Kiting (video gaming)

Kiting is a term primarily encountered in MMORPGs 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.

Etymology

The term kiting is generally considered to refer to "flying a kite", 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 second 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.

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 griefers 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 aggro 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.