Beckoning Guide

[LelouchX]

Hi all, I have looks through forums for some info regarding ways to make beckon most effective. I see so many level 50+ scatterbears that I can't believe people haven't learned how to beckon properly after playing so long. While I have had some inklings about some of these, I want to give credit to those who have taken the time to confirm it. This is a small compilation, but anyone should feel free to add to it if they have more tips. If i missed a thread that did address this issue please add a link!

From WhoIsThis's Team mechanics guide:
http://www.spacetimestudios.com/show...team-mechanics

- Beckon: The most important spell in crowd control and possible the most important function of bears. Beckon brings the enemy target(s) towards you. Beckon "stuns" the targets affected. Beckon can miss (which is why its important to have a high hit %) and enemies can dodge it. It's a good idea to maximize beckon as soon as you get this skill. Beckon has a huge difference in its pulling ability between 4 and 5, and then 5 and 6. It's very important you learn how to beckon. An improper beckon can easily pull enemies away from mages (whose spells have a fixed radius around them). Another important thing is to work with other bears. You've got to time your beckons together or there could be total chaos. When in doubt, allow the other bear to lead and switch from tanking to DPS gear.

- Pure Strength (100% str): Pure strength bears are still fairly common. They are the "tankiest" off all the bears (highest dodge, health regen, hp, and armor). However, they suffer from very low hit % and absent of equipment that boosts hit %, beckon often misses. They do very little damage from their weaponry.

- Hybrid strength (70% str, 30% dex): Hybrid strength bears are arguably the best bears for pure tanking. Their hit % is high enough that beckon shouldn't miss and they are only slightly less survivable than their pure strength counterparts. They can also wear strength gear without the need to dual spec.

4. Go against the wall and beckon. Remember, the objective is to drive the targets against the wall and keep them there. I know that this sounds bizarre, but when you beckon - don't select a target to auto. Beckon (strangely) works better when you do not auto a target.

5. Move away from the wall and opposite to the direction that you beckoned. In a hallway, stand in the middle of the hallway. In a room, stand about 3m away from the wall. If you didn't cast Hell Scream earlier, do it now. The stun effect of the beckon has probably worn off and if your team hasn't debuffed, they won't. (Chances are, you're in a PUG that has players who do not understand the concept of debuffing.) Ask them politely to debuff next time. If they don't, next time, cast Hell Scream as directed in step 3.

From my thread, Note for Tanks

Originally Posted by xBearSpiritx
I don't think it would affect your pulling ability using beckon with 88% hit, but I believe swords are greater than any 1H Weapon at par.

It seems that the 1H Sword always gives more skill damage, as opposed to using axes.

Originally Posted by LelouchX
Thanks! I did notice that my axe is where I have the problem with beckon.

[dethmetaler]

Great guide! I hope I am not one of those scatter bears you speak of...;-) In my opinion, its important for one bear to be a "lead bear" of sorts when playing in multiple bear parties. The other bears should support the lead with well timed stomps and hellscreams.

[LelouchX]

Great guide! I hope I am not one of those scatter bears you speak of...;-) In my opinion, its important for one bear to be a "lead bear" of sorts when playing in multiple bear parties. The other bears should support the lead with well timed stomps and hellscreams.

Don't worry, even if you are and you run with me I am a lot more patient than I used to be! Also if you follow the advice of contributors to this thread, you should kick the habbit in no time!

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Also from "Note for Tanks"

THANKS FYRCE!!!

I think there's a lot of ways to work groups. My dex bear leads, even though he's squishier than when he is str bear. I might wait for the team to be closer behind me, but come on, I'm a bear. I'll go in first or try to go first. The "lead" thing is really why I like my bear. If I'm not going to lead, I'll play my mages or my birds.

Yes, there are lag issues. And yes, that does sometimes result in pulls or stomps that aren't quite where you might want them. Sometimes it means I do not stomp until I know where the pull ended up. I don't judge other bears that much. They have to scatter more than once and probably throw bosses about repeatedly before I will say something. But I WILL say something, usually, "wall pls" and "don't toss so much pls" My preferred method of "dumping" a scatterbear is just not to friend them. Usually they won't rejoin or the likelihood is good that the group will be full by the time that they do. I'm not gonna say I've never booted one, but I try to reform them first.

Yes, multiple bears do have to work with each other. A multiple bear group working together is a beautiful thing, so I love multiple bear groups. I've been lead bear and follower bear. It really depends on the other bear(s). I will try to lead but if someone is faster or more insistent or more clueless, I will try to figure out a way to work with them. That might mean reinforcing their pulls, or pulling after their pulls or stomping into their pulls, etc. I've also seen where bears do coordinated pulls, separate pulls, pull in a tag team, toss from wall to wall in corridors, etc. Pulling can be GREAT FUN. There's lots of ways to work a team.

That's probably also why I love PUGs. Because actually most of them can be worked out. Sometimes with a bit of guidance, but I have not encountered too many failed PUGs. My biggest "issue" with PUGs is that I tend to jump into one or two and end up with a full group that runs until I get tired, which actually is a pretty good problem to have

BTW, taunt is a pretty fast skill. I don't usually wait on it. OTOH, I sometimes to wait on hellscream, because it's the end skill of a Mega Combo and the only AREA Mega Combo. If you see your team throwing a lot of nature strikes, time your hellscream to be right as the nature strike occurs. Hellstorm is really cool.

Oh yeah, one other thing about stomping even if mobs aren't pulled together: if your mages have ice stormed and the shattered combo will pretty much kill most of those mobs. By all means, stomp away. The few remaining can be picked up by the ranged members of your team.

[LelouchX]

Here is one more helpful hint from Tamino, originally posed in Note for Tanks. Thanks!

I try to add another hint: in tentative to cohordinate with other bears, a good idea is all to keep the same side. Even if beacons are bad timed, if they are on same side of the corridor/room, the mobs are kept stunned against wall and they are easy prey. If two bears beckon from opposite sides, the result effect is to scatter mobs all around.