Call

From Guild Wars Wiki

In general, calling means to announce gameplay relevant information on team-chat. This is done by holding down the "Show Targets" hotkey (Left CTRL by default) and clicking on certain objects or elements of the user interface. The proper use of this feature can increase the effectiveness of a team extremely as it is a very quick and easy way to distribute crucial information among members of the team.

More specifically, a player can call:

• Conditions, hexes, enchantments and other effects on him by clicking on the icons in the effects monitor (e.g. "I am enchanted with Mending!").
• His/her health, energy or level by clicking the respective bars (e.g. "My health is 200 of 480!").
• His/her weapon setup, by clicking the equipped weapons on the enabled weapon set.
• Skill usage ("I'm using Spiteful Spirit on Spined Aloe!".
• General actions ("I'm attacking Spined Aloe!" or "I'm using a Lever"!). Note that it is often helpful to use the "Suppress Action" hotkey (SHIFT by default) in combination with this, thus calling "I'm targeting Spined Aloe!" without actually attacking the target.
• Actions of other players or NPCs by clicking on the icons in the skill monitor (e.g. "Mahgo Hydra is using Meteor Shower!").

[edit] Target Calling

When a player calls his attack on an opponent, this opponent will become the party's priority target. Players can acquire the same target by pressing the "Priority Target" hotkey ("T" by default). Henchmen and heroes will instantly engage any priority target that is in range. This is very useful for weaker characters as they can send the henchmen / heroes in first. Henchmen and heroes will also switch targets if a new priority target is called if already engaged.

To avoid confusion and to ensure a proper coordination of attacks, many parties designate one player as "caller". Typically in order to coordinate timing of strong attacks the caller counts down on voice chat, with the strongest damage striking on the count "zero"; when the precision of this is emphasized it is a form of impromptu spike.