Question about "aggro" - Guild Wars Forums

Calador Alaster · May 22, 2007, 12:58 PM // 12:58

I've played warrior in GW for almost two years now and in my opinion, the warrior should serve as the "tank" of the team, taking most, if not all, damage from the opposition mob. However, despite my best efforts to tank damage for the whole team, I often find it difficult to keep the monster aggro on me. Having the highest AL in the game, and many benificial +AL skills, it would be pointless if monsters choose to focus on the low AL professions other than you. So here is my question, how do you keep aggro? What makes the AI decide who to attack? And what makes me lose aggro?

Digging deeper into the problem, is pure tanking (taking most of the damage for the team) possible? How to be more effective at tanking (aggro-wise)?

Sorry if this question has been discussed previously within the forum, search function never seems to give me what I'm looking for.

Thanks in advance

Stiltzkin · May 22, 2007, 01:10 PM // 13:10

Keeping aggro never seems to work, the mob usually attacks whoever is doing the most dmg, or who is healing the person who is doing the most dmg.

From what I know, it is impossible to tank (unless there is only one mob). No one can keep aggro.

More affective at tanking... I find that if the warrior runs in ahead of everyone (out of the circle) and uses Gladiators defence, you can usually keep most of the aggro.

isamu kurosawa · May 22, 2007, 01:42 PM // 13:42

Some foes, such as the thorn wolves in Urgoz's warren target the lower AL team members first, some seem to prefer hitting lower hp team members or those that deal more damage. With that in mind a warrior with all that armour cannot hold aggro.

Tanking in most parts GW just doesnt work, it was a bad strategy to start with and was made worse with all the AI updates. As a warrior you should try to pull your weight in the team and actually kill something.

Soul of the Scythe · May 22, 2007, 01:45 PM // 13:45

The best way to keep aggro is to body block. Most monsters, when they run directly into you while going for a "squishy" character, will stop and attack you. They best way to achieve this is to pin them up againts a wall. If you can get the monsters to bunch up along a wall and have a warrior or two block em against the wall, keeping their aggro is easier. If no walls or places to pin a monster against are around, there are a few viable solutions. one of those involves the warrior aggroing the entire group first while the rest of the party hangs back out of aggro range of the warrior. As soon as the monsters all start attacking the warrior, thats when everyone else comes back in. Isn't guaranteed that all monsters will stay on the tank but it will work for a few valuable seconds at least. The other solution are snares like crippling and water magic hexes. When a monster is crippled or slowed via a hex, they stop chasing squishies and will usuallly attack the closest enemy.

Calador Alaster · May 22, 2007, 02:02 PM // 14:02

Ah thanks for the replies. I always envied the tanks in WoW. But I guess I can focus more on dishing out plenty of damage to desparately grab aggro. The monks would just have to move around alot to shake aggro while healing the party.
Thanks again, this helped alot!

xromania??? · May 22, 2007, 02:19 PM // 14:19

about aggro, why from all heroes Zhed only atack with you even if he is far away and he have a flag to stay there. Zhed is little drunk?

Coridan · May 22, 2007, 02:25 PM // 14:25

i found that tanking really doesn't work anymore...i suggest you bring more damage skills to quickly spike down a target or spread conditions....its more valuable to the team....i almost always play a warrior...and i tend to be more damage focused...carry watch yourself for party wide armor...a deep wound and a weakness...this will make the "mele" characters do less damage to the squishies in your party that they always attack,,,, then you switch targets to the squishies and let your "squishies" take out the other teams squishies with out taking a huge amount of damage.....usually everything gets squished!

Coloneh · May 22, 2007, 09:15 PM // 21:15

tanking hasnt worked for about a year now. get with the times. your warrior should be a DPS machine, not a tank.

CDittric77 · May 23, 2007, 02:20 AM // 02:20

It's pretty much already been stated, but there is little to no way to ensure that 'tanking' works if your goal is to hold aggro. Concentrate on DPS to take pressure off the softer targets in your group and your value as a team member goes way up. To do this, you might want to get away from the W/Mo if that's what you run to 'tank.'

May 22, 2007, 12:58 PM // 12:58	#1
Calador Alaster Lion's Arch Merchant Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Toronto Guild: Affliction of Embers	Question about "aggro" I've played warrior in GW for almost two years now and in my opinion, the warrior should serve as the "tank" of the team, taking most, if not all, damage from the opposition mob. However, despite my best efforts to tank damage for the whole team, I often find it difficult to keep the monster aggro on me. Having the highest AL in the game, and many benificial +AL skills, it would be pointless if monsters choose to focus on the low AL professions other than you. So here is my question, how do you keep aggro? What makes the AI decide who to attack? And what makes me lose aggro? Digging deeper into the problem, is pure tanking (taking most of the damage for the team) possible? How to be more effective at tanking (aggro-wise)? Sorry if this question has been discussed previously within the forum, search function never seems to give me what I'm looking for. Thanks in advance

May 22, 2007, 01:10 PM // 13:10	#2
Stiltzkin Frost Gate Guardian Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Aetna Guild: Dark Siderz Profession: Mo/Me	Keeping aggro never seems to work, the mob usually attacks whoever is doing the most dmg, or who is healing the person who is doing the most dmg. From what I know, it is impossible to tank (unless there is only one mob). No one can keep aggro. More affective at tanking... I find that if the warrior runs in ahead of everyone (out of the circle) and uses Gladiators defence, you can usually keep most of the aggro.

May 22, 2007, 01:42 PM // 13:42	#3
isamu kurosawa Desert Nomad Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: United Kingdom Profession: Me/	Some foes, such as the thorn wolves in Urgoz's warren target the lower AL team members first, some seem to prefer hitting lower hp team members or those that deal more damage. With that in mind a warrior with all that armour cannot hold aggro. Tanking in most parts GW just doesnt work, it was a bad strategy to start with and was made worse with all the AI updates. As a warrior you should try to pull your weight in the team and actually kill something.

May 22, 2007, 01:45 PM // 13:45	#4
Soul of the Scythe Krytan Explorer Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Boston, MA Guild: Higher Order [HO] Profession: D/	The best way to keep aggro is to body block. Most monsters, when they run directly into you while going for a "squishy" character, will stop and attack you. They best way to achieve this is to pin them up againts a wall. If you can get the monsters to bunch up along a wall and have a warrior or two block em against the wall, keeping their aggro is easier. If no walls or places to pin a monster against are around, there are a few viable solutions. one of those involves the warrior aggroing the entire group first while the rest of the party hangs back out of aggro range of the warrior. As soon as the monsters all start attacking the warrior, thats when everyone else comes back in. Isn't guaranteed that all monsters will stay on the tank but it will work for a few valuable seconds at least. The other solution are snares like crippling and water magic hexes. When a monster is crippled or slowed via a hex, they stop chasing squishies and will usuallly attack the closest enemy.

May 22, 2007, 02:02 PM // 14:02	#5
Calador Alaster Lion's Arch Merchant Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Toronto Guild: Affliction of Embers	Ah thanks for the replies. I always envied the tanks in WoW. But I guess I can focus more on dishing out plenty of damage to desparately grab aggro. The monks would just have to move around alot to shake aggro while healing the party. Thanks again, this helped alot!

May 22, 2007, 02:19 PM // 14:19	#6
xromania??? Frost Gate Guardian Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Transylvania Guild: lor Profession: E/Mo	about aggro, why from all heroes Zhed only atack with you even if he is far away and he have a flag to stay there. Zhed is little drunk?

May 22, 2007, 02:25 PM // 14:25	#7
Coridan Forge Runner Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: US Guild: Old Married Gamers {OMG} Profession: W/	i found that tanking really doesn't work anymore...i suggest you bring more damage skills to quickly spike down a target or spread conditions....its more valuable to the team....i almost always play a warrior...and i tend to be more damage focused...carry watch yourself for party wide armor...a deep wound and a weakness...this will make the "mele" characters do less damage to the squishies in your party that they always attack,,,, then you switch targets to the squishies and let your "squishies" take out the other teams squishies with out taking a huge amount of damage.....usually everything gets squished!

May 22, 2007, 09:15 PM // 21:15	#8
Coloneh Furnace Stoker Join Date: Nov 2006 Profession: D/W	tanking hasnt worked for about a year now. get with the times. your warrior should be a DPS machine, not a tank.

May 23, 2007, 02:20 AM // 02:20	#9
CDittric77 Frost Gate Guardian Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: A Famous Small Town in PA Guild: Saints of Avalon Profession: R/Mo	It's pretty much already been stated, but there is little to no way to ensure that 'tanking' works if your goal is to hold aggro. Concentrate on DPS to take pressure off the softer targets in your group and your value as a team member goes way up. To do this, you might want to get away from the W/Mo if that's what you run to 'tank.'