Overall Group Survival

These are guidelines, each situation is different, so be flexible. Being aware of circumstances that increase group survival during situations where a group could potentially wipe (everyone falls and has to depart or wait for a rescue), and learning when to apply these guidelines is dependent on experience as much as knowledge of these tips.

Aside from Combat Focus and controlling where you fight things, these other tips and guidelines can be helpful to know and practice until they are a habit.

Healer Health

Keep a close eye on your healers at all times. If your group must be spread out across a snell for strategic reasons, assign a few fighters able to defend them from attacks. If you see a healer getting attacked and you're fighting a creature, try to lead the creature with you and kill the thing on the healer, trying not to drop the creature you were fighting on anyone else. If you're not strong on defense and you usually use bricks to allow you to tag, drop the creature on a stable brick (making sure not to drop it so it surrounds the brick) and then aid the healer.

Covering the Injured

Don't let others fall if you can take a hit and not fall yourself. It takes much longer to raise a person who fell hard than to heal one or two from red to white.

There may be situations where you might run in behind the other party members and a retreat is called. You'll often find yourself at or near full health, and you'll see a fighter or healer very injured running back toward the exit and you. The first thing you do is make sure you get out of their way. Then if a creature is chasing them and they're about dead, step in the way of the creature to intercept it. Then if other injured are still coming toward the exit and you're between them, hold the creature (either rod, brick or tank it) so it keeps its attention on you and not a nearly fallen fighter bringing up the rear. If you get injured during this time get out fast, if you can't hold a creature and let a fighter or healer make it out successfully.

Backing Up Fighters

If you see a fighter in trouble, and are not anchored to a more vital position, move quickly to assist that fighter by circling around the beast and attack to get its attention*, allowing the injured fighter to withdraw to your protected healers.

*If the monster is the type that locks onto a target, it is better to try to step between the monster and the injured fighter, or pull the fighter back, so the monster has to at least go around you to get the fighter.

Taking Damage

If there's a person who bricks a beast, and you do not, do not stand still and let the beast hit you while the brick is there. This applies to healers and fighters. On the other hand, if there is a rodding healer there who can take damage and stay healthy, take advantage of it instead of trying to hold something you only partially brick. Taking unnecessary damage makes the entire group's health rating sink and makes the group vulnerable to surprise attacks, so only do this if you know how to survive when low.

There are two exceptions:

1. If you wish to test your bricking ability quickly, and your limits and it is a casual hunt.
2. If you are a tank in a dire situation (in which case, the damage might not be unnecessary in the first place) and you can absorb the damage and still be in a relatively good health.