Mob Aggression question

No idea where to post this thread but been bugging me of late. Why do all MMOs always seem to make every single mob in high level zones aggressive? Was thinking partly of an area in Gyr Abania, Blood moth things, I can understand why, the big Scorpion things in the river, sure, but the big butterflies? Also remember a side quest in which it mentions not to worry as this certain creature is usually rather passive, get to the area for the quest and that mob is aggressive and it's the reason this question has been bugging me enough that i got myself set up to post on this Forum for the first time ever.

This has been a thing with MMOs in general pretty much since MMOs began being a thing. I've wondered this myself. I can't recall the name anymore, but I do remember playing one MMO that didn't do this.

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Originally Posted by DigitalEmber

No idea where to post this thread but been bugging me of late. Why do all MMOs always seem to make every single mob in high level zones aggressive? Was thinking partly of an area in Gyr Abania, Blood moth things, I can understand why, the big Scorpion things in the river, sure, but the big butterflies? Also remember a side quest in which it mentions not to worry as this certain creature is usually rather passive, get to the area for the quest and that mob is aggressive and it's the reason this question has been bugging me enough that i got myself set up to post on this Forum for the first time ever.

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It pads the run-time by making any sort of travel a slog.

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Originally Posted by Edax

It pads the run-time by making any sort of travel a slog.

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I would agree if we couldn't just ignore the aggro and keep moving. Warhammer Online is the only MMO I've ever seen that forcefully dismounts you if you even aggro something. Even there you could just keep running and ignore the aggro 90% of the time.

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Originally Posted by CazzT

I would agree if we couldn't just ignore the aggro and keep moving. Warhammer Online is the only MMO I've ever seen that forcefully dismounts you if you even aggro something. Even there you could just keep running and ignore the aggro 90% of the time.

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You'll sometimes get hit with a "slow" which effectively forces you to dismount and fight. But really, the only reason to cover the roads in mobs is to pad out the game.

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Originally Posted by Edax

You'll sometimes get hit with a "slow" which effectively forces you to dismount and fight. But really, the only reason to cover the roads in mobs is to pad out the game.

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Even that Heavy effect was removed in 4.2. The biggest gripe about aggressive mobs is that they make it so much harder to enjoy the scenery.

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Originally Posted by CazzT

This has been a thing with MMOs in general pretty much since MMOs began being a thing. I've wondered this myself. I can't recall the name anymore, but I do remember playing one MMO that didn't do this.

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This one? IIRC the ARR areas have plenty of mobs that aren't aggressive. All the enemies attacking you all the time only became a thing from HW on I think.

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Originally Posted by Edax

You'll sometimes get hit with a "slow" which effectively forces you to dismount and fight. But really, the only reason to cover the roads in mobs is to pad out the game.

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We used to be inflicted with heavy when trying to run from certain enemies. Ohhh the old days of those ARR Beast Tribe quests! ;p

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Originally Posted by Jandor

This one? IIRC the ARR areas have plenty of mobs that aren't aggressive. All the enemies attacking you all the time only became a thing from HW on I think.

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Correct.
If you wandered into Amal'jaa territory or the Sylphlands or a Castrum, etc., then just about everything was aggressive, but that actually makes sense in those areas. Outside of those, in the "main/open" parts of the zones, there were SOME enemies that would aggro on sight, but it was more of a mix. It would depend on the enemy.

It does seem a bit worse in ShB, as I'm not sure I've seen a non-aggressive enemy yet. But it has been like that for a while, and I would say the trend began not just with HW, but with the level 40+ areas of ARR itself. And that's where it began to get silly. Sure, Northern Thanalan and Mor Dhona are at least justifiable to some degree - basilisks, giants, and morbols all being aggressive is understandable,

But the chinchillas in Coerthas Central? Paissas and those red dodo-looking enemies in Sea of Clouds? Steinbocks in Coerthas West?? I mean those are clearly in the antelope family. Why would a hoofed prey animal see a heavily armed humanoid passing by minding their own business and then charge over to them like IMMA FUCK DEM UP!

It really doesn't make sense,. And I agree that all it does it make it harder to enjoy the scenery of all the game's beautiful zones. They're not "dangerous" since we can just run on by with basically no consequence, they're just annoying. I would absolutely love it if the ratio of aggressive vs. passive enemies were more like 25/75. But I doubt this is going to happen. "Overworld enemies that attack you if you get near them" seems fairly heavily entrenched in the design philosophy of this dev team, either because of tradition in MMOs, or calling back to traditions of "random encounters" in your classic FF-style JRPGs. Or a combination of both.

I'd love to see some non-aggressive enemies, or critters even. I know that's sort of a WoW thing but I loved seeing critters in that game (not suggesting they invented the idea, just the first I think of with all them squirrels and sheeps lol).

In 1.0 there were snurbles that would cast some white magics on you.. Was a pretty cool touch.

Also wanted to add I too noticed that everything was aggressive, most apparent when I aggro'd a deer in the great forest and I was like "really..?" lol. Not game killing, having loads of fun right now, but a touch of passiveness could add a nice level of diversity that seems to be missing.

*originally* higher level or similar level "mobs" gate kept you from going to other areas. Traditionally you couldn't run from one area to another because you would get curb stomped. This lead to fun things like charging people to clear paths etc etc.

Now? In 2019? Eh it's just to do stuff.

Edit: originally as in originally in MMOs not this game In particular

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Originally Posted by Shougun

I'd love to see some non-aggressive enemies, or critters even. I know that's sort of a WoW thing but I loved seeing critters in that game (not suggesting they invented the idea, just the first I think of with all them squirrels and sheeps lol).

In 1.0 there were snurbles that would cast some white magics on you.. Was a pretty cool touch.

Also wanted to add I too noticed that everything was aggressive, most apparent when I aggro'd a deer in the great forest and I was like "really..?" lol. Not game killing, having loads of fun right now, but a touch of passiveness could add a nice level of diversity that seems to be missing.

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We lore it up and say these thing are hyper aggressive because they are the last of their kind. Bambi is just trying to stay alive and thinks you are a sin eater.

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Originally Posted by Saito_S

I would absolutely love it if the ratio of aggressive vs. passive enemies were more like 25/75. But I doubt this is going to happen. "Overworld enemies that attack you if you get near them" seems fairly heavily entrenched in the design philosophy of this dev team, either because of tradition in MMOs, or calling back to traditions of "random encounters" in your classic FF-style JRPGs. Or a combination of both.

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Yeah, it's only a minor thing really but I would like it if not all enemies were aggressive. Be a bit more immersive.

It's not like mobs in the overworld matter, you can outrun all of them anyway, and they don't gate anything that I've seen so far, that function appears to have been replaced with actual gates now.

Simply walk behind them. Problem solved.

There are non-aggressive cave bats in a few new locations - the first (other than sprites) in a very long time!

It seems extra weird that B-rank elite marks are non-aggressive when so many smaller, less notorious creatures are determinedly trying to kill you every time you walk past.


I wouldn't mind so much if the battle music only kicked in when you actively engage an enemy. It's tedious having the first few bars of the battle theme go off and interrupt the field music.

Actually, they make gathering - especially if you can't yet fly, extremely chancy. I've forgotten to stealth - or just wanted to move faster between the nodes so I mounted up - and get stomped.

Shadowbringers had a lot of non aggressive high level bats.

I definitely do wonder this myself as we see many communities and settlements in the middle of hostile areas. It makes me just wonder why would anyone want to live here when everything surrounding your village/farm wants to kill you.

I understand their reasons for making everything try to kill you but lore wise and logically it doesn't make sense.

One thing I noticed in the last zone of ShB were mobs being aggressive toward each other. Yes, you see it happening sometimes during FATEs, but here it wasn't the case. The first time I saw a dead mob with its greyed-out name with no other players to be seen but the second time I actually witnessed a mob killing another, like they had a predator/prey sort of dynamic. It was an interesting touch and I've yet to see if it's explained in a side quest or something but I wouldn't mind seeing it happen in other zones if it doesn't already.

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Originally Posted by Destati

One thing I noticed in the last zone of ShB were mobs being aggressive toward each other. Yes, you see it happening sometimes during FATEs, but here it wasn't the case. The first time I saw a dead mob with its greyed-out name with no other players to be seen but the second time I actually witnessed a mob killing another, like they had a predator/prey sort of dynamic. It was an interesting touch and I've yet to see if it's explained in a side quest or something but I wouldn't mind seeing it happen in other zones if it doesn't already.

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Yeahhhhh I thought it was a bug at first, but then I realized, that totally happened, in front of my face. Thought I was playing ARK for a second. lol

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Originally Posted by Destati

One thing I noticed in the last zone of ShB were mobs being aggressive toward each other. Yes, you see it happening sometimes during FATEs, but here it wasn't the case. The first time I saw a dead mob with its greyed-out name with no other players to be seen but the second time I actually witnessed a mob killing another, like they had a predator/prey sort of dynamic. It was an interesting touch and I've yet to see if it's explained in a side quest or something but I wouldn't mind seeing it happen in other zones if it doesn't already.

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Where have you seen this? This is something that I've always wanted to see this game adopt and I'd love to see it for myself