Crowd control (also called CC) is a term used in massive multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPG)s and MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena) games to refer to the ability to limit the number of mobs actively fighting during an encounter. It can also refer to abilities that influence or prevent the abilities or actions of other character(s). Crowd control can be extremely powerful, controlling the possible outcomes of an encounter, as it forces opponents to use a smaller set of abilities/actions. Players use crowd control to create offense/defense ratio imbalances between themselves and their opponent(s); used properly, CC often renders an opponent nearly useless, allowing the CCer to use abilities/actions against an opponent without fear of retaliation or response. In a group setting, crowd control often makes combat safer, easier, or viable.
Types of Crowd Control[ | ]
All crowd control abilities fall into one or more of three broad categories:
Movement modifiers[ | ]
The ability to move faster than an opponent provides a form of crowd control, often through kiting. Any modifier that decreases an opponent's speed will allow kiting, as do any modifiers that increase the CCer's speed (as in the case of "Frostbite" by Ace). While movement speed buffs traditionally are not considered a form of CC, they still fall into the crowd control category.
Many forms of crowd control use this type of modifier. Traditionally, "root" and "snare" effects that directly modify opponents' movement rates by lowering them or simply preventing movement have been the staple of this type of crowd control.
The abilities include, but are not limited to:
| Control Type | Effects |
|---|---|
| Slow | Lowers movement rates while allowing all other actions to occur. |
| Cripple | Prevents using most movement abilities like leaps, dashes and teleports. |
| Root | Immobilizes the target while allowing all other actions to occur. |
Forced Movement[ | ]
| Control Type | Effects |
|---|---|
| Teleport | Moves the CCer a distance away, usually further than could be reached by regular movement in the same time frame. |
| Leap/Spring/Jump | Moves the CCer a short distance away. |
| Knockback | Teleports or hits opponent(s) away from the CCer. |
| Pull | Can refer to either 1) teleporting opponents(s) closer to (or all the way to) the CCer, or 2) a movement bias causing slow motion in a specific direction when no movement keys are pressed. |
| Bounce/Knockup | Opponent(s) are briefly lifted off the ground, unable to control movement or use abilities; if they were stationary, they remain stationary until landing, but if they were moving, they continue moving in the same direction until landing. |
| Charm/Taunt | Forces opponent(s) to move towards the CCer. |
Disables[ | ]
| Control Type | Effects |
|---|---|
| Transform | Completely incapacitates the target and prevents it from attacking or using skills. |
| Stun | Completely incapacitates the target. |
| Fear | Completely incapacitates the target while forcing them to run away from the caster. |
| Mesmerize | Completely incapacitates the target. Effect breaks upon taking damage. |
| Silence | Prevents the target from using any abilities. |
| Banish | Completely incapacitates the target and prevents everyone from targeting them. |