Breakfast Topic: Dealing with Bots
by Elizabeth Harper 
Aug 2nd 2006 at 8:00AM
Last week we saw a couple of entertaining ways to deal with bots. However, the entertaining is not always the practical - and if you don't play a priest on a PvP server, the methodology contained in those videos isn't going to help you much. For my part, if I encounter an obvious bot I'll tend to look for somewhere else to grind - it's not always easy to beat the speed of an automated hunterbot, and trying to tends to just be frustrating. But how do you deal with bots? And do you, perhaps, have advice for the rest of us?
Filed under: Tips, Tricks, Breakfast Topics
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
jennie Aug 2nd 2006 7:27AM
A guildie was playing with bots recently and basically just followed them around playing "tag the mob". Got a whole ton of drops and scales off them too I think :)
Deafdumbandblind Aug 2nd 2006 8:30AM
I'm on PVE server so it's frustrating that I can't just attack him and be done. However, I have developed a procedure:
1. Observe the bot. Farm Bots are quite obvious. The ones I've seen have a programmed route and routine. They usually run to the same specific spawn points round and round again, if a spawn is detected when the bot gets into range then it will likely do some sort of buff or use a skill and then engage the mob every single time. If no mob then it will reach the spawn point,stop, turn to the direction of the next spawn point in it's pre-programmed route and then start running again.
2. Try talking to the bot, then challenge it and then finally, insult it (just to be ensure that "no-one's home")
3. Then and only after you've tried point 2 repeatedly - KILL-STEAL (a few times). This should be the ultimate irritant. If any human is actively controlling the character then they WILL react to this.
4. If no reaction to 2 & 3 then Report the bot to DMs
5. Then Kill-Steal for an hour or for however long you feel like it.
6. Try kiting other mobs towards the bot once it's already in combat. Try not to hit your kites as it's unlikely the bot will aggro them enuff to take them off you. If you're a rogue or hunter you can try stealthing or feigning death once you've reached the bot-in-combat.
Frederick Aug 2nd 2006 9:04AM
I encountered a hunter-bot just last week when farming for some Living Essence. One of the mobs was bugged and was on "evade", but the hunter-bot didn't notice this.
So it was attacking the mob for more then half an hour. When I noticed the mob-thing I made a GM ticket. The ticket was answered when the bot was still slashing on the mob in Un'Goro.
So I suspect it will get an account ban :-)
James Aug 2nd 2006 4:28PM
I realized last night that bots aren't always a bad thing. I found one killing Tortoises in the Shimmering Flats, and luckily for me, it wasn't skinning them. So, I'd check up on it once every fifteen minutes and get 6-8 medium/heavy leather every time.
I
Tris Aug 3rd 2006 3:39PM
Yeah, just woke up this morning to two bots working Tanaris in a circle pattern. Thank god for skinning. I ended up with over 200 thick leather and 40 scorpid scales off them before I reported them 1 1/2hrs later. Thanks bots. You're the best. Aegwynn
Shunye Oct 17th 2006 2:14AM
HEH, here is an awesome trick i figured out when i was lvling my paladin. Alot of bots at higher lvls grind the undead mobs around easters or western plaguelands.
As a paladin i can fear undead mobs, so when i do, the bot chases it into a group of the mob's friends. i then watch as the bot gets killed by the mob train it has created.