Spells as pre-emptive strikes

G'day.

Another idiot question.

My experience is that I cannot get my elementalist or any other magic-weilder to have an offensive spell ready to go. In order to use something like fireball I have to click on a target first and the character will then seek to use either the ranged or melee weapon they have equipped, both closing on the target and delaying the 'firing-off' of the spell, and the target is alerted and attacks.

With many spells, particularly the 'weakening' or 'robbing' type like aether-feast, it would be good to be able to hit the target with one before it's even aware you're there, by clicking the spell and then targetting it, but this doesn't seem to be possible. Am I right?

Also, when you're attacking a group and want to draw one member away to attack it singly, the propensity for pets and computer henchmen to charge the target and draw the group into a melee with it makes tactics like this useless. A simple ability to be able to tell pets and computer-controlled henchment to 'stay' or 'guard my back' would be worth its weight in gold to the solo player.

Hold shift while clicking the monster

Also:
Tab to select the closest Mob to you. Tab again until you get to the one you want to hit first. Cast your spell and hit the space bar to attack with your wand / staff / whatever.

Basically, if you target a foe when you are still a little bit too far away to actually be in range (see the earlier replies regarding how to target a foe) and then cast a spell, your character will start to move towards that foe and will cast the spell when in range. This is one way to cast a spell "as soon as possible" at the start of a battle. You still have to be in range before the spell starts to cast, so if your spell takes 3 seconds to cast, the 3 seconds won't start until you are in range.

Regarding your comments about henchies and pets: You have to practice and learn the proper technique of how to play with both of these in order to be able to successfully lure, target, etc. With the proper technique, you can be very successful. Without the proper technique, you will be one of the many players who incorrectly go around saying its impossible to perform missions and quests with henchies.

The trick to luring with henchies is to remember that your henchies have an aggro circle (you do know what that is, yes?) the same size as yours. So keep this in mind when you want to pull only one or a few mobs back towards you. Your henchies will start to attack who you yourself target to attack (C space for example for the nearest foe) and this means your pet and your warrior henchmen will take off towards that target. Both will stop their advance if you start to fall back and retreat. Even if your henchmen warriors have started to fight, they will back off if you do (providing there is no other human player in the group who continues to target) as long as they can get away. Use this when you lure with henchies: imagine where their aggro circle is around them, and pull back when they got close enough to attract the enemy's attention.

Another thing to remember: you don't have to attack to lure. You just need to attract the attention of the nearest enemies, and you can do this just by contacting your aggro circle to them. This is perhaps the easiest way to lure with henchies. Just approach the nearest red dots that you want to lure, and as soon as your aggro circle makes contact, pull back. The enemy should start to follow you. They may stop and go back again, but then you just "fish them in" by going forward again, maybe targetting, then back again, etc. until you have lured a part of the enemy far enough away so you can fight them without interference from the rest of the enemy mobs.

Try it.