View Full Forums : Viscid Roots ?


malkyr
12-03-2002, 07:39 PM
I remember seeing a thread by lotusfly about the DS AA and a mention that VR is quiet usefull. Some others also agreed with but no detail was given.

So I am thinking the main use of this AA would be rain-based spells. Root the mob and say duo or grp with mages/wizards (or whichever class gets rain based spells) and nuke the mob to death.

Might have some raid-based potential as well but since I dont have the AA yet cannot test it out.

So curious to hear the opinions from someone who actually has this AA.

Malkyr - Storm Warden - Aurora Noctum - The Tribunal

Balise
12-03-2002, 11:42 PM
Well, before all the 'run speed immune' changes in the tier 2+ planes I would have said that it greatly helped improve our ghetto crowd controlling abilities. Now with the run speed immune changes, its harder to do that root parking when the mob cannot be rooted...so the usefullness was diminished somewhat, afterall, viscid roots wont help ya if you cannot root the mob in the first place.

If you are hunting in a place where you know the mobs are not immune to root, then i would say this is very helpfull if you find yourself having to root for either crowd control or agro control. Depends on your playstyle as do soo many of our aa abilities do...

Lotusfly Stewnicely
12-04-2002, 12:22 AM
This ability is the proverbial wolf in sheep's clothing. ^_^

The sheep's clothing being the fact that you will need to purchase Luclin's Enhanced Root, which isn't the best use of a druid's points, if you are considering how return one gets for a certain investment.

Just to recap, the Luclin Enhanced Root gives the druid the ability to cast Direct Damage spells on roots (their own, or someone else's roots) with a much reduced probability of breaking the root. It's more of a "less root-breaking nuke" ability than a root ability, which leads to a bit of confusion, this is noted. ^_^

The old vanguard usually bring up the argument, "What if I want to nuke a rooted creature to free it, a "mez-breaking" effect?". My answer to this is that using a nuke to break a root is very much a thing of the past. It's effective in Luclin when you're fighting exp-creatures that are essentially harmless (tiny damage output).

In PoP, root seldom lasts for too long due to level 60+ creatures having high innate magical resistance. On the chance that root does endure, and you consider breaking the root with a nuke, it's going to be very painful for you to say the least, when the creatures are hitting for 500-600 instead of Luclin's 150-200. ^_~

So, with Luclin root discussed, onwards to PoP!

The PoP root is, the more effective ability, and acts as a complement. Using a normal root in an exp group is effective only if the group's attention isn't focused upon it. You can root something out of the way ("ghetto mez") quite effectively whilst the party fights something else.

However, buying PoP root allows you to do much more. It gives you full freedom to root <em>any</em> creature, even the one that the party is attacking. Given that a lot of your own attention is going to be focused on that creature, this is truly invaluable.

I'll cover some brief examples of cases in which I've used this ability for great effect. You can, no doubt, think of a wide range of other applications for a root which can withstand a party's glut of procs, nukes and so on.


* Simply doing more to a creature

By rooting the creature with PoP's root, you can effectively do much more. You have an infinite aggro threshold and can pile on the damage whilst your tank takes 100% of the damage.

Literally, caveat emptor:

This brings up the issue of melee awareness. However, perhaps this is just a consequence of being in a high-level guild in which melee characters have this ingrained in their consciousness, but the main tank <em>always</em> stands close, and the other melee (monks, rangers, rogues, etc.) are <em>always</em> fighting at maximum melee range (or close to it). After several expansions of fighting seriously painful creatures with distance-based aggro, this seems to have become second nature for everyone that I group with. So, rooting early / constantly hasn't proved to be a problem. I imagine if you're in a pick-up group with some inexperienced melee, then it might require some re-education. ^_~

Rooting early allows you to have the freedom to pretty much go to town and use your mana bar to its maximum effectiveness. You can nuke more, you can debuff more, you can DoT very early to gain maximum damage with little risk.

If you find yourself fighting large creatures, it's often very efficient to make use of Winter's Storm. By rooting early, you are able to cast Eci's Frosty Breath early enough to make it useful for 2-3 casts of Winter's Storm, and save a chunk of mana in comparison to your favourite DD.

PoP's root allows you to do this by not breaking every time a group member procs a damaging effect from a weapon, or every time someone lands a DD-component spell.


* Helping the Main Tank

The Main Tank needs to keep aggro. I find that Shadowknights are the unrivalled kings and queens of maintaining a huge "aggro-lock", and that the creature is pretty much unshakable from them. However, other tanks sometimes need help to keep the creature on them.

The paladin, whilst a great aggro-holder with stuns, occassionally loses contact with the creature.

The ranger, if your group and environment enable a ranger to be a permissable tank, has decent aggro-holding ability, but loses contact every now and again.

The warrior, relying nearly totally on their procs for aggro-control, loses contact more often.

The monk, if your group and environment enable a monk to be an acceptable tank, has absolutely horrible aggro control. Truly, truly abysmal.

It's a sliding scale from Shadowknight down to Monk. As you descend the scale, and your main tank's ability to hold aggro diminishes, PoP root comes into its own. You can root the creature onto the tank, and know that it's going to stay rooted, despite your group pounding away on it.


* Enchanters in PoP

Enchanters face a dilemma in PoP. They can attempt to slow without tash, and hope that the slow lands. This is usually a <em>very</em> bad gamble, given the average resistance level in most zones.

Therefore, a lot opt for opening with Howl of Tash, then following with slow. Or, if they're working on crowd control, they may open with Howl of Tash then follow with mez.

They admit that they will draw aggro with tash, but at least they know their second cast (slow/mez) is nearly guaranteed to land. If they don't open with tash, they have a <em>high</em> chance of resistance on their slow/mez, and then their next cast can be assumed to have a similar chance of resistance.

Most take it as preferable to trade initial aggro for a guaranteed two-cast mez/slow, instead of three, four or even five attempts at slowing - by which time, even with Eldritch and Arcane Rune, you're likely left with an enchanter-shaped stain on the floor.

The druid root at this stage is unfathomably helpful to an enchanter. I experienced just how incredible this ability is to enchanters when "two-boxing" an enchanter on a second computer. They can open with tash, every single time, and draw no aggro whatsoever, then land their guaranteed slow. Meanwhile, the tank and the group are going about their usual business of beating it up (which would cause a non-AA root to break).

This ability comes into its own in the higher tiers, and has noticable effects in the lowers zones.


* Over aggro

We've all done it - ouch, I wish I hadn't cast that spell! PoP-root can bail you out every time, and you're clear to stand back and know that the root is going to last through the attacks of the rest of the group.


In summary, this ability is one of the giants, in my opinion. It's not flashy: you won't get double critical heals or nukes, you don't get a 650 DS, you don't get a group-DS and a nice elixir.

What you do get is the marvellous ability to use one class' ability to overcome the short-coming of another, so that the sum is greater than its parts: that's true teamwork and results in an infinitely more solid group.

This ability is essential in any good grouping druid's repertoire.

Where would I buy it in relation to the other abilities?

I bought near the end. After Planar Power, Enlightenment, Spirit of the Wood, Healing Adept and Gift, Fury of Magic, &c.

It's definitely something that needs to be on a serious druid's "shopping list", but where you buy it very much depends on the rate at which you gain AA points - that's a decision for you to make. ^_))


Toodlepip,

Rebecca
The Lucky Cabbage

Ellendilh Silvermist
12-04-2002, 03:40 AM
^
|
+---- needs to be archived - too great of an explanation :)

TeriMoon
12-04-2002, 03:55 AM
I agree. AA abilities are my new love. I could care less for level and flagging right now. I can enhance my usefulness to the parties I play in with AA right now. Where my experience counts for something right away. No spells to wait for.

Thanks for the very well-writtena nd clear explanation.

Scirocco
12-04-2002, 04:57 AM
I will back Rebecca up, since I have used Viscid Root to good effect to keep a mini-boss that was determined to turn me into road kill off me while a raid kept. With the -30MR roots, it's a very effective skill, provided the mob in question can be rooted (still grinding my teeth over that nerf).

Also consider that a rooting strategy helps with summoning mobs. When the mob is rooted, it will not be summoning your chanters, clerics and other casters to its feet. As a matter of course, if I see the mob start summoning, I throw a root on to put a stop to it.

Tils
12-04-2002, 05:05 AM
<blockquote><strong><em>Quote:</em></strong><hr>Also consider that a rooting strategy helps with summoning mobs. When the mob is rooted, it will not be summoning your chanters, clerics and other casters to its feet. As a matter of course, if I see the mob start summoning, I throw a root on to put a stop to it. [/quote]

Since when does root stop a mob summoning? :)

Tils

malkyr
12-04-2002, 05:18 AM
I believe Sciro means that if the mob is in a summoning mode and is rooted .. instead of summoning the person highest on its aggro list it will instead aggro the closest PC ... dur to range-based aggro when rooted.

EDIT: Thx for the explanation lotus .. nice read.

Malkyr

Broomhilda
12-04-2002, 05:26 AM
I think Scirocco means the MT or the closest melee will be getting summoned, and more than likely those caster classes are further away.

Nice writeup Lotusfly, but i have to disagree on the use of root breaking, although i know you fight mobs that are much more difficult than the tier 1 mobs i fight. I use a white ceramic band, rclick burst of flame when pulling. I've played CC in every 1st tier zone using roots, and lining mobs up. Then as soon as ones done, i click ring to break roots on the next one, MT engages before it gets to me, and its all good. Not just on yard trash btw, i've used it for most mobs in PoN, some in PoD, but really spend almost all my time in PoN. I'm not sure how effective i'll be doing this in PoV/PoS+ zones however.

chenier
12-04-2002, 09:00 AM
Lotus,

Can we download your brain? Please? Dang, girlfriend, *great* description!

Tatankawd
12-04-2002, 09:54 AM
Tils,

The more exact explanation is this:

A rooted summoning mob will not summon if ANYONE is in melee range, even if that person is not at the top of the hate list. As soon as the root breaks, though, BAM =)

Tat

Scirocco
12-04-2002, 02:25 PM
Exactly. Rooting changes the mob's aggro AI to focus on the nearest melee opponent (as Rebecca noted above with regard to the MT staying closest).

Of course, if there is no one within melee range, it WILL summon someone for a little grab'n'tickle.