Curse

GentleBreezes · Apr 26, 2006, 02:09 PM // 14:09

I've pretty much always played PvE and dabbled in the odd PvP battle just to get the arenas unlocked on my account.

To a certain extent I really enjoy it, but I'm not overly great at it and need some practice... here's my problem, no one wants me on their team

as I dont have rank or fame, or an amizingly uber build. Even in RA these days, there people getting angry and having a go at nOObs because they got killed...

So, how do I get in to PvP without having to deal with these butt limpets? I can't rely on the guildies for everything...

Any advice?

Rhuobhe · Apr 26, 2006, 02:27 PM // 14:27

Just ignore them. Turn off local chat so you don't get pissed at immature childish people who win and say something stupid. Try to ignore team chat (if your teamates are being jerks), don't be a leeroy, always bring a res signet and just have fun.

suiraCLAW · Apr 26, 2006, 02:40 PM // 14:40

use your fiend list

BTW: don't use pre-made builds (people can/will get angry when they see them in ta /ha or even in ra )

wheel · Apr 26, 2006, 07:07 PM // 19:07

Being a noob isn't an excuse for having a bad build. You've got a huge resource in the guru forums for very good builds. If you're not running a good build, that's your own fault. People complain in Random Arena about people with bad builds because people using bad builds are simply stubborn or too lazy to find a decent build.

I don't mean that to be harsh, but that's what people are going to be thinking when you bring whatever build into arena. As far as what you can do to avoid that, get a better build and ask questions! Tell them you're newer and are looking to learn as much as possible. They'll gladly help you out. Ask what reasoning they have for their suggestions, and you'll start to learn in no time.

icemonkey · Apr 26, 2006, 08:49 PM // 20:49

yes wheel is right, good advice

I would only add that asking for help is the way to go, but don't get discouraged

most of the time people will not be interested in helping you, sometimes they will. Ask everyone and then you will be more likely to get good advice

also if you win many in a row with the same team thats a great time to ask questions, those people are the most likely to help you

shardfenix · Apr 26, 2006, 09:33 PM // 21:33

A lot of people have questions like this, maybe we should keep the "im new to pvp" topics all in one thread?

Terminal · Apr 27, 2006, 05:52 AM // 05:52

#1. Download Vent and TS. Keep headphones handy.
#2. See what builds are wanted in the HA.
#3. Check out builds on guru.
#4. Starp on build, study them to figure out group role.
#5. Go play in HA. Do not join a group which is not in Vent or TS. Do not IWAY.
#6. Have fun, play as much as you can. You'll get the hang of things in a few months.

Red Locust · Apr 27, 2006, 08:16 AM // 08:16

Adding to what Terminal said, one of the best things you can do is watch a high-ranked GvG (heck even HA) match and keep a constant eye on a certain character class which you're interested in. Study the skills they use and the things they do, that should give you a general idea of how the class should play out. Once you've got a firm grasp of the class you're interested in, you can start to formulate your own builds based on your preference and experience.

GentleBreezes · Apr 29, 2006, 09:57 PM // 21:57

Thank you guys, I am now practicing, listening, and someone even thanked me in TA for getting them to HA

I must be doing something right! Hehe!

So, advice taken, I'm determined to be good at this and wont give up till I am (and even then I wont)... thank you all for taking the time to help

Warskull · May 02, 2006, 07:57 AM // 07:57

Being a newbie is fine. However there are tons of bad players out there who don't care about playing decent. If you want to find other people to play with you need to distinguish yourself.

My suggestions:
Pick a class to start learning PvP with. Stick to one class to start. Get a decent build and play in RA to hone your skills. RA isn't the best competition, but it is a good place for a new player to practice without worry. Don't worry about wins and loses just try to focus on seeing what mistakes you make and how you can correct them.

Read the forums and learn about higher level PvP strategy and concepts. Having some knowledge of these puts you at a huge edge.

Have voice chat and be willing to use it. Being able to get on and use voice chat says you are have some degree of dedication and investment to being a good player.

Feel free to play FotM builds. There is nothing wrong with doing necro-spike and IWAY. Just don't use it as a crutch. Learn how to spike and improve your spike in necro spike, then apply that to mixed spike. Take what you learn in IWAY and apply it to warriors in balanced builds (finding out what works and what doesn't.)

If you want to learn a lot, fast. Utilize observer mode.

Entropius · May 03, 2006, 03:24 AM // 03:24

All of the good advice given so far is advice on *how* to learn things. This is important, because, to paraphrase, "Nobody can tell you what competent PvP play is. You have to see for yourself."

However, there are some rules of thumb that can be given concisely and will save you a lot of grief:

--Unless you are a dedicated healing or protection monk, always carry a resurrection ability.
-- ... and this should be Res Signet unless you have high Fast Casting: 6 seconds on a resurrection is an eternity.
--You can control-click nearly anything to announce it to your team. USE THIS.
--Don't waste offense on things that are resistant to it. Don't fireball rangers or beat on warriors unless there are no better targets.

--Every skill you use should pass the test of "How is this a threat to the other team?" Note that the test is not "How does this keep me alive". Self-defense skills are only worthwhile in the sense that they let you survive to dish out more damage: If you're already a hard target, like a warrior, it's not very logical to make yourself even harder -- nobody will attack you. Instead, focus on damage. If you're a softie that people like to hate on, like a mesmer or ele, solid self-defense skills (like distortion, ether feast, armor of earth) can be worthwhile.

d3kst3r · May 03, 2006, 07:35 AM // 07:35

Best way to learn to PvP quickly is just jump into Random Arenas without any thought and keep doing it until you're good at it then move on to the tougher stuff.

JR · May 03, 2006, 10:29 AM // 10:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by d3kst3r

Best way to learn to PvP quickly is just jump into Random Arenas without any thought and keep doing it until you're good at it then move on to the tougher stuff.

That is an absolutely ridiculous notion.

The bad habits and terrible builds you might pick up and make work in Arena have absolutely no bearing on any other form of PvP, in the long run it would probably even make you worse. If you are seriously wanting to get into PvP, then I would say that reading pvp forums, learning to understand builds and strats on observer mode, and asking for advice is even more important than actually playing, to begin with.

Bazooka · May 03, 2006, 02:45 PM // 14:45

Team Arenas,yes you have the right to expect a certain level of performance but then again most play TA with known good players.

Random Arenas, people are clueless or experimenting. Why stress about it given that situation? Think of RA as a place for you to test your own skills/build with a handicap since you cant assume your own team will help you or know what to do.

Enjoy the challenge and farm the faction. Dance for joy when the random generator puts you on a team of good players.

Loch · May 03, 2006, 03:21 PM // 15:21

The problem with Random Arenas is that you have absolutely zero clue as to how well you contributed to your team's win. Maybe you were the dead weight, but your team picked up the slack. Maybe your Monking was top-of-the-line, but your team failed to apply any pressure at all. Maybe your shutdown helped break the other team, or maybe it was the Hammer Warrior on your team who did that. Maybe your lame strategy worked because the other team was brainless (like the uber-1337 tank who actually gets targeted).

Byron · May 03, 2006, 11:52 PM // 23:52

1) Don't IWAY in any form. Only proven r9s have the privilege of dabbling in that build with the expectation of honorable results.

2) Do what you like, even if it isn't popular. GW is the most balanced rpg on the planet - every type of character has a place somewhere.

3) Try to excel. Don't get down when you're beaten, because there is a counter to everything. Eventually you'll be the one pwning noobs.

4) Realize the importance of experience. Don't ever think that you're better than someone who's played more, because the chances of that are very fat. In the same breath, be ready to accept criticism and dish out some of your own, as it will make you better.

Thom · May 04, 2006, 01:37 AM // 01:37

Few points:
-Random arenas are great to work on your own pacing and skill usage. It is totally ok to suck it up in RA the first few times playing a new build, but figure out what is wrong with your build and change it. Adjustments made for random arenas don't translate to other PvP, but playing RA can help pacing (especially for support classes).

-Random arenas are also fun to do competitively, but the skill you use in RA do not translate to team PvP. I have a set of incredibly fun RA builds, which are optimized for RA, but are otherwise useless.

-In team play be flexible, but stay in your comfort zone. You aren't doing your team any favors by playing a complex build for the first time.

-Interrupt. Learn it, love it.

-FotM buils are normally solid builds conceptually. If you figure out why they work and how they should be effectively played they can teach you volumes about the game. IWAY in its hayday exploited nearly every broken skill in game.

-There is nothing wrong with playing IWAY or spike. Realize that playing that type of build can make you a very one dimenisional player. EP and now DEER rode ranger spike to the top of the guild ladder, but they aren't the GvG metagame.

-Don't take insults personally, but take constructive criticism seriously. If someone is yelling noobzor at you ignore it, but if you group lead tells you he never wants to see a skill again rethink your build.

GentleBreezes · May 04, 2006, 11:52 AM // 11:52

I've made, and have been practicing with my inturrupt ranger build. It appears to be working very well, and several ppl have commented on it, so think it's not going too bad at all.

Also, using Vent for guild pvping, which seems to be making it all a little easier.

LOL, took on the guildies, one-on-one, and wooped some arse

that was fun...

So, I'm learning to enjoy it, ad listen to you guys, and I'm getting somewhere and dont fell like a complete noob...

Thank you guys!

Zhou Feng · May 04, 2006, 08:38 PM // 20:38

Quote:

Originally Posted by GentleBreezes

I've pretty much always played PvE and dabbled in the odd PvP battle just to get the arenas unlocked on my account.

To a certain extent I really enjoy it, but I'm not overly great at it and need some practice... here's my problem, no one wants me on their team

as I dont have rank or fame, or an amizingly uber build. Even in RA these days, there people getting angry and having a go at nOObs because they got killed...

So, how do I get in to PvP without having to deal with these butt limpets? I can't rely on the guildies for everything...

Any advice?

Heres a few tips:

First off I suggest highly you use a PvP char instead of a PvE one. Hopefully if you still have a slot open you can make your PvP char. I will assume you have a good amount of skills unlocked. Make sure that later you unlock runes for the lass you are going to use as well as mods. If you have been unlocking mods and/or runes put this to use.

Second unless you play a healer or smiter monk ALWAYS carry a Ressurection Signet. This skill should be glued to your Skill Bar and you should always take it into account when preparing your build.

Third try to use a "basic" class before you hit the more advanced ones like Mesmers and Necros which are more specilized. Go Warrior, preferably Warrior/Ranger with an axe and Tiger's Fury. Three attacks including Eviscerate and Executioner's Strike, Antidote Signet and anything else you might need:

Eviscerate
Executioners Strike
Tiger's Fury
Antidote Signet
Disrupting Chop
Sprint
Open Slot
Ressurection Signet

With this build you can get a grasp on what to expect in PvPing. For the time being stick to Arenas as in Competition ones.

Fourth whenever you get killed instead of dropping out even when doom is inevitable try to click on a foe and take time to see what skills they are using to get idea and feel of what opponents to expect, this also gives ideas for building your own build.

Fifth once you start getting a hang and understand various builds and/or able to create variosu builds you may continue onward to Team Arena to learn communication, control and improved tactics. After that feel free to try HA and GvG and get hooked like I did