Kiting (MMORPG term)
Encyclopedia
Kiting is a term primarily encountered in MMORPG
s referring to a popular method of killing mobs
(monsters) or other players by staying at a distance, using ranged attacks, and running whenever the enemy comes near. Similar tactics may be used in other computer and video games.
", which is what the process looks like to a third party. The player doing the kiting leads the enemy around (directed by the AI to move towards the player to attack them), which is often moving at a reduced speed caused by the player in some manner (for example, a slow spell or injury).
than the mob's hit point regeneration without running out of mana
or ammunition, a limitation less relevant when the kiter's only task is keeping the monster's attention while his or her friends deal damage, since in many games the other players are not "in combat" and can rest or recover easily.
For example, a common strategy in World of Warcraft
involves a player "pulling" a boss away from a group of enemies and kiting the boss while the rest of the player's party defeats the other mobs, while in Eve Online
, kiting is an important strategy for both player-versus-player (PVP) and player-versus-environment (PVE). Player spaceships fit for short range combat often do considerably more damage than those using longer range weapons, but a faster ship fit for longer range can control the distance between themselves and their opponent, defeating the opponent while taking little or no damage themselves.
s to bypass PVP flags and slay other players.
and to whittle down the enemy's hit points. More advanced techniques require knowledge of a game's specific mechanics. For example, in World of Warcraft, the Mage class has access to "frost" spells which slow down the enemy's movement or even freeze them in place, allowing the mage to keep his distance even if his normal movement speed is less than that of his enemy. Other useful in-game abilities can include movement speed boosts for the player or teleportation powers, depending on the game and character.
To reduce the likelihood of encountering additional opponents while kiting, it is important for a player to be aware of his surroundings. Some players will move in a circle while kiting in order to stay within an area they know to be relatively clear of enemies.
Two players working together may kite an enemy without actually moving, if the game's AI
or aggro
mechanisms allow. The players position their characters on opposite sides of an AI-controlled enemy, some significant distance apart. The players alternate attacking the enemy with ranged attacks. If the two players are causing approximately equal damage to the enemy and have proper timing, the enemy will continuously change which player it is targeting or has the most aggro towards, causing it to run back and forth between the two players, wasting most of its time moving instead of attacking.
Line of sight
kiting exists in several MMORPGs. The idea of line-of-sight kiting is to kite an enemy who has ranged attacks by hiding behind objects and around corners to break their line-of-sight to the player. Most enemies with ranged attacks can continue attacking the player even while moving, which defeats the purpose of kiting. By breaking the line-of-sight, the player forces the enemy to stop attacking while they run to a position from which they can see the player. This can allow the player more time to reach the next corner or obstacle, or for abilities with a cooldown
to recharge. Line-of-sight manipulation can also be used to bring an enemy into position for an ambush by the player's teammates or to draw an enemy away from a group of its companions who have not yet noticed the player.
Another common use of the term kite, although in some ways the inverse of the original, is "reverse-kiting" (sometimes called fear-kiting). This is when a player will attack an enemy, and then use an ability to keep the enemy away, without the player actually having to move, usually through the use of an ability than induces fear in the target in EverQuest and World of Warcraft, as this will cause the enemy to run around randomly, rather than attack. Once the targeted enemy is then incapable of attacking, the player can then start to damage the enemy safely. In some other games, knockback or repulsion abilities may be used for the same effect.
EverQuest also spawned the term "quad kiting". This method involved a spell caster that can deal damage to four targets grouped together. Quad kiting was difficult to accomplish, but yielded far greater rewards for the same amount of time expended by the player.
There is a difference between kiting and "pulling", another technique in MMO
games. Whereas both are techniques requiring ranged attacks, pulling is done usually in a party where a ranged character has no expectation of killing the mob with ranged attacks alone. Pulling is a control technique used to draw a limited number of enemies (one or more) to a clear location to allow a party to kill them without causing the rest of the group (or adjacent groups) to aggro. Kiting is intended as a primary offensive technique, in which separating the party from a larger group is desirable at times, but not required.
MMORPG
Massively multiplayer online role-playing game is a genre of role-playing video games in which a very large number of players interact with one another within a virtual game world....
s referring to a popular method of killing mobs
Mob (computer gaming)
A mob, mobile or monster is a computer-controlled non-player character in a computer game such as an MMORPG or MUD. Depending on context, all such characters in a game may be considered "mobs", or usage may be limited to hostile NPCs and/or NPCs vulnerable to attack.-Purpose of mobs:Defeating...
(monsters) or other players by staying at a distance, using ranged attacks, and running whenever the enemy comes near. Similar tactics may be used in other computer and video games.
Etymology
The term kiting is generally considered to refer to "flying a kiteKite
A kite is a tethered aircraft. The necessary lift that makes the kite wing fly is generated when air flows over and under the kite's wing, producing low pressure above the wing and high pressure below it. This deflection also generates horizontal drag along the direction of the wind...
", which is what the process looks like to a third party. The player doing the kiting leads the enemy around (directed by the AI to move towards the player to attack them), which is often moving at a reduced speed caused by the player in some manner (for example, a slow spell or injury).
Uses
The advantage of the strategy is that a safe distance is kept between the player and the target while the player keeps bombarding the target with ranged attacks (such as spells, arrows, or other projectiles) but it relies on being able to generate more damage per secondDamage per second
Damage per second is a term used with computer games to describe the average rate of damage inflicted over time. The term is especially common in massively multiplayer online role-playing games and is a key aspect of theorycraft...
than the mob's hit point regeneration without running out of mana
Magic point
Magic points are units of magical power that are used in many role-playing, computer role-playing and similar games as an expendable resource that is needed to pay for magic spells and other abilities, such as special attacks...
or ammunition, a limitation less relevant when the kiter's only task is keeping the monster's attention while his or her friends deal damage, since in many games the other players are not "in combat" and can rest or recover easily.
For example, a common strategy in World of Warcraft
World of Warcraft
World of Warcraft is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game by Blizzard Entertainment. It is the fourth released game set in the fantasy Warcraft universe, which was first introduced by Warcraft: Orcs & Humans in 1994...
involves a player "pulling" a boss away from a group of enemies and kiting the boss while the rest of the player's party defeats the other mobs, while in Eve Online
EVE Online
Eve Online is a video game by CCP Games. It is a player-driven, persistent-world MMORPG set in a science fiction space setting. Characters pilot customizable ships through a galaxy of over 7,500 star systems. Most star systems are connected to one or more other star systems by means of stargates...
, kiting is an important strategy for both player-versus-player (PVP) and player-versus-environment (PVE). Player spaceships fit for short range combat often do considerably more damage than those using longer range weapons, but a faster ship fit for longer range can control the distance between themselves and their opponent, defeating the opponent while taking little or no damage themselves.
Training
Training is a particular type of kiting in which a train of monsters is acquired and allowed to follow the "trainer" in such a manner that they will intentionally run into another foe, losing interest in the trainer and attacking the trainer's true target instead. Sometimes players will train aggressive, high level mobs into unusual areas to wreak havoc - a tactic sometimes abused by grieferGriefer
A griefer is a player in a multiplayer video game that deliberately irritates and harasses other players.-History:The term was applied to online, multiplayer computer games by the year 2000 or earlier, as illustrated by postings to the rec.games.computer.ultima.online USENET group.-Overview:A...
s to bypass PVP flags and slay other players.
Methods
The most basic method of kiting is to attack an enemy from a distance and simply run away, stopping to attack again as often as necessary in order to maintain aggroHate (MMORPG terminology)
Hate, aggro, or threat is a mechanism used in many MMORPGs as well as some RPGs by which non-playing characters prioritize which players to attack. Players who generate the most hate on an NPC will be preferentially attacked by that NPC...
and to whittle down the enemy's hit points. More advanced techniques require knowledge of a game's specific mechanics. For example, in World of Warcraft, the Mage class has access to "frost" spells which slow down the enemy's movement or even freeze them in place, allowing the mage to keep his distance even if his normal movement speed is less than that of his enemy. Other useful in-game abilities can include movement speed boosts for the player or teleportation powers, depending on the game and character.
To reduce the likelihood of encountering additional opponents while kiting, it is important for a player to be aware of his surroundings. Some players will move in a circle while kiting in order to stay within an area they know to be relatively clear of enemies.
Two players working together may kite an enemy without actually moving, if the game's AI
Game artificial intelligence
Game artificial intelligence refers to techniques used in computer and video games to produce the illusion of intelligence in the behavior of non-player characters . The techniques used typically draw upon existing methods from the field of artificial intelligence...
or aggro
Hate (MMORPG terminology)
Hate, aggro, or threat is a mechanism used in many MMORPGs as well as some RPGs by which non-playing characters prioritize which players to attack. Players who generate the most hate on an NPC will be preferentially attacked by that NPC...
mechanisms allow. The players position their characters on opposite sides of an AI-controlled enemy, some significant distance apart. The players alternate attacking the enemy with ranged attacks. If the two players are causing approximately equal damage to the enemy and have proper timing, the enemy will continuously change which player it is targeting or has the most aggro towards, causing it to run back and forth between the two players, wasting most of its time moving instead of attacking.
Line of sight
Line of sight (gaming)
Line of sight, sometimes written line-of-sight or abbreviated to LoS, is a term used in wargames and some role-playing games . It refers to visibility on the playing field. Many abilities can only be used against an enemy within line of sight.In some games, miniature figures are used to determine...
kiting exists in several MMORPGs. The idea of line-of-sight kiting is to kite an enemy who has ranged attacks by hiding behind objects and around corners to break their line-of-sight to the player. Most enemies with ranged attacks can continue attacking the player even while moving, which defeats the purpose of kiting. By breaking the line-of-sight, the player forces the enemy to stop attacking while they run to a position from which they can see the player. This can allow the player more time to reach the next corner or obstacle, or for abilities with a cooldown
Cooldown
Cooldown is, in numerous video games, the minimum length of time that the player needs to wait after using an ability before they can use it again....
to recharge. Line-of-sight manipulation can also be used to bring an enemy into position for an ambush by the player's teammates or to draw an enemy away from a group of its companions who have not yet noticed the player.
Another common use of the term kite, although in some ways the inverse of the original, is "reverse-kiting" (sometimes called fear-kiting). This is when a player will attack an enemy, and then use an ability to keep the enemy away, without the player actually having to move, usually through the use of an ability than induces fear in the target in EverQuest and World of Warcraft, as this will cause the enemy to run around randomly, rather than attack. Once the targeted enemy is then incapable of attacking, the player can then start to damage the enemy safely. In some other games, knockback or repulsion abilities may be used for the same effect.
EverQuest also spawned the term "quad kiting". This method involved a spell caster that can deal damage to four targets grouped together. Quad kiting was difficult to accomplish, but yielded far greater rewards for the same amount of time expended by the player.
There is a difference between kiting and "pulling", another technique in MMO
Massively multiplayer online game
A massively multiplayer online game is a multiplayer video game which is capable of supporting hundreds or thousands of players simultaneously. By necessity, they are played on the Internet, and usually feature at least one persistent world. They are, however, not necessarily games played on...
games. Whereas both are techniques requiring ranged attacks, pulling is done usually in a party where a ranged character has no expectation of killing the mob with ranged attacks alone. Pulling is a control technique used to draw a limited number of enemies (one or more) to a clear location to allow a party to kill them without causing the rest of the group (or adjacent groups) to aggro. Kiting is intended as a primary offensive technique, in which separating the party from a larger group is desirable at times, but not required.