Crappy pet aggro

[Velerin]

I know this seems to have been a problem for a while and I'm quite new to the server but is there any chance pet aggro will ever be fixed? My level 29 pet has to hit 2 or 3 times on a mob before it outaggros my 5 point DD I used to pull. I tried pulling with cancel magic or malo too but those seem like even more aggro. (Should cancel magic puling really be much aggro at all?) I know people pull with pet and back him off to get by this but sometimes that's not a good option and leads to adds. Will my level 34, 39...59 pet be able to outaggro a 5 point dd w/o multiple rounds of combat?
And also of course, the whole send pet at mob and if you're sitting it comes right at you.
Has it been this way the entire server or is this a recent bug?

Thanks,
Velerin

[Estu]

Is it actually a bug? If it wasn't like this in classic, you should find evidence and submit a bug report.

[Velerin]

I don't think it was classic although it was so long ago. Based on some posts I thought maybe it was something that got screwy more recently on this server but not sure. Hoping to hear if it's always been like this or is a bug.

[this user was banned]

Are you standing in melee range while the pet is building aggro? If you and your pet are both in melee range of a target that your pet is attacking, the npc will always attack you instead.

I think there still might be an issue with pet pulling where if you are sitting and send pet, the npc will come running right for you.

[Estu]

I do think there was a patch on this server a long time ago (couple years) that made it harder for pets to take aggro. But I might be misremembering.

[Velerin]

Not in melee range of pet (played a lot of time as pet classes for a long time on live).
Basically, I pull mob with 5 point DD, run to pet and send to attack, run around in circles til pet hits mob minimum 2 -3 times at 20 damage a pop before it turns and starts to attack pet.

[koros]

It's not classic, it's been mentioned. Might wanna bump an old bug report or make a new one with evidence.

[Estu]

One solution is to use your pet to pull instead of a DD (though this can be tricky since the pet is more apt to aggro nearby stuff, and you'll have to get closer to the mob to send the pet in).

[Malone88]

One solution is to use your pet to pull instead of a DD (though this can be tricky since the pet is more apt to aggro nearby stuff, and you'll have to get closer to the mob to send the pet in).
I do this with my Necro and can get off some low-aggro spells like leach/lifetap and the mob will stay on the pet. High-aggro spells like Snare/Darkness will always bring the mob down on you.

Spell Aggro has always been much greater than Melee aggro, nothing new there.
Thats why warriors suck at holding aggro at low levels.

[dhoushi]

Are you keeping in mind the initial direct aggro established actually receives a bonus?

[kaos057]

I have argued this before but devs cant seem to fix dispell/malosini without breaking it. If you nuke a mob to pull it should take your pet a few seconds to take aggro. If you pull with dispell/malosini pet should take aggro immediately. Unfortunately that's not how it works here.

[Velerin]

hah, even if their is bonus to aggro on the the first hit (which sounds like voodoo magic) it shouldn't take the pet 60 points of damage to outaggro a 5 point nuke. I know it's not classic (played many years as all 3 main pet classes), but was really just curious if it has always been like that on this server or if it was something that was changed post-start of server. Thanks all, maybe I'll bump up a bug report.

[NegaStoat]

Agreed with above. I know this is anecdotal evidence only, but pre Luclin I know for a fact that my DE mage at level 24 on Sister Island in ocean of tears could pull with a single first level nuke and have my water pet intercept and hold aggro at any point of a sister's pathing towards me on the pull.

If that can't be reproduced here, there's a bug for sure.

[meanhappyguy]

I've got a level 12 mage and I also pull with my 5pt DD.

My experience is that I mini-nuke a mob and send my pet a second later, to intercept it on the way to me. It works every time, and my pet holds agro, as long as I stay standing. It takes the pet a few swings (maybe it misses the first few times? my log doesn't register my pet's hits when it is more than 10ft away or so), before I can sit again and have the pet hold agro.

I try to set up far enough away from the pet and mob that when I sit, I can tell if the pet doesn't have enough agro to cover my additional sit agro, and I can quickly stand up before the mob gets to me and hits me for full sit damage. As soon as I stand, the mob goes back towards the pet.

[Velerin]

Yes, I experienced the same at low levels and thought it was just a low level thing, but my 29 level pet has the same problem. Particularly if I summon a lower level one, the higher one hits more and usually get aggro faster, so maybe by level 34 I can finally have pet intercept off a 5 point nuke. I understand the ways to get around it for now (pull with pet, pull then run around a bit til he gets aggro, etc.) I've done them all. I'm just saying I don't think pet aggro should be this sucky and am asking if its always been like this or if something changed after the server started.

[Whoop]

With /pet taunt on I sometimes do not see a message from pet when taunting. Sometimes it does, sometimes it dosent. Anyone else seen this? Does it matter?

I was in Najena last night killing skellies at entrance and pet held agro like shit. Even if pet got mob down to 70%, one dot or 2 undead nukes and it came running for me. Is this normal? Impossible to do 50% of damage without getting hammered on!

And I tried fearkiting in Lavastorm but got so many resist I had to keep zoning.

Not much xp was gained last night.

I suck!

/rant off

[Potus]

I played nothing but pet classes on EQ Live and yes, the pet aggro here is nothing even remotely similar to EQ Live aggro. EQ Live you could pull with a snare or nuke and have your pet snap aggro on the target well into your 30s. Here you're tanking for your pet always.

I remember bug reporting it a long time ago and being told that the reason pet aggro is so gimpy here is because the developers can't get the aggro code right AND they didn't want mages killing raid bosses by themselves.

[Velerin]

Yeah, for the necros its annoying. For mages w/o FD, snare, fear I basically can't nuke at all until maybe under 40% and even then its a crap shoot. I can tank a few rounds if necessary of level 20ish mobs but not looking forward to it not getting any better at higher levels and those mobs 1 rounding me.

[Malone88]

With /pet taunt on I sometimes do not see a message from pet when taunting. Sometimes it does, sometimes it dosent. Anyone else seen this? Does it matter?
I see pet taunt messages all the time unless pet moves out of range (with Necro). Maybe it's different with other classes.

[Velerin]

Pet still taunts (or tries to taunt), just doesn't do anything. He's gotta hit the mob 2-3 times before he gets aggro off a 5 point DD. Necros can get around it a bit better for pet tanking by feign death. Mages just have the skill "death" or "gate" to lose aggro. Hoping to get 34 today and test out the new pet...maybe he'll be a bit better..

[Yumyums Inmahtumtums]

It always takes my fire pet a round of damage + nuke to pull agro off of me from casting my level 1 nuke. With that said though, he can barely hold on even after we've passed the 50% mark. The only suggestion I have is to stay standing until after the second round of damage and nuke when you know you'll do enough damage to make it flee.

Or you could summon an earth pet.

[Estu]

The reason you guys aren't seeing taunt working is presumably that pet taunt, like warrior/knight taunt, doesn't work on monsters higher level than the taunter.

[Whoop]

I see pet taunt messages all the time unless pet moves out of range (with Necro). Maybe it's different with other classes.

Im a necro as well, got a new pet now at lvl 16 and haven't had the same issue again. Maybe it was justa low lvl problem hehe :)

[Whoop]

The reason you guys aren't seeing taunt working is presumably that pet taunt, like warrior/knight taunt, doesn't work on monsters higher level than the taunter.