Community Manager
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This week, the topic of discussion is:
Strand of the Ancients - Which tactics have you found most effective in Strand of the Ancients? What tips, tricks and strategies have you discovered? What common mistakes have you witnessed? The battlefields of World of Warcraft are littered with the bones of those who have become casualties in the ongoing conflict between the Horde and the Alliance. You do not need to become one of them. One of the keys to victory is knowledge, and that is where the World of Warcraft War College enters the picture. In these discussions between players, you can learn and share strategies with other players to improve your tactics and improve your odds of emerging victorious from the field of battle. Are you a veteran Gladiator with countless victories tallied? Are you new to World of Warcraft and striving to improve your PvP skills? In this weekly feature, we invite players of all skill levels to ask questions, share tips and tactics, and join a conversation dedicated to surviving and thriving in World of Warcraft PvP. Don’t forget to up-vote forum posts that are on-topic and helpful! Join the War College forum thread here. War College Rules:
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#1
2/22/2012
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Turrets are bad. They do less damage than you could up close and don't let you cc the demos. Additionally, if the offense decides to rush the other gate with all four demos then the people in the turrets are way out of position.
Stop fighting on the beach while demos are already on the 2nd or 3rd gate. Too often people are caught up in getting an HK instead of prolonging the battle as long as possible. |
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Edited by Soupinacan on 2/22/12 7:19 PM (PST)
On defense - Defend the west and east GYs. Kill demolishers.
On offense - Crowd control/peel off your demolishers and cap the east and west GYs. Use bombs also. The biggest problem I see is players ignoring demolishers and just focusing on killing players. That is a huge no no. They need to die quickly. Also, the demolishers are to attack the gates, not to attack players. The demolishers need to find the quickest way to the gates Another tip: if your last line of defense is set up just before the relic chamber (or at yellow) stealth classes should not be afraid to leave and kill the spawning demolishers at the east and west GYs Also a tip is to leave the demolishers at low health so its easy to destroy them once a player gets in them, thus resetting the spawn time quickly. It's also important to fall back ASAP when a gate goes down and to spead defense accordingly so demolishers don't sneak past your team. People need to have good awareness and call incomings. Use the gate teleporters to fall back on defense quicker rather than running all the way back. Healers DISPELL DISPELL DISPELL the demolishers!! They need maximum mobility so dispell whatever slows are on them! Starting on defense, the team needs to split evenly and sit ON THE BEACH ready to burst down the demolishers ASAP. It's a good idea for hunters to lay down slowing traps right where the demolishers spawn |
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Really, SotA is so much of a zerg fest, there really isn't a 'proper strategy'. While I'm all for 'variety', SotA is way too reliant on vehicles to be 'true PvP'.
Best advice I can give anyone (and it might be said over and over again by others) is to kill demos on the beach ASAP, fall back when you need to, and do NOT get in the cannons as the damage they do (even during Wrath) was minimal. |
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Edited by Karat on 2/22/12 7:52 PM (PST)
SOTA is all about demos and bombs. Killing players is secondary.
If you're defending, do whatever you can to slow/kill them. Even if they're in range for the catapult to hit, keep them off the doors to prevent them from ramming it as well. As part of this, be sure to watch out for people who are dispelling the demos. If your slows/snares aren't sticking, then you need to prevent them from being removed in any way possible. This could mean CCing the person, killing them, or simply snaring them so they fall out of range. Don't forget about the bombs though, especially at yellow or the artifact room. You've got a short amount of time to disable them before they damage the walls. However, damage interrupts the "cast", so try to avoid being seen, or CC the sapper first. Finally, remember to defend the GYs, especially if you can do it by yourself. A rogue sitting there and chain sapping anyone trying to tag them can make a world of difference. Even if you've actually got to fight to do it, that extra time all adds up, especially if you kill them. If you know you're going to lose the fight, try to kite them away from it, and CC/slow/immobilize them before you die. If you're on offense, do what you can to protect them. If you're a dispeller, remove all the slows/snares. If you can't do that, either peel people off them, or grab bombs and plant them at the doors. A note on peeling: it isn't the same thing as killing. All it means is that you're keeping them from doing damage tot he demo. A simple Deathgrip and Chains of Ice is all it takes to get a melee off of a demo. Don't waste time killing them if you don't have to. Also, make sure you grab the first two graveyards, but not the one closest to the artifact. That makes you spawn farther away from the workshops, which means it takes longer to recover if your push gets stopped. And, as always, communicate. Make sure you know what's going on with demos positioning, gate status, and graveyard status, and make sure the rest of your group knows as well. If you're defending, and you see a demo going to an undefended gate, don't just assume that others see it as well. Call it out. |
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slow down the demolishers. at all costs.
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Siege engines > players
Offense: Protect engines by CCing and cleansing engines. Defense: Kill engines, slow them etc... Never take S GY. If you have S GY it makes it harder to get to the workshops to get engines to destroy yellow gate. |
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Edited by Daxxarri on 2/22/12 7:23 PM (PST)
Strand's pretty simple.
Spam slows and snares on the demos. In non Rateds, nets work wonders. Killing other players and doing actual PvP is USUALLY a detriment in this bg. This is a PvD battleground, player vs demolisher. Pick up bombs. Always have one on you. Even if you're a demo pilot. This way if your demo is crushed and you're at a gate, you can use the debris from the demo to hide the bomb you just dropped. You can pick up the bombs that your teammates have dropped and run them to the gates. Not a lot of people do this. <removed ~ Daxx> |
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Always focus on the demos, regardless of if you're offense or defense.
Offense: Pick a side, and keep the demos rolling at all times. If you see a demo on the map not moving, get it going. Anyone not in a demo: dispell any debuffs on them, distract or kill anyone attacking them. Also grab a bomb because, hey, every little bit helps. Demos should focus entirely on destroying gates- not players, and for crying out loud, not turrets! Once a gate is down, beeline directly to the next one, and fire the moment you're in range. Don't stop moving until you're running into the darn thing, making sure to use the battering ram between fireballs. Cap the East & West graveyards for more demos. Do not cap the South graveyard, as your team will respawn far away from the demos. Defense: Slow and destroy the demos. That's it. Bring every weapon in your arsenal to bear on demos. If you're not attacking a demo, or healing those attacking a demo, or at the very least CCing the demos, you're not helping. |
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Community Manager
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And what works best to slow them down? |
#14
2/22/2012
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Edited by Karat on 2/22/12 7:28 PM (PST)
I don't think he's trying to take credit for anything. From what he posted in the first one (on gearing up), I think he's planning on creating a meta thread that links to these so people can quickly and easily access class-agnostic strategies and tips for PvPing.
Physical slows/snares, like hamstring are the best. Beyond that are hunter traps, especially frost trap. Then comes dispellable slows/snares, like Chains of Ice, for talented Frost Fever. Basically, the harder it is for the offense to get the demos back up to full speed, the better. If a healer can just run along and spam a dispell, then you're going to have an issue. On a related note, be sure to watch out for that, and be ready to CC/silence/etc them. Even a few seconds can mean the difference between a gate being fully destroyed, or your team getting there in time to successfully defend it. |
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Posions from rogues, dazing shots from hunters, launching freeze traps from hunters, mage frostbolts, anything at your disposal basically.
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Community Manager
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Edited by Daxxarri on 2/22/12 7:28 PM (PST)
The goal is to start conversations about PvP that are about tactics and execution rather than game balance, get experienced players to share information amongst themselves, and help players who aren't as experienced get up to speed. Hopefully there will be players who have never joined a battleground, who opt to do so after reading a War College thread, and players who have been playing for years who pick up something new that they'd never encountered or thought of. |
#17
2/22/2012
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Edited by Givemepizza on 2/22/12 7:25 PM (PST)
Slowing CCs such as Piercing Howl, Hamstring, Chain of Ice, etc. Also Immobilization effects. |
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Edited by Fluufypriest on 2/22/12 8:25 PM (PST)
Huge post, but it's all good information.
Part 1: BOMBS Also, everyone on offense should be carrying (and using) bombs. Everyone, even demo drivers - when they finally kill your demo, you can jump out and, already positioned at the gate, simply hit your hotkey and you've planted a bomb. Take the time next SotA round to pick up a bomb, drag it from your bag to your toolbar and be ready to use it from then on. Healers too! Regardless of your role, the goal is still to knock down walls. Bombs accomplish this. That said, don't get so caught up in bombs that you forget to have every available demo being driven and not just sitting at a spawn point. (Even beach demos are good demos.) And since this topic is specifically about educating one another with our tricks and tips, here is a nice "Always use the appropriate bomb in whichever BG I happen to currently be in" macro. Battleground BOMB macro. This activates (by specific item ID) the bombs used in IoC and SotA. It simply uses the first one that works, nothing fancy. Since they have different item IDs, it's never an issue.) /use item:39213The above item IDs can be found on WowHead in the URL, such as: http://www.wowhead.com/item=39213/ --------------------------------------------------- Part 2: Stopping/Slowing tanks Tailoring nets (and I assume engineering nets) Mind flay (slow effect) (not 100% sure on these, someone clarify please) Curse of Exhaustion Ice trap Entangling roots "Slow" totem --------------------------------------------------- Part 3: Your combat skills DO NOT matter if you're not attacking/defending a demolisher. Huge super secret trick to winning this battleground more often. This is HUGE, really. It doesn't matter if you can gang up on that mage kiting 7 of you around on the beach. Your job is to make tanks go forward on offense and make tanks NOT go forward on defense. (It really is that brain-dead simple.) ------------------------------------------------------ Part 4: Driving and team mobility Attacking with more than one demolisher is a great way to brute force your way through a gate, but there is a right way and a wrong way to do so. 1. Try to have more than one demo working on a wall at once. 2. Demos can SHOOT also. If the enemy is destroying your demos quickly at a gate, then one tank stay back at ranged and shoot the gate. It also destroys the gates, and has the side effect of not allowing the other team to simply AOE all your demos at once. 3. Keep your distance from other demos. Use your judgement to decide, but always try to keep at least a little distaince between you and the other demos. If only to avoid as much AOE as possible for at least one of you. We don't want one moment of AOE to cripple your entire tank division, do we? :P 4. All tanks should have a driver in them at all times. Seriously, ifthere's a tnak that doesn't have a driver, that's huge and needs to be fixed. You can't break walls without demos, so get on them. Like I said before, even beach demos are good demos. (Never be afraid to run backwards... IF you have a reason to do so, such as to pilot an otherwise unused demo.) 5. Use the map. It shows demos (manned and unmanned). 6. Use the teleporters to break line of sight or to self-heal (healers might be busy). If nothing else, they make it far faster to get out of combat so you can mount and move where you're more needed. ------------------------------------ Part 5: Macros and Addons First, if you want to be pro, you need to learn to macro your abilities. It's not required, but it will dramatically improve your overall performance if you use them. They're not complicated, most are cut and paste from Wowhead etc, and most make enough sense to modify them without being a macro pro. They're pretty straightforward, actually... they just look scary. Did you know that a hunter with a spirit pet can heal someone other than the hunter? (See Spirit Mend comments on wowhead) Did you know that frost mages can manually control their pet's ranged (and awesome) "Freeze" ability right from their own main action bar? Yeah, as in "with all your other mage moves". Not even hard to do. As for addons, I highly recommend: BG Defender (http://www.curse.com/addons/wow/bg-defender). Simple and small. 1,2,3,4,5,zerg,help,safe. You pick the appropriate button, and it does the rest. Correct BG channel, and will automatically say "Stables" or whatever. You just click the button when you see them coming, and the safe once you're safe again so people on the move to you can go back to what they were doing. If you're interested in a (not needed but AWESOME) polished mod for BGs, I recommend: Battle Herald (http://www.curse.com/addons/wow/battleherald) This one is slick. Not only doers it give you a much more attractive frame for the score (see SS on link page), but it has VERY professional sounding voice-overs saying "The alliance flag has been dropped" and so forth. It does the gates in SotA of course. Only recommendation is to turn off sound alerts in AV specifically, as there's often so many things changing hands in that BG that it can be mildly annoying. Highly highly recommended. ----------------------- Finally, here's an easy to remember link to pass around. It's safe - the link goes to WoW Insder's BG guides. So many people don't know how the actual scoring, etc works in BGs. tinyurl.com/howtowinbgs For paranoids: preview.tinyurl.com/howtowinbgs Point is, pass that link around to friends and guildies. Link it in BGs instead of QQ (which I'm guilty of myself). |
