Quick definition:Short for aggravation or aggression, the attention of an enemy: a character is said to have aggro when computer-controlled opponents have chosen to target them for attack.
Meaning
Aggro describes which target an enemy is focused on. When a character draws aggro, computer-controlled enemies run towards that character and attack it, ignoring teammates. The word is also used as a verb, as in to aggro a monster, meaning to wake it up or attract its attention.
In group role-playing games, aggro management is a central skill. Tanks, sturdy characters built to absorb damage, try to hold the enemy's attention with taunts and special abilities, while damage dealers and healers must avoid drawing it, or they may be defeated quickly because they are more fragile.
Behind the scenes, many games track a hidden threat value for each player, raised by attacking, healing or using certain skills. The enemy normally attacks whoever has the highest. Players discuss pulling, meaning attracting a small group of enemies from a distance, and aggro range, the distance at which enemies notice a player.
Origin:Aggro is a clipped form of aggravation or aggression, and in British slang it also means trouble. Early online role-playing games adopted the word for enemy attention, and it became standard in group play. Designers later built formal systems around it, often called threat, that decide whom an enemy attacks.
Example:As the group enters a cave, the tank, a sturdy warrior, throws a spear and shouts a taunt. The cave's giant spider turns and chases him, ignoring the healer and the mage standing behind. Safe from attack, they cast their spells freely, and the warrior keeps the spider's aggro until it collapses.
Did you know?Because losing control of aggro can lead to a wipe, where the whole group is defeated, players in team games often agree beforehand who will attack first and who will hold the enemy's attention.
