What is the spell NPCs cast that turns my direction and seemingly pulls my avatar?


Pathfinder Online

Goblin Squad Member

I've been trying to run to Brighhaven to attend this weekend's events but I keep getting moved around by this spell, it was so annoying I eventually just logged out.

Please tell me this isn't working as intended? I'm on a brand new computer and yet it's still so glitchy and strange. I don't even know what's happening to my character?!

Goblin Squad Member

It might be Arctic Winds you are running into. If so, they have the potential to spin you around if you fail your save.

Goblin Squad Member

Saiph wrote:

I've been trying to run to Brighhaven to attend this weekend's events but I keep getting moved around by this spell, it was so annoying I eventually just logged out.

Please tell me this isn't working as intended? I'm on a brand new computer and yet it's still so glitchy and strange. I don't even know what's happening to my character?!

Pretty sure it is either goblin shamans, goblin bombers or a combination. It really elevates the CR of these guys past what is intended.

Not that I have put any serious effort into figuring out how to more easily beat it yet. Observations from passing by.

Scarab Sages Goblin Squad Member

What's really unfortunate is that we have similar spells, but we can't give the bombers and shamans a taste of their own medicine. The monster AI doesn't know how to apply effects like knockback and slow to NPCs, so it ignores them. Until that changes, our spells that slow, stun, and knock back enemies will only be fully effective in PVP.

Goblin Squad Member

KarlBob wrote:
What's really unfortunate is that we have similar spells, but we can't give the bombers and shamans a taste of their own medicine. The monster AI doesn't know how to apply effects like knockback and slow to NPCs, so it ignores them. Until that changes, our spells that slow, stun, and knock back enemies will only be fully effective in PVP.

I really don't like it, it's no clear what's happening to my character.

Goblin Squad Member

Saiph wrote:
KarlBob wrote:
What's really unfortunate is that we have similar spells, but we can't give the bombers and shamans a taste of their own medicine. The monster AI doesn't know how to apply effects like knockback and slow to NPCs, so it ignores them. Until that changes, our spells that slow, stun, and knock back enemies will only be fully effective in PVP.
I really don't like it, it's no clear what's happening to my character.

Not positive. I think it is a combination of the Shamans slowing you and maybe "repelling" and the Bombers definately spin your toon around.

Goblin Squad Member

I think the bombers have both a knockback and spin, from the concussive bomb. Shaman also have a knockback effect.

In my experience, the knockback isn't too bad if you're close when it goes off. With one shaman or bomber I can sprint in, get knocked back just a little, and kill the gob with a spear exploit followed by a jab before their second attack fires at me. I imagine someone with a good AOE could take out a couple that way.

Rumor has it that the bombers will engage at 25m, while most mobs agro at 20m. I find it helpful to *not* zoom all the way out on the minimap - my minimap is about halfway zoomed and I can keep my distance from the goblins as I pass.

Scarab Sages Goblin Squad Member

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With some enemies, it doesn't matter whether you aggro them, because you can outrun them. With shamans and bombers, staying out of aggro range is critical. When their escalation is near 100%, crossing their hexes can be slow going.

Edit: The shamans also apply slow effects. Get hit with a few of those spells in a row, and you can end up virtually immobile.

Shamans and bombers aren't super hard to fight, but they're a serious hazard to cross country navigation.


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Saiph, the following build will make your life a lot easier when traveling through goblin territory:

@Seminary:
Divine Focus Proficiency
Divine Attack Bonus 1
Minor Cure
Resistance
Virtue
Agile Feet

@Temple:
Holy Symbol Proficiency
Water Domain

@Freeholder Trainer:
Guide 3

Slot Peasants Clothes, Guide, Water Domain, and an Acolyte's Battle Focus

When you get near goblins, buff with Resistance (you can cast it while running). When the shamans hit you, they won't hurt as bad (the other goblins aren't going to scratch you compared to what the shamans do). Then pop Agile Feet, get turned around in the direction you want to go, and remember to hit Control again to get your sprint back on. While you run away, pop Virtue and then spam Minor Cure.

If nothing else, that should keep you alive and moving!

Goblin Squad Member

I live with/ kill out of aggrivation these guys. The bombers definitely have a small knockback, about the same as my 10m evasion movement. The shamen definitely turn off sprint and spin you with their snow balls (plus slow and reduce reflex defense which is the part that hurts). And they'll spin you 180 degrees no matter where you're facing so it's functionally impossible to run from or charge into a group of three or more. And yes it's highly unfair.

If you want to meet when I run back to Brighthaven we can team up to go through.

Goblinworks Game Designer

There's something weird going on with how the creatures are spawned that we've been trying to figure out. The exact same combat stats and attacks do it or don't do it depending on how they're spawned. It seems to only happen with ones that are spawned as part of an event, rather than normal escalation encounters, but we haven't determined why.

But they're not supposed to spin you, it's not anything to do with how the attacks are set up, and it'll stop happening once we figure out how to fix it :) .

The bombers do deliberately have a Knockback if you're Unbalanced.

Grand Lodge Goblin Squad Member

Yep - these are the critters responsible for most of my deaths as gatherer.

In addition to prevent you running away they also seem to aggro on a pretty large distance. So what looks safe to 'just' pass through isn't


Thod wrote:

Yep - these are the critters responsible for most of my deaths as gatherer.

In addition to prevent you running away they also seem to aggro on a pretty large distance. So what looks safe to 'just' pass through isn't

Their spell has a range of 35 meters, so if you brush their 20m trigger range, you are screwed because you are still in range through validation, etc.

Goblin Squad Member

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With shamans around either stop and take the time to kill them or go stealthy and carefully walk between the groups. Running past groups of Shaman is asking for trouble.

Goblin Squad Member

I find that, even on a new character, if I am sprinting and prepare myself to immediately correct my course and start sprinting again as soon as I get hit (the sound effect prepares me), then I'm usually able to get away with just the one volley. Unless I wasn't paying attention and ran right into the middle of them, in which case I die.


Using the build I posted above and using a long bow to do the killing, I took out a group of 3 shamans and 2 bombers with nary a scratch.

That's 26 Cold resistance and 16 Fire resistance, yall. Check it out!

Also, Potions of Resistance and Ward Gel's provide nice Fire and Cold resistance, if you don't want to slot a focus.

Oh, and lastly, I think the Cold Resistance adds to your Defense for the purposes of determining how bad the Slow stacks are. I need a Stephen to confirm that for me, though. Point being, though, that 26 cold resistance might also take the edge off of the initial wallop of slow.

Goblinworks Game Designer

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Yep. Stacking effects should be adding your resistance to your defense for purposes of reducing the size of the stack applied. Cold resistance reduces the damage of a cold attack and also increases your defense against the stacking effects it applies.

Liberty's Edge Goblin Squad Member

KarlBob wrote:
What's really unfortunate is that we have similar spells, but we can't give the bombers and shamans a taste of their own medicine. The monster AI doesn't know how to apply effects like knockback and slow to NPCs, so it ignores them. Until that changes, our spells that slow, stun, and knock back enemies will only be fully effective in PVP.

If that is correct, it is a Very Bad Thing. It is already practically impossible to know if our spell are applying the special effects (I find the icons unreadable) but having the enemies immune some of to special effects is extremly annoying.


Diego Rossi wrote:
KarlBob wrote:
What's really unfortunate is that we have similar spells, but we can't give the bombers and shamans a taste of their own medicine. The monster AI doesn't know how to apply effects like knockback and slow to NPCs, so it ignores them. Until that changes, our spells that slow, stun, and knock back enemies will only be fully effective in PVP.
If that is correct, it is a Very Bad Thing. It is already practically impossible to know if our spell are applying the special effects (I find the icons unreadable) but having the enemies immune some of to special effects is extremly annoying.

"Immune" right now simply means that the programmers haven't gotten the AI to recognize certain things. For example, knockback and immobilize.

Liberty's Edge Goblin Squad Member

sspitfire1 wrote:
Diego Rossi wrote:
KarlBob wrote:
What's really unfortunate is that we have similar spells, but we can't give the bombers and shamans a taste of their own medicine. The monster AI doesn't know how to apply effects like knockback and slow to NPCs, so it ignores them. Until that changes, our spells that slow, stun, and knock back enemies will only be fully effective in PVP.
If that is correct, it is a Very Bad Thing. It is already practically impossible to know if our spell are applying the special effects (I find the icons unreadable) but having the enemies immune some of to special effects is extremly annoying.
"Immune" right now simply means that the programmers haven't gotten the AI to recognize certain things. For example, knockback and immobilize.

Exactly my point, sspitfire1 we get some kind of undefined icon on the enemy (a guide with the icons and the effects they represent made by GW is needed) and we think our attack did what it is meant to do. Instead it do nothing.

I have discovered from this post that one of the cantrips I routinely use do way less than I thought.

Grand Lodge Goblin Squad Member

Neadenil Edam wrote:
With shamans around either stop and take the time to kill them or go stealthy and carefully walk between the groups. Running past groups of Shaman is asking for trouble.

There is a trade off. I've now repeatedly managed to gather at a rate of >2 nodes per minute. This only works if you run, use the mini-map and take your chances.

The same goes for running between two settlements. You can do a detour, you can stop and check what monsters you try to pass through or you take your chances.

Yes - in Stealth mode you can get astonishingly close to monsters. But it takes a lot more time. So I only try to do this if the monsters nearly sit on a node.

But I'm able to make all my equipment myself - so some additional death mean x resources lost vs y resources lost if I do everything slower.

Goblin Squad Member

There are 3 ways I handle it depending on my priority at the time.
1. Put on starter gear and run like heck, accept occasional death (if lucky might rez further along)
2. Better gear I don't mind losing, keep situational awareness on mobs ahead and if cc abilities, sniper them and leave the rest
3. Gear up, kill everything in my way, and accept the time it takes to do it.

While I don't reccommend it, some of my most entertaining solo fights occur when I accidentally run into mobs with a couple of shaman and bombers. It's a good reminder not all goblins are starter pinatas.


sspitfire1 wrote:

Saiph, the following build will make your life a lot easier when traveling through goblin territory:

@Seminary:
Divine Focus Proficiency
Divine Attack Bonus 1
Minor Cure
Resistance
Virtue
Agile Feet

@Temple:
Holy Symbol Proficiency
Water Domain

@Freeholder Trainer:
Guide 3

Slot Peasants Clothes, Guide, Water Domain, and an Acolyte's Battle Focus

When you get near goblins, buff with Resistance (you can cast it while running). When the shamans hit you, they won't hurt as bad (the other goblins aren't going to scratch you compared to what the shamans do). Then pop Agile Feet, get turned around in the direction you want to go, and remember to hit Control again to get your sprint back on. While you run away, pop Virtue and then spam Minor Cure.

If nothing else, that should keep you alive and moving!

I cleared a Ripping Chains escalation, taking it from 18% to 0%, in about 3 hours last night with this setup, my Longbow+2, and Peasant Clothes +1. I didn't die once!* I encourage yall to give this a try and see how it works for you.

*I'm not counting the very first death that occurred when I got into the hex- I let a Ripping Sergeant get too close while I was at very low health. Foolish me! It didn't happen again :)

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