The Elder Scrolls Online: Inside the Dungeons
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What enemies attack which member of your party and why? When we set out to design the behavior system for enemies in dungeons, we overwhelmingly felt that we needed something different than a traditional threat system where, by design, only one player (the tank) should be receiving direct attacks from an enemy. We also realized that we couldn't throw everything associated with a traditional threat system out not only because that's what many players know and understand, but also because it complements our role system well.
Another goal we have for combat in ESO is that we want to push you away from staring at the UI, instead engaging you in the game world through enemy animations, visual effects, and telegraphs to show you where danger is in the world.
Here are some of the key behaviors you'll see from enemies in dungeons that should give you a better idea of what you can expect:
'¢ Enemies in any room in a dungeon are all aware of each other. When one is attacked, the others are alerted and prepare to fight back. We call this (pack mentality.)
'¢ By default, a pack of monsters spreads out, and each enemy chooses a target. Player actions can change their targets to some extent. For example, taunt abilities force an enemy to attack you for a fixed duration. Attacking an enemy that hasn't been attacked recently can also cause its focus to switch to you.
'¢ Pack monsters don't all attack at once. Some immediately join the fight, but others prepare in the back lines before moving in. If you get too close to backline enemies, or if you attack them, they'll join the battle.
'¢ In general, enemies target the closest player that is attacking them. If they aren't being attacked, different enemy types choose targets differently. For example, a ranged enemy is more likely to target a ranged player than a melee enemy is.
Dungeons represent some of the toughest challenges in The Elder Scrolls Online, and they add yet another adventure you can choose to experience as you explore Tamriel. We hope this peek behind the portcullis helped give you some insight about dungeon design, and we're excited to see how you choose to tackle these dangerous delves in your own groups. Make sure to share this with your prospective party members so they'll be prepared, too!
