| Random Arenas crash course Posted: 17 Oct 2019 11:51 AM PDT Random Arenas is, for better or worse, the most active PvP format that Guild Wars has to offer. Times vary but it is active during Europe evening hours, 9am-4pm PST / 5pm-12am GMT, every day. There is no matchmaking, and you're thrown in with a random team to try and get 25 wins before being booted back onto the beach to try again. Matches mostly happen on European servers, so players from other regions will experience high ping. GENERAL KNOWLEDGE GENERAL COURTESY - People are entering hoping for a one monk team. It is possible, but unlikely to win without a monk. If you didn't get one, don't take the loss to heart or be discouraged if your teammates don't try their best. If you get multiple healers, it's courtesy to run in and let the other team kill you. Since there's no rating system, people would rather lose quickly than play long, boring matches.
- If the enemy team isn't wiped when the timer expires, matches are won by kill count. If you get a lead against a scary team, your partners may want you to then play defensively or run from the fight entirely.
- Botting does unfortunately exist, although not nearly as frequently as some may lead you to believe. If you play for a few months, you're likely to have at least one encounter with someone using a program such as an interrupt bot. Since network changes and years of experience allow legitimate players to pull off very impressive feats, cheaters are most frequently exposed by being somehow inconsistent (or too consistent) in how they play. Common courtesy is to not play if you get a known botter on your team, and /report them to give them Dishonor hex.
WHAT TO BRING - Armor is the best stat in pvp. Make a shield for every damage type, and equip the most appropriate one when you run in and see the enemy team. Lightning is the most important one (and is a good "default"), followed by blunt/slash/piercing/fire in roughly that order.
- Defensive weapon sets have low maximum energy to avoid the effects of Shame, Debilitating Shot, Ether Lord, Energy Surge, and Energy Burn. This is called "energy hiding".
- Always bring Res Signet on non-monk roles, and start casting it immediately upon a teammate's death. It's harder to res control against a whole team following this rule.
- Due to the fact that RA has a lower damage:monk ratio than 8v8, one defensive skill on ranged and monks is mandatory.
AVOID BASIC MISTAKES - Looking at the field lets you see things that your interface won't show: specific conditions, incoming damage, and weapon sets.
- Keeping distance from teammates (except for Protector's Defense and Mending Touch) makes your monk's job easier, and their frontline's job harder.
- Many popular skills for PvP have additional effects against moving targets. You can "dodge" these by hitting your cancel-action key (Esc by default) as they hit you.
- There are several ways to deal with interrupts. It's common to cancel-cast when you know interrupts are available (rangers often have 2, and mesmers 3+). Additionally, there are several bad habits which cause predictable casting and will be punished by experienced players: queueing up casts from out of range, casting right after a knockdown, casting right after Shame or Power Block expire, casting right after swapping from defensive weapons, and casting between moving around frantically. Being aware of these (and pretending like you're going to do them) lets you frequently waste enemy interrupts.
- You can avoid Ranger/Paragon projectiles (and their interrupt/daze effects) by putting terrain in the way, creating distance, or dodging by quickly moving side-to-side. Conversely, as a projectile user, be close up with clear sight lines.
NOTES ABOUT MAPS - Deaths on The Crag do not cause Death Penalty. Teammates are resurrected at each thirty second mark of the match timer.
- On Seabed Arena, the Priest will resurrect teams at each two minute mark of the match timer. He also casts Heal Area, greatly rewarding defensive positioning.
- Heroes' Crypt and Brawler's Pit feature an obelisk, which will shoot fireballs at the opposing team of whoever ran the flag to it most recently. This damage is minor, and not worth going far out of your way for. You have much more value staying with your team and fighting than running flags.
DO I HAVE A GOOD TEAM? - The basic template for a good team is frontline, damage, interrupt, monk. W+R+N+Mo, W+E+Me+Mo, and D+R+Me+Mo are examples of ideal team compositions.
- A good team isn't necessarily a balanced team; while the compositions above are very desirable, E+E+E+Mo and W+W+W+Mo can be equally strong.
- "Imbalanced" teams may have more raw killing power or a powerful gimmick, but are more vulnerable to counter-builds.
- Evaluating a team generally relies on seeing a win condition - how will you score a kill? What's your weakest link?
- The most common downfall of a team is not having one monk. The second most common one is having too many utility/interrupt characters, and not enough damage.
- Melee characters like to be teamed with enchant removal and interrupts. Interrupters like to be with high, consistent damage. Supports like to be with melee. Monks like to be with people who make shield sets and use them.
ABOUT FRONTLINE - Melee characters with high sustained damage, crowd control, and deep wound Hammer Warrior Dev Hammer link, ESmash link KEY SKILLS PLAYING AS - If something on the other team is really good vs yours, pressure it
- Mids and monks bring stances, and some monks bring prots - swap targets when these happen to maximize effectiveness. Use the match timer to track recharges.
- If your team is under pressure and you have no honor, stop going for kills and use your KDs on enemy threats.
PLAYING AGAINST - Force warriors to chase you to prevent them from using Flail, and abuse its slow once they activate it.
- If they're on you, move unpredictably to avoid Bull's and Protector's Strike.
- Knockdowns often happen together in short succession, so it's unwise to try a cast when getting up before HBash or after Bull's - even if it's a quarter cast.
- Without landing a knock-down, hammer warriors can't apply deep wound.
Grenth Dervish (skills: OgCjkyqKLOBYuv3G+Ku7+kbBAA | gear: Pk5hQ3WH9kaikmW5rWpnJ90apnJ9DFpnJ7TVpnJDrZpnJ3D with only other necessary wepset being spear+shield) KEY SKILLS PLAYING AS - If the enemy team has a melee, attack it to perma-slow them and waste their monk's energy with your armor ignoring damage.
- Use the on-activation component of Harrier's Grasp to remove debilitating conditions from yourself.
PLAYING AGAINST - Don't be hit while moving (by scythe OR spear) to avoid cripple.
- Attacker's Insight has 4 seconds of downtime out of 10, and doesn't work while they're running or knocked down.
- Keeping a small distance from teammates avoids their scythe and splash/conditions from hitting multiple people.
ABOUT INTERRUPTORS - Take out key skills from the enemy team. Dom Mesmer (skills: OQBDAbYCPagLQIk0VEmBLABA | gear: Pk5hhMz6TDdMvKSFGsOrnGXsObY5PMP7F6AsOLGMLsOrFA with other wepsets being dom high, insp 40/40, and spear+shield) KEY SKILLS PLAYING AS - Identify key skills on the enemy team, and interrupt them. Once you score a kill, prioritize interrupting Res. If you're close to a kill, prioritize interrupting the monk. If you're about to die, prioritize interrupting damage.
- Follow your team's spikes with enchant removal.
PLAYING AGAINST - Cancel-casting
- Interrupt or remove Empathy
- Mesmer skills have long recharge times. They really like being on cast set for shorter recharge, so pressure them.
- Being hit on Distortion drains energy
- Be mindful of Shatter - don't Patient Spirit under 60hp, and cover your enchants.
Poison Ranger (skills: OgMU8mLjzcOVtZjq5xUcyr/aBAA | gear: Pk5RRvEoBBZiklW5rwnFJ900nFJfBxiFJbRvnFJHrznFJZB with only other necessary wepset being a poisonous recurve bow) KEY SKILLS PLAYING AS - Stand close to the enemy.
- Identify key skills on the enemy team, and interrupt them. Once you score a kill, prioritize interrupting Res. If you're close to a kill, prioritize interrupting the monk. If you're about to die, prioritize interrupting damage.
- Spread poison
- Mending Touch on your monk or frontline as needed
- Slow enemy melee
PLAYING AGAINST ABOUT PRESSURE - Burn monks' energy. Pet Ranger (skills: OgkjYxXYpSDZcG/Geh8W0GbGCAA | gear: Pk5RRvAoBlaiklW5rwnFb900nFbDLtiFbRSvnFbDrznFbbB | pet: dire racing beetle) KEY SKILLS PLAYING AS - Do as much damage as possible, and abuse the fact that you ignore blocks.
PLAYING AGAINST - If it's a Strike as One pet ranger, you can stay free of crippled by avoiding spears (but they can keep trying without penalty until it lands).
- Pets have almost permanent uptime on ignoring block effects, so resist the urge to use block effects on them.
- Kite the slow pet to avoid damage.
- Some teams opt to kill the pet (especially if their Mesmer has Wastrel's spells), and then disable Comfort Animal.
Elementalist link KEY SKILLS PLAYING AS - Blind enemy frontline, either to stop their kill attempts or stop them from linebacking yours.
- Follow your frontline, or try to make your own kills.
- Immediately after Lightning Surge, cast Lightning Strike on the same target.
PLAYING AGAINST - Interrupt Lightning Surge and Blinding Flash, or remove their effects.
- Prioritize interrupts for key spells - for example, you can often get more value out of an interrupt than stopping Lightning Strike.
- Remove Attunement (always at least second enchant, after Aura of Restoration>) to destroy their energy pool.
Daze Paragon link KEY SKILLS PLAYING AS - Stand close to the enemy.
- Apply daze to monks or casters, and attack into it.
- If your daze is moved by Foul Feast or Draw Conditions, follow it.
PLAYING AGAINST - Obstruction, dodging
- Daze can be entirely avoided by blocking, dodging, or removing conditions to make Stunning Strike fail.
- Monks and casters may opt for a 20%-shorter-daze shield inscription
- As necro or ranger, remove daze from teammates.
- You can reliably cast quarter-activation spells against spears and hammers, if you time it between attacks.
ABOUT SUPPORT - Indirectly helps the team win, and creates some pressure. Channeling Rit link, but for the love of god please use any insignia other than Survivor. I recommend Stalwart. KEY SKILLS PLAYING AS - Place Bloodsong in a safe spot, preferably where it can be in range & vision to shoot.
- Use Nightmare Weapon defensively on low health targets, or offensively on targets with low attack damage (including yourself).
- Protect your spirit with blind, Protector's Defense, and/or your elite
PLAYING AGAINST - Killing Bloodsong is extremely high priority, as it boosts many of their skills.
- Ritualists have extremely low armor due to poor insignia choices, and are great targets for pressure.
Curses Necro link, but please use Tormentor's Insignias here and never ever EVER Survivor KEY SKILLS PLAYING AS - Remove important enchantments (prots, Harrier's, Patient, ele Attunes).
- Faintheart melee, and immediately follow it with Defile Defenses to cover.
- Spam Foul Feast on your team to keep them clean of conditions, then Plague Sending them back to the other team.
- On the Crag map, you can stand in lava and throw the resulting conditions at enemies. The actual value of this is debatable, but it's certainly satisfying.
- Defile anything that's likely to block your frontline - monks, dervs, rangers, mes, Guardian targets
PLAYING AGAINST - Interrupt or remove Faintheartedness
- Consider not using certain conditions at all, since they'll be immediately removed and thrown back at your team.
- Don't use a block effect below 100hp.
ABOUT BACKLINE - Keeps team alive and free of debilitating effects. WoH Monk link, actually a really good yet brief page which I have nothing to add to. Shout-out to the author. KEY SKILLS PLAYING AS - Watch the cast bars of enemy players to quickly remove key hexes before they cover them, or interrupt you.
- Keep frontline clean of weakness, cripple, and blind.
- Watch the field to anticipate damage, and use any prots you bring to prevent damage or lineback.
- Be mindful of enemy disruption - interrupts, daze, shame, knock-downs.
- Use Patient to avoid interrupts, and WoH to efficiently burst-heal.
- Remove deep wound to "heal" 100 damage and prevent wasting energy into the healing reduction.
PLAYING AGAINST - Expect WoH when a target falls under half health. Interrupting it (or threatening to) forces the monk to rely on inefficient, enchantment-based heals.
- Forcing a monk to constantly remove team-impairing conditions quickly drains their energy, and therefore has a similar effect to doing high dps.
FLUXES The flux applies an effect to players under varying conditions, and changes on a monthly cycle. This often alters the abilities and strategies you see. March, May, June, and November feature very different bars to normal play, and using these when available is highly advantageous. . big ty to Shade for helping me with Reddit formatting, and to Misty for fixing several errors submitted by /u/RabidRussian [link] [comments] |
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