Tanking - Trash mobs and aggro

Bodycounter

I am completely new to tanking and started my first character a few days ago. I have been watching some tanking videos on YouTube especially regarding taunting and aggro. The general consense: if i am the first and only one as a tank to damage a trash group they should all aggro me, so i am able to use crowd control etc on them. But i noticed that trash mobs will just randomly aggro anyone in my group even if im the only one damaging them.

Example:
I did go through the one stone door in Wayrest Sewers after the group on the stairs. Behind is a boss and a group of rats. I went through the door alone, jumped down and used Elemental Blockade on the rats. Half of the rat group turned around and ran into the wall and tried to reach my group still standing behind the stone door! How am i supposed to group trash mobs when they will aggro my group completely randomly?

Note:
I do not notice the behavior in YouTube videos but i am unable to see why they behave any different.

BejaProphet

The idea that if you hit the creature first that you will get the aggro is true enough to serve as a guideline. But as you observed, it’s not consistent, and nobody knows why that is so.

The creatures who are the biggest threat seem particularly iffy, so always taunt them. The other time this inconsistency shows the most is large packs, as you observed.

I find the best strategy to be to position myself where the mass of creatures will walk, then cast an aoe crowd control. So I will make sure they must walk through me to get to my group, then I can cast my claws, or an aoe fear or something. This roots several so that I can begin applying longer term solutions.

So it will look something like this...

1. Apply range taunt to major threats, I don’t go to them I want the mass to funnel towards me in pursuit of my group.

2. Slam claws as the trivial stuff washed over me

3. Leashing ranged into the pile this is forming.

4. Look for stragglers ang make sure tau tank don’t lapse on main threats.

In truely massive groups you can’t get them all, don’t sweat it. Your group can handle a couple rats nibbling at them.

Good luck!

Dagoth_Rac

There is no "aggro" in ESO. Zip. Zero. Nada. If something is not taunted, there is no guarantee who it will attack. You will not taunt everything. Just taunt the boss and most dangerous adds, and CC stuff to hold it in place so DPS can AoE it down. What are the "dangerous adds?" It can vary from fight to fight and takes experience and knowledge.

BejaProphet

When I say “aggro” we just mean you are the target that creature is after. In that sense their is unquestionably aggro in the game. But I suppose we always do well to define our terms.

Zodiarkslayer

There are soft and hard taunts.

Soft taunt is damage, simple enough. If someone does more damage than you as a tank, you loose the soft taunt. It is pretty straight foreward, actually.
Only hard taunt by ability is guaranteed.

Fennwitty

Sometimes, maybe lag or whatever the monsters actually 'saw' or were hit by a different person than you thought.

The 'soft taunt' of being the first person to engage them only works for a few seconds anyway.

With a pack of rats, what you want to ensure is they stay close to *each other* not so much prevent them attacking your party members.

The reason is: Bunching up weak monsters allows your group's area of effect and damage over time skills to wipe them out with very little effort.

When you expect trash mobs to die in seconds, it's not even worth your time to apply a single-target taunt. Just immobilize or snare them hard so they're close to each other.

For your specific example, the typical opening move would be Dragonknight skill "Dark Talons", or Necromancer skill "Grave Grasp", Warden "Gripping Shards", Sorcerer "Encase", Nightblade "Mass Hysteria". Templars don't currently have a built in good option, but you can use the Fighter's Guild skill Turn Undead, or any variety of snares which help somewhat.

Fennwitty

Also keep in mind that bosses usually have at least one 'random' attack where they go after part members regardless of your taunt. It's to keep things interesting.

As long as they're taunted the majority of attacks will still be focused on you. Even if the boss runs away to do a random attack, he'll walk back to you when he's done if the taunt is active.

Bodycounter

Fennwitty wrote: »

Sometimes, maybe lag or whatever the monsters actually 'saw' or were hit by a different person than you thought.

Problem is: the rest of my group was literally in another room behind a stone wall and half of the rats still went in the direction of my group instead of my direction? That does not make any sense at all. The only thing i can imagine is that i still had some form of buff or HoT on my from a team mate.

Fennwitty

Bodycounter wrote: »

Fennwitty wrote: »

Sometimes, maybe lag or whatever the monsters actually 'saw' or were hit by a different person than you thought.

Problem is: the rest of my group was literally in another room behind a stone wall and half of the rats still went in the direction of my group instead of my direction? That does not make any sense at all. The only thing i can imagine is that i still had some form of buff or HoT on my from a team mate.

Maybe you scared them off.

Wayrest Sewers is the buggiest dungeon in the game though by the way.

Elendir2am

Enter as first and do damage as first are not foolproof taunting. Only hard taunt is (with some exception). However, getting aggro of majority is essential as tank. You need some mass snare or mass immobilize as your opener. I also thought that I can put aside choking talon and use elemental blockade, but I returned it immediate.

However, blockade are still better, then nothing as opener. I still remember, when my mag Sorc get fake tank for Fungal Grotto II more then year ago. Sorc was squishy that day and I/he was only one with AoE attack at group, so I collect all aggro immediately I started attacking.

Amottica

I do not think the tank gets aggro on the entire group when they are first to damage some of them. I have seen trash groups spread out for the tank to damage all with one attack. I have also found that I do get agro on some trash when damaging them which probably means the tank has not taunted them. This is not an issue as I am able to move around, block, and dodge.

I have noticed that when a tank initiates combat they tend to get the group under some sort of control better than when someone else does. When a damage dealer decides they should start the fight the group seems to spread out making the fight take longer. I seem to see more damage dealers doing this in ESO than other games I have played over the years.