Threat & Targeting

Enemies in NEXUS use the Threat system to determine how they act and engage. They will select their targets carefully based on various factors including proximity, range, line of sight, last source of received damage, persistent damage taken, target level, aggro, attack type, and more. Each factor is given a Weight value that determines how much influence it has on the enemy's targeting decision. For example:

Proximity

Enemies will prioritize targets that are closer to them. A closer target might have a weight value of 1.0, while a target that is further away might have a weight value of 0.5.

Range

Enemies will prioritize targets that are within their effective range. A target that is within optimal range might have a weight value of 1.0, while a target that is outside of effective range might have a weight value of 0.5.

Line of Sight

Enemies will prioritize targets that are in their line of sight. A target that is visible to the enemy might have a weight value of 1.0, while a target that is behind cover might have a weight value of 0.5.

Last Source of Received Damage

Enemies will prioritize targets that have recently damaged them. A target that has dealt damage to the enemy within the last few seconds might have a weight value of 1.0, while a target that hasn't dealt damage in a while might have a weight value of 0.5.

Persistent Damage Taken

Enemies will prioritize targets that are dealing persistent damage over time. A target that is applying a damage-over-time effect might have a weight value of 1.0, while a target that is not applying any damage-over-time effects might have a weight value of 0.5.

Target Level

Enemies will prioritize targets based on their level relative to the enemy. A target that is at the same level as the enemy might have a weight value of 1.0, while a target that is much lower or much higher might have a weight value of 0.5.

Aggro

Players can increase aggro and pull enemy targeting by using abilities or items that generate high threat values like Lures (1.0), or force enemies to stop targeting them with specific abilities or items such as Invisibility (-1.0).

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The equation for calculating Threat would be as follows:

Threat = (Proximity x ProximityWeight) + (Range x RangeWeight) + (LineOfSight x LineOfSightWeight) + (LastSourceOfDamage x LastSourceOfDamageWeight) + (PersistentDamageTaken x PersistentDamageTakenWeight) + (TargetLevel x TargetLevelWeight) + (OtherFactors x OtherFactorsWeight)

Each Weight value could be adjusted depending on the intended encounter difficulty so the challenge feels fair and rewarding for players.