September 17, 2009
Let’s talk about threat…
So I dinged 80 the other day, strapped on my shiny new Tempered Saronite plate and hit my 1st heroic. Actually, I’ve been hitting several heroics a day since I dinged and things have gone rather well.
The only times we’ve lost players (barring the inevitable 1 wipe in an Occulus PuG – on the last boss), I’m glad to say hasn’t been due to ‘New Tank Syndrome’. In all cases, it’s been due to players over DPSing.
I have a lvl80 warlock and I know all about threat management from a DPS point of view. In Affi spec, she trundles along, draining away, gaining threat slowly. In destro, she rockets to the top of omen in no time at all and I have to back her off before I aggro over the tank… it’s that simple.
Unfortunately, there are players out there who seem to have forgotten this golden rule of grouping and seem almost happy to tear into a pack of mobs, showing everyone their imba 3k+ DPS, right up until the moment their corpse lies in a heap at our feet.
So, rather than talk about my new gear and possible upgrades, I’d like to pause a moment and reflect on the gloriously underutilised theory of Threat Management.
What is Threat?
Threat is your potential to either harm the mob in question (by causing it damage), or to prevent the mob from harming your group mates (by healing them) and is a linear equation in most cases. It can be readily understood and formulated through game mechanics:
Given that Damage X Time (seconds) = DPS (Damage per Second), DPS X Time (Seconds) = TPS (Threat per Second).
Therefore:
1) The more damage you’re capable of doing, the higher your potential threat (unless you’re a tanky type with threat increasing talents such as Righteous Fury).
2) The faster you apply your DPS, the faster your potential threat is realised.
3) If your TPS consistently exceeds that of the tank, you will over-aggro and your actual threat will exceed his / hers.
4) If your threat exceeds that of your tank, the mob will hit you instead.
5) If the mob hits you, you will die… rapidly.
Group Mechanics
Tanks:
a) Generate massive amounts of threat through direct damage, damage over time and special abilities to ensure the target mobs attack them, and only them, leaving the DPSers to focus on killing and the healers to focus on keeping the tank alive.
b) Are heavy armour wearing brutes, usually with big shields.
c) Have enough Defence to prevent being critically hit
d) Have enough strength & block to absorb (mitigate) heavy blows when they land.
e) Have enough dodge & parry to get out of the way of (avoid) enough swings of the axe to make their healer’s job a whole lot easier.
Most DPSers:
a) Generate threat through direct damage and damage over time.
b) Are often light armour wearers.
c) Have low defence (so they’re just asking for a critical blow which may, in some cases, throw more damage in one hit than they have Hit Points).
d) Are squishy and die easily.
Healers:
a) Generate threat through the level of healing required to maintain the tank (and other party members where applicable). The easier their job, the lower their threat. If they have to consistently spam massive heals because of an under-geared tank, they will quickly over aggro.
b) Are squishy and die easily.
*Qirael’s Wall-of-text hits you for 32,486 (Critical)
* You die
What does it all mean and what can I do about it?
Here comes the fun part. Scenarios…
Scenario A.
Bad DPS, Down boy!
• Tank pulls group with Avenger’s shield (magic user marked with skull)
• Hunter immediately sends in pet (with Growl on) and starts spamming aimed shot
• Hunters pet gets aggro and dies
• Hunter gets aggro and dies
• Tank gets off a consecrate and starts to build some aggro
• Warlock spams Rain of Fire
• Melee mob peels off and turns toward Warlock
• Tank taunts back towards him
• Warlock panics due to unwanted attention and blows all CDs on melee mob before Tank can cause further damage to melee mob
• Warlock dies
• Etc…
Scenario B.
Aggro built up steadily over time.
• Tank pulls group with Avenger’s shield (magic user marked with skull)
• Hunter spots awkward target and misdirects onto Tank then turns pet lose on skull (growl turned off) and starts to DPS with focussed fire on skull until it dies, then turns to the next target (possibly marked, probably not if it’s trash), until all are dead
• Warlock lays down some DOTs and then starts DPS rotation on marked target. Once dead, switches to spamming Rain of Fire and Seed of Corruption to bring down the others (since by this time there’s so much aggro on the tank, it’ll take a week to pull them off
• Everyone lives!
And that’s really the long and the short of it. It’s like making love… Start off slowly, get a feel for each other, then increase the pace in perfect harmony until you reach a crescendo of blissful union.
Alternatively, keep showing your group mates how big your DPS Epeen is and don’t complain at your outrageous repair bills (and certainly don’t complain to the tank!).
Bye for now.
Q
