I am writing this as a seperate thread as I know its something that some people had some concerns about and I think there is plenty of room for improvement. This isn't a comprehensive guide by any means. Just some simple pointers and some basics focussing on group pvp. For 1v1 stuff I'd suggest you look up class specific guides or watch some videos. First and foremost: Stick together and enter the area as a group. Dont go in 1 by 1 if you can help it at all. And squishy less mobile targets should stick to the back. This means you wizards & witches :P Next and equally important: TARGETS! And there are 2 things to keep in mind here. 1. Call out targets so everyone can hit the same one. Its good to have 1 person that's good at selecting targets and calling them out so that voice chat doesn't get noisy. Everyone should ignore all targets except for the called one. And I mean that as it relates to targeting. Always keep yourself safe if you're being targeted by dodging or moving. 2. Target priorities. Bringing down targets in the correct order is the key to group pvp. Wizard/witches -> sorcerers/rangers -> berserkers/tamers -> valkeries/warriors Never ever let a witch or wizard run free on the battlefield. They can do mass amounts of damage and/or heal if unchecked. There will be only 3 times you will not obey these priorities: 1. When your witches and wizards are being molested by DPS classes. Witches and wizards should call these targets so the group can concentrate on those targets first. 2. When the current target has extreme defenses (top gear etc) and is the job of the target caller to realize this and switch off. 3. When a known high DPS player from the opposing force is on the field. Again it's the job of the target caller to recognize them and call it. Gameplay: Select the right skills and items for the job. Crowd control and large area aoe types are always good. Sorcs and rangers use your knockdowns and burst damage! Of course warriors and valks will block and grapple. And for items, I shouldn't have to say this, but always have health & mana pots! Even if you dont normally need them for PVE. The crafted types seem to give the best amounts. (top level grain juice and herbal medicine) For gear you should again consult class specific guide. Although I'll make note of 1 thing. Accuracy seems to make a larger difference in pvp than overall AP. If damage is important to your role, carrying an accuracy based offhand in your inventory and swap it out for pvp that would be probably be best. (place on quickslot maybe?) Lastly: Things will get heated in voice chat! People not involved in PvP should keep chatter to a minimum in teamspeak. If you need to communicate with someone not in pvp, please go another channel. Cant expect people in pvp to change channel in the middle of their battle. If you need to communicate with someone that is involved in pvp and its not pvp related, please wait till the battle is finished. If its important or time sensitive, feel free to speak up but be as brief and as concise as you can. And as an officer I ask that you be kind to your guildies. Tension gets high in pvp and not everyone handles it well. If a guildy does something out of place be calm and offer them some constructive advice if necessary. If its a continuing problem or concern please bring it to the attention of an officer. Thats one of the main reasons why we are here. (This applies to all things, pvp or not) Again this isn't comprehensive and there is nothing like practice to improve your skills. Class specific pointers I encourage you to look up these guides on your own. Know your class! Most importantly, dont get discouraged if you die or dont win. It will happen a lot. ^^ Just have fun and dont stress. Its a game and you will improve over time. Besides, you do your best when you're calm and relaxed. Feel free to reply to this thread with any tips or tricks you think would be useful or even if you have any questions.
Just adding a few observations in for when we are in combat on the field that you can keep in mind before you go to the arena to refine skills and teamwork......Of course the Leads will have a different approach in the arena than below, but keeping this stuff in mind may help you to get more from the arena time. Voice coms, there is no need to give the entire team a shot by shot call out on what you as an individual are doing every step of the way. If you are doing what you are supposed to be, where you are supposed to be at- We can see what you are doing. If you are calling any visual contact out at all, keep it to as few words as possible...example is four on south side (or landmark is good too) don't worry about exact numbers, we wont count and hold you accountable if you are off a bit, just a really quick estimate works fine. Big difference between a callout of three to the west and 12 or so on north side, the raid leads appreciate knowing a numerical estimate to move the group to biggest threats and reposition the team. If you get off group (everyone does from time to time) resist the urge to ask for everyone to stop fighting and give you a typed or ping location WHILE they are fighting....Find your team if you loose them by looking at the map and move there the best you can. If coms are quiet, sure ask...but if team is engaged you can be sure they cant always type or stop making calls. About scouting....if you are not asked to do it by name by a raid lead, please don't take it on yourself to do it. Many times the element of surprise is huge in PvP, and if you are not asked to scout you may give away the general direction or area of the team. This means you don't say "I am scouting out the north" you suggest that a scout would be good and WAIT to hear the ok to do so....we need to have a general idea of how many people are on leads so we plan attacks properly- if five or six of the expected numbers are out on their own that is five players less damage we have on the team. We need the damage you have on the targets to burn them down. You are a PvP god....the best strategist that ever lived and best geared player in guild, matter of fact you never loose a single fight........But, you are not a Lead or Officer....yet....... Never under any circumstances make calls on the field. Nothing is worse than the players who don't understand how detrimental this is to organized PvP. If you believe there is a better way, absolutely discuss with leads and officers your ideas, they just might be the best ones out there....but never during a raid or while another call has been made. Grab them, come to a meeting, or just mention you have ideas and they will be well received, just not during an active raid. If you haven't jumped into the arena, you more than likely have not heard the standardized calls the leads will be using. You may not know what is expected of the classes in our PvP here. Both of these things are baseline for effective PvP and are the bare minimum of getting in on it besides being in TS. How can you effectively play together as a team if you don't know exactly what the calls are (TS) and what they mean (arena)? The deaths in game are not real deaths, you as a person are still alive....no need to be timid if we as a team go after a group of players. There is no "I stayed alive the longest" award or any fanfare that you escaped when the team wipes. It will happen often in PvP, so keep in mind it is just part of PvP. If you have questions definitely ask, there is a very large population of great PvP players here and any one of them would be happy to help.
Bump as we are receiving new players that may not have seen this yet to get a feel for expectations before we are in a battle.
