Curse

JoDiamonds · Jul 02, 2006, 03:58 PM // 15:58

A teammate today got quite angry when we weren't running towards the enemy all the time. He seemed quite convinced that it was the winning strategy -- fight where enemy humans are. He blocked me after I tried asking him to explain his strategy (presumably because I told him I always did the opposite), so I still don't really understand it or know what it is.

I have traditionally done the opposite (trying to fight whereever enemy humans are absent), so I'm curious about this completely opposite strategy.

Can anyone explain the strategy of running to enemies, and why it's good? He implied that I could find it out by reading forums, but I can't find references to it.

Aisius · Jul 02, 2006, 04:51 PM // 16:51

Well imo, running to the enemy may work if you can hold your own with that enemy, or at least long enough for your team to sideline them and make for a capture point.

I've found in AB if I'm running my warrior for speed and capturing shrines then avoiding the players is the best strategy. Recently however, after this last addition of the mission for the festival I went out on a limb and created a stance tank with gladiators defense, dalyok sig and took 'to the limit' for my AB game. My main role when I went to AB (only really to test my build under pressure) was to be the wall against the apposing team moving to cap shrines.

I think it worked pretty well as I had the attention of at least 5 foes at any given time. Sentinels armour 100 def with dalyoks up all the time +40 defense plus gladiatiors for another 25 damage on the foe when blocked. But this was totally situational and I think the best option for any AB players is to try cap shrines and avoid the apposing team. Heh the above while worked in this case I doubt would fly for long, fortunatly I didnt meet a mesmer or ele in that game and apart from condition transfers I really was just getting wacked on while keeping their warriors occupied. Maybe your friend has a similair veiw on their role in AB games, but capping shrines is the point of it.

Pho · Jul 10, 2006, 04:44 AM // 04:44

Running into enemys is a good and bad thing. If the enemy is alone and no one else is in sight and your with your group, yes you should attack him/her, but if your an idiot and run into A HUGE MOB and die, whos falut is that? The whole point of AB is to work with players you don't even know and capture all points. I have seen MANY people just run into mobs then complain about their monks not healing them. I think that Running into enemies is more bad then it is good.

Minus Sign · Jul 10, 2006, 05:29 AM // 05:29

Kill what you can kill, save what you can save, and run when you’ve underestimated the situation. Sounds so simple put that way, yes?

It isn’t. This is why it is so important that people communicate before, during and after each battle. So they can know what the team intends to do, understand why someone decides to do something else, and contemplate on what went wrong so it won’t happen again. Depending on what type of team you are, it may often be the WORST thing you can do to fight a human. Or it may be the highest level of stupidity to try forcing other players (with slow running builds) to keep pace while you run.

TheOneMephisto · Jul 10, 2006, 12:24 PM // 12:24

Quote:

Originally Posted by Minus Sign

Kill what you can kill, save what you can save, and run when you’ve underestimated the situation. Sounds so simple put that way, yes?

It isn’t. This is why it is so important that people communicate before, during and after each battle. So they can know what the team intends to do, understand why someone decides to do something else, and contemplate on what went wrong so it won’t happen again. Depending on what type of team you are, it may often be the WORST thing you can do to fight a human. Or it may be the highest level of stupidity to try forcing other players (with slow running builds) to keep pace while you run.

Agreed. Run towards them and kill when you're sure that you can do it, and do it fairly quickly.

It also depends on your paticular team build. Some teams are more suited to holding cap points and choke points, some are designed to kill opposing cap groups, and some are designed to run around capping.

I've found that it's always nice to take down the lone straggler or so if you can, but some one-person builds are just awesome at slowing down and stalling an entire team (cripshots are always fun for this).

It also depends on your situation. If you're holding almost all of the points and you see someone running off to cap one of yours, it might be better to take them down than to go cap those 2 remaining points that the rest of your team is already heading towards, etc

Minus Sign · Jul 11, 2006, 02:00 AM // 02:00

Yup. If my ranger is running around solo like an idiot, its usually because my balanced team has strong field control...and I'm actually running around in a minefield full o traps

to keep you busy while the cap team ahead of me does its job unpreturbed.

But if I'm in a hold team, I'm trapping my power players no matter how many run buffs I have. One thing a lot of teams don't understand about hold teams is how PvEish many are. They rely heavily on support--not just from the healing monk--from all the other members of their team. That's what makes a hold team a hold team.

Example: Minion Masters are undeniably powerful with 10 minions...as long as they can keep those minions alive. A tank that runs into a swarm of minions can take that damage long enogh to destroy them one at a time while a spike ranger keeps the monk busy healing the necro. With two other PvP fight characters nearby, this two man desimation of what so many consider an "overpowered" build in AB becomes a non-issue. The tank has to shift focus to players (the MM or monk usually), because ignoring them for minions will get him killed with a quickness and create a corpse for the Mm to exploit. Then those minions can show their unrestrained power and tear into him with full force, instead of the other way around.

Farnkly, the only teams I believe should split are balanced teams and cap teams. Hold teams derive their strength from fighting as a cohesive unit. The only time they should ever split is when your allies are all huddling up on you for protection instead of doing their job...but that usually means a lost battle anyway. Or in areas like side teams in Saltspray, where your team--alone--is responsible for keeping or retaking control of mulitple points.

lobal · Jul 13, 2006, 06:30 PM // 18:30

here's question and I just want to find out what people think, it is however related to the disscussion

let's say you just capped a point and notice a possible 2 on 1 situation, with two enemy's coming to the cap point(the worst combination you can think of) were you are. Now there you and the NPC are, and your deciding what to choose, run or stay and play?

I just want to hear opinions and yes I do understand there are different amount of NPC's on different points, but I want to hear what others think of the situation. Cuz atm I'm using a barrage ranger and I find myself in these situations alot.

JiggyFly · Jul 13, 2006, 08:06 PM // 20:06

In that type of situation it almsot always depends on what my team is doing. If they're capping like I am then I might fire off a snare or hex or something then go off to the next cap because I know the enemy team is behind, as they're attempting to cap while I am capping the next shrine. If I find that my team doesn't have much else capped I'm usually more inclined to defend my point since my team is already behind.

Capping gets your team the most points, so always choose the course of action that maximizes the number of caps you have.

Regardless of what you choose to do in that situation though, I would'nt literally "stand" on the cap point. I generally will make my way away from a cap point when i see enemies coming since they're either A.) chase me or b.) use their initial attacks on the npcs, then you can blind side them (from afar in your case), at the very least its' better then being hit with all their hexes,conditions, attacks, etc.. formt he very beginging.

SnipiousMax · Jul 13, 2006, 09:07 PM // 21:07

Quote:

Originally Posted by lobal

<snip>

I regularly play with guild teams in AB's (saves on frustration). We generally run a balanced build. We run into this situation in most of the battles (if we don't its generally a gg already), and my answer is to stay and fight. If you can tie two teams up and once for any amount of time (especially if you take advantage of a shield or res orb) that leaves only one of their teams free to continue capping. With the other two teams on your side capping (hopefully) you've gained the advantage by staying and fighting. Best case scenario we'll end up defeating them both and defending our cap, worst case scenario we're very hard to kill and they waste time. I'm all for sticking your ground and fight their two against our one.

Celab · Jul 15, 2006, 04:30 PM // 16:30

most of the time for me in AB im a assassin, i try to help cap points but i also can solo cap points (ie defence points in the "non biased map") or to kill important enemys. Ie MM's, nothing as much fun as watching a MM control a large army, you kill them and then you get someone use verata's gaze/aura or the army goes balistic.

Staying and fighting? depends on how i can figure whos coming, who i can kill, who i can kite and how many of them there are. Eg i cap'd a attack point, and 2 warriors were coming from a rez shrine. i thought i'd stay and fight. the first one got there, killed quickly. Ran around kiting whilst the other was getting owned by the archers whilst chasing me. Killed when skills recharged.

If theres more things than i can hope to kill, ill run and come back later.

So for me, its a idea of survival, if i can kill whoevers coming, ill do it. If theres more than 1, ill kill the first and kite. If theres 3 i wont realy have a chance and i'd run. At times, a correct assassin taking out key targets, and at others a cap defender.

Aisius · Jul 18, 2006, 08:26 AM // 08:26

If I'm going to stay and try fight the two comming to cap my node that I'm at I make sure to get my team to back me up. There's a chance I'll die to the two but if my team is close behind then we save the capping point.

Lt.Crumpet · Jul 19, 2006, 04:09 AM // 04:09

for me it completely depends on the map. i usually run wit my guild runnin 3 or 4 nukers. extremely powerfull in the rite conditions, and just 1 of us can cap easily. usually on beach we will stand our ground on the western half, holding the 3 shrines as long as possible. usually works well. on keys we usually stick n move, and pick off what we can along the way.

Aejorii · Jul 24, 2006, 08:45 PM // 20:45

It really depends on the situation. Most of them require over capping behind them while others require defending a point or attacking a point. Hope you have a good caller/strat leader!

Eldritch Icefist · Jul 25, 2006, 06:32 PM // 18:32

I play W's and N's in AB and find capping useful. On saltspray, the dragon nest always is a big battle. I get my group and start capping away, soon enough we have all the control points to put tremendous pressure on them. Fighting to keep control points and capping them while big fights are going on is a sure way to put pressure on the enemies.

Termil · Jul 26, 2006, 12:05 AM // 00:05

I've been playing alot of ab as a Luxon. Cap for the win, fight mobs for 2 faction per point. I will avoid mobs unless I am a nuker or SS and then I lay in my spells to help the mobbers and move to a shrine, most of which I can solo if need be.

As far as taking a shrine and seeing the enemy coming towards me...as a fleshy I make an inviting target. I assess the situation, usually no way I can go toe to toe. I do what damage I can while they move in and then kite. I almost always get at least one chaser who can do nothing as far as capping or mobbing until he catches me and finishes me off. Must be their pride gettin to em. May be 2 seconds, maybe 5-10 seconds. He's not helping his team if I can get him in chase mode.