Doyce points out this fine Penny Arcade comic, and suggests it pretty much applies to any game.
I’ll agree as a broad principle, to wit, “Don’t just target the biggest, most menacing thing in the room.” In actuality — in CoX terms, at least — I’ll further qualify that some.
My General Targeting Priorities (when I get a chance to actually select targets):
- Anything manageable that’s liable to one- or two-shot a team member (e.g., Quantums if you have Squids, Embalmed Vahz). (By manageable, I mean that take no longer to take down than any other target, vs. a Boss who is a big threat to everyone but takes a while to deal with.)
- Anything that’s going to stop (mez) me from defeating the enemy (e.g., Malta Sappers, Avalanche Mages, Tesla Clocks). (This is the main reason to take down Aberrant Lost first — not because they are big and nasty, but because at the levels they appear they can mez most of the group.)
- Anything that’s going to buff/heal the enemy (as PA notes) (e.g., Rikti Guardians, Mortificators, Tsoo Sorcerers, Crey Geneticists/Radiologists, anything that turns on Leaderhip pool attributes).
- The enemy, biggest to smallest (self-explanatory).
I suspect the principle can, indeed, be applied to any game.
How do you classify “things that make other things”? Rikti Communication Officers and their portals, Sky Raider Engineers and the forcefield generators, those Malta guys who put down turrets, anyone who throws caltrops or makes minions/pets, and the like. Do you put them in with the buffers?
I’d probably class them under #3 — though, honestly, Rikti Portals tend to be just big XP treasure chests in my experience. The Engineers/FFs are definitely buffers. Malta Turrets and “pets” folks are possibly #3 — pets that rely on their owner’s life (e.g., Imps from FF) would fall under a more powerful enemy in #4.
Caltrops are thrown so quickly and broadly by the Tsoo and the Knives that I treat their casters as normal grunts, since unless you’re talking about a first snipe, it’s unlikely they’ll be prevented from doing so.
Note that, as opposed to killing first, all of these make a nice order of targeting for Confusers, too. Confused/Deceived Engineers, for example, will build FF generators that work for the players. There are a few exceptions there, though — confused Morts will still raise fallen Vahz who then fight for the bad guys.
Clocks: Tesla Knights
Tsoo: Sorcerers
BP: Death Shamans
COT : anything that LOOKS magey.
Carnies: Illusionists
Malta: Sappers
Sky Raiders: Engineers
Lost- Prelates
Crey : medics, but not so much.
Nems – snipers.
Rikti – Mezzers.
Vash – Splodie Zomibies. They’re worse than the Rezzers.
Devouring Earth, Council, Family, Freaks, Warriors , Skullz, Outcasts, Trolls, Hellions – Free for all!
Council: Marksmen (since some of their rounds do a cold Slow/-Regen debuff).
Rikti: I’d go for the Guardians first, unless you have a particular vulnerability to psionics (I find the big Soldiers more of a threat than the big Mesmerists/Mentalist).
With the Banished Pantheon, I’d go for the Storm Shamans (massive debuffs) before the Death Shamans. Same rationale as targeting Tsoo Sorcerers.
hrm… Ill give you the BP. Storm and Avalanche Shamans are tougher than the Deathers.
Council Marksmen don’t bother me much; They take way to long to reload and can be interupted.
I have developed a separate style of play for Rikti Communication Officers while running with pets. I am too lazy to continually change my pet aggro setting to allow the portal to spawn. My mastermind has TP Foe. If you stand just out of aggro range and TP a non-comm Rikti from the group next to the pets. They can finish him off by the time the comm officer gets the portal up and running. Then send them after the portal and enjoy the XP. This even works with non-commandable pets like Fusionette. If you don’t have TP Foe you can pull the off mob.