Eat It or Dodge? What to Do About AoE?

[Jpec07]

Question: How do YOU handle big pulls with lots of AoE with melee DDs in the group?

So in my recent expert dungeon runs, because my healer keeps telling me she's bored, I've been doing the biggest pulls of trash that I can. This isn't too bad in Baelsar's Wall, but in Sohm Al HM, this leads to situations where there is so much AoE going out that, if I want to avoid it, I can never stand still. While this is fine for ranged DDs, melee DDs (especially those with positionals) are going to see a pretty dramatic dip in their output as a result of all that movement. As the enemies are constantly being herded around, they are going to constantly have to run to catch up, and are going to have an even harder time ensuring they are in the right position.

So the question is: how do you handle big pulls that throw out tons of AoE? Do you mitigate and soak the damage? Do you throw a middle finger to the melee DDs and dance around like a Manderville? Do you just avoid huge pulls when there is a melee DD in the group?

I'm still experimenting with the best option, but I'd like to hear everyone's thoughts. Discuss!

[Zojha]

In big pulls, DPS should be using AoE skills anyway, which have no positionals. Monks would be the worst off here, since their AoE is not a circle but a cone, but they just have to aim it roughly at a middle mob for it to be effective.

So yeah, just dance around I say.

[Dzian]

Generally speaking even in the biggest pulls dodging ages isn't hard. It's just a case of grouping mobs right.

I see many tanks stand in the centre of a pack with mobs all around them. Which means ages go all over the place. And yeah it becomes hard to avoid them all. If you try to keep all the mobs on one side if you though. you tend to find many of those aoes over lap and thus leave massive amounts of free space for your melee to stand in and not get smacked.

[Kitfox]

Avoid the AoEs or healers will hate you. There's no dramatic dip for any class DPS wise.

[Tint]

Avoid the AoEs or healers will hate you. There's no dramatic dip for any class DPS wise.

i guess the healer dps will drop a lot ^^

when i tank i dodge every aoe, with a very few exceptions (last boss in ARF when the floor is frozen for example). never heard any complaints.

[SeriousxSarcasm]

I would dodge... it's better to piss off your DDs and keep the healer happy. XD That's how I see it at least.

[bounddreamer]

I apologize to the melee and move around the aoes. But if you know it's minor damage, and it won't apply a vulnerability stack or another undesirable debuff, you can soak SOME aoes.

[Rongway]

While this is fine for ranged DDs, melee DDs (especially those with positionals) are going to see a pretty dramatic dip in their output as a result of all that movement

They're DDing wrong. They should be AoEing too. In a big trash pull, your concerns for the DDs should extend only so far as the mobs are all together. If there are ranged mobs, run through them to drag all the things onto them. That responsibility attended, the DDs are on their own to figure out which mob to target for their AoE abilities.


In regards to what you dodge v what you eat, larger courtesies should be afforded the healer, iff he wants to contribute to damage output. If the healer is standing there doing nothing, and eating one or two attacks will allow you to keep the group together for the DDs, eat the attacks. If the healer is spamming Gravity/Holy/BlizzardII, then of course eating dodgeable AoEs will reduce the party's damage output by way of requiring more healing.

[Atreides]

Just move around any decent melee will not care as they will focus on lining up their AoEs anyway, Monk is the job with the biggest amount of positionals and even they don't care about positionals aslong the mobs aren't scattered around the whole place and are lined up for their earthbreakers, elixir field and howling fists. They are top tier DPS when it comes to burst AoE, only summoner can top them.
But yeah as for getting hit by AoE's I'd say it depends on the healer, if the healer is "bored" but doesn't contribute to damage feel free to get hit so they have something to do. If they go all out DPS avoid getting hit by AoEs and blow some cooldowns so they need to focus less on you.

[Laerune]

I tank, the way I would want others to tank when I am healing, in other words, dodge the AoE. I also ask the healers if they are fine with me standing still, so the DPS dont need to walk alot, if the healer is oke with it. I will stay still or otherwise, I will dodge. It realy depends on what the healer is doing (dps or just heal and stand there.)