is it normal for an archer to attract aggro?

[weddingly]

in a PUG, is it normal for an AA to attract aggro?

what kinds of AAs attract aggro? maybe only when they get slaying arrows?
im not sure if what i am seeing in pugs is normal or how best to react.

[k1ngp1n]

Stop shooting them earlier than the melees get there, and you won't get aggro. ;)

Also, there is some wonkiness with ranged attacks and aggro. They seem to pull far more hate.

[morticianjohn]

I've seen manyshot pull aggro in pugs pretty frequently

[Phidius]

Yup, ranged attracts a lot of aggro... Which is annoying if the ranged can't handle it and runbaround.

[Missing_Minds]

1. don't attack first.
2. don't be the furthest int he back. (I'm not joking, old bug.)

[Arnhelm]

1. don't attack first.
2. don't be the furthest int he back. (I'm not joking, old bug.)
Thanks for the info on 2. I'll remember that when I start my ranger.

[Dragavon]

A lot of players believe that all there is to playing an archer is to run around with a bow equipped, auto-attack active and just tab target everything in their path. When they are hitting everything in the line of sight before anyone else then they do ofc get tons of aggro.

Whenever I end up with a ranger played that way in a pug, I just leave the archer and the mobs behind and move on to the next encounter. I leave the archer to handle the aggro he has pulled. If he cant handle it he dies. Not my problem. :cool:

[Illiain]

Things to remember as an archer.

1) If you hit them first and get agro, don't kite. PUGs, especially low level ones, probably don't have the attack bonuses to hit things while running. This means they can't hit the things you're kiting to get agro back. Swinging a weapon while running gives a -4 attack penalty and most people don't bother with Spring Attack.

2) Archery, unlike spell casting, does not get interrupted if you get hit. Just stand there and take it, and agro will be off you sooner than if you kited around. You most likely have Ranger levels so you're a d8 hp class, use it.

3) While in raids aoe heals go to the melee. Don't expect healers to target you specifically, heal, then retarget the melee. Just stand there in the melee and take the damage/healing. Which leads to...

4) When Manyshot is on timer, put the bow away. You'll do more damage TWFing.

[Missing_Minds]

Thanks for the info on 2. I'll remember that when I start my ranger.

anecdote: And don't play a halfling. If you want agro, they seem to attract more than their fair share of agro. And a halfing bard?... It just hurts. Arrows seem to be magnetically summoned to be in your liver.

[Talon_Moonshadow]

1. don't attack first.
2. don't be the furthest int he back. (I'm not joking, old bug.)

They still have to see you (or be damaged/effected by you) to agro on you. So stand farther back and you are ok. (at first)

[Missing_Minds]

They still have to see you (or be damaged/effected by you) to agro on you. So stand farther back and you are ok. (at first)

No they do NOT. I have been 3 rooms back and I'm still the one with inital agro. Archer turrets are the worst on this.
Being 3 rooms, and also standing off to the side, not in the doorway means they have no line of sight to me at all.

Further proof of this can be seen with hirelings and pets as well. Think about in shav where they are seen through walls, different floors/ceilings, etc.

Now this said, the best way to not have agro at first is to have a hireling, or even better a summoned creature.

[IONDragonx]

No they do NOT. I have been 3 rooms back and I'm still the one with inital agro. Archer turrets are the worst on this.
Being 3 rooms, and also standing off to the side, not in the doorway means they have no line of sight to me at all.
Further proof of this can be seen with hirelings and pets as well. Think about in shav where they are seen through walls, different floors/ceilings, etc.
Now this said, the best way to not have agro at first is to have a hireling, or even better a summoned creature.

I'll agree with this. My ranger uses Summon Nature's Ally constantly to split up aggro. I don't even care if the pet does any damage at all.

[Talon_Moonshadow]

To agro on you, a monster has to detect you in some way.

Agroing on another person or pet, does not make them aware of your presence.

Monsters generally agro on you by "seeing" you. They have a limited sight range. It is approximately what the default low "draw" distance is for us. (they seem to detect pets from farther away, and may not require "sight" to do so. Plus Giants can see farther as well. I believe that tremor sense is slightly farther than normal sight as well)

Monster also have a sense of hearing. But hearing you alone will not cause agro.. it will simply cause them to move toward your sound.

Monsters have an auto-detect zone. About three feet in front of their noses.

Many doors and walls, and some floors and ceilings can be seen through by monsters. These are usually random maze walls. Common in Amrath. (it may be possible for a monster to agro on you through a wall, even if he does not technically "see" you. The exact circumstances of this I am not sure of...I believe that they have to get within the auto-detect distance of you, but I have seen some evidence of them agroing just because they heard you and wanted to move toward you but was prevented by the wall/barrier etc.)

Damaging or using a spell on a monster causes him to agro on you no matter how far away from you he is.

Monsters can keep track of you for a very long distance after agroed. And they will know your exact location. Although in some cases they can be caused to go into their attack-the-air-sonar-I'm-searching-for-you mode, by using stealth or Invis even after they have agroed on you. This may not work if you have actually damaged them to cause the agro.

I do believe that ranged damage is higher on monster's agro choice scale than melee. But I have been assured by some very knowlegable people that this is not true.
But if not true, it would mean that ranged does more DPS than most people admit. So I'm inclined to think that ranged causes more agro point for point then melee. Or maybe it is not the DPS, but the highest damage from a single attack that determines agro......truthfully no one knows for sure.

Anyway. A horde of monsters can agro on every party member, and every pet.... but if "you" do not make your presense known to them in some manner......they will not agro on you!

It also takes them a small amount of time to switch agro once they have agroed on someone. It takes less time (or perhaps it's just easier to get agro) if no one has damaged the monster yet...and he was simply agroed because he "saw" someone else first.





Of course. This is all just my opinion, so feel free to dispute it if you wish.

[Missing_Minds]

Of course. This is all just my opinion, so feel free to dispute it if you wish.

I agree with your opinion. I just wish gameplay did as well.

[Talon_Moonshadow]

Oh. But to answer the original question....


in a PUG, is it normal for an AA to attract aggro?




... Yes. ;)

[DaSawks]

I laughed so hard when I saw the OP. How many times do you see mobs run past the Barb and Fighter types to get at the AA in the rear of the group? All the time. Simple rule of thumb if you do not want aggro. Do not attack first.

[Thrudh]

in a PUG, is it normal for an AA to attract aggro?

what kinds of AAs attract aggro? maybe only when they get slaying arrows?
im not sure if what i am seeing in pugs is normal or how best to react.

Whoever does the most damage (plus threat modifiers) gets the aggro...

If you walk in a room and start shooting before the melees start swinging, the monsters will aggro you. An archer can usually hit the monsters before the melee can run up to them and swing a sword.

Does that make sense?