SNOWBALL ARENA GUIDE - by Makkert

Warrior/Monk

Attributes:

16- axe mastery
15- strength

Armor:

FoW knights armor with 5 superior vigor runes, is required for this build.

Skills

Snowball
Mega Snowball
Snow Down the Shirt
Hidden Rock
Ice Fort
Mmmm. Snowcone
Avalanche
"Let's Get 'Em!"

This is a very complicated build that only the most experienced players can master. I worked on it all night and now ppl just ragequit when they see me with a snowball.

I haven't seen anyone post this little tip. The one thing I've found very useful when helping out my teams runners is to knockdown any opponents on the ice.

The effect that slows them down effectively takes them out of the battle for a short period of time, which can pay off with another present cap.

Also, my personal favorite character to play is the necro. Holiday Blues is very good because of versatility.

Protecting a runner you can lay down a well for him to drag people through, and hopefully your team will give you a couple of knockdowns or snares on foes in the well.
Offensively, at a chokepoint Holiday Blues and a snare is insanely powerful against runners.
And its last use is to get back to your spawn whenever you need. (ie helping a runner)

Well this guide except for the fact that 99% of the people who need it will never, EVER read it or go near a forum.

On the other hand, the overall strategy I see going around these days is a script to hit enter mission every now and then. Ben playing for 4 hours now and at lease half of all the new teams I join have one leecher. GG Arena.net, no way can that be identified as a bot, nothing what soever you could do about it... too GG

Good god man, stop moaning about leechers in every single thread!

There is no benefit to leeching in Snowball, quit moaning and deal with it.

nice little tip Epic on the ice kd. i'll add all tips to the first post when i have the time for it.

as for necro's: they can be great, but 9 out of 10 necro's in SB Arena plays it wrong. They are in love with their self-destruct button, even when not warranted.

Extra Tip if it hasn't been said already.

Always make sure to target the nearest Enemy to you if you are carrying a bit. Make sure to have Hidden Rock active.

That way you can keep track of what they are going to use on you xxx

if everybody reads this guide i guess i can say goodbye to the relaxing winning streaks in the snowball arenas.

really nice guide, very many people really need to check this out (of course if you're reading this, you already have...)

most of that stuff is pure snazziness, although i also use the snowfort thing just as a one-time block right after i grab the present to prevent a knockdown. (hit "C" to check out the nearest foes activity.)

good stuff.

cheerio!

I also find that if everyone is tied up at one spot, going after a single present, and another one spawns, you could sneak out and get that one or see if it's a fake, and if it's a capturable one, take it home yourself, either sneaking a capture or drawing a few of them away from the other runner as they come after you.

Dwayna side seems to have it better as a lead player can Avalanche an oncoming carrier, buying a teammate time to grab the present, then you can defend that runner. I haven't seen much use for Yellow Snow other than condition-removal and fairly useless Disease.

Necro's Holiday Blues is useful when well placed, either on softened opponents going after your runner, or on softened enemy carriers when your teammates are around, ready to grab it when dropped. Mesmers and Ritualists, when well played, can also prove pivotal. I personally use a Jack Frost to soften attackers or to make a carrier or defender eat a Snowcone. Too bad Rangers have a Barrage-style of snowball chucking for their unique, or they would be just as useful on the interrupt department as Mesmers. Up against a tightly-bunched enemy squad, though, Flurry + Hidden Rock is very useful.

Icicles is also neat for slowing down the enemy, especially if you're on the Grenth side, as it's just as useful as Avalanche, only on single targets. Putting Ice Breaker on the friendly carrier can also be useful, especially if the opponents are trying to KD the carrier from a distance. Otherwise, as others have implied, Paras, Dervs, and Assassins are useless in SBA's other than fillers.

Still, to me, it all comes down to teamwork, a good random selection of teammates, and a healthy dose of luck in being at the right spot at the right time.

Also, weapon inscriptions and runes that lengthen dazed duration, reduce cripple, reduce daze, 10% cast time, etc. etc. all work with snowballs.

Hehe, your wrong. Totally

Guildwiki is incorrect.

Well, I took that information from what seemed to be a reliable source. Enlighten me.

I was going to post this but yea - I've already known this for a long time. I tested it with Ice Fort; the fort animation disappears before the enchantments does with a +20% enchant.

Also, I can usually make up for dazed using fast cast and 20% skill recharge really helps on Icebreaker. Note: You have to use the "all" spells type to get any effect with HCT/HSR. And yes, I know this works for a fact.


... (until it's nerfed)

Funny; I was actually going to do this and you beat me to it. XD Anyway, there are quite a few from my list that aren't on yours or on anyone else's who has perviously posted. Here goes:

For everyone:
Always try to keep Hidden Rock on yourself - especially when you pick up the present. Use your own judgement of whether or not you need to cast it on yourself again while you still have the present.

Never play as a Dervish, Paragon, Assassin, or Ranger. They just don’t have good skills.

If you see an enemy very low on HP, kill it – the time you lost will be well worth not taking damage and knockdowns

NEVER use Yellow Snow if it would cancel Hidden Rock unless you have the present.

Make sure Ice Fort is on you if you have the present and you decide to cast Yellow Snow or Hidden Rock.

Play smart – target your closest opponent with tab if you have the present to see what he/she is doing.

Although you cannot be knocked down while Ice Fort is on you, be aware that if a knockdown attack hits you, you will still drop the present. However, since you are not knocked down, you can immediately pick it up. Use this strategy if you have the present and you think the enemy is about to use a knockdown.

If you’re about to die, try to get one last knockdown or burst of damage in.

Strafe left, right, and backwards to avoid snowballs. Mega Snowballs are very easy to dodge like this.

If you can do nothing else, try to bodyblock the present holder.

If Snow Down the Shirt is on you, target the caster try to time your spells to where you won’t be interrupted.

If you are playing a Mesmer:
If you have the present, target a closeby enemy and try to interrupt a vital skill such as Hidden Rock or Mega Snowball with Blinding Snow.

If you are playing a Warrior:
If you can, save “Let’s Get ‘Em!” for when you or an ally have the present.

If you are playing a Monk:
NEVER cast Ice Breaker just to stay alive – use it only to protect the present.

If you get the present, don’t just automatically cast Ice Breaker – wait till some enemies close in on you.

If you are playing a Ritualist:
If you have the present and become slowed, set up an Ice Fort, summon Jack Frost, and use Hidden Rock on yourself before moving again – these will give you more of an advantage as it is spending better use of your time than trying to move with the present and slowed down (do not use this strategy if Icy Ground is on you).

Place Jack Frost right beside the middle ice line at the beginning of the fight.

Use strategic placing with Jack Frost; don’t just place him anywhere. If someone has the present (your team or your opponents’) and he/she is slowed down and it looks like it may be a bit before anyone moves, place Jack Frost down.

P.S.: I usually get 5-13 consecutive wins when I am playing Monk; it's generally the best class.

On the Monk's elite:
If Ice Breaker is up on the runner, you can try to kd the runner, but since you will be kd'd as well, you won't pick up the present. if a teammate is nearby, he can do it. Else just wait till the yellow enchantment arrow wears off and kd then.

on Grenth's side:
I found that starting on Grenth's side, its better to put up yellow snow before the timer. you'll have enough time to do disease an enemy, and still put up Hidden Rock before the first present spawns. Playing on Grenth's, this little more aggressive approach may just make the difference.

I'll clean up the first post today.

i had one of those people im my team once
i also had a person that kept entering and leaving in the first 5 seconds, i think they thought it helped for the skillz title
Favorites:
1.monk 2.Rit 3.Ele 4.War 5.Necro

You mention that basic snowballs should rarely be thrown, but there are some very good times to throw them even if you aren't trying to kill someone. If you are waiting around for a present to spawn and there is someone close enough to chuck snowballs at (even if you can't see them because of an obstruction) I would go ahead and throw some just to get your adrenaline up for a mega snowball later on. If you've already got mega snowball ready, just throw a normal snowball every once in a while to keep the adrenaline up until you need the mega. It doesn't matter if the snowball you throw misses, you gain adrenaline from throwing it.

It took me longer then I expected, but I finally cleaned up the first post and made it a bit more decent for a guide.

Thanks for all the tips and pointers.


~ Makk.

bump
/signed sticky
i can't believe this went into the 2nd page of the forum

Warrior or nothing for me! Coming from someone who does nothing but running around with my warrior.

Call me biased but I would definitely take the Black Beast's word and The Human Typhoon's for how things work! Thanks Mr. Makk and RTS for the awesome guides and thanks to everyone else that have added some awesome ideas.

Griefers - Please go jump off a bridge. A VERY TALL ONE!

Makk's hero

Rush