Ith's Open Guide on Pulling.Follow

You know, as I read the boards and experience things in game, I've grown more and more to accept the fact that it isn't the WHM or WAR or BLM that controls whether the party lives or dies, it's the Puller.

So, here's a compliation of the knowledge I've gained through various parties. I don't pull often, but I never hear any complaints when I do.

1. Know the abilities of the mobss you are fighting, and the mobs also in the area.
1a. This can't be stressed enough. If you don't know what aoe's and what doesn't, you're going to kill your party. If you don't know what type and the rough amount of damage done by special attacks, you're going to kill your party. Everything hinges off of this. If you don't know how your mob is going to act, you're going to kill your party.

2. Know the aggro behavior of the mob you are pulling.
2a. Know what links. Know what aggro's. Know how to AVOID links and aggro. Know how far around a mob you have to run when one's chasing you, in order to avoid any linkage.

3. Know your party makeup.
3a. This is a rather broad statement. The puller, more then anyone else in the party, should be aware of the jobs that each person in their group does. What each job is capable of and what they aren't. If you don't know that no one in your party has a Stun attack and you pull a Gob, you're going to kill your party or subject it to unnecessary downtime.

4. Know your Healer.
4a. A party moves much more efficiently if the puller knows when and what the WHM can handle. This can come from hunting slowly at the beginning of the party, then picking up the pace, or from conversation with the WHM. Clear the first few pulls with the WHM, then start asking him less and less if things are going well. If you're trying to maintain an XP Chain, know when to pull the Tough vs. the Very Tough or Incredibly Tough.

5. Know how to bring the mob to the party.
5a. This sounds kind of odd, but it makes a difference. If you're pulling a magic using or Ranged weapon Mob, you need to run through your party and past, until the mob is standing with your melee's. If you don't do this, then everyone has to move UP to the mob and engage. Moving from your camping spot is never good. It exposes the whole party to more aggro.

6. Know what classes are good for pulling.
6a. Don't let the Tank pull. Don't pull with Provoke if you're not the tank (If, for some reason, your tank has to pull). Ideally, a puller should have the ability to locate mobs (RNG/BST w/Wide Scan), the ability to Provoke in case of link (Sub WAR), and the Puller should be no more then one level below the highest person in the party, although ideally they should be even with the highest level person in the party.

7. Have rules dealing with linkage.
7a. I don't care how good of a puller you are, there's a chance you're going to get a link. Sometimes it's unavoidable. Have a plan in place with your party before you start hunting, so when it does happen, the fight doesn't turn into a gank-fest. Any links you drag along with you are your responsibility, unless you've worked something else out at the beginning of the party.

Tell your party to ONLY attack the Mob with the Red name. When you pull a link, YOU dispose of it. Whether it be killing it yourself (If you're somehow uber enuf to do that) or zoning it, either way, it's your job to take care of it.

8. Keep your party UPDATED!
8a. Let people know what TYPE of creature is coming at them, the Level of the creature compared to you, and if there is a link. I personally like it, in the open zones, when a puller lets me know what <pos> he's at when he's pulling. That way I have a general idea of where he's coming from.

9. The puller should NOT be a "Essential" class.
9a. The loss of the puller should not completely make the party fall apart. If the puller pulls a link, and they have to zone that link, the party should be able to handle the original mob. If the party can't, then it's not being efficient. The party should be able to take on whatever mob your pulling without you, and it should cause them downtime when it happens. If the party can't handle the mob you're fighting without you, then you're pulling mobs that are too tough. If the party breezes through the mob without you, then you're fighting mobs that are too easy. Essential classes are "Tank" and "Healer". They are not truly necessary, but they are more necessary.

10. Know how to run a XP Chain!
10a. XP Chaining is 50% the party and 50% the puller. You don't chain with IT-IT-IT-IT-IT (Although I'm sure some parties have), the best way to chain, in my experience, works like this: IT-VT-VT-T-T or IT-T-VT-T-T or VT-IT-VT-T-T. Alot of parties think that to get a good chain going, you do T-T-VT-VT-IT so you can hit that Uber 300xp. I don't know about the rest of you, but I'd rather take 230-270 XP a creature then 300 once every hour when conditions are perfect. It doesn't make sense to pull the IT's when you party is at it's weakest, it makes sense to pull them when it's at it's strongest. Let the bonux XP from the chain compensate for the lesser XP given from the Tough's. It makes more sense to maximize the XP of 3 small mobs over taking lower xp and maximizing it for one really tough mob. If you can get 5 mobs giving IT type experience in 10 minutes, you're in good shape. (Time may be off, never timed myself)

:edit: Also, if you've got a good party with good mages, you can break off when the mob is at about 2% HP and go looking for another. When you do this, make SURE that you check your WHM's MP before you pull the next!

11. Know WHEN to run a XP Chain!
11a. This links back to earlier in the document. Don't put your party at risk chasing a chain 4 or 5. Know when you're Healer is capable of supporting that extra chain link and when they aren't.

12. Know HOW to tag the mob! (Thanks Razer)
12a. Don't pull with Provoke! Ever! Unless you're the tank, in which case you shouldn't be pulling! Use your Bow or Boomerang or Shuriken or whatever ranged weapon you have to use. One thing you don't want is having to get close enough that an IT mob is whipping your *** the whole way back to the party. The other thing you don't want is the tank being unable to pull it off you because you pulled with Provoke.

12b. Turn while you're firing! You can turn around and face your party after you've hit your ranged macro. It won't interrupt your aim. Just make sure you do it in 1st person mode so your Character doesn't take any actual "Steps". It'll save you precious seconds each pull. :)

Well, that's about it for me. There's probably stuff I've forgotten and want to add later, and I'm probably not right about everything. That's why it's called an "Open" Guide, and not a "Definitive" Guide. These are the rules I live by when I pull, and although I'm not a "OMGWTFURUBER!" Puller, I'm good at what I do, and people who have partied with me before will often request I pull for them again.

It's also the first Guide I've done, so be gentle. :)



Edited, Tue May 4 17:04:40 2004 by ItharrAlexander

Edited, Tue May 4 17:19:39 2004 by ItharrAlexander

Very nice guide...

I'd like to add that ranged attacks are just about the best way to actually pull a mob...

Excellent. A few more thoughts:

+ Be aware of where you park the, relative to your party, surrounding parties, and the terrain. (This is only partly under the puller's control, since ultimately the tank has to take control.) Try not to park the mob too close to the mages if the mob has an AE, or at least make sure there's somewhere safe the mages can move to. Make sure there's space for any THFs to set up Sneak and/or Trick Attack. Try to avoid putting anyone in AE range of other parties. (Ugh! Mandies outside Kazam...)

+ Try not to bring any surprise pulls when the RDM is Converting. It sucks to have an angry mob in camp right after two Cure IV's. It sucks even more to have an angry mob in camp right *before* them.