OMG, thank you guys so much for this important info! Many thanks to you as well KyrsIsley for clarifying that bit about voice direction. I feel a lot more confident now about kiting this. And oh, I meant auto-face target and not lock-target. (Blegh, I did away with that option the moment I discovered I could disable it. It was set on default for my R3 button. Any time I accidentally pressed down on my right stick I was locked-on and running slowly, often dying a second later. )

Anyway, I'm super relieved by these answers. Thanks again everyone for offering my your feedback and answers.