so attacked squishy toon is keeping aggro mob.

Casting bramble wont draw aggro on you.

Mind that in some instances where player dmg is reduced (i.e. TT) your pet hit with same strength, and may steal aggro from tank. Turning off skills like bash may prevent it (don't use roar either).

When you are luring inside BB range (15m) you may accidentally aggro more mobs.

Pulling Skills

There are a few skills that need to be treated specially.

• Pet skill: Status effects. Status effects, such as slow, or defense reduction, are not, by themselves, enough to draw aggro. You have to do some damage as well. The monster may attack because you got close, but it won't follow afterwards.
• Pet skill: Roar. Roar makes the monster hate nothing except the pet, and that only a little bit. It's great to quickly get a monster that really hates the cleric to attack the pet instead, but it can be really bad if someone hits the monster quickly afterwards, because it will switch. This is a good way to get your archer or wizard killed. Don't roar on the main monster!
• Genie skill: Earthflame. This skill will draw aggro from the monster you use it on, but not on his friends.
• Until recently, some other genie skills (notably extreme poison) allowed you to safely pull a single monster. This no longer works - you will pull all his friends too.

Genie skills and aggro

Alpha Male - works like barb's Roar skill: it reset aggro of all surrounding enemies and draw it on you. Also reflects p.dmg for short period of time (overwrite bramble). Useful for catching mobs (instant cast) also helpful after loosing aggro. Quite common skill among barbs and bms.

Earthflame (default Zeal skilll) - pulling skill that dont aggro any mobs around target. Cleric will draw aggro on himself if start to heal puller.

Skills that can be used on/or affect nonhostile units (i.e. Absolute Domain, Expel, Blazing Shield) dont draw aggro from them.

Interrupting skills like Light Chaser or Earthquake will cause aggro since they also deal some dmg.

Debuffing/seal skills will aggro too.

Confidence

Higher level players do, sometimes, do things differently. Like "Run into the middle of a huge group of monsters" differently.

You don't always have to pull. If you are sure that you can kill the monsters before they can kill you, you may try to tank them all. But do be sure that everyone can survive this, and the tanks and secondary tanks need to be ready to save the squishier classes.

If you don't pull one at a time, one trick is the use of area effect skills. These hit many monsters at once, and so work best when lots of monsters are hitting you. So pulling would be counter-productive here.

Similarly, reflect buffs (such as bramble guard) don't do much good if there's nothing to reflect.

Equally, you don't have to be a barbarian to tank, they just usually find it easier. Blademasters and Venomancer pets make good second choices, and some bosses are better tanked by wizards or clerics.

Overconfidence

The end result of pulling too much aggro, is death.

Here are a few tips to avoid this:

1. Pull one monster at a time, and don't pull a monster until everyone is ready for it.
2. Don't join in until the tank has got in a few good whacks.
3. Attack the monster the tank is attacking. Adds usually have less interest in the tank and may come after you.
4. If a monster goes after the cleric, pounce on it quick. The cleric can bring you back to life, you can't bring the cleric back to life. (Obviously, this doesn't apply if you're the cleric)
5. Extending this, it can be helpful to have a team member whose main job is to watch out for wandering monsters and protect the cleric.
   1. And anyone else who is particularly vulnerable - the 'tabber' in an FB is usually lower level than the monsters, and often needs protection.
6. Instanced dungeons give out blessings items which increase your attack by 10%. Bear in mind that you'll be generating quite a lot more aggro than you are used to outside!
7. The simplest way to lose aggro is to stop fighting back and let someone else get some. Even better is if you can just slow down your attacks before the monster starts attacking you.
8. Archers and wizards, especially - your critical hits will often pull aggro even from a tank, if you aren't careful. Stand well back!
9. One of the most popular Venomancer tank pets, "Baby Hercules", draws most of its aggro from a reflect shield. You need to wait a moment longer before it's safe to join in the attack.

--Vitenks & Paramedic