Curse

DoctorEvil · Jun 15, 2006, 04:51 PM // 16:51

I was home "sick" from work yesterday and after doing various PvE things, decided to take my first jaunt into the Random Arenas. Now, I'm not actually clueless on RA, I do read the boards and had some basic ideas on what skills to take or not to take, read the thread on kiting and damage mitagation, how it works, etc.... But boy was I unprepared for the "randomness" of the whole experience. I lost more matchs than I won. Sometimes my team lost because I was ineffective, sometimes we lost because my team mates were ineffective, sometimes the other team was just flat out better than us,etc....

So, how does a person actually survive RA five times to get into TA? There must be some basic strategies that I've missed in this regard. Heck, I notice that there isn't even a RA forum, so maybe there aren't. I looked through forums and couldn't find any guides or tips on beginning PvP, does anyone know of any?

You'll notice I've specifically not said what professions I took into RA (I actually tried out a couple of different ones). I'm not looking for builds, as those are readily available. I'm looking for just general advice on getting through RA. If you had to give an PvE player just starting on PvP 3 or 4 good general tips or advice, what would they be?

Lykan · Jun 15, 2006, 05:05 PM // 17:05

If you want to survive, top tips are bring a self heal, hope for a monk in your party as well, bring a rez sig, run away from touch rangers, and more often than not realise mesmers are the biggest danger in 4vs4.

Divineshadows · Jun 15, 2006, 05:05 PM // 17:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by DoctorEvil

If you had to give an PvE player just starting on PvP 3 or 4 good general tips or advice, what would they be?

Take a few moments before the match starts to talk to your team and discuss sticking relatively close together (unless someone in your team is running snares like crippling shot or crippling anguish I would not advise splitting at all), calling targets, and fast use of rez signets.

Also, RA is somewhat of a natural selection process. The better teams will stay and those destined for failure will perish. Run a strong build with proper attributes and you will eventually land yourself on a team with at least 2 others that are doing the same.

sleazeh · Jun 15, 2006, 05:20 PM // 17:20

It's difficult giving advice for Random Arenas, since by their very nature they are unpredictable. Builds, tactics, etc don't really work for the most part since the other 3 on your team are a wild card everytime. You may on rare occassions get a coherent group with some semblance of intelligence, more often...not.

Playing a monk (or restore rit or elmo) is often a good idea if you are trying to rack up some consecutive wins, since most teams wont have one.

Best advice - other than trying Team Arenas - would be to ensure some self sufficiency with a self heal/defence (although this does not mean play a palladin). Assume you will have no monk and your team is full of idiots...since that will be the case most of the time. Adapt your build accordingly.

Although it may be wasted effort, make the attempt to communicate with your teammates by pinging targets, brief pre-match chat to indicate what you're trying to do, etc.

some general/beginner points:

-attack soft targets first, "crunchy" targets last as a general rule.
-bring a res sig, and use it immediately when one of your teammates goes down. Not rebirth, not res chant, a res sig.
-bring a speed buff if an offensive player wherever possible
-keep an eye on what's going on around you...don't get so focused on yourself as to lose track of the ebb and flow.

But really, random arenas is where the ridiculous is commonplace. The stupider the situation, the more likely it is to occur. Trying too hard to develop tactics for RA is like beating your head against a dead equine. Just use your wits, hope for a good group, and once you unlock TA you will never have to go back again.

Loch · Jun 15, 2006, 09:56 PM // 21:56

Just play Randoms a lot. It is extremely difficult to gauge how well you're actually doing as a player, because of all the random factors in Random Arenas teams. However, you'll eventually learn about what works and what doesn't, become a slightly stronger player from doing that, and eventually you'll land on a team with decent players.

BeowulfKamdas · Jun 15, 2006, 10:17 PM // 22:17

Quote:

Originally Posted by Divineshadows

Take a few moments before the match starts to talk to your team and discuss sticking relatively close together (unless someone in your team is running snares like crippling shot or crippling anguish I would not advise splitting at all), calling targets, and fast use of rez signets.

I hear a lot of people who give out this advice and really, I am skeptical on how it works. Maybe because I don't want to hear about how all the glad's d, mending, life transfer and the rest coming back at me when I ask the question.

I go into the Random Arenas because I don't feel like pulling a TA team together and 9/10 I leave the game really angry XD. I am really hoping ANet pulls together an alternative pick up and play style of PvP that is kinda balanced towards all the randomness (keeping my fingers crossed for chapter 3)

Honestly, if you want to unlock the Team Arenas, try running a monk. Hopefully then you can string together 5 wins in a row.

icantthinkofonerightnow · Jun 16, 2006, 02:50 AM // 02:50

IMO, the most popular builds in RA are Hexing necros/mesmers, mass degen necros, and cripshot/poison rangers.

If you want to get faction easy, make a boon prot.

reversal of fortune
guardian
mend condition
signet of devotion / contemplation of purity
inspired hex
divine boon
mantra of recall
resurrection signet

I think that is a pretty decent boon prot skillbar for RA

Clinically Proven · Jun 16, 2006, 03:14 AM // 03:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by sleazeh

Best advice [for playing RA] ..... assume you will have no monk and your team is full of idiots...since that will be the case most of the time.

... random arenas is where the ridiculous is commonplace. The stupider the situation, the more likely it is to occur. Trying too hard to develop tactics for RA is like beating your head against a dead equine.

Selectively quoted for main points amongst many hard truths.

NikkiIsNub · Jun 16, 2006, 03:18 AM // 03:18

One thing to keep in mind that a large portion of RA is very luck-driven. You may get a pretty decent balanced team with two warriors, a mesmer and a monk. Or you may get 4 boon prots. This is something that can't really be helped.

And I have to agree with most of what was said here. I won't go so far as to say that Random takes soincrediblymuch practice to 'learn', per se, but experimenting with new builds and the like goes a long way. Eventually you'll find out what goes well and what doesn't.

And beware of the touch rangers.

LightningHell · Jun 16, 2006, 04:58 AM // 04:58

Try to do Cripshot runner; that way you learn how to cripple enemy Warriors/Touch Rangers, and you learn how to cripple allied targets.

Well, something is better than nothing.

Sacho · Jun 16, 2006, 05:53 AM // 05:53

Quote:

Originally Posted by DoctorEvil

I was home "sick" from work yesterday and after doing various PvE things, decided to take my first jaunt into the Random Arenas. Now, I'm not actually clueless on RA, I do read the boards and had some basic ideas on what skills to take or not to take, read the thread on kiting and damage mitagation, how it works, etc.... But boy was I unprepared for the "randomness" of the whole experience. I lost more matchs than I won. Sometimes my team lost because I was ineffective, sometimes we lost because my team mates were ineffective, sometimes the other team was just flat out better than us,etc....

So, how does a person actually survive RA five times to get into TA? There must be some basic strategies that I've missed in this regard. Heck, I notice that there isn't even a RA forum, so maybe there aren't. I looked through forums and couldn't find any guides or tips on beginning PvP, does anyone know of any?

You'll notice I've specifically not said what professions I took into RA (I actually tried out a couple of different ones). I'm not looking for builds, as those are readily available. I'm looking for just general advice on getting through RA. If you had to give an PvE player just starting on PvP 3 or 4 good general tips or advice, what would they be?

I would recommend that you pick a standard build for your favourite profession, and stick with it. You will burn through several teams before you actually get consecutive wins, but you'll get a good grip of how to play your build in different situations, what its strengths and weaknesses are. Don't make any drastic changes, adding too much survivability to PvP builds. Just stick to one, eventually you'll get a half-decent team and you'll manage to get your consecutive wins. Remember the opposing teams have the same problems that your team might have

torquemada · Jun 16, 2006, 10:03 AM // 10:03

After some extensive playing in RA (my guild is in current state where is hard to gather 4 people for TA) all I can say it can make you a worse PvP player.

Strain of thought...
"I have Blind on me!"
"Who the hell I'm just pinging that to?"

NightOwl · Jun 16, 2006, 10:22 AM // 10:22

3-4 tips, hmm?

1. Be a boon prot. This way you're 100% certain that you've got a monk, which is pretty crucial. I'd suggest Edrain for the elite, and run around alot if you're monking.

If not monking, then...

2. Build as though you have a monk. Forget that nonsense of 15 stances and 22 self heals. Pretend you're building for a team arena team. By all means, bring *some* means of defense, however don't build to be a pve tank. If there is a monk, singular, keeping you alive...what would you put on your bar? This way, sure...you lose some fights when there isn't a monk that you might have won with a heal sig and 3 def. stances...but when you DO get a monk, you've got a shot at getting a glad point.

3. Know your priority targets for the class you're playing. If you're all war/ranger hate, then going after a monk is a very...sub optimal means of using your skills. If you're a warrior running hammer, and the opposing team has a monk with Auspicious Parry with Bonetti's...ignore the guy and go bash someone else, he'll run out of energy without people assaulting him to provide it. Just common sense for the most part, be aware of who is a threat to your team, and how the other team is going to survive what your team brings to the table. Another way of saying it might be "Don't expect your monk to tank 3 people and hold out indefinately," or something like that.

4. Test what you've got in the Temple first. Is your build designed to wtfpwn someone? Good, go beat on a barrel and make sure that your skills are in the right place on the bar for ease of use. Try to solo the Master of Healing...can't kill him? Hmm...perhaps you need to rethink your idea of dps. Are you caster shutdown? Go shutdown the MoH, kill him...it takes a bit (I've done this) but eventually you should be able to get the job done...don't forget to use your wand. Are you monking? Go take on some of the offensive warrior masters in the Temple. If you're unable to survive against them without having to get out of their smallish agro range, then go fix your build-you'll be facing more damage than that coming at you in the arenas.

5. Bonus one for ya. If you're not playing a monk (or *maybe* a healing rt) then BRING A REZ SIG. I've seen teams come back from being down to one person, rez chaining their whole team, and winning. Not bringing one leaves your team at a significant disadvantage in the arenas. This will be expected of most builds, expect some abuse if this is neglected.

-----------

That's about it. Just think things through, play smart. Prioritize targets, don't abandon your monk to survive the entire other team (it's okay to fall back and pressure a warrior attacking your monk from time to time, I promise, even if some people out there don't realize it), and don't get discouraged. You'll lose some, you'll win some...and then you get that awesome team that takes you on a 50 win streak that dominates the arenas from comp to team.

Winstar · Jun 30, 2006, 05:41 PM // 17:41

The only thing I'd caution about monking in RA is that if you don't normally monk you'll probably get run through. Monking in RA is a unique experience since you generally the number 1 target of the other team and they will go to great lengths to kill you. If u are taking all the heat then your teamates aren't which means that you won't have to worry about their lives much, but you will basically need to move, keep yourself alive and hope that your teamates are useful enough to take down people while you are spamming buttons to keep breathing. Sadly this doesn't happen on occasion. I also gets very tough when you are taking heat from a single strong offensive character while your teamates are also taking a beat. Being harrased by a hammer is always painful and its tight keeping yourself and your team up. Other than prot/boon, I have a couple friends who also swear by bonding as an easy way to get wins. I don't do it myself so I can't say.

Other than monking as mentioned by others just make a solid PvP standard build and use it. Even if you don't get a monk you can get 5, I've been on a few teams where we have made it to 10 in a row without a monk. I like playing a good hammer warrior or bunny thumper. You can generally squish people on your own.

To echo others, if u aren't a monk BRING RES SIG! Don't bring rebirth etc, its too slow takes you out of the action and gererally just gets interuppted (although mesmer fast resers aren't bad).

Help out your monks and don't be so aggresive that you make it hard for them to heal you. Be aware of where you are in relation to you source of healing and either be in range of it, or be able to easily get back within range and do so if you are taking heavy damage. There is no shame in backing off if u need to.

If you are a warrior, don't bring the premade builds they suck suck suck. Tanking of any kind is of no use--no more mending! I played a person who had the following skills on their bar: Healing Hands, Healing Signet, Healing Breeze or mending, Dolyak Signet, Res Sig, maybe 2 attack skills. Now unsurprisingly this person survived until the end of the match, but unsurprisingly they couldn't kill anything or apply any serious pressure on their own. So it took some time to kill this person in the end, but big deal, they never took a swing at us or even had a prayer of taking one of us down because they were too busy spamming their heal skills to stay alive. Generally warriors are the last thing on peoples mind as targets unless they are way overextend or out of position (which happens a fair bit at the beginning of matches), or you are just hitting something to charge up your adren before switching targets for a spike. So don't take riposts, massive self heal, stances etc. You need something to slow/kd your target, something to speed yourself up, a res sig, one self heal (heal sig/endure etc since you never know if you'll have a monk), something to attack faster, a chain of high damage attacks. Generally your stats should be something like wep 16, str 11, tac 9 - if you are messing with a heal sig. Finally, attack soft targets. If there is a monk its not a bad idea to kill them. If there is no monk, find something else squishy. Other warriors come last.

TheOneMephisto · Jul 01, 2006, 06:40 PM // 18:40

Ahh... RA. Personally, some builds that I've had success in RA with are all kinds of shockaxes and hammerwars, thumpers are nice, boonprots are simply amazing, anti-melee works sometimes, etc.

Also, RA is the place where the most nonsensical builds work. If you're not trying to improve as a player, you can actually rack up 5 consec with builds like a boonprot using bonetti's as emanagement, a symbiosis/vital blessing bonder, boon-prot-bonders, etc. It's all just luck.

Addone_Abaddon · Jul 01, 2006, 06:54 PM // 18:54

My tip is.... Why HOPE FOR a monk when YOU can BE a monk :P

also.. I have never gotten past random arenas so don't trust me... I lost on the 4th battle.

I remember having a team completely of R/Mes lol

Winstar · Jul 01, 2006, 08:40 PM // 20:40

Its true, if you are a familiar with monking and are decent at it, that monking is probably the easiest way to get glad points in RA. But being a monk, and having a monk on your team is no gurantee of sucess. I've been on teams when we've had a monk and gone down in flames. I've been on teams without a monk that have rolled over 1 and 2 monk teams. The reason is that monking in RA can be rough for the inexperienced. The other team simply tabs to find you and wants your head on a platter asap. I remember my first time trying to monk in RA. I walked out, found myself surronded by 2 assassins, and was promptly dead on the floor. If you want to monk go for it, but its a bit of a baptism by fire. When I started, I had never done much in the way of monking in Pve either, so I was at a particular disadvantage.

TheOneMephisto · Jul 01, 2006, 09:22 PM // 21:22

Quote:

Originally Posted by Winstar

I remember my first time trying to monk in RA. I walked out, found myself surronded by 2 assassins, and was promptly dead on the floor. If you want to monk go for it, but its a bit of a baptism by fire. When I started, I had never done much in the way of monking in Pve either, so I was at a particular disadvantage.

Lol, my first monking experience ever was also in RA.
-enters RA with the DW premade-
-gets surrounded by 4 wars-
-promptly dies-

TheOneMephisto · Jul 01, 2006, 09:23 PM // 21:23

Quote:

Originally Posted by Winstar

I remember my first time trying to monk in RA. I walked out, found myself surronded by 2 assassins, and was promptly dead on the floor. If you want to monk go for it, but its a bit of a baptism by fire. When I started, I had never done much in the way of monking in Pve either, so I was at a particular disadvantage.

Lol, my first monking experience ever was also in RA.
-enters RA with the DW premade-
-gets surrounded by 4 wars-
-promptly dies-

Yanman.be · Jul 01, 2006, 09:30 PM // 21:30

Heh I've talked to the creator of that DW build, and he said he was ashamed later