How to be a good veno in a party?

twilighthikari

Hi. I am new and I have been wondering how I can be a good veno in a party, and not tick them with things I hear about pulling agros. Thanks. Your help is appreciated!

Daerys - Sanctuary

The answer is largely dependent on your level. Aggro should never be a problem, any barb that can't hold it vs a veno is in serious need of help.

A quick overview of our duties:

Amplify Damage - big boost in TT, also helps in the higher FB's
Purge - situationally useful
Lending Hand - helps the barb keep spamming FR
Bramble Guard - again helps the barb keep aggro
Ironwood Scarab - -30% Pdef helps barb aggro and bm/archer dmg, keep it up at all times

Several other foxform skills have debuffs that are probably useful, I just don't have any experience with them. Fox Wallop and Befuddling Mist look promising. I would imagine it isn't worth keep up every single fox debuff if you're a caster build. Amp dmg is a must though, no matter what build.

Luring - this is the single most useful thing we can do. If the only contribution you ever bring to a party is luring you are worth the spot. I don't have a link handy, check the FAQ at the top for more info.


If you can do all that, any group will love to have you along.

*Edit*
Most of this stuff doesn't really apply until 60+ when you get into TT and FB's that aren't getting run through. You can practice luring while you quest/grind, though, and I highly recommend doing so.

Danni - Heavens Tear

Fox wallop isn't really something I would consider worth the effort. Befuddling mist is nice though.

Amplify damage is a must though for dealing with bosses, if you plan on doing TT or FBs outside of your guild or friends you'll want it at as high a level as you can manage, and even then your guild and friends would be more likely to go with you for whatever party.

Reikara - Heavens Tear

Pulling Aggros is actually what you want to do in a party as a veno. Aggros (Elites) in dungeons group up, and it's very hard for any other class to pull one at a time without attracting the aggro of other mobs near-by.

Just select one mob, press the dog face in the pet skill bar for your pet to go and attack the mob (don't follow your pet or attack the mob), then once your pet has made at least one sucsesfull hit on the mob, unsummon your pet and resummon it quickly.

If the barb or other DDs, whoever is supposed to be tanking fails to steal aggro on the mob and it's coming after you simply make your pet take aggro+spam heal it until the squad tank can take the aggro.

Isala - Sanctuary

Just my two cents here, but get a pet with Threaten. When you're fighting bosses that hit hard, that pet will be a Godsend. It reduces attack for 15 seconds, with a 30 second cooldown. Which means, half the fight, the barb won't actually take the full brunt of a boss's attack. I use it all the time, and it helps massively. Allowed me to cripple Kong for my barb.

Tawarwaith - Sanctuary

Just a little add as a barb and a fox player. Fox wallop can be very usefull, but only if timed right (just before the boss starts casting). It can always happen that due to some lag, inadvertance, or other alacrity of the beast is just a slight sec late. If the foxveno and barb keep a good timing, it is a 100% cancel on bosses mag attacks.

Hasukurobi - Heavens Tear

Timing Fox Whallop is very tricky and it is a weak skill.

A Veno in a team want to Pull enemies out of groups so that they and others can kill them as mentioned. Befuddling mist will help keep enemies from hitting the more evasive members of a squad very well while throwing in some nice damage. Bramble Guard gives a nice boost of damage back to the enemy and is super hot on Clerics, Archers, and Mages as they take the most damage to begin with. However, Amplify Damage cannot be stressed enough. You can take a boss down in no time with it and even "Increased Life" or "Defense" monsters can be brought down to size.

The Aggro that people do not like is if you get the Boss's attention before getting his minions and killing them. To avoid this make sure your pet has some space to manuever around the Boss and always go for its minions not itself until last. Or have an Archer pull them, they are better at it anyway.

Vidalaire - Heavens Tear

While squishy characters do take more melee damage, they get hit much less often than those that tank mobs. Bramble Guard should really only be cast on Barbs and BMs since they tank the mobs and get meleed. Also, Bramble Guard helps the target keep aggro and that is not what you want as a cleric, veno, wizard, or archer.

Danni - Heavens Tear

Or if you're a heavy fox and you're the tank (I've done it before) that'll help you keep agro since your skills aren't specifically geared towards holding agro (still I'd spam them).

Tawarwaith - Sanctuary

When tanking bramble guard is really usefull when you need to keep aggro on several mobs. On bosses, de deflect is great to, but for me it's real use is for holding aggro on multiple mobs. The cleric and DD can come in action just a fraction of a second earlier, which can make quite a difference.

@ Hasukurobi: yeah, timing fox wallop is really tricky, because you have to cast it just before the boss starts casting. I think the only reason I can manage to do it correctly is because I also play a barb It still requires to continously count the seconds to time it right.

The ferenczy - Sanctuary

some advice for venos in party that is over looked.

use small pet to lure pls. it helps don't use you magmite.

be giving with your buffs and skills. bramble is nice for tanks.

don't worry about taking agro. the tank will get it back 1 hit if barb. if you take agro just keep going don't cry don't brag.

learn how to lure. period.

use a small pet durring fights where you and pet are in dd role.

don't hold back with damage.

if adds gould be a problem keep your pet out of fight stand next to cleric and keep pet in defence or manual *defence preferable*. this way you will be first to react and keep cleric alive. living clerics = happy clerics.

sorry it got long but do this and parties will love you.

oh yeah also talk to your tank about when to zap chi. nothing sucks worse for barb tanks than to get zapped chi at 95 chi and then need to debate when to use the skills. most barbs are good at managing thier own chi. if you zap right it is amazing if not is in a waste. a good rule is if you see yello light under your barb zap him chi or if you see him spin and white light give him chi in not then hold off on it

thanks for reading