How does aggro work? - Guild Wars Forums

Throttle · Dec 07, 2006, 01:00 AM // 01:00

I'm very confused about the aggro system in GW. I'm used to games like Everquest and World of Warcraft where it's something you have to manage, and where you can predict it because the enemies hit whoever poses the biggest threat (through high damage, healing, or aggro-inducing abilities) but in GW it just seems so random. I find tanking very difficult because the enemies just run around and attack at random, even if I run in and attack before the rest of the party are even in, the mobs just scatter and attack random people as soon as they get close. How does it work, and is there any way to reliably grab/hold aggro?

MegaMouse · Dec 07, 2006, 01:10 AM // 01:10

This is the way it is supposed to work. There is an aggro bubble within ach players and enemies main radar. Whenever something enters that bubble the monster will attack it if it is a threat. The enemies will only go after anyone within their bubbble. But here is the tricky part. The enemies are set to go after the enemy with the lowest armor rating first, if you have an elementalist in your group then the enemies will go after him first. then the next lowest til they gt to the one with he highest armopr ranking. This happens only to those who are within the aggro bubble.
That was the way it used to work now it seems random for certian enemies. Some willl go after you when you are in the "line of sight" others will attack as soon as you enter their radar range (can anyone say Kouramon Spotters). That is the basics if anyone has anything to add please feel free.

Mega Mouse

Xenex Xclame · Dec 07, 2006, 01:13 AM // 01:13

What you are experiencing is the new updated AI.
Before a month if a warrior was to run in alone and get the enemies in his aggro they would all start attacking him , no matter what happens after that.
So what used to happen is the tank runs in gets aggro then the eles come in and nuke and the monk comes in and heals,without ever worrying about getting attacked.

However this made the Ai very stupid, now they are updated and will go for different targets, i dont think it is known how they are set or if it just totally random,its a bit like humans, unpredictable.

Throttle · Dec 07, 2006, 01:38 AM // 01:38

So if enemies are programmed to go for whoever has the least armor, the warrior will usually be the last one they hit? Making tanking nearly impossible? I suppose you could try to keep casters out of aggro range (although impossible with heroes/henchies) but what about dervishes and assassins?

I wish there was an aggro system geared more toward playability rather than random luck. The idea of a high-armored tank is kind of obsolete when they're the last one on the target list.

Antheus · Dec 07, 2006, 02:42 AM // 02:42

It's not even remotely random.

Tank agroes mobs. If there are no other party members in range, they'll lock onto tank. After that, casters can nuke, and as long as they don't stay in mob's range for too long, agro will stick to the tank.

The other way is to body block the mobs. Squeeze them against a wall, step between them and the caster, and so on.

All agro is extremly controlable, as long as team works together. If you have casters that charge ahead, then you're in trouble.

And a while back there was a change in agro, which means they'll stick to tank more again, as long as other don't push their luck.

If the above isn't true, and mobs have multiple targets, then they'll try to go for those with least health. Damage also has impact. If tank hits the mobs first, they'll agro to tank. If casters hit first, they'll agro them.

And truth be told, henchies manage agro better than most players do.

Another thing is, that the only place where agro management matters is the end-game areas, FoW, UW, DoA. Everywhere else it simply doesn't matter much, just pack an extra defense skill, ward against melee, aegis, stand your ground, incoming, etc.

And in comparison to EQ and WoW, those games have no agro management. They have spammable skills that you level in order to hold agro. It's GW where you need to predict how mobs will behave, which will charge ahead, how you'll block them, how to keep them out of caster range. This is by design, there is no cookie you can use to make them stick to you.

fallot · Dec 07, 2006, 03:09 AM // 03:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by Throttle

The idea of a high-armored tank is kind of obsolete when they're the last one on the target list.

There are other ways to play the game besides a tank holding aggro and everything else raining pain. Nevertheless successfully tanking is possible, although completely unnecessary.

Xenex Xclame · Dec 07, 2006, 03:09 AM // 03:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by Antheus

It's not even remotely random.

Tank agroes mobs. If there are no other party members in range, they'll lock onto tank. After that, casters can nuke, and as long as they don't stay in mob's range for too long, agro will stick to the tank.

And a while back there was a change in agro, which means they'll stick to tank more again, as long as other don't push their luck.

If the above isn't true, and mobs have multiple targets, then they'll try to go for those with least health. Damage also has impact. If tank hits the mobs first, they'll agro to tank. If casters hit first, they'll agro them.

When is the last time you played Guildwars?Everything you have said is wrong.
First you start by saying they will stick to the tank, or whoever agros first,then you make it seem like your not sure .
Make up your mind and stop giving misinformation.

Antheus · Dec 07, 2006, 04:07 AM // 04:07

Quote:

Originally Posted by Xenex Xclame

When is the last time you played Guildwars?Everything you have said is wrong.
First you start by saying they will stick to the tank, or whoever agros first,then you make it seem like your not sure .
Make up your mind and stop giving misinformation.

DoA, since it opened. Groups that follow that advice have no problems with tank holding agro. Groups that don't suffer from mobs ignoring the tank.

A tank that agroes with nobody else inside tank's agro bubble will grab all agro. This is how geotanking, stance tanking, and all the other options work.

But then, you need to kill the mobs. At that point, casters need to get just in range. For this purpose, they should always use 'c' to target closest, attack that, then move back out. If they stay in agro range while dealing damage, AI will switch to them, causing several mobs to run to the backline.

About different behaviour. There are several factors that determine agro behaviour, each has a certain weight. With henchies the problem is, when you attack, casters and melee will both perform attack at same time. But since casters use ranged attacks, they will hit before melee can run into range. This causes agro problems when playing with henchies, causing them to go straight for the backline.

Without trusting me too much, there's a description of how to properly use geo tank in the Gloom mission walkthrough which confirms this behaviour. As long as nobody stays in tank's agro bubble, and casters use hit-and-run attacks, mobs will not disengage.

But as soon as there are several targets available, next one will be chosen from several factors: Total health, armor rating, damage dealt. Health seems to be most important, armor rating seems to be more tied with general class behaviour (best demonstrated while playing as wurm, where certain classes get targeted despite all group members having exactly same health, and mobs switch targets based on dp).

DoA is an extreme example. Generally, tank should agressively engage mobs, positioning themself between them and backline, and start attacking the closest mob. If that mob doesn't take any damage from anyone else, it will usually stick to the tank, at least in the beginning.

In certain areas the AI is bugged. Most noticable example is the Dunes of Despair mission, where first 2 groups of centaurs will ignore all attacks and continue to run along their scripted path. Other areas outside of DoA might aslo have slightly different behaviour, although not by much. Just like I said before, in DoA, it's extremly noticable, in other areas it's not.

Dec 07, 2006, 01:00 AM // 01:00	#1
Throttle Academy Page Join Date: Nov 2006	How does aggro work? I'm very confused about the aggro system in GW. I'm used to games like Everquest and World of Warcraft where it's something you have to manage, and where you can predict it because the enemies hit whoever poses the biggest threat (through high damage, healing, or aggro-inducing abilities) but in GW it just seems so random. I find tanking very difficult because the enemies just run around and attack at random, even if I run in and attack before the rest of the party are even in, the mobs just scatter and attack random people as soon as they get close. How does it work, and is there any way to reliably grab/hold aggro?

Dec 07, 2006, 02:42 AM // 02:42	#5
Antheus Forge Runner Join Date: Jan 2006	It's not even remotely random. Tank agroes mobs. If there are no other party members in range, they'll lock onto tank. After that, casters can nuke, and as long as they don't stay in mob's range for too long, agro will stick to the tank. The other way is to body block the mobs. Squeeze them against a wall, step between them and the caster, and so on. All agro is extremly controlable, as long as team works together. If you have casters that charge ahead, then you're in trouble. And a while back there was a change in agro, which means they'll stick to tank more again, as long as other don't push their luck. If the above isn't true, and mobs have multiple targets, then they'll try to go for those with least health. Damage also has impact. If tank hits the mobs first, they'll agro to tank. If casters hit first, they'll agro them. And truth be told, henchies manage agro better than most players do. Another thing is, that the only place where agro management matters is the end-game areas, FoW, UW, DoA. Everywhere else it simply doesn't matter much, just pack an extra defense skill, ward against melee, aegis, stand your ground, incoming, etc. And in comparison to EQ and WoW, those games have no agro management. They have spammable skills that you level in order to hold agro. It's GW where you need to predict how mobs will behave, which will charge ahead, how you'll block them, how to keep them out of caster range. This is by design, there is no cookie you can use to make them stick to you. Last edited by Antheus; Dec 07, 2006 at 02:50 AM // 02:50..

Dec 07, 2006, 01:10 AM // 01:10	#2
MegaMouse Wilds Pathfinder Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: south mississippi Guild: Warriors Of Melos WOM Profession: E/N	This is the way it is supposed to work. There is an aggro bubble within ach players and enemies main radar. Whenever something enters that bubble the monster will attack it if it is a threat. The enemies will only go after anyone within their bubbble. But here is the tricky part. The enemies are set to go after the enemy with the lowest armor rating first, if you have an elementalist in your group then the enemies will go after him first. then the next lowest til they gt to the one with he highest armopr ranking. This happens only to those who are within the aggro bubble. That was the way it used to work now it seems random for certian enemies. Some willl go after you when you are in the "line of sight" others will attack as soon as you enter their radar range (can anyone say Kouramon Spotters). That is the basics if anyone has anything to add please feel free. Mega Mouse

Dec 07, 2006, 01:13 AM // 01:13	#3
Xenex Xclame Desert Nomad Join Date: Mar 2006 Guild: DPX Profession: R/	What you are experiencing is the new updated AI. Before a month if a warrior was to run in alone and get the enemies in his aggro they would all start attacking him , no matter what happens after that. So what used to happen is the tank runs in gets aggro then the eles come in and nuke and the monk comes in and heals,without ever worrying about getting attacked. However this made the Ai very stupid, now they are updated and will go for different targets, i dont think it is known how they are set or if it just totally random,its a bit like humans, unpredictable.

Dec 07, 2006, 01:38 AM // 01:38	#4
Throttle Academy Page Join Date: Nov 2006	So if enemies are programmed to go for whoever has the least armor, the warrior will usually be the last one they hit? Making tanking nearly impossible? I suppose you could try to keep casters out of aggro range (although impossible with heroes/henchies) but what about dervishes and assassins? I wish there was an aggro system geared more toward playability rather than random luck. The idea of a high-armored tank is kind of obsolete when they're the last one on the target list.