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Partying Help
Tactics

Partying
Instancing

Group Roles

Tank
Healer
Damage

Functions

Leader
Crowd control
Main assist
Puller
Rezzer
Scout

Related

Aggro
Hybrid classes
Meeting Stone
Pickup group
Wipe

The main assist is the player in a raid or party who specifies the mob which should be taken down next by the DPS classes. This player is not to be confused with a main tank who manages the aggro. The main assist's job is to have one specific mob targeted at all times, whereas the main tank must switch targets frequently to keep aggro up.

Any party with more then one attacker should have a main assist. It is important to reduce the damage being dealt to the party. Concentrating on one mob at a time reduces party damage faster than every one killing their own mob.

Ideally the main assist will be familiar with the instance and must be able to prioritize the targets at hand. Prioritizing targets is very hard to quantify and depends almost always on the specific circumstances. However as a general rule of thumb you must ensure your squishies are ok, and then take down the healers, summoners, nukers, and then the rest. This is where knowledge of the instance comes in. For example, if there is a mob who can nuke your whole party in two shots, take him out first; this is what separates a good main assist from a wipe.

Having a main assist makes both tanking and healing easier. Since most mobs will not have too much aggro, the Main tank just has to keep an eye on healing aggro, and mainly concentrate on the Main Assist's target, and it obviously helps the healer since they don't have to heal everyone who accidentally gets aggro.


Classes suitable as main assist

Warlocks are also good main assists for a similar reason. Starting from level 14, they have Spell shadow unholystrength [Curse of Recklessness] which also prevents mobs from fleeing when they're low on life. There are other side effects, too. It increases the mob's attack rating by a small amount, but decreases their armor by a larger amount. It also blocks them from fear and horror effects.

Hunter is well suited, as the Hunter's Mark helps to identify the mob which is "on" to the party.

Rogues are also good main assists.


Classes that should not be main assist

Classes who change their target often are not particularly useful Main Assists. Classes dealing ranged damage usually have more oversight. Mages sometimes have their sheep targeted, all healing classes also tend to target something else from time to time. Warriors must keep taunting mobs around them to make sure they don't run off and go kill a squishy.

What the Main Assist wants You to do.

If a party has a Main Assist, then other members of that party should be helping the Main Assist to take that target down. Obviously this should not get in the way of other roles such as healing etc.

It is invaluable to have a macro set up such as the Assist Main Tank/Main Assist macro. Being able to target the MA's target with the press of a key is much quicker and less error-prone than having to first target the MA and then press a key to target his target.

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