How do you guys use elaborate formations to combat high end bosses in instances.

[LancerX]

I would love to see some great explanations of how you guys use your formations, I know that some of the end game bosses require some running around and spreading out and coming together to avoid aoe's and other aura's. I use 5 shamans and I have the one where the 4 behind me all go in straight line. Ill explain how I do that below, I would love to hear from all of you how you all do formations and use different ways to fight bosses or mobs in instances where you must be in certain places to avoid certain spells.


In order to make all of your toons go in straight line behind you do this.

Go into Toon 1 and set strafe left to your left arrow key and strafe left to your right arrow key
on Toon 2 set strafe left to your left arrow key and strafe right to your right arrow key
on Toon 3 set your strafe right to you left arrow key and strafe left to your right arrow key
on toon 4 set you strafe right to your left arrow key and strafe right to your right arrow key


Now just hit your left arrow key and then your right arrow key and they will spread out in a perfect line. I use my nostrom n52 pad and bound this to a key and set the delay's on it so they always stand perfect distance apart.

Ok you all come on and tell us how to do those elaborate formation schemes.

[Bravo]

I've never found the straight line usefull for any boss encounters. The only one that needs a bit of set up is having 4 shamans in a square and then the healer off on an end, with the mob directly in the middle with earth elementals tanking. I use that on Quag, Dalliah, Socco, Thespia and Capacitus the only quick setup I have is right clicking everyone and rotating them and using the back key to get them to spread out, I might bind turns on all 4 and then 2 turns on the other two to space it out, but you'd never get as accurate as you want for the situtation with the mouse. otherwise it's everyone on top of eachother with the EE far out in front.

[Vyndree]

bound this to a key and set the delay's on it so they always stand perfect distance apart.

Be careful with this. Setting delays may border on automation, and normal people have been banned for using complex delays on g15 keyboards.

Not saying that your delay is complex, but as a multiboxer, you get alot of attention and given an unforgiving GM you just might want to be careful.

[LancerX]

bound this to a key and set the delay's on it so they always stand perfect distance apart.

Be careful with this. Setting delays may border on automation, and normal people have been banned for using complex delays on g15 keyboards.

Not saying that your delay is complex, but as a multiboxer, you get alot of attention and given an unforgiving GM you just might want to be careful.
Ok thanks for the warning.It always seemed so innocent I never really thought of it that way, but I think you are right and I will change it later today when server comes up.

[LancerX]

I've never found the straight line usefull for any boss encounters. The only one that needs a bit of set up is having 4 shamans in a square and then the healer off on an end, with the mob directly in the middle with earth elementals tanking. I use that on Quag, Dalliah, Socco, Thespia and Capacitus the only quick setup I have is right clicking everyone and rotating them and using the back key to get them to spread out, I might bind turns on all 4 and then 2 turns on the other two to space it out, but you'd never get as accurate as you want for the situtation with the mouse. otherwise it's everyone on top of eachother with the EE far out in front.

So how do you do that? I would think by just binding the same key to each character like this.

using the left arrow key
toon 1 strafe left
toon 2 strafe right
toon 3 move back
toon 4 move forward

Is this correct?

[aetherg]

The only formation I use is the + by binding my 'R' key to up, down, left, right on the shammies. This has been fine for everything I've done up to now. The back shammy is the one specced resto, so range isn't as important for her since she only needs to reach the tank. On bosses where I need to spread to four corners, I run in most of the way with them on follow, then hit R and hold it down until they're all at a good distance. Then I hit my follow macro and quickly hit the 'back' key; that faces them towards me.

[Bravo]

I've never found the straight line usefull for any boss encounters. The only one that needs a bit of set up is having 4 shamans in a square and then the healer off on an end, with the mob directly in the middle with earth elementals tanking. I use that on Quag, Dalliah, Socco, Thespia and Capacitus the only quick setup I have is right clicking everyone and rotating them and using the back key to get them to spread out, I might bind turns on all 4 and then 2 turns on the other two to space it out, but you'd never get as accurate as you want for the situtation with the mouse. otherwise it's everyone on top of eachother with the EE far out in front.

So how do you do that? I would think by just binding the same key to each character like this.

using the left arrow key
toon 1 strafe left
toon 2 strafe right
toon 3 move back
toon 4 move forward

Is this correct?no like I said I manually rotate them, I've seen a video from Remote doing Slabs where he looked like he did the set up in 1 or 2 keystrokes, but what you mentioned is a cross. My setup have 2 on each side and a somewhat equal spacing between the front and the back if I were to guess on a setup I'd think it would be

key 1 rotate left toon 1 , 2; rotate right toon 3, 4
Key 2 rotate left toon 2; rotate right toon 4
Key 3 Backup toon 1,2,3,4

very similar to the straight line pattern I imagine it'd work with practice 90% of the time, but lag or holding a key for too long would throw off the formation and you'd have to start over

[elo]

I must confess to using a sleep on my spread out macro :-(, it's just so nice to be able to have one button press make my line instantly, but the warning is well taken. I'd like to think they'd take it in the same light as the WoW functions exposed out of combat vs. in combat but they've no control over my script so my argument may not fly for that reason.

I guess I'm going to go ahead with my backup plan which is

one button keydown:
A strafe left
B switch to walk
B strafe left
C switch to walk
C strafe right
D strafe right

one button keyup:
A stop strafe
B stop strafe
B switch to run
C stop strafe
C switch to run
D stop strafe

The only formation I really have to go into for a boss fight so far is on Omor, but I have to manually set them up for that as it's a semi-circle with them each facing him exactly.

For a lot of fights I spread them out in the line so that I can see what's going on with them. When one pulls aggro I can get an idea of which one is about to bite it, etc. If it's a simple fight they just stay clumped up and are a little ball of pain.

[Stabface]

So how many bosses are there out there where standing in a line / some polygon shape 2 yards from each other gives you a tactical benefit over having people all standing on top of each other? I can only think of one, and that's the 1st boss in SH.

On fights where you need to be spread out (Omor, etc), you need to be spread out more than the couple of yards that a formation will get you. On fights where you need to be mobile, you generally just need one person to be mobile at a time (fire elementals in Mech). Or, the entire group to be mobile (Vorpil in SL for example). In either case a formation really doesn't help.

[aetherg]

I find the main benefit is being able to see more easily what's going on; which minion got hit by a spell or is being attacked by a mob, etc. without having to wait for it to show up on the character portraits.