Curse

upier · Dec 05, 2009, 04:21 PM // 16:21

Allow me to help you help me get more crap!
Since this is the double faction weekend in FA I figured I'd put down a few tips that make it easier for the Kurzick to win. Hopefully by following some of these basic rules you will become more aware of the battlefield and what works and then hopefully you'll end up on my teams so that I can get faction faster!

1. Go monk.
The point of the Kurzick side is to defend. Monks excel at this job.
Hence go monk.
WARNING:
Smite monks aren't monks.
Neither are fire monks.
Or domination monks.
Or ...

If you want to go in as the best possible option - go in as a healing/protting monk. There is absolutely nothing that can match this option.

2. As a monk, you need to focus on key NPCs.
Your priorities are:
1. NPCs
2. other healing/protting players
3. everyone else
And each time you are about to use a skill, you need to ask yourself if that skill is better spent on a player than a NPC. And around 90% of all case the answer is no. The only punishment for death of a player is the 10 sec wait.
The punishment for the death of Gunther is losing.

If you end up healing players most of the match, that means something went seriously wrong. Either the Luxon suck beyond words, or you suck beyond words. And this is also something that you need to be aware of each time you do not play a monk. Things are going wrong when your monks are healing you. Either for the Luxon or your team.

3. Positioning is everything.
As long as the doors the doors stay up ANYONE that requires a line of sight to perform a negative action towards you is NOT able to do so. And not only that, you are also able to get out of the casting range of the Luxon that can target you by simply making a few steps back. Plus it also means that the folks on the other side have a much harder way of following your actions - enabling you to minimize the chances of interrupts or other crap landing on you.

Here you can see my monky healing and protting the NPC without any danger to his cute little outfit:

Tank' n' spank in PvP.
Abuse it.

4. Or so you would think.
If you look carefully at the map of the picture you will see a red dot behind a closed green gate. That means that some "interesting" player opened the gate while there were Luxon near it.
YOU.DO.NOT.EVER.DO.THAT!
EVER!

If you can not get in, that means the Luxon can not get in.
And if the Luxon can not get in, they can not win.
Which, once again, means
YOU DO NOT OPEN THE GATES IF THE LUXON ARE NEAR THEM.

Which then brings us to the question:
5. What other guys can you bring if you do not want to go monk?
Once again, by choosing to not go monk you are choosing a sub-par option. Which means, you should be running a monk.

6. Screw your monks! I want something else!
A restoration ritualist.
The problem with restorers is that you do not have access to the insanity that is the Protection Prayers line. Despite the fact that the turtle removes enchantments with each hit, Protection is the thing you want to run. When the turtle hit for those 300 damage you'd wish you'd have had the Protective Spirit on the guy. Keep in mind - you NEED to cover it. Pretty much the most important skills are Protective Spirit and Shield Of Absorption. Everything else is used to pretty much just cover these two skills.
Now, if you REALLY do not want to play a monk and agree with the fact that this will cause your victory to be harder to achieve, a restoration ritualist is a very decent option. It gives you access to some very nice heals and it gives you access to unremovable weapon spells. Keep in mind - Weapon Of Warding won't work. The NPCs do not know when to stop attacking.

7. Oh, screw you again! I want something that is really different.
Fine.
Rangers.

8. Oh you didn't just say rangers!
As I have mentioned before, the main goal is to have the gates up. This means that the Luxon players that require a line of sight can not target you but this also means the Kurzick that require a line of sight can not reach the Luxon. Unless of course you use the teleporters which means you leave the safety of the Fort.
The reason why you want rangers is the range.
The Fort is a building that is built in an elevated area. Which means that a Kurzick ranger not only has the range bonus of a flatbow, the guy also has the elevation difference in his favour.

And that is vital for:
9. Glitching the turtle.
And here you have some examples of my guy doing just that.
The first position - center of the Fort:

This enables you to make stop the turtle in it's tracks. The turtle will keep firing at you, why is why a SELF HEAL is a must here! If the turtle is not getting healed, you should be able to take it down in some 10ish seconds.
If on the other hand the turtle is getting healed, that means that the healer needs to juggle between the turtle and his team-mates.
Because the turtle can only be shot at ONCE the outer orange gate falls, this will mean that the healer will sooner or later need to make the decision whether to leave heal the turtle or go after his team-mates on the orange side. And the only winner in a decision like this - is you.
If the guy goes after his team-mates you trash the turtle removing some nice damage and enchantment removal.
If the guy stays, you removed the turtle, the warriors AND a luxon player out of the game.

The second position - between the gates:

Flatbow range allows you to reach the turtle while being COMPLETELY out of reach of the Luxon. You either kill the turtle or just stand there making the turtle glitch while still being able to cover huge ground due to your range.

You can also glitch it in way like this:

Notice that this will not allow you to actually HIT the turtle, but at the same time it will get stuck. Which means you can just stand there and then shoot down anyone that runs between the doors.

Keep in mind that there are places the Luxon can hide at where you WILL not be able to reach them. So there absolutely ARE downsides to the bow. But all in all, it is going to be one of the best options for this map.

10. Taking the mines.
Flatbow range will also allow you to take the orange mine by standing on the outer Fort defences. And then you just shoot down anyone that tries to take it back.
taking the mines is a tactic that is heavily advertised in FA. The problem is that you don't need to take a SINGLE mine and still win.
This also means that the rangers should be positions in the Fort that I mentioned and the monks should go DIRECTLY to the gates and start healing and protting when the first wave comes in.
If the players decide to take the mines, keep in mind the specifics of your character. And here, once again shows superbly why you do not want to run anything that requires a line of sight to achieve a goal. Most options that require a line of sight are martial options. And martial classes NEED their weapon to actually do something. Which means, if you will be taking mines, please go with a caster. That allows you to use your skills EVEN if you are carrying an amber chunk. And this comes in handy if there are Luxon at the gate. You will need to kill them first, but it's going to be "hard" executing that Eviscerate with amber in your hands.

Also keep in mind WHEN to take mines.
The green area NPCs will NOT take amber if there are Luxon in the green room. Which basically means when the green gate is down you do not want to be anywhere else other than the green room.

11. Taking other cap points.
Do not take them. There is absolutely no point in taking the mines so you can imagine how useless taking the command posts is.
DO.NOT.CAP.COMMAND.POSTS.

12. Taking control.
This is PvP so some basic knowledge of the skills used is needed. This also means that you'll need to understand who are priority targets.
Priority targets are targets that need to die pretty much instantly.
If you can't take them down alone - call the target.
This is how a recent battle looked in the team log:

Now keep in mind, it's also advisable to call skills USED by the Luxon players. This doesn't mean that the player needs to die instantly, but it signals which player could pose a threat. So, you call skills that will give other players some sort of a basic idea of the build the player is running. So you will call things like Word of Healing, Blessed Signet, Aura of the Lich, ...

Calling the targets becomes REALLY important if the green gate goes down.
That way EVERYONE focuses on one target, killing it pretty much instantly. And then you move onto the next target.
Rinse and repeat.

Once things get hectic, it's important to keep your cool. And certain players will find having targets called for them or being giving advice mid-battle really helpful. If not for that battle, then for the next one. It allows bad players to go into C+SPACE mode.

And last but not least:
13. Just get in the way.
If the Luxon are killing you, they aren't killing NPCs and if they aren't killing NPCs, they can't win.

So have fun, abuse the map and earn me some keys!
(I plan on adding additional tips and pictures, but everyone else is free to add them also.)

(The reason why I put this into Riverside is:
1. it's current
2. it showcases some imbalanced crap that needs to die, but until it does - abuse the hell out of it
You are free to move it after the weekend is over, but until then I'd LOVE to see it stick around here so that my team-mates learn something from it.)

Dzjudz · Dec 05, 2009, 04:36 PM // 16:36

I found that Air of Enchantment spam is pretty much Kurzick victory.

Edit: Ah I noticed your first screenshot

Aka Devilince · Dec 05, 2009, 05:10 PM // 17:10

Restoration rit is pretty good actually for this as well. I use to restore all the time in FA, but recently quit doing so, cause of the massive noob spirit spammer builds. three year old rit and a two year old rit just wasting away bah. But good guide though. Mostly if there is teamwork and not stupidity your team will do fine, but in the end there will be people who won't listen and just throw this to the side. ~Sighs~ gaming communities today ._. Oh wells, good guide though I likies

majikmajikmajik · Dec 05, 2009, 05:32 PM // 17:32

and if you on luxon side bring anti healing and enchantment.

BlackSephir · Dec 05, 2009, 05:35 PM // 17:35

Only tips you'll need: take the whole team of 8 healing rits and heal npcs at the gates.

Xx Da Best Xx · Dec 05, 2009, 06:00 PM // 18:00

Mwahahaha. Your tactics are now useless, Kurzick o.o

Kind of hope Kurzick's dont read this because most of them just run sins/wars/roj monks. Pretty simple to deal with...

own age myname · Dec 05, 2009, 06:05 PM // 18:05

Or play luxon and beat the crap out of the Kurzicks

Pugs Not Drugs · Dec 05, 2009, 07:01 PM // 19:01

only tip you need:

Life Barrier
Life Bond
Some heals
And some covers

Premium Unleaded · Dec 05, 2009, 07:09 PM // 19:09

13. Just get in the way.

I'd say this would be the most important point of them all tbh, if not the whole point of FA for the defending team. All you're supposed to be doing is stall for time, one way or another.

zelgadissan · Dec 05, 2009, 09:38 PM // 21:38

This thread pretty much sums up why FA needs to be entirely reworked.

It also reminds me how sad I am that I've already maxed Kurzick and have been monking for the Luxon there lately when I get bored.

Enon · Dec 05, 2009, 09:49 PM // 21:49

Oh my God, Upier! You just gave away the secret of being successful in FA with Kurzick!

Killamus · Dec 05, 2009, 10:35 PM // 22:35

Tips for Luxons: Be a necromancer. Gogo soul bind and gaze of contempt.

Fay Vert · Dec 05, 2009, 10:55 PM // 22:55

The best way to win as Kurzicks is to run amber, this speeds the game up so you get more faction per hour. Sure monks make for an easier win, but slow and boring, not very profitable.

A couple of rangers running amber makes a massive difference. Best of all is if some noob warrior or sin wants to get you, cripple him and taunt, while he is raging all over the map after you he is failing at his job. It's not uncommon to have at least two ragers trying to catch you and I've had three of them plenty of times, they usually give up, but not until they have wasted 5 minutes or more. If they ever do manage to kill you (they shouldn't but hey, sometimes tehy bring some useful skills) you just rez back and pick a fight with them again, they will chase you again

Oh, and rangers can cap the command points very easy, do it, it stops the turtles and the Luxons have to re-cap them, eventually, when they notice they have lost them.

Esprit · Dec 05, 2009, 10:55 PM // 22:55

Reads like some frustration being vented against Kurzick players in the form of some decent tips.

jonnieboi05 · Dec 05, 2009, 11:14 PM // 23:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by Killamus

Tips for Luxons: Be a necromancer. Gogo soul bind and gaze of contempt.

This is what I would have recommended as well...

I don't like FA. I know how to play it the way it's supposed to be played but, I just do not like it. Call me crazy but I love JQ a whole lot more. 1 Decent bobomber in JQ, for example, can turn the entire tide of the match and get you an auto-win.

Bleh. I've got 2 accounts both with dual Savior so in the end I don't play to win. I play to kill as many NPCs/shrines as I Can to farm me some good 'ol zKeys. :3

Having said that: nice guide, Upier.

Owik Gall · Dec 05, 2009, 11:30 PM // 23:30

Tanking the turtles has always been my specialty, so I agree with the authors viewpoints on this. However, it should be noted that as you tank the turtle and the monk healing it out of the game, you are taking yourself, the tanker, out as well. Though I can understand that is not a huge con. The authors method of tanking is nice, by the way. So long as the tanking squishy has support.

akio pwns · Dec 05, 2009, 11:37 PM // 23:37

like someone said before this is why kurz side needs to be nerfed a bit... have the turtles move constantly between attacks before the first two gates. Improve the warrior NPCs for the turtle or even add monk to that team. Or make the turtles attack armor ignoring.

Faroth the Huntress · Dec 06, 2009, 12:01 AM // 00:01

I find nuking the Luxons when they bottle neck at the gates seems to work well too.

To each their own

upier · Dec 06, 2009, 12:14 AM // 00:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by Esprit

Reads like some frustration being vented against Kurzick players in the form of some decent tips.

Nah, I'd be frustrated if I'd be still playing for the Luxon.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fay Vert

The best way to win as Kurzicks is to run amber, this speeds the game up so you get more faction per hour. Sure monks make for an easier win, but slow and boring, not very profitable.

A couple of rangers running amber makes a massive difference. Best of all is if some noob warrior or sin wants to get you, cripple him and taunt, while he is raging all over the map after you he is failing at his job. It's not uncommon to have at least two ragers trying to catch you and I've had three of them plenty of times, they usually give up, but not until they have wasted 5 minutes or more. If they ever do manage to kill you (they shouldn't but hey, sometimes tehy bring some useful skills) you just rez back and pick a fight with them again, they will chase you again

Oh, and rangers can cap the command points very easy, do it, it stops the turtles and the Luxons have to re-cap them, eventually, when they notice they have lost them.

By capping mines you introduce more risk.
Which means that the rewards could be greater or worse.
Given the quality of the players there - that's not going to be worth it. You want to minimize the risk as much as possible.

If on the other hand you do end up with a good team, then yeah, kill, kill, kill, cap, cap, cap.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Owik Gall

Tanking the turtles has always been my specialty, so I agree with the authors viewpoints on this. However, it should be noted that as you tank the turtle and the monk healing it out of the game, you are taking yourself, the tanker, out as well. Though I can understand that is not a huge con. The authors method of tanking is nice, by the way. So long as the tanking squishy has support.

Yeah that's going be an issue with the center tanking. Still, if you see that you are needed elsewhere - of course leave the turtle and you'll take it down as a group later.

Additionally, there is also another reason why rangers are so good for this job.
You are on the edge of the ledge in an elevated position which means you will have a quite decent range giving you additional options who to target. For instance, you can move back a bit and shoot into the fort if the Luxon get in while still holding the turtle in place.

Golgotha · Dec 06, 2009, 12:20 AM // 00:20

I've never done any PvP prior to this, aside from Zaishen farming (which aren't really PvP). Won about five in a row. Not bad.

Edit: I realize this is a double faction weekend, but is this at all feasible for faction farming outside of weekend events?