Archer Quick Question for Bosses

[Darkkor]

Didn't see anyone talk much about this, so I thought I'd drop the question.

I'm a decently specced Archer, lv 21-22 (working my way to the cap). All DEX and maxed focus, blast, break armor.

While some instances have great tanks that can hold aggro and this topic is a moot point, I've found some groups not able to. As a pure dps build, I find that if the tank loses aggro, it happes quite early on and the boss will starting making a break for my ranged position. I lead a boss with Break Armor and follow-up with an auto-attack and blast shot rinse and repeat combination.

Being mostly squishy, I can kite the boss around large rooms while auto-attacking but sometimes have to run back through some cleared hallways because of lack of kiting space. Nonetheless, I can finish off most bosses in short order (except for some ranged bosses). Some bosses at this point can wipe me with 3-5 hits, so it is imperative I stay out of range.

A few days back another player using a mage told me to ante up on the hp pots and to stop running away as he/she said had less hp than me and didn't need to move around unlike me. Basically told me to stop kiting and not making everyone follow. I haven't invested in any thorn based skills as I find kiting is a great alternative without wasting skill points.

I'm trying to get some feedback of other people's playstyle using a dps/squishy archer build like mine. My death count is low and I don't die much, but is it aggravating the rest of the party?

[Elffy]

Meh kiting is fine till bear can use aggro and using evasion helps a lot.

[ed anger]

definitely try a thorn skill, all you need is one point. obviously in bigger spaces you can kite in circles, which works well.

sometimes its easier to do less damage in the beginning, let other people get the aggro and die, and then they stop complaining about kiting as much.

as a backup a stash of potions to hammer helps.

[Druc]

when pulling aggro I usually stick on the evade first, that way the party is stationary and the bosses are pretty much whiffing you on every hit (if they do get a hit in get ready with a pot or two). This typically gives some time for the tank to do his thing and pull aggro again if the mob/boss isn't dead already.

Secondly if evade fails, kite. There is absolutely nothing wrong with kiting, that's what the birds and BUILT for. If you find it works for you and the mob/boss is being taken down, forget the complainers, you are doing your jorb. Do we complain when the Tank's Stomp or the Enchantress' Fireblast knocks the target out of reach and across four screens? um no. Why? because that's what THEY are built to do.

Tell that Enchantress to stop being a newb and use their little thumb on the joystick to run around a little...it's not like their weapons aren't ranged as well..

[King Richie]

Thorn skills do not work on bosses they do not stop them ... this is not a glitch it was an early nerf when the game was first realeased beacuse an archer could beat anything then !!

[ed anger]

Do we complain when the Tank's Stomp or the Enchantress' Fireblast knocks the target out of reach and across four screens? um no. Why? because that's what THEY are built to do.

actually, I complain when people do random undirected knockbacks lol, as it's simple to pay a tiny bit of attention and knockback the boss consistently into one wall so they cant move. but most people catch on fast, if everyone keeps the boss against one wall he goes down quickly.

[Elffy]

Ahh but what if there are no walls

[Darkkor]

Actually some knock backs have put a boss directly in my face while kiting. Needlessly to say, with aggro.. It's a very short story. Looks like I need a few points in evasion :p

[King Richie]

Evasion should be maxed .... Duh :) joke

[Banned]

when pulling aggro I usually stick on the evade first, that way the party is stationary and the bosses are pretty much whiffing you on every hit (if they do get a hit in get ready with a pot or two). This typically gives some time for the tank to do his thing and pull aggro again if the mob/boss isn't dead already.

Secondly if evade fails, kite. There is absolutely nothing wrong with kiting, that's what the birds and BUILT for. If you find it works for you and the mob/boss is being taken down, forget the complainers, you are doing your jorb. Do we complain when the Tank's Stomp or the Enchantress' Fireblast knocks the target out of reach and across four screens? um no. Why? because that's what THEY are built to do.

Tell that Enchantress to stop being a newb and use their little thumb on the joystick to run around a little...it's not like their weapons aren't ranged as well..

You read my mind :p. I don't know what type of player tells an ARCHER to not kite. It's like telling a tank to...well...not tank.

[Cascade]

I dont kite lol

[Monqi]

I played a full str tank and also a full dex archer.

Tank - aggro to get hold the bosses, if said the boss really chasing archer and i can't get hold of it in time let them kite and they could really suvive by that and i'll pull back once there is oppotunity. Becoz i dun think if they station there is good idea.. wat if the boss crit at them.. ~ haaa dead meat..

Archer - Let Tank hit boss first to absord some aggro to the boss, then shoot with your skill or watsoever. If boss switch and chase u and Tank can't get it on time, run and kite but try to be in circle. If space is limited try to kite down and up with hand ready on red potion. So then the tank may suck it back again.

This is wat i usaually play to save all teammate.

[Elffy]

Monqi is absolutely right give tank chance to pick back up

[Duke]

Archers rely on mobility -- don't let anyone try to tell you otherwise. If you're standing there trading blows with a boss, you're gonna die unless you can kill it really quickly.

And, frankly, if you have ANY skill not on cooldown in the middle of a boss fight, you're probably doing it wrong. :p (The exception being saving a specific skill, such as Evade, for when it's absolutely necessary.)