If you haven't played in an MMOG (Massively Multiplayer Online Game) before or Everquest in particular or it's just been a while since you have, you might not know about the role most groups use to make it easier to take down targets. Many of these are also raid roles that are very important to the success of the battles.
This post, and some of the contents, were inspired by a post by Jinsei on the "When Nature Calls" Discord in prep for Oakwynd's launch and the several new and returning players the guild is attracting.
Grouping in Everquest
First role is the most important, the Leader. The leader does the first invite. The leader's name will be in green no matter if it is you or someone else. The leader will either target someone and click the invite button, type /invite [name] or...
You can also invite from a name in a chat window. Very handy for hard to spell names. You do not need to be in the same zone for a group (or raid) invite.
Accepting the group is easy, just click on the Follow button.
The Leader can right-click on a group member's name, including their own, to bring up the Roles menu to assign the role to the one clicked. One group member can be assigned more than one role.
If the person who was doing the invite wants to pass leadership to someone else, select Leader. Their name will be green and they can do all the assigning. There is no other benefit to being the leader.
Main Tank
The duty of the main tank is to attempt to keep all the attention of the targets, the mobs, on them. In many groups the tanks is one of the plate-wearing fighter classes: Warrior, Paladin, and Shadow knight. Some of the DPS classes can also tank but the group might need to be aware that they're more squishy so might not be as effective on targets that hit harder: Rangers, Monks, Beserkers. One of the tools to keep attention is a Taunt which, in essence pisses off the target and makes it angrier at the the tank than the others doing damage. However, taunts can fail and, in some eras, can be pretty weak and some of these classes, Monks and Beserkers, don't have taunt at all. The other ways the tank keeps agro is through damage and other spells and disciplines. For example, Snare, like one cast by a ranger, generates a lot of hate.
Off-tank
Not a set-able group rank, the duty of the off-tank is to keep the attention of an additional mob that the group is fighting. The off-tank role might be given to a pet, a melee DPS, or another fighter. An off-tank is especially important in a group without CC, crowd control.
Main Assist
The duty of the main assist is to direct the group to focus their attacks on a single target when there are more then one. The main assist can be anyone in the group but is generally not the healer (because they need to target group members) and is often a melee DPS. The Main Tank can also be the Main Assist, but if the tank needs to move from one target to another, that might cause group member to not be targeting one intended to be taken down first. A main assist is absolutely crucial if you have someone in the group capable of Mesmerization.
You can make a macro with /assist [name] to automatically target the target of the person you should be assisting.
Puller
The puller goes out to bring back quarry for the group to kill. In highly dangerous places, you might want the group to stay in a relatively safe spot and have the prey brought to them. Anyone in the group can be designated as the puller, but there are some classes more suited for it. When they are separate roles, the Puller hands off to the Tank so the puller also doesn't want to have too much hate on the mob for the hand off. Some tanks like to do their own pulling, especially in the lower levels.
If you are the puller, make a macro with "Incoming %T" (%T is replaced with the target's name) to warn them what you are bringing. It's good to have another key or two with the number your bringing or type it quick in the chat for the group.
There are different types of pulling that can be employed by specific classes. Some methods are better when in more dangerous locations.
Multi-pull: Throw a rock into a clump and bring them all back. This can be the most dangerous of all the pulling methods since social agro in the mobs might bring more than expected. This is commonly the Warrior pull 😋.
Lull Split-pull: Some classes have a Lull/Calm/Soothe/Harmony spell line that reduces the threat of a mob for a brief time. If you start in the back of a group, Lull them all one by one, then pull the one closest to you with a low-agro spell or stone, you will likely only get one to follow you back to the group. This is commonly done by Bards and Enchanters, though Rangers and Druids can do this outdoors with animals, and clerics also have a calm. You can also do a lull split with two group members, one to Lull and the other to tag.
Feign-death Split-pull: There are a few classes that can do a belly flop and pretend their dead. If successful, the clump of mobs chasing them will lose interest and wander away. The feigner gets up when all but one has walked far enough away to not care about them. They might need to do this a couple times as the interest of the mobs differs. It is crucial the group not move forward or do anything to help the feigner while they're doing this. Monks are the masters of feign-death pulling. Bards in higher levels can Fade. A couple other classes also get feign death abilities but with a significantly longer recast time.
Mark NPC
Along with the Main Assist, a mark on the target helps to focus the group. This role has no icon but is often given to the Main Assist. However, it can be assigned to anyone else in the group and even serve to tell the main assist who to target next. When the NPC is marked, it gets a more prominent targeting ring.
Master Looter
The Master Looter is in charge of distributing the loot that drops using the Advanced Loot window. I cover the window and the basics of how to use it both as a master and a normal group member in another post: https://rijacki-game.blogspot.com/2023/04/eq-looting-for-novice.html
Roles without assignment
Several group roles are expectations based on class capabilities but not assigned by the group window menu.
Crowd Control:
There are several spells that will help manage NPCs, especially when there is a multi-pull.
- Mesmerization (Mezz or Mez for short): When the mob is mezzed it will just stand there, drooling, but not attacking anyone. As long as it doesn't take any damage, it will just drool there until the mez breaks. Enchanters have the best and most mezzes. Bards have a few, too. A couple other classes have very situational mezzes.
- Snare: When some mobs get low health, they run away. If they're snared, the so so very slowly until, succumbing to their wounds, they stop all together and lose the will to fight or live. Snare can also be done before the mob reaches the party so it slowly gets there. Snare only affects movement rate. Until the mob is low damage, being snared really pisses them off so snare can be used as a taunt. Caution, some snares have a damage over time as well, which will cause a mezz to break. Druid and Rangers have great snares. Other classes also have snares.
- Root: Stops 'em in their tracks, full movement stop. However, the mob will continue to fight anyone closest to them. Root is sometimes considered a poor-man's mezz and can allow splitting a bad pull, but only if the group moves away from the rooted mob to fight the others. Some roots will break with damage. Several classes have root.
Debuffer
Several spells will reduce the capabilities of the NPCs to make them easier to kill or make them not as able to do damage. If you have more than one class able to do a specific debuff type, generally the debuff does not 'stack', only one will effect the mob.
- Resistance debuff: Lowering the resistances of the mob means other spells and effects can land on them more easily. Enchanters and Mages have excellent resistance debuffs.
- Slow: Reducing the attack rate of the mob can mean the tank gets hit less often. Shaman and Enchanter have the best slow spells. Bards also have a slow song. If you have more than one of these in the group, the slows do not 'stack', only one will effect the mob.
- Disempower: Reducing the strength or other stats of the mob can reduce the damage done to the tank.
Buffer
Several classes have beneficial spells they can cast on themselves or others. The beneficial spells can add to several different stats or can add a special effect such as a damage shield (does damage to the mob when it hits someone with one), haste (speeds up attacks), regen (increases health and/or mana regeneration even in combat), and others. Several classes have buffs they can cast. Shaman and Enchanter have the largest number of buffs.
Main Healer
The primary role of the main healer is to heal the main tank and keep them alive. Healing for the rest of the group is secondary. Clerics are the best main healer, but Druid and Shaman can main heal as well. Shaman heals are the slowest of the three.
Backup Healer
The backup healer generally does DPS unless needed to fill in heals for a bad pull or a good pull that's jut a bit harder than expected. The backup healer also focuses on the off-tank to allow the main healer to focus entirely on the tank. Any class with healing can be a backup healer: Druid, Shaman, Ranger, Paladin, Beastlord.
DPS
DPS stands for Damage Per Second but has come to mean anyone whose main focus is on doing as much damage as possible. DPS need to help the tank maintain agro control to avoid being hit themselves.
- Melee DPS often engage target quickly after the tank has engaged. (any class that hits with a weapon or fists)
- Caster DPS should wait until the tank has a good agro lock or the mob is low-health before unleashing fully. (Mage, Necro, Wizard, Monk, Druid, Shaman)
- Range DPS is fighting with a bow or other ranged weapon and often can engage with melee. However, only Rangers have any significant damage with ranged DPS (and this can vary depending on era and equipment used).
Raiding
Most of the roles are the same in raiding.
Alt+R brings up the raid window. You will still be in a group, but it will be a group of groups. You might not have a tank, assist, or puller in your group since those will be raid-wide rolls. But, hopefully you will have a healer or two in your group 😋