Advice RE: Mages

[LochnarITB]

Just a small addendum to this from the viewpoint of the tank.
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Your advice is well taken. I have some additional observations as to how I have been handling the job of shepherd. I tend to watch from outside the battle so it is easier to see how the baddies are actually reacting.

If the mobs are in motion I will tag them to get their attention so they don't run rampant through the squishy center of the party. Frequently if there is another tank class in the party they will grab that add with the same purpose in mind. At that point its better in my opinion to wait until the tank switches back to the main target to sheep the add.  But, if the tank doesn't seem to be in any danger of collapse - which he/she shouldn't witha good healer, it may be better to let the mob pound on him for awhile in the interests of getting the first mob killed quickly.

Generally an add is very close behind the initial pull. A slight delay before sheeping allows me to watch for this to happen. If there is no immediate add and the pull is just two baddies, it appears that the best way to go is for the tanks to tag both and then switch back to the main target. This allows the second to be sheeped. With the exception of a drawn out fight with a boss, the sheep outlasts almost all single kills. The advantage that I see in focusing on one baddie is that they seem to be kept in more of a state of confusion. In a good fight with two tanks in the fray, the aggro seems to switch back and forth between the tanks. The bad guys also seem to experience the same setback from blows that the characters do. Less blows are landed by the baddie if it is switching focus between two tanks and being stuttered by hits. The main is killed off quickly with plenty of time to position and pop the sheep to do the same to it. Also, if fewer blows from the baddies actually land, this would mean lower repair costs as well as less chance for things such as stun, poison, etc. If there are three or more, one will almost always be free to be sheeped without worry of having it popped. Any late adds are sheeped as soon as the previous sheep is popped or wears off.

To me the best time to sheep is before a fight begins and when an add is coming on the scene unexpectedly while the tank has more than one target.

To act as the pull strikes me as always being the best use of poly when facing a pull of two or more baddies. In the event that the remaining baddie(s) beeline for my little squishy guy, I have pretty much gotten over the urge to bolt and, instead, have taught myself to head for the comfort of the big guys. If you see me running between your legs, there will generally be a bad guy on my tail.

These are just my thoughts on the subject from a tanks point of view. :)

And these were my thoughts given what I am able to observe from the outside of the fray. The best teams are those in which each member can anticipate what the other members will do in a given situation. I am VERY addicted to this stupid game and, like anything that I bring into my life, I am not happy unless I believe I am doing it to the best of my capabilities. I want to understand the mechanics of the character I play as well as how they affect the characters I play alongside.