Curse

CAT · Jun 06, 2006, 07:33 PM // 19:33

It was commented in another thread that there should be somewhere in the GvG section somewhere to talk about not only builds, but maps. I think that if guilds that are experienced with tactics on their guild hall would all post a description along with maps and stuff I think we would have a nice little library for new guilds picking a hall, matching your build with a hall, or how to play your hall against certain teams or with certain builds.

Ill start off with [Deer]’s

The Burning Isle
Set on an island where no civilization can be seen at any direction, the Burning Isle is one of the most heated guild halls. Littered with walls, fire, and even hostile npcs, the Burning isle is a nest for strategy and tactics. The burning isle basically forces teams to stay in 8-8 and 7-7 formation, the fire and npcs keeping the guild lord in a protective shell. Builds designed for the burning isle focus on keeping the enemy team not only in the same team of 8, but very close together. Spells that target nearby or adjacent foes along like elementalist fire skills or warrior shouts are very effective. Also, with the height variation, high damage rangers get an even higher damage rate.

Flame Cursed Sentinels:
Flame cursed sentinels are level 28 npcs on the blue path of the fire hall. Flame cursed do 135-248~ damage wanding, and their only skills are mantra of recovery and 47 damage firestorm (based on 60 armor target). Flame cursed have +5 natural regen and a ton of hp.

Fire:
There is fire littered around the entire hall, making the gank route and flagstand path a very dangerous place to engage. Every three seconds while walking in the fire you are inflicted with Burning (-7 degen, 14 health per second) and cripple (66% movement speed). The cripple/fire can be temporarly removed with draw conditions or martyr, but it is reapplied.

Splitting:
There are 2 main paths around the fire hall; one is not really suggested, littered with flame cursed sentinels. Most fighting will be done on the green path. The best way to split on this map is using assassins or warriors, with teleportation skills and speed boosts being a benefit. You basically just have to run past their team and into their base.
If a 4-4 or 5-3 split happens, monking backline is actually quite easy. Using the circular area the bodyguards are on, run around in circles to kite. The bodyguards can still aoe them and you can keep the surrounding 2 archers alive from under the bridge.

When splitting against a team that is split, using the green path is suggested. If you are splitting /ganking against a solid 8 team then using the fire will give you a slight speed advantage.

Flag running:
Flags are located at the bottom of the ramp by each teams guild lord. Using the red path, the flag takes 40-45 seconds without speed boosts. Through the fire you take approx 400~ damage, still leaving you alive without needing to selfheal but you will most likely want to arrive at the stand at 80%+ health. On this hall you can play any flag runner effectively, but it is suggested to use straight damage(orb, strike) rather then degen (conjure, crip anguish) because if they are degening from fire you can only put -3 on them. Taking the green path is a good decision if the opponent is taking heavy flag control and trying to kill your flag runner. The green path is only slower by 10 seconds but you don’t have to go into the first patch of fire.
Flag running tips:
1.) Delay their flag runner. Through the fire it takes 40~ seconds to get back and then 40 seconds to run the next flag up. If you have the flag capped and their runner hasn’t started running the next one, if you can stall him for 40 seconds your team gets a boost. Many times if the team is using an offensive runner, if you follow him he will try and solo you. Although he probably will kill you or their team will back up and kill you, the boost is always worth 1 death IMO. Stalling him for 20 seconds on the flagstand, crippling him as he tries to walk, and a few well placed gales can get you a consistent boost and keep their flag runner ALWAYS running and never supporting the team. This severely cripples teams that run full support runners and rely on the heal parties or hex removal from runner.
2.) The cripple from the fire renews itself every 3 seconds. If you remove the cripple right after it renews itself, you have 2.5~ seconds to run through the fire free without cripple. If you have a draw or a martyr (who should be standing backine anyway), have him draw you as you run.

Ranger Spiking:
The burning isle is a death trap for playing against ranger spike. There are many height advantages where they can cleanspike 10% morale targets with 3 rangers. I’ve outlined some good spots.

Home Team: (Starting and pushing forward)
Red lines represent longbow-arch ranges. Most of the lines are pretty much on the money although the archs aren’t exactly archs, but you get the idea of what in the area you have control over.

From up top, you gain a huge height advantage and range advantage. If you are being pushed back or have problems killing them at the stand, this is a good place to fight for only the rangers. You can have 3 rangers in the given position while the other just bodyblocks, keeping the monks backline and protected.

As you push forward, you have complete control of the flagstand. Any person coming towards the flag you can keep under control. If the monk doesn’t prot them then they are dead meat every time, and with 15% dp you can kill them through guardian at that height in the fire. If the monks prot every time you can move into their backline and they are too focused with the flag runner. Remember that that is a HUGE range, that is a 20~ second timespan from when he gets into range and he gets out. You can always sneak a spike as he goes out.

Then as you begin to push them back even further and they begin to turtle in their npcs the game is over. If they are trapped in they basically cannot do anything for the rest of the match unless you aren’t careful and get whipped.

Nothing can get out of the base without being spike susceptible, and anyone attempting to cast anything, build adren, or try to escape can be spiked. Axe warriors at 0% can be spiked from this height. This is the time you want to get a 15% dp layer on warriors so that if you get pushed back at any time you will have an advantage.

You also have excellent flag control. If anyone tries to touch the flag to sneak around in any way they are susceptible to a spike. From this position you can just barely hit what is at the flag.

As the other team starts to hide and wait for you to come in, you can rotate from the flag/player control perch to the side, where you can kill an archer, a bodyguard, and any careless players. Note: In order to pull off some of these shots, all of your players are required to ball up in the same spots. AoE snares like ice spikes or stalls like blurred vision will hit all 4 of your rangers, and if they push out then you cant easily spike them and are in bad position. Be very cautions when using certain height spots and have an exit plan ready if it is needed.

Away Team: (Starting and pushing forward)
The away team still has somewhat of a disadvantage, although there are still plenty of places that they can take advantage of.

Like the holding team, you still have the same advantages at the flagstand. You can keep control of the flag (hitting even further targets) and retreat slowly to give your monks a body-blocked backline.

You can also snipe an archer and a bodyguard from this side. The pillars on the circular platform are not real objects and are passable. The same note applies from the Home team’s bodyguard sneak.

The two bridges are passable objects with projectiles. Bodyblocks on the bottom will effect you on the top and you can shoot straight through the bridge getting height advantages

Let me know if there is anything you think I forgot or that should be added. If we got a few more submissions (especially on the new guild halls. Jade, meditation, and weeping please!!) this thread would be a very effective tool.

Thanks to Kojaks Shadow for helping me test everything, but I think he had fun letting me shoot him for an hour and a half. ^^

Wasteland Squidget · Jun 06, 2006, 08:22 PM // 20:22

That's a really excellent description of the map. Well done.

JR · Jun 06, 2006, 09:12 PM // 21:12

Excellent contribution, thank you.

Guillaume De Sonoma · Jun 06, 2006, 11:41 PM // 23:41

Very nice.

Kojaks Shadow · Jun 07, 2006, 02:41 AM // 02:41

Really well put together

Thanks for sharing all this info.

And yes, It was my pleasure letting you shoot me for an hour and a half :P

sir lockt · Jun 07, 2006, 10:29 AM // 10:29

awesome... looking forward to more evaluations

Xasew · Jun 09, 2006, 01:27 PM // 13:27

Awesome read, keep 'em coming!

Byron · Jun 10, 2006, 07:59 AM // 07:59

Sticky time, IMO. Perhaps even - a different subforum? I think GWG would do well by promoting these articles, especially if they continue arriving.

Bul Kathos · Jun 10, 2006, 08:09 AM // 08:09

very nice, good info for a lot of people to use.

Opeth11 · Jun 10, 2006, 08:21 AM // 08:21

That was quite an amazing analysis. In fact, I think it's time for me to mess around in a Burning Isle guild hall. *logs on*

MrBiggums · Jun 11, 2006, 06:58 PM // 18:58

wow great job!!1! now everyone who wants to play ranger spike gvg can learn from your awesome analysis of how to spike. Thanks Dude !!!!

Scown-dog · Jun 11, 2006, 08:25 PM // 20:25

Sweet touch to include the target areas of a longbow.

Count to Potato · Jun 11, 2006, 09:04 PM // 21:04

How long did it take to make this thread??? seems like a lot of research

Wasteland Squidget · Jun 11, 2006, 09:14 PM // 21:14

I know ours took something like 4 hours between screenshots, running around the map, and writing. I doubt this one took much longer than that.

Stupid Shizno · Jun 12, 2006, 04:47 AM // 04:47

great job on the article.

Nortos · Aug 31, 2006, 07:18 AM // 07:18

Great job on the article *note* now a days like alrdy on the original thread their lesser sentiels and die at about 25mins of match after that happens the teams r very easilly ganked so it's nice to keep a headcount of them around then and also a simple blindbot and eg war and monk or just blindbot can run past sentiels and i have found if bloodspike and some spikers r prot extuingish works very nicely