Threat

**Threat** or hate is a measure of an NPC's aggression towards a player. The NPC will attack the character with highest threat if possible, unless another character overrides the NPC's current target. In-game, this is known as having aggro, short for aggravation and the aggressive interest of an NPC. Aggro is the condition of a NPC attacking a specific character, while threat is the numeric value each attacker has towards each character on its threat list.

## Mechanics

NPCs maintain a threat list, also known as a hate list. This is a list of all the characters that have angered the NPC, ordered from the one with the most amount of threat to the least. A unit toward the top of the list, or the highest threat, is usually the target of its aggression. If a NPC kills the character with the highest threat, it will then attack the next character on the list.

Every character is added to the threat table upon initiating combat, and removed at the end of combat. Threat is a positive number beginning at zero upon entry to the table. Leaving and re-entering combat starts at zero again. Each NPC tracks opponents using their own threat table.

The person the NPC attacks is the person with aggro. In theory, the player with the most threat will also have aggro, however combat situations may vary.

In groups, each character action will move them up or down the threat list. Other members of the group are also moving up or down the threat list, so even if no actions are performed by a single player, their relative position on the list may change.

In general, the more damage an attack does, or the more healing a heal does, the more hate or threat it generates. Some abilities have added or lessened threat generation. Damage over Time (DOTs) and Healing over Time (HoTs) spells tend to generate less threat than Direct Damage and debuffs.

### Threat Actions

Actions that accumulate threat in combat and move the character up the threat list:

* Aggro spells and abilities such as Taunt.
* Healing any of the NPC's enemies
* Damage the NPC.
* Friendly buffs or abilities.
* Certain control debuffs like sleep.
* Distance from the NPC.
* Sitting.
* Low health < 20% >

Actions that reduce threat in combat and move the player down the threat list:

* < Threat reduction abilities and spells >

Actions that remove the player from the threat list completely:

* Death.
* Monk Feign Death ability.
* Necromancer Feign Death ability.
* < List invulnerability spells and abilities >

Note: Invulnerability rends characters immune to attacks, preventing NPCs from damaging them for the duration of the effect, but doesn't remove threat.

The NPC aggros a new target if a character:

* Overrides the NPC's current target using a Taunt or special ability.
* Exceeds the previous target's threat by 10%? while within melee range.
* Exceeds the previous target's threat by 30%? while outside melee range.

### Threat Management

Managing threat is one of the most important aspects of grouping because it determines how much damage the group receives and where. The tank normally holds threat and uses their abilities to make the enemy focus them. All party members are responsible for managing their threat, as tank taunt abilities have cooldowns.

If a character other than the tank gains aggro, they should **not** run away. Remain in place and use threat reduction abilities if available, or movement impairing effects such as snare or root. Stop attacking the aggro'd enemy, and stop healing if possible. Every point of damage or healing increases threat. If the tank doesn't immediately notice the situation, notify the party in chat.

If the tank isn't nearby, run towards them. then move away once they have regained aggro.

### Threat Lock

**Threat lock** is when a healer is aggro'd and begins to heal themself, generating more hate and creating a threat loop. It lasts until the healer fails to heal in time and dies, or until a tank class manages to taunt the enemies off and generate even more hate than the healer. Invulnerability spells should be used in this situation, and spells or other powerful abilities such as Lay on Hands (LOH) and taunt by a Paladin to generate threat.