Right Wall Blocking
Background
Right wall blocking is a basic technique used by tanks or terras to prevent enemies from scattering. The result of a successful right wall block is that melee mobs who attempt to scatter to avoid damage will get stuck at the player's position, neither attacking nor running away.
Hard Mode AI Behaviour
When more than 3 melee ranged foes who are attacking a single target take damage, the AI is programmed to scatter to avoid damage. It does this by putting every foe except 3 in a passive state, with behaviour similar to that of a "buggy" caster. When the passive mobs regain their health they will then swap with the attacking foes. Fixing the mobs to your position will prevent this loop, which makes killing them substantially faster.
How to perform a right wall block
When facing the enemies, the terrain used to perform the block should be on your right hand side. This means that you might have to first reposition yourself around the foes. Standing close to the wall, perform a sidestep outwards, leaving a bit of room between yourself and the wall. Note that the room should not be large enough that the enemies can pass through it. With the enemies up against the wall, and the player in this position, they are now locked in a right wall block. Note: The sidestep is not strictly needed in all situations. If you are unsure, do it.
Common usage
- If you have more than 3 damaged foes attacking you in melee, all but 3 of them will stop attacking and attempt to scatter. Once they regenerate their health, or the number of damaged melees attacking you drops below 3, they will resume attacking. If you are standing still, enemies will only begin scattering when they go below ~66% health, and will return when they regen to ~90%. If you are moving, however, enemies will scatter as soon as they go below 100%. Right wall blocking is effective against this type of AI scattering.
- The technique can be used to ball up groups that include passive ("buggy") casters.
- While the right wall block doesn't prevent foes from chasing other party members, a tank in this position can also serve as a prime target for a pull-through, effectively blocking the enemies path to other targets. Large groups of foes, such as in Veil and Escort, can be quickly balled by performing a pull-through on a tank in a wall block position. A left hand wall also works in this case.
