MMORPG Gamers Handbook - Part One, Page Two
4 The basics of combat
These are the basics of fighting in a team-based environment. In most MMORPG’s small teams are known as “groups” and they get a private chat channel among its members. The size of a group may differ a bit from game to game. In newbie areas and lower levels, tactics may not seem like a big deal or even seem inefficient. It might not be the fastest way to get exp (points to gain a level) from start. I would still advise anyone to use this time for practice. There will be a lot more dangerous areas in time where you will not have much time to think about basics. Learn these by heart and you will have it a lot easier when more advanced situations arise.
4.1 Archetype basics
A few buzzwords that will be used:
Aggro – If someone gets aggro it means the enemies are attacking her.
Hate – When attacking an enemy you get hate points to that enemy. The player with highest hate points will get aggro of that particular enemy.
4.1.1 Tank
Tanks usually have a “taunt” skill that adds hate points to your character to keep your friends out of trouble. The hits you make and most skills you use should also increase your hate value. It may happen that the others will need to slow down their damage dealing so you can be the one in the front line. Trigger happy friends are hard to tank for, often you may need to tell them to slow down or wait with attacking so you have a chance to build your hate points with the current enemy.
4.1.1.1 Multiple opponents
Facing more than one opponent may be tricky, this means you have to switch target to keep a good hate value on them all. This should not be too hard if everyone keeps hitting the same target. You can get by with a low hate value on the enemies the others are not attacking but keep in mind that healing will always give hate to the healer for all enemies around you.
4.1.1.2 Breaking sleep
If you hit a sleeping target without thinking, chances are that it will run directly for the crowd controller. If you have a spell that gives hate without damaging the enemy, it is a good idea to use this before breaking the sleep. It’s also important that your other party members wait with their attack until you are ready.
4.1.1.3 Line of sight
To hit a target with a spell, most games require that there is a straight line without obstructions (discounting characters) to the target. It’s important that you do not enter a room by yourself and stay there, the healers will not be able to keep you alive around a corner and the rest of your group cannot target the enemies with their spells.
4.1.1.4 Enemy turning
When pulling, turn the enemies you face so they have their back against your group. This makes you closest to possible new enemies. You immediately see if you lose aggro. If you can, it is recommended to stand in a corner or against a wall. Many games also have bonuses for hitting enemies in the back or gives enemy increased chance to parry or riposte blows that hits them from front.
4.1.2 Damage dealer
It’s important to have all damage dealers in the group staying at the same target to kill one enemy at the time. It’s really important that enemies die as quickly as possible. However it’s just as important not to get aggro. Damage dealers usually cannot take many hits themselves. If you die, the group as a whole will deal a lot less damage and might not kill fast enough to survive. Even if you don’t die, you will drain your healer’s mana fast; which leads to additional hate points for the healer. Getting attacked as a damage dealer is a lose/lose situation.
One trick to avoid damage is to wait before attacking each enemy to allow some time for the tank to build up her hate. How long you should wait depends on the circumstances and the gear of your tank. Do not blame your tank if an enemy attacks you, instead adapt to the situation and wait longer. Try to find the perfect balance between doing a lot of damage and never getting attacked with your current teammates.
4.1.2.1 Mana preservation
Another important thing is to not waste your mana. If an enemy dies really fast by your melee friends, just watch it happen. It is not important to cast a spell at every single enemy. A very common mistake is to land a big damage spell on an enemy that has very little health left. This would make the excess damage to waste and you have lost mana for no reason. This is not a competition for who that makes the most damage. Waiting until it is really needed saves both mana and time.
4.1.3 Healer
Healing is a work of art like all other archetypes when you break it down to pieces. The biggest challenge is to know when to heal and when not to. This is important because if you heal too fast, the enemy will run for you and if you heal too slow your tank dies.
Best opportunity to heal is when there are no enemies around. No risk to get attacked if there aren't any enemies. Try to heal everyone to full, toss out all protective and damage preventing spells before each combat situation. You might want to start with the tank before she runs off to find new enemies. If you have time to do so, you can buff the others during combat, for most games buffs don’t seem to give any aggro. If it does in yours, avoid doing this in combat. Do not hesitate to tell your group to slow down if they are too impatient in waiting for heals before getting new enemies.
However be sure to also tell them when you are ready.
Second best is healing over time (HoT) spells. Cast one of these on the tanks before she gets enemies and she will have larger chances to come back alive. Beware though, in some games, the minor heals from these spells gives you hate to the enemies before the tank has a chance to build up her own. If you take notice that enemies are running directly towards you as soon as they come near, even though you have not done anything, it is likely that your HoT spells are to blame. If so, wait a moment and let the tank make the enemies mad at her before casting. They are still useful in the beginning of fights.
The third best opportunity is by the end of the fight, when the tank has a solid aggro to keep it for the remainder of the combat. Try to wait as long as you can with the healing without risking anyone’s life and do be prepared for unexpected moments. In areas where there is risk to get additional opponents, be sure not to wait too long; or you will end up with the new enemies beating you up.
Unfortunately these opportunities are few. Most of your healing time will be spent right in the middle of combat to keep you and your friends alive. It’s really important to avoid healing when enemies are incoming. If the tank runs with a several enemies after her and you heal her as soon as she gets close, all these enemies will turn to you; which means you are likely to end up dead. If the distance is far to the group and she is about to die, it might even be worth it to let her die, and then resurrect her afterwards when the enemies go away. This might not be a popular decision though, and should not be used without a good reason.
When your tank are facing enemies that hit particularly hard it may be a good idea to start casting your heal before she takes damage and interrupt your spell if she still has a lot of health when it’s about to land. This is especially useful when there is a lot of extra damage in the start of a combat.
4.1.3.1 Mana preservation
Another important thing to keep in mind is not overflowing your heals. A large healing spell on someone with little health is a lot of mana wasted. Usually this means big heals on tanks and small heals on damage dealers and spell casters. Not only does this preserve your mana but it also gives you less hate points.
