Monday, December 13, 2010

Mini Guide To CC - (for all classes to read)

Basic Rules:

If you play as a class with a CC option such as Sap, Traps, Sheep, Chains, Shackle, etc you should always have it on your bar and you should always have it hot keyed even if you do not use key binds normally.

If you play a Hunter and have bad aim.  Own up.  It is better to say so before being asked to do it then to have the group depending on you doing something that you are not good at.

If your healer is a Priest after an Undead or a Shaman after an Elemental it might miss.  Healers usually do not have any reason to have hit rating.

Rules For CC Order:

If there is a Rogue in the group he always goes first.
If there is a Hunter in the group he always goes second.
If there is no Rogue but there is a Hunter the Hunter goes first.
Everything else can come after.

Rules for a Successful CC:

With the exception of a Rogue all other types of CC will pull the mobs.
A Hunter can CC and not pull mobs if you want him too.  If you want that done, say so.
Mark targets. *
Kill order should always be the same. ex: Skull then X
CC order should always be the same. ex: Sheep Moon
State the kill and CC order.  Different servers have different normal rules.
If there is a Rogue and/or Hunter in the group all other CC must wait until they do theirs.
Focus fire targets.
No AoE even if you think the range is fine.
Make sure you remove any glyph(s) that make you hit an extra target.

Rules For The Tank:

If you want CC you need to speak up.
Wait for Hunter/Rogue CC.
Mark targets. *
Know the skills your damage dealers have. **
Pull the mobs back.

Rules For The Healer:

Stand near the Mage/Hunter/etc. (If they see you getting hit they can help you)

Rules For DPS:

No AoE.
Focus Fire.
Know how to use your CC.
Know what your CC works on.

Rules That Might Seem Stupid:

CC is not just for pulls.
CC mobs eating the healer.
CC runners.

* (Mark Targets)
- Every time a tank yells about DPS not focus firing all I hear is charlie browns teacher.  You would be amazed how well marking targets is.  Even a noob, first time player, will understand that the skull must die and they will focus it if you take the time to mark it.
- Do not, repeat NOT, tell people to assist tank.  Assist tank might be good sometimes.  Not always.  I can't count the number of times I did my assist focus macro and the tank was targeting something we where not focusing.  I've also tanked and know I like to switch targets or move from skull to X as soon as I have an ample threat lead on skull. DPS can assist, but if they hit the wrong target remember it could be your fault as well.  You are the one that told them to assist and you are the one that was not on the focus fire target.

** (CC Abilities)
The Top Tier:
Hunter: Freezing Trap (All)
Mage: Polymorph (Beasts and Humanoid)
Druid: Hibernate (Beasts and Dragonkin)
Shaman: Hex (Beasts and Humanoid) / Bind Elemental (Elemental)
Warlock: Banish (Humanoid and Elemenal)
Paladin: Repentance (Demons, Dragonkin, Giants, Humanoid and Undead)
Rogue: Sap (Humanoid, Beasts, Demons and Dragonkin)

Secondary:
Priest: Shackle Undead (Undead)
Druid: Entangling Roots (All)
Warlock: Enslave Demon (Demon)

Limited:
Death Knight: Chains of Ice (All)
Druid: Cyclone (All)
Mage: Frost Nova (All)
Death Knight: Hungering Cold (All)

There are many other things people can do to help control an area.  From a Hunters perspective I know them best.  Ice trap, Concussive, Scatter, can all slow people down. Distracting is a good way to get something off a healer and then FD near the tank hoping it gets picked up.

Not all crowd control is about stopping movement completely.  And some CC like Shackle and Roots can be extremely effective, just as good as freezing, when used on a melee mob whereas they become almost useless if used on caster mobs still in range.

Knowing the CC the classes behind you have will only help you.

Hope this helps some.

3 comments:

  1. Great tips and rundown of the various CC moves. Frost DKs also have Hungering Cold, which freezes everything around the DK in an ice block which breaks upon taking non-disease damage. As a DK, I find it very useful to use on a large group of surprise adds/mobs, as it stops them from bee-lining to the healer, and gives the tank that few seconds to thunderclap/blood boil/whatever them.

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  2. Thanks for the tip. I will add that.

    Sounds like that would fit with a Mage's Frost Nova.

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