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Advanced Aggro System

As of EliteMobs 7.2, Elite Mobs use an advanced aggro system for damage dealt to Elites.

Note: aggro is the name given to the mechanic that determines which player the boss targets for their attacks

In the advanced aggro system, all Elites will target the player with the highest aggro among the group of players attacking them if there is more than one player attacking. By default, aggro equals damage dealt, which means the highest damager will be targeted. However, the Loud Strikes enchantment multiplies aggro generation, allowing tanks to maintain threat even when dealing lower damage than DPS players.

This means that simply kiting bosses around while another player kills them is impossible without proper tank mechanics. Without the Loud Strikes enchantment, high level players cannot use lower level players as damage-absorbing shields while they deal all the damage. However, with dedicated tank equipment (items with Loud Strikes), this traditional tank-and-DPS strategy becomes viable.

If the damage is balanced among players, the boss will switch between targets fairly regularly, keeping all players on their toes.

This system is heavily used in our Instanced Dungeons where the players are expected to assume roles of Tanks and DPS. Instanced Dungeons will even have loot drops that were made specifically for Tank roles. These loot drops will have a special enchantment called Loud Strikes that will draw aggro from any Elites that the player hits.

How Loud Strikes Works​

The Loud Strikes enchantment increases the aggro generated on hit for entities spawned by EliteMobs. Each level of Loud Strikes provides a bonus equal to the enchantment level divided by 3, and this bonus is additive across all 6 equipment slots (helmet, chestplate, leggings, boots, main hand, and off-hand).

Formula: Aggro Generated = Damage Dealt × (1 + Total Loud Strikes Bonus)

Per-Item Calculation: Loud Strikes Bonus = Enchantment Level ÷ 3

Examples:

  • Loud Strikes III on one item = 3 ÷ 3 = 1.0 bonus multiplier
  • Loud Strikes III on all 6 equipment slots = 6 × 1.0 = 6.0 total bonus multiplier
  • Dealing 100 damage with 6.0 bonus = 100 × (1 + 6.0) = 700 aggro points generated

This allows tanks to maintain aggro even when dealing significantly less damage than DPS players.

Technical Details​

The aggro system tracks two separate values for each player attacking an Elite:

  • Damage dealt: The pure damage numbers without any modifiers
  • Aggro generated: The damage multiplied by any aggro multipliers (such as Loud Strikes)

Elite mobs use the aggro value to determine targeting priority. Without any aggro-modifying enchantments, aggro equals damage, so the highest damager is automatically the highest aggro target. When tank players equip items with the Loud Strikes enchantment, they can generate significantly more aggro per hit than their damage would suggest, allowing them to hold threat even when DPS players are dealing higher damage.

Frequently Asked Questions​

Q: If I deal the most damage, will the boss always target me? A: Not if another player has higher aggro from using the Loud Strikes enchantment. The boss targets the player with the highest aggro, not necessarily the highest damage.

Q: How much Loud Strikes do I need to tank effectively? A: This depends on the damage difference between tank and DPS players. Generally, having Loud Strikes III on multiple armor pieces and weapons is recommended for effective tanking. A full set of Loud Strikes III provides a 6.0x aggro multiplier.

Q: Can I see my current aggro level? A: The aggro values are not displayed in-game. You can only observe which player the Elite is currently targeting to determine who has the highest aggro.