Guild Wars: Eurosplitting
No GW for me last night, just some quality time with Salmon with a Soy Glaze served with Aioli Green Beans. My cooking's slowly getting better.
Night before last I finally played a couple of GvG matches that Ranger. Well, almost. It was switched to Broadhead Arrow (BHA for short) and Mending Touch instead of Burning Arrow and Pin Down. So, first time in GvG on a Ranger for a long, long time for me. 9 months? Maybe? I hadn't played BHA before either, so it was a "total learning experience". I did warn the team that I'd probably suck but they weren't having it. Anyway, here's an edited version of part of my guild match report.
Highlight: wiping [izzy]'s initial 6-man gank attempt with our 4-man team.
Lowlight: pretty much losing the game for the guild vs. [izzy] by not killing their turtling monk quickly enough at the end.
Anyway, we were running a Eurosplit build. If you don't know what that is, it's a 5/3 split team where the 3-man split consists of a "You're All Alone!" warrior, a Burning Arrow or Broadhead Arrow ranger and a Ritualist/Ele Weapon of Remedy guy with a snare or two.
So, back to BHA. The arc of the BHA is about 45 degrees, which means if they're moving in anything other than an absolutely straight line you will miss. It's basically impossible to land it on a monk without a snare because they are forever fidgeting around and generally don't have lengthy casting times. You can't afford to fire a speculative shot because it's on a 15 second recharge. Other spellcasters like eles are easier pickings and you don't need the ritualist. Mesmers are gripped with continuous paranoia since everyone hates them and will probably notice you are on top of them (unless they're busy casting Diversion, anyway). Eles, apparently not. Anyway, here's your plan if you can't get a snare on your victim:
1) Run up to ele, who is probably casting SF, blinding the warrior for the nth time or something else exciting.
2) Administer kisses to both cheeks, Italian style. If you don't wish to do this step, make sure you're close enough that you could.
3) Wait for him to start on a spell. Switch to your shortbow and shoot something else random in the meantime. You may wish to whistle, innocently.
4) Shoot him in the face.
5) Keep shooting him. At some point he will work out that the spells, they no work and probably run away. Keep shooting him and look for other interrupt targets.
I'm told that the arc of the BHA is fixed - it doesn't even matter what bow you're using - so cunning plans like Read the Wind or Favourable Winds don't work. Even with a hex snare on a monk you should try to be as close as possible.
Night before last I finally played a couple of GvG matches that Ranger. Well, almost. It was switched to Broadhead Arrow (BHA for short) and Mending Touch instead of Burning Arrow and Pin Down. So, first time in GvG on a Ranger for a long, long time for me. 9 months? Maybe? I hadn't played BHA before either, so it was a "total learning experience". I did warn the team that I'd probably suck but they weren't having it. Anyway, here's an edited version of part of my guild match report.
Highlight: wiping [izzy]'s initial 6-man gank attempt with our 4-man team.
Lowlight: pretty much losing the game for the guild vs. [izzy] by not killing their turtling monk quickly enough at the end.
Anyway, we were running a Eurosplit build. If you don't know what that is, it's a 5/3 split team where the 3-man split consists of a "You're All Alone!" warrior, a Burning Arrow or Broadhead Arrow ranger and a Ritualist/Ele Weapon of Remedy guy with a snare or two.
So, back to BHA. The arc of the BHA is about 45 degrees, which means if they're moving in anything other than an absolutely straight line you will miss. It's basically impossible to land it on a monk without a snare because they are forever fidgeting around and generally don't have lengthy casting times. You can't afford to fire a speculative shot because it's on a 15 second recharge. Other spellcasters like eles are easier pickings and you don't need the ritualist. Mesmers are gripped with continuous paranoia since everyone hates them and will probably notice you are on top of them (unless they're busy casting Diversion, anyway). Eles, apparently not. Anyway, here's your plan if you can't get a snare on your victim:
1) Run up to ele, who is probably casting SF, blinding the warrior for the nth time or something else exciting.
2) Administer kisses to both cheeks, Italian style. If you don't wish to do this step, make sure you're close enough that you could.
3) Wait for him to start on a spell. Switch to your shortbow and shoot something else random in the meantime. You may wish to whistle, innocently.
4) Shoot him in the face.
5) Keep shooting him. At some point he will work out that the spells, they no work and probably run away. Keep shooting him and look for other interrupt targets.
I'm told that the arc of the BHA is fixed - it doesn't even matter what bow you're using - so cunning plans like Read the Wind or Favourable Winds don't work. Even with a hex snare on a monk you should try to be as close as possible.
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posted by Clamatius | Friday, February 02, 2007
14 Comments:
Broadhead Arrow
Didn't Broadhead used to cost 25 energy? I remember it being awful even if it wasn't for the odd arc. At 15 it's reasonably useful. Covered with Poison Arrow you've got a nasty little condition to impart there.
I know as an RA Monk Dazed is hard to get off - all the condition removing stuff is at least 3/4 cast so if I have someone on me, it's not going to happen. If you ever go back to TAing with that build, you might want to stick with that change.
the funny stuff
I was going to say something about Elementalists generally having longer casting times so they're used to having to sit there and take it while they wiggle their fingers. So they don't tend to wig out when some Ranger appears on the horizon.
However, if you're able to stand right next to them and plink away before they realize it something is very, very wrong with your average Elemenatlist player (Or, you know, your level of competition). Makes me think I might be ready to GvG if that's the standard.
Yes, it did cost 25 once upon a time. The poison cover means the Daze is only coming off with Mending Touch or an off-target Draw or RC.
Eles only seemed to notice I was there if I actually shot them. So you shoot someone else and just switch back to the victim and wait for them to cast. 'Tis the joy of Searing Flames - the love of mashing the button supercedes all else.
Wasn't the level of competition either, it was reasonably well ranked guilds. Admittedly, the ladder doesn't mean a whole lot right now but still.
What the heck does Euro- mean?
About 5 quintillion European guilds were running this split.
I'm just guessing but there are a lot of European guilds out there - the Korean and American heavyweights are apparently elsewhere and Taiwan and Japan just don't have a big enough playerbase to support a real competitive scene (That, or they play in other regions for whatever reason. Probably to do with the Hall and Favor.) Hence, the tag "euro-" whatever gets applied to the protypical build that those teams are running. It's about what's popular and effective with a certain kind of team rather than any specific philosophy. Eurospike for a balanced build that spiked. Eurosplit for a balanced build that splits. Et cetera.
It seems to have some negative conotations - like eurotrash. But I can't really see anything wrong with it.
Or, you know, what Clamatius said.
Mending Touch
I thought, despite the name, Mending Touch was a spell not a skill. Hence, it's affected by Dazed meaning that 3/4 cast becomes 1.5seconds and you're wtfpwned just as with Mend Ailment or Dismiss Conditions or something (Maybe not with a bow...? But I thought Shortbows were around 1.05 ROF.).
I'm going to have to test this out, I guess. Sigh...
Eles only seemed to notice I was there if I actually shot them. So you shoot someone else and just switch back to the victim and wait for them to cast.
Ah, that's okay, then. Poor battlefield awareness. They'll learn, I guess. As long as you're not leaning on your bow reading the paper and nursing a cup of coffee while you poke them with an arrow and strike up a conversation about the local sporting team or anything.
Admittedly, the ladder doesn't mean a whole lot right now but still.
See my previous comment about me feeling like I wouldn't be out of place in GvG.
Also, notice the giant anvil hanging above your head embossed with "Hint"
I'm sorry, I'm not sure what you're *cough* driving at there.
Mending Touch is a spell but it's bugged to use Expertise right now. It is affected by Daze but the default fire rate of a shortbow is 1 per 2s.
Geez, you're going to make me actually apply? Aw, man, I thought I was going to be ushered in on a litter and annointed before being given my rightful place and all. That's how these things usually work for me, you know.
As for the rate of fire - this proves that I tend to be a melee guy. 1.5 seconds to land a hit is nothin' (That plus whenever I get hit by BHA in the RA it's always with some Warrior or Sin up in my face. At a certain point in scrambling for my life - right about when that deadly click is filling my head - I stop paying attention to just where the pain is coming from. Have to remember I have ample opporunity next time I'm getting sniped at.). I even checked the gwiki page myself already. Must've transposed the RoF and ranges, I guess.
Too damned many tables to look at today. Math make my brain all funny numbers owie.
You're forgetting that I'm a new noob on the block. My plan for world domination is only partway through.
And yes, the thing the Eurosplit uses to deal with the issue that 2s is in fact more than 1.5s is typically large, covered with armour and likes to shout a lot.
You're forgetting that I'm a new noob on the block.
Forgetting that...you're...a...no, I'm sorry, I can't quite parse that one. For some reason my mind seems to reject the entire premise. It curdles in my frontal lobe like particularly rancid Bree.
Not sure why, though...
Ah well, I was just hoping I could avoid the whole job/guild app process. Not so much because I'm, you know, that good or anything. But because it spares me from having to unravel the byzantine maze of divisions to figure out where I belong. Like, the game comes in a box, man, the players shouldn't!
/ramblin' hippy juice
I meant that I've only been in XoO for a couple of months - I'm not an officer (and I wouldn't want to be at this point).
I'll make it simple for you. If you want to get better at GvG as fast as possible (which seemed to be your direction), you should join one of the 2 GvG divisions.
They're divided based on your primary play time - east coast or west coast. Given that I'm in Seattle, clearly I joined the west coast division.
Xen of Onslaught is the east coast division.
Onslaught of Xen (often called OoX) is the west coast division.
The east coast division is more active and GvG pretty much every night. OoX plays maybe 4-5 nights a week (and I play maybe 3 or 4).
They usually do an interview to make sure they're not bringing in a total idiot. Also, the GvG divisions want to ensure that you know the basics of PvP. It should be a formality for you, since you already know someone in the guild and your PvP knowledge is solid. Personally, I'm glad they have a recruitment process instead of just open invites.
If you're going to be looking for a job back in the real world, I guarantee that a guild application is a lot less stressful than job interviews. I should know - I've interviewed literally hundreds of people at this point.
Carpe diem.
Way ahead of you. I went with the EST mothership but from the responses it seems that Onslaught of Xen, the PST division might be a better fit. I'm tending to play late at night, for me, and that might sync up better with their timeframe. Either way, I'm good.
I do like that they have an interview process and all, don't get me wrong. It's just, as I jokingly made reference to, not something I've dealt with (In Guild Wars, anyway.) as any guild I've been part of before has either been one I've started or one I've been swept into by someone grateful to have me there. Again, I've been awfully spoiled in the past so it's a good thing to have to swallow my pride and all - I just suck at interviews in real life and otherwise and it makes me...nervous is the best word, I guess.
And, yeah, I know all about the real life job interview, on both sides of the table.
your PvP knowledge is solid.
Ah, I needed a good laugh. Thanks for that.
Don't get me wrong, there's a big difference between knowing what you should do and actually being able to do it.
I am just saying that you clearly already know that Hamstring + Firestorm is a powerful combination rivalled only by the mighty Echo + Mending, so you're ok on theory knowledge.
Whoa, whoa, whoa....
Echo and Mending? Echo and Mending! My god, my fast cast rezmer's been Arcane Echo like a fool! I'll have to give up Unyielding Aura but, hey, that's what Arcane Mimicry's for!
Don't get me wrong, there's a big difference between knowing what you should do and actually being able to do it.
Truer words and all...
Oh, Arcane Echo works too, you just use Echo as well. It seems to be a XoO specialty - one of the guys plays under the name Dual Echo Mending.
Arcane Mimicry is a good idea - then you can copy someone else's Echo for a total of 4x Mending power! Don't know why that hadn't occurred to me before. Fast cast monks ftw.
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