Marking Dungeon Targets

[TheLastCandle]

My thought process is this: for most packs of mobs, it's not so much about something "needing" to die first as it is to make sure the DPS are all focusing their fire on the same thing for efficiency's sake. Said thing dies quickly, and you're not taking damage from its attacks anymore, so the healer isn't working quite as hard to keep you alive. Everybody wins.

 

If everyone is AoEing everything down or is overgeared for the fight, naturally, this loses its importance.

[Tiergan]

What TheLastCandle said. There aren't too many monsters that will cause insane amounts of trouble if they don't die first - it's just more efficient to have both your DPS attacking the same thing instead of the two of them whittling down two different targets.

 

If it's an AOE extravaganza or we're all so geared that everything's melting before us - marking doesn't really matter as much.

[Oscare]

How do you make a marking macro? Do you just AoE the group and have it select everything in your enemy list? Also why do people care about the gremlins in Amdapor? I thought all they did was raise vulnerability.

 

(Also, at this point in the game marking would not be to help me maintain enmity personally since Shield Oath makes it very easy but rather for the sake of the party).

The gremlins can heal, too.

[Melkire]

Marks are tools for communication. In this game they are very useful. I've tanked in a boatload of other games, and this game's system is its own beast. You can't just go in, AoE taunt, and call it good.

 

My rule of thumb is if I don't mark, I have to hold hate on everything. There are plenty of times when you just don't need to mark. When you're pulling three groups together, its not necessary.

 

I can't speak to how Paladin plays (I've only ever leveled it up to 31), but as Warrior I've found that, after 'hawking, two to three Overpowers into tab-targeting the enmity combo with perhaps another Overpower or Flash thrown in for good measure is almost always sufficient to hold hate on everything and anything in low level content. It doesn't have the snap of an AoE taunt, but it secures the top spot on the aggro chart for group pulls, and tab-targeting maintains that lead. Sure, the DPS can't just Set Target you and kill whatever you're killing since you're bouncing around, but at that point the onus is on the tank to cycle through the enemy list and keep these bars...

 

 

...nice and low.

 

I can understand marking targets so your DPS focus fire and burn down one target at a time (mind you, Focus Target is better suited for this). I encourage marking things like Caduceus so that the party can easily identify which snake is which after the split. I agree marking identical-looking mobs so that your four damage dealers kill them ASAP to relieve pressure on the tanks and healers (please don't ever solo tank Turn 5 without marking the Scourges, Garry, the thought scares me >_> )) And someone (ONE, not A BUNCH of people) had better be marking the doors in Lost City in case they're awful at Memory.

 

What I can't understand and don't agree with is the mentality that most, let alone every, trash pull between bosses in low level (read: not endgame) content needs to be marked. The only trouble I've ever had with aggro in said content is pre-26 pre-RoH Gladiator in Totorak with synced-from-50 damage dealers in my party... and that has absolutely nothing to do with marking so much as tunnel-vision from the DPS. If I can't keep up with Savage Blade combo and Flash, please spread your DPS around the mobs instead of focusing. :dazed:

 

Focus Target solves the problem of DDs not coordinating. Mark is useful... but asking, or expecting, the majority of pulls to be marked is... excessive. And unnecessary. Is it helpful? Yes. But it's helpful in the same way that a red signal at the crosswalk telling you not to step into heavy traffic traveling at speeds of 50mph and up is helpful. "Do this, not this," etc.

 

 

EDIT: Was typing this up when TheLastCandle posted, and I agree. Mark for DPS efficiency... but even then, I'd say Focus Target serves that purpose better in most cases pre-endgame.

[Coatleque]

 

Who is this Ryahl, and why haven't I met him yet? Hmmm...

[Melkire]

 

Who is this Ryahl, and why haven't I met him yet? Hmmm...

 

I have no idea, I'm at work with no screens of my own to reference atm, so I grabbed the first image of the party list that Google spat out at me. /shrug

[K'nahli]

The gremlins can heal, too.

 

Ohhh! I never noticed that, thank you for letting me know ^^

 

What I can't understand and don't agree with is the mentality that most, let alone every, trash pull between bosses in low level (read: not endgame) content needs to be marked. The only trouble I've ever had with aggro in said content is pre-26 pre-RoH Gladiator in Totorak with synced-from-50 damage dealers in my party... and that has absolutely nothing to do with marking so much as tunnel-vision from the DPS. If I can't keep up with Savage Blade combo and Flash, please spread your DPS around the  mobs instead of focusing. :dazed:

 

Focus Target solves the problem of DDs not coordinating. Mark is useful... but asking, or expecting, the majority of pulls to be marked is... excessive. And unnecessary. Is it helpful? Yes. But it's helpful in the same way that a red signal at the crosswalk telling you not to step into heavy traffic traveling at speeds of 50mph and up is helpful. "Do this, not this," etc.

 

 

Haha, I like your analogy. This was kind of my mindset too but I think I'll consider returning to doing it anyways since many have stressed that they prefer it regardless ^^

[Melodia]

As a Bard I only ever need the marks the first time, maybe two...then I remember the order. Sometimes I see other DPS go for the wrong guy and get a bit rattled but I generally will know. Like in Halatali HM.....Solomon Moss dope guy goes down first. Brayflox, Goblin Footman goes down first so we don't get spammed by 10000000 gobbie birds.

 

But yeah....the marks are helpful first time and then not needed and really only on new dungeons.

 

I respect the tank's lead ALWAYS in instances and raids. :thumbsup:

 

Edit: Unless they suck and refuse to use flash, Shield Oath, etc. Then it's off with their heads.

[K'nahli]

As a Bard I only ever need the marks the first time, maybe two...then I remember the order. Sometimes I see other DPS go for the wrong guy and get a bit rattled but I generally will know. Like in Halatali HM.....Solomon Moss dope guy goes down first. Brayflox, Goblin Footman goes down first so we don't get spammed by 10000000 gobbie birds.

 

But yeah....the marks are helpful first time and then not needed and really only on new dungeons.

 

I respect the tank's lead ALWAYS in instances and raids. :thumbsup:

 

Edit: Unless they suck and refuse to use flash, Shield Oath, etc. Then it's off with their heads.

 

That footman actually only needs to be hit once to get him to stop calling Goooooobies but I was in one party where the tank marked him because he had "more health" or something. I didn't quite understand why that deserved a mark but I didn't really question it, haha.

[Melodia]

As a Bard I only ever need the marks the first time, maybe two...then I remember the order. Sometimes I see other DPS go for the wrong guy and get a bit rattled but I generally will know. Like in Halatali HM.....Solomon Moss dope guy goes down first. Brayflox, Goblin Footman goes down first so we don't get spammed by 10000000 gobbie birds.

 

But yeah....the marks are helpful first time and then not needed and really only on new dungeons.

 

I respect the tank's lead ALWAYS in instances and raids. :thumbsup:

 

Edit: Unless they suck and refuse to use flash, Shield Oath, etc. Then it's off with their heads.

 

That footman actually only needs to be hit once to get him to stop calling Goooooobies

 

Oh! I never knew that. Thank you! Learn something new every day.