Hey all, I found a good post on terminology and tactics when grouping. Should be a good starting point for newer players and a good reference for some of the old hats. As a healer I can usually judge how closely a fellowship is following these guidelines by how many people I have to heal. In general, with the exception of some AoE damage fights, if you are not the Main Tank and you need heals someone isn't following these guidelines and could use some brushing up =)
http://lorebook.lotro.com/wiki/A_Basic_Combat_Primer_for_FellowshipsA couple of notes from a mini's perspective that I feel are super important:
1: The Tank should be the ONLY one pulling in almost all situations, Mezzes and other CC should happen after the pull. Also, it is usually never a good idea to pull with a hunter since even their auto attacks can hit for huge damage and cause a large amount of initial threat, making the tanks job of establishing initial agro incredibly difficult.
2: DPS should wait until the tank has the attention of ALL mobs before dpsing, especially Aoe attacks. A good rule of thumb is give guards 5 seconds and wardens 10 seconds before you do ANYTHING (adjust for the pull situation and experience of the tank). Start off with auto attacks and work your way up to the high threat/damage attacks. Never use AoE attacks when CC is being used unless the tank says "OK to Aoe" and never start out with your huge nukes.
3: If you do get a mob attacking you, stop attacking it and walk it over to the tank so he can pull it off. It is a natural reflex to want to run away from the mob and keep hitting it, but that usually means running away from the tank, don't be that guy =). Say "mob on <character name>" so the tank knows to pull it off of you (do not say "mob on ME" as the tank may or may not know who "me" is). It is important to note that a healer should not continue to heal you while you are getting beat on, they will end up healing the agro away from you and getting beat on themselves, and a dead healer is a dead tank is a dead group. So the sooner you get that mob to the tank the higher your chances for survival are.
4: The tank (or designated puller in rare situations) should give about a ten second warning for pulls, especially big ones. Say "pulling in ten"...this allows everyone to eat if needed and more importantly, it allows the mini to prebuff. Starting a fight with mitigation buffs, and a heal over time gives a much higher chance of success than the mini having to choose between not healing for the first 10 seconds of the fight while he gets his buffs tiered up, or healing at a reduced effect immediately, with no mitigation buffs out.
5: Make sure you have the option to show assist targets in your UI checked. And make sure you use them. Always assist off of the main assist. Never ever just tab target through mobs and randomly start hitting one.
6: Always have the ability to hear everyone in your fellowship at the very least. Having a working mic is also hugely beneficial for dps, but it is essential for the tank, the main assist, anyone assigned a CC role, and the healer.
Thanks all, hope this is of some use. Please feel free to add your own suggestions, ask questions, or flat out refute anything I have posted here. lol
Home 