Archer and aggro

[adwin]

I recall reading an interesting breakdown of aggro, but can't find the post atm.

What's the deal with bosses aggro'ing birds in AO3?
I've been spamming speed runs to lvl these last few days in Crush the Keeper, and noticed that regardless of the player the "boss" aggroes first (be it bear or mage), he shifts to bird almost instantaneously (regardless of taunting).

My build is a pure dex bird, lvl 50 atm. I have noticed this tendency regardless of the bird's level.
I also don't know if that would also happen with a dex bear or mage (anyone interesting in testing that hypothesis?).

Here's the probabilities of boss aggro'ing me:
Keeper (ALWAYS) > Mynas > Lore


Any insight?

[Ellyidol]

http://www.spacetimestudios.com/show...Taunt-theories.

That thread?

We think it mostly boils down to highest DPS, and to actually keep aggro on yourself is kinda weird, especially with taunt.

[KingFu]

I think keeper gets deep into aggro quickly. I rarely see her switching aggro, same with GF.

[Moogerfooger]

A lot of it (I think) has to do with who hits the boss with a skill first, in the absence of a taunting bear especially. I noticed when I would run over that little walkway in Keeper, that if I nailed him with Break Armor or whatever before the mage/bear in front of me hit him with a skill, he would lock on me at first. Like Ellyidol's post said, Cruel Blast from a high DPS archer will definitely do it as well, as Goldfever loves that one especially....he will latch onto you like a fat kid on a cupcake.

[adwin]

@Ellyidol: yes, that thread. ;]
@Moogerfooger: Hmm, I have tested quite a few times, with different parties this theory.
I even stayed on the far side, near the entrance, while my party started attacking, and joined them after ~5-10 seconds. His aggro shifted to me nethertheless, almost at once.
As I mentioned earlier, this tendency occured since my early 40s and with different equipment (pure dex anyway).

Who knows, my character might be cursed. lol
Seriously, I'd like to get to the bottom of this, just out of pure curiosity.
Will have to test with dex bear, dex mage (both instances with, and without an archer, as well as an archer which isn't dex).
I only have 1 character, and I'll leave it to you guys to test that out.
;]

[Physiologic]

At first I wondered if aggro values were possible but then I thought about this -

Let's say 4 party members start damaging Gold Fever for 300, 250, 375, 150 damage and the like. One player hits him hard for that 375 damage, and Gold Fever aggros him. Gold Fever continues to target him as all the party members keep attacking for damage, but none of them can do close to 375 damage anymore. You step in, and you do 390 damage. He automatically switches aggro to you and the new aggro number is 390. All 5 party members now keep doing damage but your party members can't top 390, so Gold Fever continues to aggro you.

Taunt will trick the boss into thinking it did that new aggro number of 390, and will target the bear until Taunt runs out (in that point, aggro might be reset).

All hypothetical, of course.

[KingFu]

That sounds about right. Aggro values fit but sounded odd.

[Physiologic]

I didn't test that out entirely (copying down the aggro damage number and trying to get other people to top it off to see if it switches aggro). Sounds like a good thing to test?

[Ellyidol]

At first I wondered if aggro values were possible but then I thought about this -

Let's say 4 party members start damaging Gold Fever for 300, 250, 375, 150 damage and the like. One player hits him hard for that 375 damage, and Gold Fever aggros him. Gold Fever continues to target him as all the party members keep attacking for damage, but none of them can do close to 375 damage anymore. You step in, and you do 390 damage. He automatically switches aggro to you and the new aggro number is 390. All 5 party members now keep doing damage but your party members can't top 390, so Gold Fever continues to aggro you.

Taunt will trick the boss into thinking it did that new aggro number of 390, and will target the bear until Taunt runs out (in that point, aggro might be reset).

All hypothetical, of course.

Makes TONS of sense. Very possible, IMO.

[Physiologic]

That model fits in situations you get aggro and you stop attacking, and your party members attack but Gold Fever is still aggroed onto you. You guys can test it out, I was on for a little bit but I kept getting texts and yeah, it really screws up my ping.

[EpuYue]

If this is a curse, you are definitely not the only cursed one. Every time I play the keeper, and I mean EVERY time, my bird gets aggro'd by keeper. And it's not because I got the 1st hit since I tried to hold back and let others hit it 1st while I clear the other aliens, but once I start hitting the boss, after a few secs I'll start getting the repel and this goes on until he dies or my bird dies. I'm also really interested to know the mechanics behind this.

[adwin]

@EpuYue + @Physiologic:
I've made a few runs with a sentinel-set archer (lvl 51) along with mine (lvl 50 half-sunblessed) and surely enough, aggro switched to the lvl 51.
Your "damage" hypothesis stands ground.

[LordEspe]

My question for you is, How do you play? If you are hitting the boss, any boss, with your damage skills, in a row, yOu don't allow anyone else to take back aggro! Meaning if you hit Blast shot, blinding shot, root, break armor and so on, quickly, Yo deal so mch damage that he boss only sees you!

[wvhills]

I noticed this last night while playing AO Part 2. I'm a lvl 42 pure dex bird who's lvling up in the maps your supposed to (so I haven't been past AO part 2 yet). It seemed every party I was in the boss always aggroed on me. The first time I thought it was because I was the highest level in the party but then I joined another group and the same thing happened. There was a higher level bird, a mage, a bear and lower lvl bird or mage. I can't remember the name of it but we got to the map where the boss was a lizard looking thing with a pitchfork and he has two lesser djinn in there with him. I usually rush in first and thorn wall so the mages can get the nature strike combo off with their lightening but this time I went in last on purpose so they wouldn't aggro me. The bear was nice enough to go down to the lower part and pull all the enemies up. I was surviving well unto I thorned and got my cruel blast off then I was running in circles being chased by the boss and two lesser djinn while screaming "taunt! taunt!" and potting like crazy. The higher lvl bird must not have known he had a combo because he never used it. I wished he would so they would've attacked him instead of me. Lol.

[Kindread]

Well I don't mind taking aggro most of the time. In fact during Gold Fever fights it's my intention to take all the aggro and the bomb infections. That way at least I know to get the heck away from the group and not cause a total wipe. Also, I think it's fun getting chased around by batboy while everyone is wailing on him.

[Arcanahasabumrash]

I noticed the same.

[Moogerfooger]

Meaning if you hit Blast shot, blinding shot, root, break armor and so on, quickly, Yo deal so mch damage that he boss only sees you!

Probably...but at the same time, this is the entire point of being an archer....deal massive damage, not try to avoid aggro.

Just something the archers gotta deal with

[wvhills]

I see that. I also play a bear (lvl 37, pure str) who I like to tank with. Are you saying that if an archer is doing his job correctly then it's impossible for me to pull Aggro? Because if it is I'm going to delete the bear and start a mage!

[Moogerfooger]

I see that. I also play a bear (lvl 37, pure str) who I like to tank with. Are you saying that if an archer is doing his job correctly then it's impossible for me to pull Aggro? Because if it is I'm going to delete the bear and start a mage!

Good tanks are always needed if you read Phys/Elly's thoughts earlier on, they think that Taunt with some skill points into it actually 'fakes' having high DPS....maybe. If that is the case, then by using Taunt you could 'fake' having high DPS to get the boss to notice you and pull aggro from the archers.

Hopefully one of them who understand it better than I will see this and explain it better than I can

[adwin]

@LordEspe: Moogerfooger replied to that question, although I noticed being aggrod sometime without doing anything

@Morawk: I do 1 thing only in GF
- DPS the boss until a chest appears with an orb, which I make my priority to crash, and/or get GF, then go away, die a painful death and get resurrected. ;]