Can ZOS make Rats and other dungeon critters Untargetable?

Nestor · December 2014

So, I am doing a dungeon run and I have a nice power burst opener on my NB that can give me 1400 to 2100 points damage with the combo I use. I am in sneak, get ready to unload my opening rotation and let it fly. Only to blow my wad nuking a rat that I did not see between me and the mob in question. Note, I have the mob targeted (highlighted in red) when I am lining things up, but it seems that the game will move the targeting to the rat if the rat is between me and the mob in question.

TequilaFire · December 2014

I can't tell you how many times this has happened to me.
I don't think the rats like it either!

Enemy-of-Coldharbour · December 2014

This has happened to me as well on many occasions.

DeLindsay · December 2014

+1 from me it's stupid and annoying.

Rosveen · December 2014

Critters drop bait, we need to be able to kill them. But targeting definitely could use an improvement. It's even weirder when I seem to be targeting dead mobs.

Jennifur_Vultee · December 2014

I had this happen so many times but the one that stands out was a public dungeon achievement boss. My Dragon Knight sailed across the room doing a shield charge to open the attack and squashed the rat behind the boss that I didn't see. This left me in a less than desirable situation with him not stunned but instead breathing fire on me. I really wish they would fix this or make rats in dungeons untargetable. Its almost like someone at Zeminax has a rat phobia and made them a priority one target overriding all others.

DeLindsay · December 2014

Rosveen wrote: »

Critters drop bait, we need to be able to kill them. But targeting definitely could use an improvement. It's even weirder when I seem to be targeting dead mobs.

Literally nobody goes into a 4 player instanced Dungeon to farm Insect parts and the like for Fishing bait. ZoS needs to make it so that ALL ambient Critters in instanced dungeons/delves/trails are not targetable by any player ability, including AOE.

driosketch · December 2014

Rosveen wrote: »

Critters drop bait, we need to be able to kill them. But targeting definitely could use an improvement. It's even weirder when I seem to be targeting dead mobs.

The target box on critters appears to be overly large. Just trying to look at or target another player or MOB if there is a critter nearby is nearly impossible. My cross hairs are no where near them, but I'm still seeing a rat as my target.

timidobserver · December 2014

The addon Rainbow Reticle makes targeting 100% easier.

Aett_Thorn · December 2014

timidobserver wrote: »

The addon Rainbow Reticle makes targeting 100% easier.

Does it make it so that I can actually hit the spider that is feasting on his cousin, instead of the dead spider corpse that he's munching on?

OrangeTheCat · December 2014

Good suggestion OP. i one accidentally atomized a rat instead of my real target. I had to adopt a nest of baby whose parent I took from them and now I am the proud mother of 648 rates.

timidobserver · December 2014

Aett_Thorn wrote: »

timidobserver wrote: »

The addon Rainbow Reticle makes targeting 100% easier.

Does it make it so that I can actually hit the spider that is feasting on his cousin, instead of the dead spider corpse that he's munching on?

It makes what you are targeting more distinctive. It helps me out a ton.

MorrisAO · December 2014

Yes, I've also spiflicated many butterflies because of this..

Rodario · December 2014

I recently noticed that when playing my new Nord character, which I made as tall as possible, I often accidentally hit critters even in melee.

I suspect this is a result of looking slightly downwards when fighting, as opposed to looking straight ahead with my smaller framed Imperial and Bosmer melee characters.

Blud · December 2014

It really sucks if you blow an ulti like Soul Assault on a critter.

SantieClaws · December 2014

But Santie Claws knows these rats are delicious and drop wiggly bits that let you catch even more delicious fishies. Killing ratties is a double win yes?

If anyone has any dead ratties they do not want then this one would be very happy to receive them in the post for Fishmas

Flynch · December 2014

Currently yellow NPCs seem to have the same target priority as the red NPCs. Not sure whether it is to do with their hitbox size or the way the soft targeting is programmed, but yellow NPCs should be right at the bottom of the priorities list imo.

They even trump other players' names being displayed, as mentioned above.

Moonshadow66 · December 2014

Happens to me quite often, too.
And when it does, it's not just annoying, it also feels so ridiculous at the same time.. like "Let's just use Surge and then flatten the rat with Crystal Shards, yay! The more magicka I lose before I actually hit an enemy, the better!"^^

felinith66 · December 2014

How about making it so the NPC's I'm fighting get to accidentally hit critters same as me.

NordJitsu · December 2014

I've used Soul Strike on rats before...

Moonshadow66 · December 2014

NordJitsu wrote: »

I've used Soul Strike on rats before...

Would be funny rolling out the Atronach for rats, too (even more if they'd attack 1 target only)^^

Esha76 · December 2014

+1 vote for getting rid of these things.

Really... wrecking blow a rat is not only severe overkill, but highly annoying while three NPCs are giving me the business. Besides, once Justice System goes live, I don't need any SPCA chasing down my character for critter abuse.

AlexDougherty · December 2014

Yeah, the rats and small spiders can be annoying when they run between me and my foes, or even just behind and the game decides to target them instead anyway.

Nice idea.

Slurg · December 2014

felinith66 wrote: »

How about making it so the NPC's I'm fighting get to accidentally hit critters same as me.

Agree! It's just not right that they can hit me with great accuracy, and in return, I hit a poor innocent bystander creature. I want their targeting system!

I hate accidentally killing creatures that didn't do anything to me.

Draxys · December 2014

I don't think they should be untargetable, but they should be MUCH harder to target. Maybe only through tab. When I can't see the name of another player that's right in front of me because there's a squirrel 30 meters behind him, it's a stupid system.

AaronMB · December 2014

MorrisAO wrote: »

Yes, I've also spiflicated many butterflies because of this..

I didn't know that you could even attack butterflies - collect their parts, yes.

As I go about my business, I like to use Soul Siphon on the critters. It's mostly unnecessary for the healing, of course, but the +1 each time for ultimate recharge isn't a bad thing.

It really is pretty lame when the rats and mudcrabs intercept an attack meant for a monster.

The bad targeting also leads to bad info, as I'll see "Rat" or some such when trying to look at a player; sometimes I can't even find the critter it's telling me I'm looking at when I'm really looking at a Player.

starlizard70ub17_ESO · December 2014

I've died because the targeting system decided that the rat off to the side was a greater threat to me then that VR10 troll with only 5% hp left, who's charging me.

AlnilamE · December 2014

I must confess I laughed in sympathy at some of the stories. It doesn't happen to me very often, but it does seem to happen at the worst possible times.

Like when I'm in Craglorn trying to take down a group of V13 Welwa and I hit the mudcrab equivalent instead...

Robocles · December 2014

I agree.

At least they don't randomly lock out your heals now, though.

OrangeTheCat · December 2014

Although I agree with you OP, I do have to say that killing dungeon mice/rats is fun. They make such a satisfying 'squeeeeeek'. When I was farming dwemer motifs on my NB I made a habit of killing the mice/rats along the way.

Nestor · December 2014

OrangeTheCat wrote: »

Although I agree with you OP, I do have to say that killing dungeon mice/rats is fun. They make such a satisfying 'squeeeeeek'. When I was farming dwemer motifs on my NB I made a habit of killing the mice/rats along the way.

We should still be able to kill them, after all we need guts for the fish we will be able to do something with in Update 6. I just want their target priority lowered down to the point where they don't become a factor in mob combat.