Curse

ogami_ito · Sep 26, 2006, 02:43 AM // 02:43

Question 1: What's the "metagame" for RA?
Question 2: Are warriors not that good in RA?
Question 3: What is the killer necro or mesmer combo that is nailing me?
Question 4: how do you get into a team in TA without being in a guild?

Background:

I have spend time developing my warrior character, but I have found that he does not seem to do that well in RA, no matter what the build. Also, lately, there are not that many warriors in RA (although ocassionally I see a team of 3). Necros, Mesmers, and especially RTs seem to show up more often.

It just seems that pressure often does not work and every class brings anti-warrior skills. I guess because if they didn't, warriors would own.

Lately actually, I have been killed in like 4 seconds by necros or mesmers. I'm not sure what it is, but there is some combo that is being run against me that kills me too quick. I still tend to outlive my sin, but thats more because everyone first targets the sin.

OK. It also seems that the only time I do good in RA, no matter what my build or what my toon, is when my team has a good monk. Nothing else seems to determine success or failure more than this. Second in importance is fighting a dumber team, or a team with bad mixture (like 3 sins and a mesmer, or really 3 or anything and no monk) Third in importance is a Rt setting up spirits on my team. As all these things are out of my control, I'm sort of thinking the RA is not that great to play. But how do I get on a team in TA?

gr3g · Sep 26, 2006, 03:11 AM // 03:11

Lots of pick up groups form in TA. You can try to answer one of their ads. Be prepared to reroll your characters if needed (easy if it's a PvP char), and don't claim experience in classes or builds you have no experience in.

I think of RA mainly as "screwing around" territory. Basically any time I have a silly build idea, I take it to RA and see if I can last five rounds. If it passes this bare minimum of viability, I then think of adding it to some other repertoire.

There are some builds that are really good in RA. RC bonder, migraine mesmer, ye old boonprot, various IW builds, and so on. Search on guildwiki and you'll find good ideas. RA has no real metagame but you'll often see people practicing their HA or TA gimmicks in RA. You can get far with the shock warrior premade if you're dead set on playing warriors, though I personally find it a tedious build.

Zui · Sep 26, 2006, 03:37 AM // 03:37

1. There is none. Idiots run horrible builds that make no sense at all, which is the majority of players. Then you have a few people running descent builds, but theese people are few and far between.

2. Warriors are fine.

3. I don't know, try to figure out what skills are killing you...

4. Form or join a Pickup Group. Or, play with people on your friends list.

Former Ruling · Sep 26, 2006, 04:17 AM // 04:17

1) Random stuff. You are basically gaurenteed a Glad Point if you randomly get in a team with a Monk and some decent builds. (harder than it seems)

2) I actually wouldnt run a warrior in RA for alot of reasons. Unless I was kidding around with a build, like HamStorm

3) Mesmers and Necros both have heavy Warrior Killing skills. YOu gotta watch what hexes are on you. SS necros are common in there, as are mesmers that carry random stuff like Cluminess and Soothing Images.

RA is a place where two things happen. 1) You play a monk to Farm Glad Points (Monk is the easiest to do this with, because you dont have to rely on the chance that...theres a monk in your party, you just gotta get decent dmg dealers). 2) You play random silly crap to have a laugh at how bad or how well it works.

Sinborn · Sep 26, 2006, 04:19 AM // 04:19

1. A partial RA metagame is guildwiki. Most credible builds, especially monks, use the basic framework of the monk builds listed there.

Ole Man Bourbon · Sep 26, 2006, 04:39 AM // 04:39

This is the metagame of RA:

Boon Prots VS. Anti-Boon Prots.

Get good at one of the two and the win streaks will come in droves.

Zui · Sep 26, 2006, 04:40 AM // 04:40

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sinborn

1. A partial RA metagame is guildwiki. Most credible builds, especially monks, use the basic framework of the monk builds listed there.

Please note that GuildWiki is a horrible PvP resource, and shouldn't be taken seriously at all, due to a number of reasons. Goto the GuildWiki fourm here for more information... However, that being said, RA is a horrible PvP enviroment, so the GuildWiki builds are things you very may well see in Random Arenas... Sadly...

Horuku · Sep 26, 2006, 04:49 AM // 04:49

Once you become good at guildwars, YOU will define the metagame with your ability to craft good skill sets.

General Rules:

Bring a Self Heal always, with optional hex/conditional removal.
Have spike damage, as most enemy teams have monks they can easily heal away damage over time.
Design around 7 skills with a rez sig, not 8 skills with no rez (I will kill you if I see you without a rez sig.)

For warrior it is easy to make builds. Usually Heal sig is a must, and I also like to bring Purge signet since it removes everything off you (it sucks when you get 3 conditions and 3 hexes on you but purge > that!) and then use mostly adrenal skills. Always bring a speed enhancing skill, such as Rush or Sprint. Rush is better in my opinion because it lasts longer, but its harder to get the intial 4 arenal needed. DON'T BRING FRENZY TO RA. Plain and simple you will die even if you stance dance. Tigers Stance is very good. Build up adrenal for all your skills then tiger stance + spam = dead enemy. Also, Protecters Strike is pretty much the skill to have. It will do 100+dmg to a moving foe, not to mention it has a cast time which means you can basically double attack. It's good for any weapons, but best with hammer. As stated earlier, if you truly understand a class you can easily build good builds out of thin air.

Sinborn · Sep 26, 2006, 04:49 AM // 04:49

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zui

Please note that GuildWiki is a horrible PvP resource, and shouldn't be taken seriously at all, due to a number of reasons. Goto the GuildWiki fourm here for more information... However, that being said, RA is a horrible PvP enviroment, so the GuildWiki builds are things you very may well see in Random Arenas... Sadly...

You managed to cycle yourself back into bolstering my point. That's GvG worthy XD.

dgb · Sep 26, 2006, 06:16 AM // 06:16

Quote:

Originally Posted by ogami_ito

It also seems that the only time I do good in RA, no matter what my build or what my toon, is when my team has a good monk. Nothing else seems to determine success or failure more than this.

This is entirely true. I can take a glad point almost at will from RA by monking, no matter how bad my team is. Get a good monk opposing you without one yourself and it's GG. You're eventually going to get worn down because that one monk can absorb all of your pressure.

Either learn to monk or expect frustration.

Tozen · Sep 26, 2006, 06:20 AM // 06:20

To win at RA you have to do 1 of 2 things.

a) Be a healer and keep your team alive.
b) Be a self-sufficient damage dealer that doesn't need support

You can't count on ANYBODY helping you in Random Arenas, which is also why they are fun. Personally, I like running my own, unique Assassin build in RA that can heal, nuke, and do hit-and-run.

IN ADDITION TO THIS, YOU NEED PATIENCE

You get one good team for every bad ten teams or so. However, once you get a good team you'll probably get a glad point because you play other teams that aren't good ones.

Don't allow yourself to get frustrated. RA is probably one of the least serious forms of PvP, so just have fun and quit after it gets bad.

Zui · Sep 26, 2006, 06:20 AM // 06:20

Even monking, expect frusturation... Not because you loose, but because it takes forever to win becasue your team sucks...

dgb · Sep 26, 2006, 06:27 AM // 06:27

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zui

Even monking, expect frusturation... Not because you loose, but because it takes forever to win becasue your team sucks...

Learning to get another team once you hear the mending woosh is a good idea as well. You may win with it, you may even get a glad point if you stayed. But it's still more efficient to get a reroll in the RA team selection than stay.

Winstar · Sep 26, 2006, 06:31 AM // 06:31

^^ too true..

Though most of my glad points come via monking I get frustrated with monking for glad points because of this. Like many people my luck is often bad when I monk in terms of teams. If I monk, I get another monk and a rt lord and some low damage 4th. So I love bringing in a warrior and cracking skulls. If you land on a monk team your're sailing because you dish out the damage like nobody else.

Zui · Sep 26, 2006, 06:43 AM // 06:43

Quote:

Originally Posted by dgb

Learning to get another team once you hear the mending woosh is a good idea as well. You may win with it, you may even get a glad point if you stayed. But it's still more efficient to get a reroll in the RA team selection than stay.

Which is exactly what I do. However, quitting more than half of the games because your team is entirely incompetent is not fun, and is frusturating. Scrub PvP FTL. Good thing I don't RA much.

JiggyFly · Sep 26, 2006, 06:43 AM // 06:43

The Me/N and N/Me that were killing you so fast were the Virulence spikers using either:
Fragility> Phantom Pain > Shatter Delusions > Virulence > Hypocondriac (Nightfall skill)
or
Images of Remorse (Conjure Phantasm) > Fragility > Accumulated Pain > Virulence > Hypocondriac (Nightfall skill)

That's the only thing I know of that can spike like that, but that's only because of Nightfall skills being availible.

Really for RA I either pick something that can kill, or pick something that can maintain my team if I'm going for wins. Yea sure the other stuff is great, but more likely than not it's only great if you have someone killing the other team or if you have someone keeping you alive.

And since it's RA some loses are inevitable, I've come up against teams with an Ineptitude Mesmer and a Spiteful Necromancer while on my Warrior, I was able to do very little, it pretty much depended on what my teamates were at that point. So there's always the luck factor...

torquemada · Sep 26, 2006, 07:23 AM // 07:23

Meta in RA? Touchie, touchie.... lol.

Paperfly · Sep 26, 2006, 09:24 AM // 09:24

The other option for the Me/N spike is

Soul Barbs -> {e}Recurring Insecurity -> Images of Remorse -> Wastrel's Worry -> Accumulated Pain.

The last three will reapply Rec-Ins, whichin turn triggers Soul Barbs.

Age · Sep 26, 2006, 09:47 AM // 09:47

Don't forget the Paladin build J/K just use premade or like others said the Wiki but it is mostly to test a build out.Think of one yourself.

Undressed · Sep 26, 2006, 10:01 AM // 10:01

Frenzy is fine if you scan your opponents in the skills they use and where they (change) focus. I've frenzied 30+ Glad Points in RA.

Always bring a speed boost (it's a must!) and KD like Bull's Strike (if you can afford that).

Be an offensive warrior, don't hide behind stances, it makes killing slower and eventually your team goes down.

Don't play the 3 on 1 game, while 3 others stomp your monk. If you're playing warrior and got another decent offensive player in your team, split the damage. Since many players are obsessed with monks, I am fine with pressuring/killing anything which hazards my monk (or me, warrior-hate), especially mesmers, while others take care of the opposing team's monk (given they're decent enough).

Try draining monks by pressuring them first, switching to another target, charging adrenaline up, then going back at spiking the monk or vice versa.

Don't overextend, makes your monk's job way harder and rezzing a pain. Don't let yourself lured out. Good Ineptitude Mesmers try to do that on stupid warriors, because they can solo them easily.

Bring Healing Signet with at least 9 in tactics. If'y you're hammering (or generally), make sure you're not sigging while under heavy pressure - it kills you. Try switching to a sword + shield set while sigging, if you can afford it and seek a corner/wall where you can do this uninterrupted physically. If you can't, try "fake" sigging by quickly cancelling its use and forcing the ranger to waste his interrupt. Remember the recharge time of interrupts. Time it well.

If you face warrior-heavy teams (and there are a LOT warriors in RA), build adrenaline up and watch for frenzying warriors or just get those with least armour first. Hammerers for instance. Don't waste your time on riposte/deadly riposte warriors - they're not your food unless you have to since they're mostly the last ones surviving (given your team is not too stupid).

Kill fast and drain ressurection sigs. Watch for ressurected opponents, try to hunt them down again immediately.

Bring a wand/staff to charge adrenaline from distance.