Need newbie tips on shedding aggro for rogues

[NehemiahScudder]

Here's my tip.

Buy a decent shield (appropriate for level), and run next to a fighter and block. They'll take the aggro off, and you can resume.

BTW. Theifs don't HAVE to melee. And by melee, i mean hand to hand bladed combat. They can get sneak attacks from ranged weapons as well. I have a level 14 Rogue/ 2 Ranger/ 4 Fighter that kicks ass with a longbow. And you could use a shortbow if you want to stay pure. You get sneak attacks off of every target that's not aggroed on you most of the time.

[Talon_Moonshadow]

Here's my tip.

Buy a decent shield (appropriate for level), and run next to a fighter and block. They'll take the aggro off, and you can resume.

BTW. Theifs don't HAVE to melee. And by melee, i mean hand to hand bladed combat. They can get sneak attacks from ranged weapons as well. I have a level 14 Rogue/ 2 Ranger/ 4 Fighter that kicks ass with a longbow. And you could use a shortbow if you want to stay pure. You get sneak attacks off of every target that's not aggroed on you most of the time.

I'm a lover of ranged combat, but a melee Rogue can put out a tremendouse amount of DPS. Way more than any ranged rogue...except maybe in a perfect Improved Precise Shot line up...or when melee is hindered in some way.

But yes. I do think all chars should know when to range.
And even a melee Rogue does have a powerful ranged attack.....if within SA range.

I still rememebr way back at lvl 5ish, and throwing a shuriken at a Hobgoblin who was running away from me.... And seeing damage numbers of something like 1 + 25.

That was when I realised just how much SA damage was compared to normal damage numbers.

Yes...sometimes it makes sense to range. And with any SA if you change targets rapidly you get a lot of damage in a short amount of time.
One of ranged advantages is to switch targets quickly.

But....this was a thread about shedding agro....not gaining it.

[Fenrisulven6]

The problem I have with ranged attacks [even when used correctly] is that about 1 in 8 of my shots just disappear into thin air.

No to hit roll, no miss notice, just a wasted attack that got eaten by the Lag Monster.

[DevilButcher]

Lol I know this is extreme but on topic, the Sap feat is an option too. Not at all recommending it though.

[Bodic]

you could always just Pike like all those rogues out there that give us the bad REP. I mean seriously I get upset when they leave off Rogue's when they are looking for DPS. Like say VOD, Shroud, or HOX. I know the VOD DC is low on Normal, but come on.

[teh_meh]

I'm a solo player (rogue 14/fighter 2/ranger 2) and I love my crits. Here are the ways I have enjoyed critting to my hearts content:

1. hirelings. There's a cleric hireling (Samuel Merrick) who can cast Summon Monster V which is an earth elemental that lasts a LONG time. The earth elemental does his 'earth grab' and every swing on an earthgrabbed foe does max damage. The elemental also naturally draws aggro just because it is there and usually storms ahead of me.

2. hirelings part 2. When you find the earth elemental isn't grabbing any more because the mob CRs are too high, switch to this cleric hireling (forget her name) with heal/rez/mass heal/blade barrier. Isadora I think. She is LVL 16. Blade barrier draws aggro like you would not believe. Amazing!

3. as previously mentioned, the enhancements that reduce hate are gold. They won't help you shed aggro but you can smashy-smashy much longer before they turn on you.

4. run/hide/enter sneak mode/return for more attackage (repeat). It's not especially efficient but a solo player has to do what a solo player has to do

5. summons. cookies that spawn the defenders. summon monster scrolls.

6. UMD!!! wands/scroll that blind, stun, hold, incapacitate. UMD is what makes a rogue truly great. Use it!!!

Hope this helps.

[Lleren]

I tend to use the buddy system in on my Rogue. I follow the fastest other melee in and stab the mobs they attack, this works better when the fastest is just a bit faster then me =D

Since the buddy I pick is generally high damaging as well, we make mobs dead quick.

[Consumer]

hirelings

I do enjoy getting one of the pathetic S&B hirelings, sneaking up to a group of mobs with it following you, waiting for them to attack it then decimating them.

[Draccus]

Here's a tip for rogue soloing that I rarely hear people use.

At some point early in your crafting career, you're going to find yourself with far more small and medium ingredients than you're ever going to use. Go ahead and make yourself an Earth-Earth weapon. I made a returning thrower. This weapon allows you to summon Dense Earth Elemental twice per rest. It is FANTASTIC for diplo'ing a boss onto when you're solo and is far, far more reliable and sturdy than a hireling. Plus, you don't have the restriction of having to summon it at the start (or forgetting to summon it at the start).