The Role of Melee Combatants in a Group

[Bolty]

Excuses aside, you should have voiced your opinion at the time.

Huh? You talking to me or TheDragoon? I don't recall this instance trip you're describing.

If you're talking to me, I don't consider Paladins to be tanks - they simply can't hold aggro well enough to stop the aggro from shifting to mages, especially. People tend to think that anyone wearing mail armor is a tank, but a Paladin is poorly designed with the goal of holding aggro in mind. If the party lacks a Warrior to pull and hold aggro in fights, they have to improvise.

For example, in the Scarlet Monastery runs that a group of us were doing this weekend, we didn't have a warrior, so with two Priests in the party I felt it was safe to use Mind Control often to split up mobs. It worked wonders against groups of three mobs. I would start the fight by Mind Controlling one of them, causing the 2nd to attack my controlled minion. The third would come and attack me, but before it could reach me the others in the group would start slamming it hard. Killing the 3rd monster, attention would turn to the second, and after it was dead, I could release the 1st for a finish-off.

We ran into problems when the other priest in the party decided to try to use Mind Control in the same fashion; however, she was only level 37 (compared to my 40) and could not hold it long vs. level 38 and 39 mobs. Level difference is HUGE with Mind Control. We had a whole party wipeout on one occasion when an ill-timed Mind Control caused 5 creeps to come down on us. In parties of 5, Priests should never really be using offensive spells, but without a tank an exception was necessary. Even still, if I were the *only* Priest in that group, I would not use Mind Control as it would leave me unable to shield and heal during the fight.

-Bolty