Intercept

[Flimgoblin]

Was hanging around the IGN boards on the fighter thread and was reading about this under-used fighter ability...

Back in the days of yore Intercept was a pain to use - have to select someone and click intercept, then you'll intercept the next blow as long as its within the next 30 seconds or something...

But apparently no longer... at some unknown point in patch-time (hopefully before 1.45 or 1.48) it was changed so that if you put intercept on someone at the start of a fight much like protect it'll block the next attack on them.

Still hurts as you take it without all your armour bonuses (i.e. as if you were a robed caster ) but it stops that assassin killing your caster or that big tree/giant whatever splatting them in one hit.

Of course if they get hit again they'll be taking it this time... but it's handy

Might have to play fing tonight to test this out

Edit: It doesn't stop assassin crit strikes... but it might stop the next blow if they don't one-shot that caster

Second Edit: It might have been the bug fixed in 1.46 when it changed... so we might not have it till the end of the month

 

[Kagato.]

Actually this is something thats been bugging me for ages. I've been experimenting with Intercept ever since I got the skill (34 now) and I STILL can't figure out how to use it proply.

Im a polearm armsman always grouped with at least 1 cleric who I naturally have protect on all the time, but sometimes the brown smelly stuff hits the fan and she gets aggro. I have tried lots of times to use intercept, sometimes it works sometimes I 'think' it works and other times I havent a clue what its doing.

I assume you have to select the person you want to intercept for and then click the intercept quick key, and it does say it will attempt to intercept, quickly followed by messages about not being able to attack members of your own realm (due to having them selected in combat mode still) and then sod all happens. The skill is fine but its just not very clear on how you are meant to use it. My questions are, do you have to keep the person you want to intercept for targetted? Can you be in combat mode still? and if after triggering the Intercept can you re-select the mob to carrying on attacking it with intercept still working?

As far as I can tell if I try to carry on fighting the mob the intercept just turns back off again. As a tank its of little use standing around intercepting attacks for the cleric if theres no one around to finish the mob of.

I'd love to have this one explained as its been bugging me for ages.

 

[old.Hendrick]

This is from a pretty good hero guide found made by some Jarkas Trolltosser guy, that can be found here

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Intercept is the life-saver. This single skill is what separates the good tanks from the great tanks and you will learn to love tanks who can do this successfully and intelligently. As you all know, when grouped with 7 or 8 people, and when fighting reds or low purples, many casters cannot withstand more than 2 hits from a creature before they die. Or, how many times have you seen a healer cast a heal on someone just as they died, and the heal is wasted? Intercept is the ability to alleviate all of that. Some suggestions on how to use Intercept.

Position you windows/interface in DAoC so that it is very easy to select a group member and then select this skill. The way I have mine set up, I have my chat window in the bottom left. Along the bottom, right next to the chat window is my window with my own health and such. Right next to my window is my group mini window. Right above these 2 windows (and centered on my screen), I have my Hotkey Bar going horizontal across my screen (not up and down). My intercept key is positioned perfectly above my group mini window. This allows me to quickly select a group member, and then hit the intercept key just above. I also have hotkeys made that allows me to target anyone in my group with a single push of a keyboard or mouse button. This is important because like I said, casters will die in 2 hits. 2 hits is NOT enough time for a healer to get a spell off to save them. Imagine: The entire group is grouped up, and packed in close together in a dungeon atmosphere. You are attacking a couple of monsters. The eldritch throws a nuke that draws the monster's attention. The monster makes a couple of steps and then clobbers the eldritch. Instantly, the healers will select the eldritch and begin casting their healing spells. Spells have casting times on them, and most of the time, they are too slow to prevent a 2nd hit from the monster. However, the Intercept ability is instant. As soon as the eldritch is hit, you must target them (while moving close to them) and then hit the intercept ability. The very next attack made against the eldritch should be absorbed by you, and just after this, the heal spells will get to the eldritch, and they will survive. As soon as you intercept, remember to start attacking again (since you cant intercept another blow) and try to taunt it off.

The rules to intercept are as follows:

1) It refreshes every minute, but only if it is used. You can target someone and then hit intercept. The very next attack that would have hit that person will be intercepted by you. If this happens, you cannot intercept another attack for that person or anyone else for another minute, and even then, you have to target them and hit intercept again. If the monster dies for some reason, or doesn't attack that person, then intercept does not get used.

2) You need to be relatively close to the person, much like guard.

3) You cannot attack while intercepting, obviously, since you will have a group member targeted.
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Sounds nice, but very complicated.

 

[SFXman]

Hmm. Nice to know how it works because I never understood the idea of it. Thanks Hendrick

 

[Flimgoblin]

That's how it used to work in the US... and I htink it still does that here...

Once we get 1.48 I think you can target someone and press intercept at the start.

If the excrement hits the ventilation equipment you stand close to your protected person and you'll take the next hit. You'll then need to set intercept up again on them (it removes the effect) and I think you can only do that once every 30 seconds.

 

[SFXman]

Well that sounds much easier fingoniel, GOA... gives us 1.48 already

 

[zilch]

So can anyone give me a definate way of useing it.......

 

[Solid]

TBH I wanna know its use in RvR? How effective will it be?
Rvr is so frantically paced that to use this skill requires a lot of micro and you run the risk of not paying enuff attention to the other stuff in RvR. I wouuld find it way to complex to use effeciently in RvR

 

[Flimgoblin]

You can set it up at the start...

need to keep setting it after every hit on your interceptee..

 

[SFXman]

Bah, in RvR you won't have time for such things

 

[old.Rawkeer]

When i used to play my armsman one of the first skills i learned to use was intercept, it really is very useful in PvE anyway, never got it high enough for rvr.

When someone in the party is about to die, a quick tap their name on the minibar and then intercept the quickly back to F8 gives you one, maybe two attacks extra to pull aggro, or for a healer to get a heal or two in.. It really can be very useful

I once played in a group of 4 paladins and two armsmen, the paladins would chant constantly and if someone did manage to pull aggro for too long and got hurt, we could intercept for them, it was great.. I imagine its also useful to protect people in RvR if you are fast enough with it..

 

[Danya]

Used to use intercept every couple of pulls with my armsman at one point (fighting in catas when even the lowest stuff is purple is like that). It's a real party saver if you get it right.

 

[SFXman]

Which classes get it?