Curse

Divineshadows · Apr 06, 2006, 09:31 PM // 21:31

With all the negative threads about HA regarding rank discrimination, small compact maps, FOTM builds, etc., I've decided to start a thread outlining the things that are liked about HA.

From the perspective of a guild that has been more interested in GvG and TA than HA for a while and has just recently started to do HA this past weekend, here are the qualities we like:

- Practice against spike teams without guild rank on the line. Spike teams (either casting based or ranger spike) are more frequent encounters in HA than they are in GvG.
- Having other players in our HA group that are outside of our guild helps make this setting function like a networking social with people from other guilds.
- Practice tearing through highly defensive builds by having to communicate with our team over vent/TS to identify their weak points. Builds in HA on the average are so much more defensive than those in GvG.
- Relic run maps make for good body-blocking practice and quite a bit of strategy can be used on these maps.
- Less stressful than GvG.
- Very strange yet interesting things can happen which adds to the element of surprise (though strange things happen in GvG too like your guild thief getting stuck in the ground). Last night, our PUG (only 3 from my guild) made courtyard and faced a guild ranked somewhere in the 70s (red) and a guild ranked somewhere in the 700s (yellow). We had played yellow earlier in the evening when they were running ranger spike. My group decided to play aggresive and moved toward the altar early where we engaged red, killed a couple of them, and closed the gate on them after they had retreated through it. All this time yellow sat back patiently. We capped at about 3 minutes remaining, at which point both moved in clustering around the alter. We continued to skirmish with red, despite yellow being close and not doing much. At ~1:30 remaining, yellow unleashed an edge bomb on us and took us (blue) and red by complete surprise leading to complete party wipe. I think we had just seeded our ghostly and I managed to get a RoF or two on him before dying. The one remaining player on yellow rezzed with light of dwayna getting 3 more up. They bombed again, still did not kill our hero but wiped themselves (I guess due to the long recharge on mark of protection). The remaining 45 seconds was spent with their ghostly and ours shooting arrows at each other for very little damage causing blue to win despite having everyone on each team dead. Odd turns of events such as this will keep me coming back for more.

I am sure this list is very incomplete, so please follow up on my post with the things that you or your guild like about HA and try to keep this thread free from negativity. Thanks.

Solberg the Exiled · Apr 07, 2006, 03:52 AM // 03:52

Lol... that was a funny situation and yeah, stuff like that can happen. (In a good way or a bad way...) But that eoe team didn't sound too coordinated or otherwise they would have won easy.

T)-(E Voice Of Reason · Apr 07, 2006, 04:13 AM // 04:13

The only benefit i see from winning in HA is sigils + rare drops from the chest

Byron · Apr 07, 2006, 04:37 AM // 04:37

I'd like to say glory, but HA comes second to GvG in that category, IMHO.

Murder In China · Apr 07, 2006, 04:57 AM // 04:57

Flashing Rank.

Clinically Proven · Apr 07, 2006, 04:58 AM // 04:58

Here's afew quick reasons to play HA off the top of my head:

1. Crazy, zany build ideas! Some for fun, some trying out something different, recent examples I've run into:

* 6 W/Rs turning into ranger spike when engaged.
* A degen team that eoe bombed on purpose 5 minutes into the battle, wiping out two opposing teams.
* A whole team or E/Rs with serpents quickness, healing spring and fire skills.

2. No pressure on your guild rank.

3. Chaos, survivability, fast-paced tactical descision making.

4. You get a cute little animal emote! (Anet - where's my squirrel emote hey? Nuts to you!)

Phoenix Arrows · Apr 07, 2006, 05:18 AM // 05:18

1) Get to know people more.
2) Get used to certain player builds in a team situation.
3) Not as much pressure as GvG.
4) Fun to get rank up to get an emote (142 fame right now; only rank 2 -.-)
5) Heroes' Ascent actually has Xunlai Agents and Priests of Balthazar unlike Guild Halls ^^.

I personally like #5 the most.

Guillaume De Sonoma · Apr 07, 2006, 07:44 AM // 07:44

Quote:

Originally Posted by Phoenix Arrows

1) Get to know people more.

HA is good for connections, every team I'm on in HA I try to find one good person and get them on friends and talk to them every once in a while. When you surround yourself with good players you will usually learn from them and get better yourself.

mariano · Apr 07, 2006, 12:12 PM // 12:12

In my view there are not negative threads about "playing in HA", the negative threads are rather about "not being able to play in HA" and "HA lacking of enough playability".

Good luck!

tomcruisejr · Apr 07, 2006, 02:59 PM // 14:59

sigils, fame, items, trash talks, chance to know other people (in your pug team), chance to face novelty, fun and concept builds (except for the European builds, Ranger spike, Necro Spike, IWAY) (GvG got the boring, tried and tested builds).

Mo Joe Joe Joe · Apr 07, 2006, 03:27 PM // 15:27

Crazy builds has got to be the big thing that keeps me coming back to HA. I always thoroughly enjoy the EOE bomb surprise of DOOM, when it is adequately disguised that you do not see it coming until ohh crap.

It is the only option for those of us that do not GvG to 8vs8. 8vs8 is where you really need to strategize and creativity can blossom.

SaintGreg · Apr 07, 2006, 08:06 PM // 20:06

I like HA because it's much less stressful than GvG. You can go in and it really doesn't matter if people drop or whatever because nothing important is at stake.

Sometimes it is actually pretty fun to have 20 minute battles trying to grit each other out against a good team. Doesn't happen very often, but it happens every now and then.

Rank emote (still working on wolf myself)

HA itself shows you who has favor which is nice when you are away from PvE.

Extreme Days · Apr 07, 2006, 09:14 PM // 21:14

its the only pvp where you get money off of it (ingame money)

ames · Apr 08, 2006, 12:18 AM // 00:18

dwarven axes from the hoh chest. yey.

BannyD · Apr 08, 2006, 04:58 AM // 04:58

-your guild could be comprised of all PvE members except for you and it is the biggest PvP experience you can get

Master_Balgus · Apr 09, 2006, 08:48 PM // 20:48

You can bring henchies without your guild wondering wth it is you're thinking!

nohooiam · Apr 10, 2006, 07:21 PM // 19:21

playing with non guildies, and messing around.