So how the heck does aggro works?

So I've played a bunch of RPGs before, always loved being a healer so I rolled a Mo/Me as my first PvE character in GW. I've seen many different aggro systems in many games from the most elementary ones such as MUOnline and Conquer, to extremelly complex systems such as in EQ and WoW. And even on most highly scripted end game bosses the aggro system was always predictable, I could always tell who was in the mob's aggro list and to who it was comming to next.

Until I started playing GW.. I'm still a newbie, just got my first lv20, haven't done all the missions but did most of them. And what bothers me the most is that even tho I got a char at the max level, I still have absolutelly NO CLUE as to how the aggro system works on this game. I have no idea why did the mob stopped hitting the tank and came towards me. Why did sometimes they just give up from me after running in circles, but sometimes they don't. Why does sometimes they decide to hit the tank instead, but sometimes they don't.

I feel like a complete retard running in circles trying to figure out what pattern the mobs follow while I'm getting juiced. Could someone please enlight and old newbie? How do I change my position in the mob's aggro list? Is there any specific skills that increase/decrease aggro? How can a tank take a mob away from a caster? How can a caster make the mob quit?

using a flee skill/spell helps ridding yourself of arrgo
that would mean using illusion of haste(no monk flee spell)

the AI in this game is wierd, some monster groups are predictable and some switch targets alot... there was an old rumor around that argo went like this..
Monsters Most Wanted
1.Monk
2.Elementalist
3/4.Necro
3/4.Mesmer
5.Ranger
6.Warrior

if one person arrgo's a group alone (your not in thier arggo bubble or monsters dont get in your after they land there 1st attacks) they usally stick to that target.

otherwise Stone Summit and the Tengu race are known for switching targets for no apernt reason if there are or have been other ppl in thier arrgo bubbles.

So you are saying that if a mob is hitting me, and I do nothing but stand still and press the "Illusion of Haste" button the mob will have a chance to give up and go for someone else? Or you say it because if I run away from his attack range he will try to hit an easier target? If the second one is true, how would I wipe aggro from a ranged mob who I cannot run away from?

Are you also saying that if a mob is hitting me, I stand there and do nothing. There is absolutely nothing that a warrior could ever do to taunt the mob to hit him iinstead?

get out of his range perhaps?

i just agro them onto the war.... like run behind the wars then they sometimes get off me.

The reason the mob stops hitting the tank normally is due to casters being in the grey aggro circle of the tank on the radar. This can be done through bad pulling (tank luring mob back) or a caster wandering into tanks aggro.

Look at the circle around yourself on the radar. That's the aggro circle, they won't attack you unless they are inside it.

In a battle the warrior(s) should go in first, and then the casters and rangers should cast their spells from outside the aggro circle. That way the enemies should stay on the warrior. If everyone is running around like headless chickens they will change targets all the time, and as someone posted, monks and eles are tasty characters for monsters

You would use IoH and then run away. You'll be moving 33% faster, so the mob will get sick of chasing you and go after a slower, easier to catch target. The rangers will also do it; they'll simply switch targets to someone closer to them instead of that guy who's running away so fast that they can't get time to stop and fire.

The Warrior can run up and start beating on the target, but it's up to the mob as to whether or not to attack him/her back.

Generally, they will attack the players with the lowest Armor if I remember correctly.

But it also has something to do with the closest one as well. And the first one that attacks it. And the one doing the most damage.

Basically. To avoid aggro, don't be in range of it.

It's based mostly on positioning, though they also have an unreliable preference to go after players with low armor or health. There's no "taunt" or anything a warrior can do to take aggro back if you just stand there. But if you run away and a warrior gets in between you and the monster, or even just hits it in the back, that can help. A more reliable way to get the aggro off you is to increase your own speed or reduce the monster's so it can't keep up with you - then it'll lose interest in chasing you and go after someone closer to it. Illusion of Haste can do this, as someone else mentioned, or a warrior could bring skills like Hamstring or Bull's Strike.

I don't carry Illusion of Haste, but Chaos Storm or other such spells seem good enough to give you a breather while they run out of range.

Also the NPC are effected by the player's DP (death penalty). Even with the most wanted list which has been tested and for the most part they follow (even more in FoW does this apply) the creatures are some smart scripting in their AI and tells them to attack the weakest player. If your Warrior has 60 DP and your monk runs in with the warrior, the creatures dont even reconize the monk as a threat. Best rule for PvE is if your a squishy with DP....just sit back and take a page from the monks book. If your a Warrior with DP, then talk to your monk heh.

Yes, once you pick up a dp, everything wants a piece of you. They basically do what players do, pick of the weak easy kills first.

The speed dodge skills seem to work by taking you out of the monster's radar. If I hit dodge, but stay there it is of no benefit, but run a few steps under it and agro is instantly broken. I've recently been trying solo beastmaster builds and I have replaced troll unguent with dodge, it's that effective! If monsters aren't agroing you, then you don't need healing.

I play most of the times as a monk myself, and find that i hardly ever get to mucg aggro. I try to position myself so that the warriors are on the edge of my aggro circle. If im unfortunate that they go for me, i try running towards the warriors and circle around him. Most of the times this is enough to loose aggro on that warrior.
And ofcourse there are also the moments where i get targeted and whiped as the 1st player, but hey, its a game...........

Exactly...if you have monsters comming twoard you and they've ran past a warrior, then all you do is walk backwards untill the monster is sick of running and goes back to the tank.

Some times the monsters dont give up and they keep following you. Its your job to keep you alive and protect/heal your party...Welcome to monking

The reason dodge is working is because in the skill description i believe it says "have a 75% chance to evade attacks" so ofcourse this spell is going to work against foe's trying to attack you. Thus, allowing you to run away and get rid of any aggro. As a squishy, running around warriors is often the best and easiest way to get rid of aggro, since the warrior will be hacking and slashing the foe, the foe will get "mad" and start fighting back, think of it as a dog. dog chases mail man, little boy hits dog with water baloon, dog attacks little boy, mail main runs away.

On the map theres a red circle, when monsters enter into your red circle or " aggro circle" they will come to you. Or when a monster uses a warrior shout, thats aslo considered aggro and they will come to you.

hmmm yes I forgot to add this aspect to the game, the monsters like to run away from active AoE dmg agasint them, passive AoE dmg would be self inflicting(they dont run away, example would be Spitful Spirit), active would be spells/stances on your character(I'v heard my friend use balths arua to run riverside, to get a guy off a bridge)

active spells/skills like... Meteor shower, Fire Storm, Maelstorm, Balthazars Aura, Symbol of Wrath, Choas Storm, Dust/Flame Traps would cause monsters to run away from the location they are at and in turn find a new person to attack who evers closer or whatever reasons unknown.

So how do I deaggro from a ranged mob? In some situations you don't have space to run away from his range, or if you do I will be far from the people that I need to heal. Would aoeing the ranged mob work? If I stand still just healing and the warrior start attacking the ranged mob, will he give up on me?

The responses seems too spread out, it looks like no one is absolutely sure of what exact mathematical pattern the mobs follow. Which is actually really fun, I hate playing predictable games

It's not based on DP, but rather maximum health--granted, the two overlap often, but the distinction is there. Enemies, when given a choice (i.e., multiple targets in their aggro range), will often go for the target with lower maximum health.

I love how everyone says to stay out of the aggro circle. There ARE a lot of spells that have a shorter range than the huge aggro circle on your radar, thus you have to have them in your aggro to taret them for casting.

I think the truth is that monster attacks are a bit random, a bit thought out (like attacking the weakest), and a bit predictable. Its everything at once!

Most of the time, if you have 2 warriors and they stay close to each other, they will draw most of the heat. But like ohters have said, the Tengu bird guys and the Stone Summit axe weilders tend to go straight for the casters in your party.