Kiting 101

By Grimore Valentine

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QUESTION

I keep hearing casters talk about "kiting." What is exactly is kiting, and how is it done?

ANSWER

What Kiting Means
Kiting is when a player uses his abilities to do damage to a mob without taking any damage himself, normally done by utilizing movement-impairing effects (e.g. Snare or Frostbite). Basically all that you need to do is keep yourself and the mob separate from each other while doing damage in whatever means possible to the mob. This means you will need to stay mobile, which can be a trick in itself. Fortunately, Vanguard permits casting while moving. You should defiantly use this to your advantage as a kiter.

What You Need to Kite
Simply put, you need the ability to slow a mob's movement speed (the longer the better) and/or a movement immobilization spell (e.g. Root or Freeze). Other than that, you need to know what you're up against. Know your own limits, and watch your energy. I can't stress enough how much you should watch your energy. A caster's energy is key to anything she does; if you have no energy to snare or root or even damage, then that mob is going to be right on top of you quick. And that is never a good thing. Also, getting a few buffs from a vendor or another player never hurt.

Snare Kiting
Your basics here is that you need to snare the mob and make sure it’s away from you. You have to stay mobile and make sure the mob doesn't get too close. Keep moving while you're doing everything. Never stop; you don't need to since Vanguard allows you to move while casting. Also, you should take full advantage of instant attack spells as you can, as well as damage over time spells (DoTs) if you have them. Also, keep track of your surroundings. The worst thing you could have happen is to get an add while single-mob kiting. Always keep a knowledge of your surroundings; you need to make sure you know how you can get away quick (whether by using a crowd control spell, an evacuation spell, or just flat out fleeing for your life).

Full Speed Kiting
Full Speed Kiting (FSK) means you're just kiting the mob at its full run speed while you're probably running, too. This can be done effectively depending on the mob or the player's skill. If you're completely new to kiting, I would really suggest not doing this because even some of the veteran casters have difficulty with this at some points. The biggest drawback of FSK is that it is too easy to run out of real estate while moving or bump into other mobs.

You must take full advantage of any instant cast attacks you have when FSK. You should also take full advantage of any movement-increasing effects for yourself (e.g. Sprint). If you can counterspell mobs, you should do it; getting hit with anything that is going to impair your movement means game over for you. You also definitely need to know what you're kiting. If it is a caster, you need to make sure to not let it cast anything. If it is a melee, you need to take even more care in making sure it doesn't hit you because melee mobs can use effects that will snare you (nearly every melee mob can do this). Finally, be aware of your energy pool. Getting one last nuke in can mean the difference between living to see the next mob and dying in a most brutal way.

Area of Effect (AoE) Kiting
Out of all the kiting styles, this one is going to be the hardest. Most classes don’t have the damage to even be able to do this. I believe the most effective AoE caster is the Sorcerer. This style of kiting requires much more skill and focus than any other kiting style. You have to know your AoE spells, and you have to know how to effectively use them. You need to know how to put out the most AoE damage in the shortest amount of time possible, and you have to know how to react to mobs that aren’t fully killed by the AoE, ones that resist an area snare or other spell like that, and adds.

Kiting Tips

1. Jumping does not break run speed. If you need to move your hands off your movement keys in order to press a hotkey, jump to keep your forward momentum, push your hotkey, and then go back to using your movement keys.
2. Having your back faced towards the mob means the mob is out of your line of site (LoS). HOWEVER, if your side is to the mob and you are walking somewhat sideways the mob is still in your LoS which means you can continue to cast on it, while running at full forward run speed. Therefore you are still getting normal speed and can keep away from the mob with less difficulty.

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