Nortibiry
10-21-2007, 02:41 PM
I think I've maybe figured out the charge mechanic on those trash birds in Al'ar's room. It's nothing too exciting but it does illustrate a bunch of mechanics so I thought I'd share in case it helps anyone out, and just to get the knowledge out there into the guild.
The theory I'm working with now is that the charge targets the player the furthest away from the group, within a certain maximum range (around 70 yards maybe?). I try to be further away from the bird while remaining within range of the group by playing the angles a bit, instead of standing behind the party I stand beside them and just a bit further back. I'm also guessing this has some small aggro decreasing component for the tank, because otherwise there's no way I'm generating enough threat for the bird to stick to me after the charge, which happens occasionally early in the fight.
The catch is that the birds do not have any kind of zone combat pulse (you can just hang back and never get drawn into combat), so in order to be an eligible target I have to get on the threat table for the mob. I could do this just by shooting, but guns aren't an instant cast and don't have the hottest range, so there's a decent chance I wouldn't have time to get a shot off and run further away than the caster group before the first charge. So instead what I tried last week was:
1) Wait for Haythan to pull the bird, misdirected onto Aoree. Threat table now includes (only) Aoree and anyone who touches the bird or Aoree. (And maybe anyone in melee, some mobs seem to have a little melee aoe combat pulse and pull in nearby players, but I have no idea if this is the case with the birds).
2) Lad tosses a small buff/heal on Aoree, not generating any significant threat but putting him onto the bird's threat table. I use bloodrage, which gives me some rage and happens to put me into combat, but does not put me on the threat table (the bird still has no idea I exist)
3) I buff commanding shout, hitting myself and Ladunch, who has carefully positioned himself within range and happens to be in my group. Since I buffed someone on the threat table, I get put on it, and now the bird is happy to charge me (and probably still closing in on melee range with Aoree).
4) Lad flees back to the caster group with a girlish cry of terror.
I guess the moral is this is why I care about threat tables and mechanics, and a nice little example of how you can use them to your advantage. I had another post on threat tables here (http://forums.fulcrum-guild.net/index.php?showtopic=74), and of course you can find more info on wowwiki & the EU forums.
The theory I'm working with now is that the charge targets the player the furthest away from the group, within a certain maximum range (around 70 yards maybe?). I try to be further away from the bird while remaining within range of the group by playing the angles a bit, instead of standing behind the party I stand beside them and just a bit further back. I'm also guessing this has some small aggro decreasing component for the tank, because otherwise there's no way I'm generating enough threat for the bird to stick to me after the charge, which happens occasionally early in the fight.
The catch is that the birds do not have any kind of zone combat pulse (you can just hang back and never get drawn into combat), so in order to be an eligible target I have to get on the threat table for the mob. I could do this just by shooting, but guns aren't an instant cast and don't have the hottest range, so there's a decent chance I wouldn't have time to get a shot off and run further away than the caster group before the first charge. So instead what I tried last week was:
1) Wait for Haythan to pull the bird, misdirected onto Aoree. Threat table now includes (only) Aoree and anyone who touches the bird or Aoree. (And maybe anyone in melee, some mobs seem to have a little melee aoe combat pulse and pull in nearby players, but I have no idea if this is the case with the birds).
2) Lad tosses a small buff/heal on Aoree, not generating any significant threat but putting him onto the bird's threat table. I use bloodrage, which gives me some rage and happens to put me into combat, but does not put me on the threat table (the bird still has no idea I exist)
3) I buff commanding shout, hitting myself and Ladunch, who has carefully positioned himself within range and happens to be in my group. Since I buffed someone on the threat table, I get put on it, and now the bird is happy to charge me (and probably still closing in on melee range with Aoree).
4) Lad flees back to the caster group with a girlish cry of terror.
I guess the moral is this is why I care about threat tables and mechanics, and a nice little example of how you can use them to your advantage. I had another post on threat tables here (http://forums.fulcrum-guild.net/index.php?showtopic=74), and of course you can find more info on wowwiki & the EU forums.