Player skill

So builds are important of course, but what are things I can do to improve my game in GW. Such as micro and macro in RTS games such as SC2.

If there's already a thread about this post a link?

Thanks in advance.

Play a lot.

Every time I go back to the game after a while, It feels as if monsters had less health.
But it's actually me getting better.

After playing a lot, it's like riding a bicycle, you don't forget it, and you only get better without even thinking about it.

Actually it might be the powercreep in every update.

Regardless, the best way to be better is not to play in the same damn area every time (i.e. Speedclears). Getting a lazy routine is bad.

To improve my monking I usually team with PUGs for ZB. People tend to run non-meta stuff, except for SoS.

Like Mithran said, it's mostly practice. While I understand the conceptual gameplay of pretty much any build you throw at me, I won't be able to play a lot of builds just for lack of experience.

After playing for a while, you begin to realize things about positioning and tact that you never noticed before. While positioning is far more important in PvP, use of good positioning in PvE will make you more effective offensively and less difficult to support defensively. You'll begin to find yourself looking at where foes are instead of selecting by C or Tab.

Over time you'll find little things that really improve your game, and character familiarity helps tremendously too. Like I said, I understand how to play a Monk very well, but I probably can't actualize that understanding for lack of experience.

I play mostly PvP. I'm REALLY bad at PvE, so I quit it and went straight PvP war. Any tips for PvP?

That's a pretty loaded question.

In PvP, observation, practice and experience play an even bigger role. You might want to start reading the threads in the Gladiator subforum.

If predictable monsters smashed your face in PvE, it's possible you don't understand enough of the game mechanics to really be good at PvP yet.... It will probably be even more difficult for you to just "pick it up." It can probably be done, but you'll need a lot of help. Find a good PvP guild, one that is willing to take on newbies and teach them the ropes. You can begin your search in our Guild Connections subforums: Guilds Looking for Players & Players Looking for Guilds.

You could specialize in a certain profession. You mentioned PvP war-rior?

You could practice specific things in the isle of the nameless or Random Arenas. A lot of things come down to timing. For example:
- knocking down targets multiple times without letting them cast a 1/4s spell in between.
- moving around targets whilst hitting them, i.e. moving during the attack animation, to block kiting direction
- quickly swapping weaponsets, ebon mod vs war, vamp vs ranger, bulls strike with axe on hammer bar to look cool. Or as caster swap to an appropriate set for the specific spell.
- cancelling skills versus interrupts, or overlapping frenzy with rush before spike
- predicting, timing or reflexing your interrupts
- reflexing a blockstance on knockdown attacks

With regards to teamplay, check radar to know people's position, coordinate offense.

In HA, knowing how to best achieve the map objectives.
In GvG, positioning and coordination is more important. Obs yourself for flaws.

There really isn't any macro, at least not in the sc2 sense. For micro, that be interrupts (rangers, mesmers), landing bulls-strike and q-knocking (warrior), weapon swapping (especially monks), and spiking-coordination (whole team). Unfortunately the best thing you can do to improve your game is in fact to have the right build.

http://www.teamquitter.com/phpBB2/viewforum.php?f=128

Read the guides in the PvP section of teamquitter. Obs top teams a LOT. Play often, even with really bad players, it'll give you opportunities to improve your own technical skills.

The problem with PvE is that you need to the mobs and use certain builds, in PvP its more of a skill driven fight. Your enemy won't always have the same build, same weapons and mods.

Regarding my prof yes I play a war, and thanls for the link to gladiator subforum

Communicate with your team/guild.
Timing.
Skill sequencing (combo's)
Kiting.
Calling or following a call.
Positioning.
Being familiar with what you're role is in your team.
Know the maps and its objectives.
Being able to predict an your opponents actions.
Being aware of conditions, hexes, on yourself and what it is they do.
Recognizing enemy's that are enchanted (preferably knowing which enchants have been cast in particular, its effects and durations) or using stances(you do not want to be the warrior hitting on a monk using 'bonettis defense')

If you play SC/SC2 you can go by the same type of learning experience.
Read up on all sorts of details, builds(BO's), timings on flags objectives etc. Micro and proper engagement to your advantage, the different skills and their counters.

Knowing about all them is essential, but while there are important aspects on both strategical, tactical and micro levels in this game, the tactical level remains the utmost important one.

You can get by with not being very strong at the two other as long as you learn to be good at responding to different scenarios your team, tactics and build weren't set up to deal with.

It depends the area you want to go and the build though. Interupting skills and watching map are important ( although i do believe it's hard to learn now HB has disappeared..). Apart of that , except learning how to heal as monk/prism , nothing really need skills if your objective is to gain rank ( i could quote plenty of players r13+ , glad 7+ , etc who stil lgot no idea how to play.)

1) Weapon swapping - If you play a caster class, you should have a max health set (+30 spear with a +30 shield) for defense, and this should be the set you are in most often. When casting a spell, you should swap to a set with a 20/20 focus and 20/20 wand of that attribute, unless casting an enchantment, in which case swapping to a 20/20/20/+20% staff is the smarter choice. You should swap the instant as you cast, then time your after-cast duration right to weapon swap back to your defensive set without letting your character get aftercast locked.

Me, I kill two birds with one stone and have a -5e spear on my defensive set to mask energy just in case I run into Mesmer trouble.

2) Mouse walk - The startup is quicker than keyboard walking and the speed is always as fast or faster. This means you will be more likely to dodge projectiles by just moving around.

3) Cancel Action - You should be able to reflex the cancel action command at any point you realize you are casting a spell on the wrong target, about to cast a spell that you don't want to lose through Diversion, casting a spell after being given a debuff, etc. If you can't do this, you need to set that to a key you will be able to reflex from and practice practice practice. Cancel Aegis (I guess the PvE version now) into Prot Spirit to stop a spike is a wonderful feeling.

I'm not necessarily one to weigh in on this debate, as I don't really pvp, but I know many out there who would recommend +5 armor over +30 health.

If you don't already know the answer to this question, you shouldn't bring it up in a topic about good technique.

I dont understand this one? I myself only play lowend pvp, so not experienced. But I dont understand why Mouse-movement would improve my 'skills'. Can u explain it to me? Since I can easily dodge things with my 'WASD'

Well, I was trying to be polite....

EVERYONE I KNOW prefers +5 armor to +30 hp. I do too. The difference between the two won't necessarily be significant under all circumstances...but it CAN matter.

But I didn't want to start an argument or a flame war over it.

I still don't want to. Can we all handle that?

Nearly everyone runs armor mods on martial these days in PvP.

http://www.teamquitter.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=14392

In general you want to run with the highest armor possible. +30hp does nothing to save your monks energy, +5al does.

PvE is very easy to master, the simple trick is to go slow and not be afraid to pull back and regroup. Far to many new players just wish to blast through the mobs in PvE and don't take the time to think about agro or positioning or preprotection. While you can get away with most things in normal mode in the later stages of the game or in Hard Mode such rash actions will cause party wipes.

One of the biggest problems is that most all players learn to PvE with either Hench or Heros and then when they are in an actual live PuG they don't know how to comunicate with the other players.

In both PvE and PvP it is key to learn to talk to your team, LISTEN to your team and not be hesitent to ask questions before starting anything.