Pet Aggro / Threat / Taunt Mechanics

[Fursphere]

I posted this in the warrior forum, but then it was suggested I make this more available to other classes, so here goes...

As many warriors know (any tanking I guess actually), pet taunt mechanics are totally broken, or at least completely miss-understood at best.

While thinking about PET aggro/threat/taunting, I considered that Blizzard intentionally made "pet taunt" > "warrior threat" for the sole reason of savings players. IE - Mob is on the priest, send in pet to pull it off... normally works, buying time for the "tank" to get over there and pickup that loose mob.

So the real issue could be that players (hunter and warlocks, the other classes with pets right now) are either lazy or uninformed of this possible "working as intended" pet aggro mechanic, and don't know when its appropriate to turn off auto-taunt, and when to leave it on.

/food for thought

So it comes down to this. Players who want to use pets in groups (hunters and Warlock's VW & FG), need to know when to turn on and turn off pet "auto-taunting".

Hunters - Growl
Warlocks - I believe the VW has two, and the Felguard has one, but I don't remember the names right now...

If you're attacking the "main tanks" target with your pet, turn off the auto-taunt feature. If you're offtanking or saving another player from a loose mob, turn it on.

This may seem like "well duh" information, but this stuff still happens quite often, even from seasoned players....

This isn't a rant, just an observation. :wave:

I Play: 60 Hunter, 64 Warlock, 64 Priest, 68 Warrior. - I've been on all sides of this scenario...

[xxlebox]

This may seem like "well duh" information, but this stuff still happens quite often, even from seasoned players....

Oh, you really don't know how many players forget this stuff all the time.

[tardzilla]

Welcome to last week.

[Leandar]

I'm a hunter and I always turn off growl unless the tank needs help or they need my pet to tank. I've been with an idot hunter, you know one of those that give the rest of us a bad image, who used eyes of the beast to see if a rare spawn was there. When the minute was over the pet came back and had everything down there following it. I tord him not to I had humanoid tracking on and could see he wasn't there.

[bhroam]

As a tank, I deal with hunter pets all the time and yes indeed they'll grab aggro from me. From what I can see, their growl works differently than our taunt (or to make matters really confusng, my growl). Taunt will give us equal threat to the highest person on the aggro table.

From what I can see, growl just adds threat to the pet. They'll be growling away and not pulling aggro and then eventually will.

I have no data to back this up... just observations based on tanking.

In any case, if a pet pulls aggro from me, I'll try and pull it back by generating threat. If I see it going down and I don't think I'll need my taunt in the next 10s, I'll taunt it back. I really hate burning my taunt cooldown on a pet though... because if a squishy pulls aggro in the next 10s, I'm screwed.

[Fursphere]

Unless you stance dance into battlestance and use mocking blow...

[Beruen]

From what I can see, growl just adds threat to the pet. They'll be growling away and not pulling aggro and then eventually will.

What theorycraft I've seen speculates that it's somewhere in between, or having components of both, a high threat move and a taunt.

In any case, if a pet pulls aggro from me, I'll try and pull it back by generating threat. If I see it going down and I don't think I'll need my taunt in the next 10s, I'll taunt it back. I really hate burning my taunt cooldown on a pet though... because if a squishy pulls aggro in the next 10s, I'm screwed.

Agreed. And I hope you mention this to the hunter in question. Even those of us who try to be aware of this forget once in a while. Not ALL hunters are untrainable. :wink:

[bwirum]

Unless you stance dance into battlestance and use mocking blow...

Stance dancing is really no option when you're a druid ;)

[moopy]

Stance dancing is really no option when you're a druid ;)

Do not underestimate the power of Bear Dance!

[earindur]

So the real issue could be that players (hunter and warlocks, the other classes with pets right now) are either lazy or uninformed of this possible "working as intended" pet aggro mechanic, and don't know when its appropriate to turn off auto-taunt, and when to leave it on.

im going to go ahead and assume you are talking about 5 man instances and above.

let me ask YOU a question, when did you last have a voidwalker out in a 5 man instance? or felguard? Using demonic knowledge/master demonologist using the imp in instances WAAAAAY out weigh the advantage of any other pet.

the imp increases your damage with demonic knowledge to the same (if not greater) than the felguard, a huge stamina buff for your tank/melee and you also get a 20% threat reduction!

I would suggest you spend more time learning your warlock before sharing your "questionable" opinion.


Warlocks - I believe the VW has two, and the Felguard has one, but I don't remember the names right now...

voidwalker
torment / suffering

felguard
anguish

more minor details you would know if you had spent more time on your warlock... or at least researched before you ranted.

This may seem like "well duh" information, but this stuff still happens quite often, even from seasoned players....

so your handfull of 60+ players exposed you to seasoned players did it? because i doubt very much the exposure you claim if seasoned hunters in your group dont use their pet to this effect.

This isn't a rant, just an observation.

this isnt an observation, its self indulgent tripe.

[Kugan]

earindur, I don't think he was referring to you... no reason to get defensive :laugh:

Not level 70 yet, but I have to agree with the OP. As a paladin healer, I'll much rather focus my healing on only one target: the tank. If that is not possible, I'll prefer to focus it on the tank and myself (or the off-tank if there is one) (I wear plate, and I know how to keep myself alive, thank you very much :).

I used to heal the pets... but these days, if your pet draws aggro, it dies (I do inform the hunters/warlocks of this before we enter an instance)

[Cerberus]

earindur, I don't think he was referring to you... no reason to get defensive :laugh:

Not level 70 yet, but I have to agree with the OP. As a paladin healer, I'll much rather focus my healing on only one target: the tank. If that is not possible, I'll prefer to focus it on the tank and myself (or the off-tank if there is one) (I wear plate, and I know how to keep myself alive, thank you very much :).

I used to heal the pets... but these days, if your pet draws aggro, it dies (I do inform the hunters/warlocks of this before we enter an instance)

When I heal pugs and hunters don't turn of growl and attack the tanks target I tend to "forget" to heal the pets tbh :p
At least when it's the 5th time it happens and you've allready gotten the "but why?" reply when trying to explain..

[NOYB]

Earindur... Did you wake up on the wrong side of the bed?

He was writing about how other classes misuse their pets. Regarding the VW/Felguard/Imp diatribe. There are definitely times when an off-tank is desired. Assuming there's no one else that can fit the bill; a VW can most certainly aid the party more than the imp. There are even times that I'll use my succubus to CC a mob. Don't automatically rule out the other warlock pets. That is indeed a very "noob" thing to do.

[earindur]

yeah i think i did,

i take it all back, and gracefully apologise to fursphere.

[Fursphere]

I use my FG and/or VW when the need for an offtank arises. Its basically another form of CC.

[earindur]

I use my FG and/or VW when the need for an offtank arises. Its basically another form of CC.

that it is, appologies.

[Fursphere]

No worries.

[Aerath]

In any case, if a pet pulls aggro from me, I'll try and pull it back by generating threat. If I see it going down and I don't think I'll need my taunt in the next 10s, I'll taunt it back. I really hate burning my taunt cooldown on a pet though... because if a squishy pulls aggro in the next 10s, I'm screwed.

If a hunter left on Growl, I warn once otherwise the pet can have it. After the pet died a few times, they generally get the basic idea that having a pet steal aggro from the tank isn't the best of ideas.

[bhroam]

Yeah, I'd do that except that the hunter in question is my wife. She gets a little upset if I let her pet die. I do politely request she turn growl off except when she's trying to save a squishy. Which she does... it doesn't happen often. Generally when her pet has aggro is because I was feared and she sent her pet in to stand in for me until I got back. In cases like this, I don't feel too bad about burning taunt.

I guess this brings new meaning to the term wife aggro =]

[Xlorep DarkHelm]

Do not underestimate the power of Bear Dance!


The power of the Dancing Bear compels you. The power of the Dancing Bear compels you!