Area of Effect

Area of Effect (AoE) skills affect a given area of the playfield, and not any one specific enemy; any enemy inside of the area will be affected by the skill. The affected area generally does not move over time, so aware players can move elsewhere to avoid the negative effects caused by the skill.

In PvE, since the 2005/11/10 update, henchmen and creatures flee from AoE skills that do damage over time, but generally take 2-3 seconds of damage before fleeing. There are some few exceptions that are not recognized by the AI, for example Spiteful Spirit.

In PvP, use such skills to clear a tactically important area of opponents so your team can take and exploit such a breach in the opposing team's defense.

Most AoEs require a target; however, some will take effect around the caster. These are called PBAoEs&mdash;point-blank area of effect.

See also: Range