Taunt (Status Effect)
Overview
Taunt is a game mechanic that is used to hold or draw aggro onto you. Most often used by Tankers, Brutes, and Scrappers, it is available to any Archetype.
Function
Taunt works by multiplying the Threat generated by attacks, with the multiplier dependent on the AT in question, the duration of the Taunt, and the character's proximity to the enemy. In 2007, Castle created a thread (since lost to forum purge) revealing this fact, as opposed to the commonly accepted explanation (and description in the game documentation) that Taunt simply overrode all Threat.
The Taunt power (and Confront, Calling of the Wolf, Warrior's Challenge, Challenge, and Provoke) counts as an attack, so that hate may be gained with just the damage-less Taunt. Attacks made after the Taunt is applied have their Threat multiplied by 1,000 * Duration (where Duration is the duration of the Taunt effect).
AT modifiers, damage dealt, and proximity to the enemy affect the amount of Threat generated. While a Tanker or Brute should normally be able to build Threat much faster than any other Archetype (especially with the help of the Taunt in all of their attacks), Castle's post was prompted by Issue 11 testing with a Tanker using Taunt that was unable to pull enemies away from a Willpower Scrapper using Rise to the Challenge. The combination of the Scrapper's enemy proximity, pulsing Taunt, and constant damage far outdid the ranged Taunt by the Tanker. After further testing, Ghost Widow followed the code logic to discover that the game's internal documentation on the subject (supporting the "Taunt overrides Threat" argument) was incorrect.
Powers
The following is a list of powers that cause Taunt, as of Issue 12:
- Confront (Available to Scrappers in Broad Sword, Claws, Dark Melee, Dual Blades, Electrical Melee, Fiery Melee and Spines)
- Calling the Wolf (Available to Scrappers in Katana)
- Warrior's Challenge (Available to Scrappers in Martial Arts)
- Invincibility (Available to Scrappers and Tankers in Invulnerability)
- Rise to the Challenge (Available to Scrappers, Tankers, and Brutes in Willpower)
- Blazing Aura (Available to Tankers and Brutes in Fiery Aura)
- Chilling Embrace (Available to Tankers in Ice Armor)
- Icicles (Available to Tankers in Ice Armor)
- Mud Pots (Available to Tankers and Brutes in Stone Armor)
- Evasion (Available to Brutes in Super Reflexes)
- Taunt
- (Available to Tankers in Ice Melee)
- (Available to Brutes in Claws)
- (Available to both Tankers and Brutes in Battle Axe, Dark Melee, Dual Blades, Electrical Melee, Energy Melee, Fiery Melee, Stone Melee, Super Strength, and War Mace)
- Challenge (Available to all Archetypes in Presence)
- Provoke (Available to all Archetypes in Presence)
- Black Dwarf Antagonize (Available to Warshades while in Black Dwarf form)
- White Dwarf Antagonize (Available to Peacebringers while in White Dwarf form)
In addition, attacks from a Tanker's secondary or a Brute's primary will also Taunt.