Dealing with bosses

mrcharlytoo

(when you don't have a handy barb to hold aggro)

Yesterday I was in a squad with my nub lvl63archer, doing BH51. A lvl9x cleric and 9x archer kindly offered to help run through.

All fine until wyvern. Archer was killed fairly quickly, then me, then the cleric.

We didn't have a barb with us to hold aggro and tank.

So, without a barb, what tactics work?

I suggested that the cleric spam IH on themselves and attack boss, theorizing that the heal spamming + attacks would hold boss's aggro.

Is hit and run an option? If so, what chain of attacks? Pity you can't circle strafe. Or can you do this using Barrage of Arrows?

Nowitsawn - Heavens Tear

Cleric heals generate a minimal amount of aggro, just above zero. When a cleric is busy healing themselves they won't take aggro from an equal archer just shooting away.

The tactic for such a setup would be; archer takes it on at max range, cleric heals/purifies from max range and the rest just stays away. This way only the archer will get hit as Wyvern's AoE seems to have a range of 25m.

Vindis - Dreamweaver

Basically what Nowitsawn said. And IIRC Wyvern's aoe is mostly frontal so the tank should also turn him away (at least that is how it was done back when I did this instance years ago).

mrcharlyplustwo

Would any tank other than a barb be able to hold aggro off the archer?

In the absence of a barb, would it be sensible to try tag-teaming?

Say, DD1 (archer) attacks from West. Their health starts to drop too fast. They stop attacking and DD2 attacks from East and switch back as needed.

ovenusarmanio

Any of the hard armor classes can tank it with cleric heals at level. TBH I don't know why the 9x cleric couldn't tank it themselves. TT90 armor and staying at range should've been more than enough for that, nvm the archer. They probably were failing to purify his debuff.

The solution to having an unorthodox tank is simply give whoever it is a chance to establish aggro. Not that bms will have much trouble with that front later on, for example. For bosses that debuff, clerics should be purifying. Wyrvren, Polearm, and Gaurnob having some particularly nasty ones for the low level range. Rather than aggro pong, which actually makes it harder for a cleric to solo heal a squishy tank.

mrcharlyplustwo

I tanked Ranker with my seeker when it was only lvl6x, so I guess you are right.

Thanks for the info. I guess in future if squad doesn't have a HA toon in it, I'll drag my Seeker along on follow and use it for the boss fights.

Vindis - Dreamweaver

mrcharlyplustwo wrote: »

I tanked Ranker with my seeker when it was only lvl6x, so I guess you are right.

Thanks for the info. I guess in future if squad doesn't have a HA toon in it, I'll drag my Seeker along on follow and use it for the boss fights.

Anything can tank, if given time. For example, if you let a bm with claws get 2 or so spark cycles in and the cleric just heals him while the others wait. After a minute or two others can jump in and things should go well.

Aggro management is a long forgotten trait of this game since BP and aps became prevalent.

Nowitsawn - Heavens Tear

Vindis - Dreamweaver wrote: »

Basically what Decus said.

b:question

Vindis - Dreamweaver

Nowitsawn - Heavens Tear wrote: »

b:question

**** my bad bro. I was so tired. Too used to seeing his cleric post here and I was answering another thread earlier b:shutup

Apologies b:surrender

Decus - Dreamweaver

Heh, I can make posts even when I don't make posts. b:cool

ovenusarmanio

mrcharlyplustwo wrote: »

I tanked Ranker with my seeker when it was only lvl6x, so I guess you are right.

Thanks for the info. I guess in future if squad doesn't have a HA toon in it, I'll drag my Seeker along on follow and use it for the boss fights.

Another thing you can do is WC for specific types of roles as opposed to specific classes. For example when you say "LF tank," you'll get any of the heavies in BH 51. If you say "LF barb," you might be there for ages. And when you get to BH59, actually any of the arcanes can tank in there too. Although you'll need a real tanky type for polearm in bh69 owning to the debuff. Anyway, if you do bring your seeker I would recommend making sure the cleric knows to purify or the mystic knows to use salvation's shield at the point he debuffs. Otherwise you're likely to die quick.

Decus - Dreamweaver wrote: »

Heh, I can make posts even when I don't make posts. b:cool

Too pro.