Warhammer Online News

Franck Vacher, one of the French Community Managers has written a guide that starts by explaining the basics of building a successful group and then focuses on grouping in Open RvR. I highly recommend checking it out since it goes in detail about positioning, tactics, your career’s role etc.

You can click one of the following links if you want to jump to or link to a specific section:

• Why form a group
• Creating a group
• Things are getting serious
  • The leaders role
  • Group members
• Combat begins
  • Positioning yourself correctly
  • Knowing your role and your enemies
  • Tactics
• Experience comes with playing

WHY FORM A GROUP

In fact there are many reasons for playing in a group: because playing with other players makes it so much more fun, or because you want to play with friends or people you met in-game. Perhaps you want to form a group to try out something new; there are many other reasons, but the most common would be in order to avoid the following:

It’s at moments like this, that you realise the true value of being part of a group…

Generally, as your character progresses, you will be invited to team up with other players. Perhaps you know them, perhaps they are part of your guild or perhaps you’ve just met them: however you know them, with this group, you will be able to gain access to a completely new dimension of the game. No matter how well you know how to play your character, you will have to make use of the complementary nature of WAR careers if you wish to advance.

What follows should not be considered as the ultimate guide, but in it you will find the main advice which, while fighting other players, could help sway things in your favour.

CREATING A GROUP

The first thing you must do is create a group. Although there is no one group composition that is better than the others, there are however a few points that you must bear in mind when choosing your partners.

Your average group consists of two healers, two ranged fighters and two hand-to-hand combat fighters. This will make you very versatile and therefore capable of dealing with most situations.

Of course, this is only one example, even if it is the most common. Some groups opt for a third healer instead of a caster or a melee DPS; the hybrid nature of the careers allows you to use the team makeup to your advantage. Some prefer a group which utilises distance, with two healers and four casters or archers, and even three of each. Don’t forget to enlist a defensive warrior to protect the weaker careers, and make sure you have enough careers capable of inflicting damage quickly to get rid of your enemies, or choose characters capable of blocking enemy movements.

These are choices to be made; however, if there is one piece of advice you need to follow, it is to keep your healers alive. Without healing, your group will find it extremely difficult to confront their enemies, whoever they may be.

In WAR, every career is important and each has its own good points and bad points. It’s up to you to decide, from those present, which character has the qualities you need. However, don’t forget that the aim is to have fun, so even if this means your group may sometimes be a bit unbalanced, don’t hesitate to join the players you really value!

THINGS ARE GETTING SERIOUS

Now that you have your group, you will be able to get to the more serious stuff! Teamplay implies playing together, not just one alongside one another. Six people playing taking into account their partner’s actions will be ALWAYS more effective than six people playing without even paying attention to one other.

First of all, choose a leader. Why? Simply because if everyone decides to do their own thing, there is no point in grouping up.

Choose the player who knows the region the best, or even the player who has the best overall view of the battle, or the most experienced. Theoretically, any career can lead a group! However, as the leader is the person who will take charge of the group, we advise you – where possible – to give preference to tanks: So, during a front assault (which is the most common), the one in your group most likely to be targeted first will be protected by the best armour against your enemies!

The leaders role

The leader is the person who chooses where to go and which way to go. They must be familiar with the roads, know where to go, and in particular know where all the ambush areas are, whether to avoid your enemies’ traps or set your own.

While on the move, the leader must make sure that none of the group have strayed too far. It happens quite often that a member of the group falls a little behind, having been attacked on the way or just a little distracted. The leader of the group must make sure that all members are present and ready to fight. Make sure that all your partners are close to you while travelling and that you don’t end up rushing at your enemies one by one.

The leader decides whether or not to engage in combat: they may prefer to flee, pass around or strike your enemies directly, depending on the situation.

Sometimes, you need to know how to survive!

They give the directions during combat, taking into account the opponents’ actions, troops and the information they have at hand. They must react swiftly and without hesitation, doing the best they can according to their tactical abilities.

When a fight is over and the group is in a secure zone – and ONLY at that moment - the leader should invite their members to talk about the problems they encountered, as well as their great deeds. It’s only through analysing your previous fights, and understanding where you went wrong that you can truly learn.

Group members

The members of the group follow their leader. They chose and accepted him or her, so now the time is for fighting and not talking. So whether or not you agree with any actions decided upon, wait a moment of respite before talking about it: you will have all the time in the world to talk about the problems or choices, afterwards, outside of combat. You will be able to talk to the leader afterwards about why they made the choices they did, give your own opinion and decide on a strategy for next time.

Everyone must stay alert. Quite often, a battle gets off to a bad start as a result of not being vigilant, or some players not paying attention, or due to an attack from the side or from behind. Make sure you are always looking around you, even (and especially) when you are on the move.
This piece of advice will also prove very valuable for combat: know the position of your enemies as much as that of your allies at all times, so that you can make the right choices.

Communicate! You might say it’s the golden rule. Speak; tell others what you see, what you are doing. The game offers you a channel dedicated to the group, but there are other tools, like voice messaging systems, which allow you to talk directly to your companions. Do you see an enemy passing around you? Say it, because maybe you were the only one to notice them!

Don’t stray far from the group while travelling: it would be foolish if you were to miss the feast, or fall behind!

No, it wasn’t that way!

Generally, make sure you maintain a good atmosphere within the group. Feel free to explain what annoys you and be upfront about it. Sometimes there are some minor details that seem insignificant, but which, once corrected, allow you to make further progress. It’s always better to talk rather than hold grudges…

Here’s Armand Ritter’s opinion on the matter, a player on the Burlok server:
A leader should…

Respect everyone in the team, during a fight:

When people gather up to fight, they most certainly gather to try and help. True, some are there for the reknown some are there for personal reasons but from what I’ve seen everyone does their best to try and help out. At the end of the day though leaders do need to realise that every single person in the game pays for their own subscription and has their own idea of how to enjoy Warhammer. To me, it’s a miracle that so many people listen to those leading and get so organised rallying up whenever a call is issued. It’s very very hard to find such dedication in the real world about anything; it also shows that people are ready to respect and follow on those leading; this is a big responsibility even if Warhammer is just a game. When people follow someone, when someone is given power that someone shows what he or she is really made of. Leading is hard indeed but not fully due to the fact that coordination and good working-together is required. A leader’s role is a very very lonely one due to the fact that a leader must regard everyone in the group as equal, be prepared for the fact that not many people will definitely listen to them; and not blame anyone during the heat of battle about what went wrong; stick to the plan, keep your head clear and carry it on to the end. There’s time to talk about it all afterwards. Listen to anyone who wants to give a constructive opinion AFTER the fight is done with!

Aftermath discussions:

When winning, discuss what went wrong. When losing start by telling people what went right and then point out through discussion what needs to be changed. Do not talk about victories once the victories are gone. A victory alone is a good morale boost, no need to discuss about it after the battle; if done, often is the case that people will lose morale when a loss comes ahead; instead I always found it better to discuss about what went wrong, what more could be done to further improve on the situation. Remember when your side is winning the other side is losing and more than probably they are already trying to counter your winning tactics. A victory is much less important than a defeat. It’s during a defeat that people need to hear good words of encouragment. Everyone be awarded for their effort, big or small; during defeast bickering , mistrust and other unfortunate situations seem to emerge. It’s then that leaders should try to hold the reigns by force or diplomacy (depending on the situation) and keep the team united and strong. If a defeat is handled correctly I believe people can emerge from it with much stronger morale than after a victory. It’s in defeat that everyone in a leading position or anyone of fame or infamy should raise the ‘nameless crowd’ on their shoulders and boost them up. Not hammer them down. Remember, it’s the same people that you’ll call on for the next ‘call of arms’.

Never, ever become proud or desperate:

The moment you decide to lead a group, a warband or a guild you need to realise one thing. There will be good times and bad times and neither one should emotionally affect you. In general people are very eager and ready to follow someone and cheer for that someone during wins; they are also very eager to quickly blame someone for losses and mishaps; I’ve realised that the best way to deal with situations like this is to keep your cool, keep your mind inside your head. A good victory does not make you startegist supreme, a bad loss does not make you an idiotic loser. War is part of our gaming life, which is part of our life, which falls under the curve called ‘learning process’. Enthusiasm and joy and despair and anger is for the team. Not for the leader; of course, leaders are also humans and they will be cheerful or distressed as well; best way to go with it is keep it to a minimal and try to look at the hard facts as to why there was a victory or a loss. Keep the good, try to eliminate the bad and carry on. At the end of the day as I said, it’s a lonely and responsible job to lead.

Do the best with what you have:

People will sometimes listen and sometimes they won’t. I too find myself in situations when I try to take a scenario group towards a direction only to realise that only two or three people listen to me (and that is if I am lucky). The moment the scenario takes place I become agitated and angry, thinking that for some reason everyone has to listen to me because I am the ‘all knowing’ something and because I have led many pvp teams in my life, etc. etc. After some time passes though I realise I don’t pay for anyone’s subscription. Noone’s forced to play with the rest of the team, everyone can do what they want. I guess that’s the wild beauty and ugliness of the MMOs. So lately in situations like this, I encourage people who want to work as a team to practice without frustration even when a bad loss is coming up ahead. Just practice, work with them, listen to them and be heard back to have some gain out of a complete and utter loss that we often meet with in scenarios. Noone’s obliged to listen to you and anything might collapse from any a given time to the other. Don’t give up. Carry on, if nothing else, for those that do listen to you and follow you. Don’t take people for granted. Even a single person following another puts the later in a responsible position.

The team should…

Listen to and believe in their leaders:

If you are part of the team you need to do your best to listen to what your leader tells you. Doesn’t matter if you think it’s right or wrong. When someone leads, then it’s them who decide what to do or not do. Much like with football games, everyone sitting in the crowds thinks is a better coach than the coach actually running the game. You don’t understand though that those that are leading are fully aware that if something goes wrong they’ll be put up against the wall. It’s also them who have to decide in the heat of the moment as to what should or should not be done. Your job is not to judge during the battle. Your job is to do as told. Doing as told can be very hard sometimes especially when you don’t ‘have’ to really. But being part of the team, you have no other choice. If you don’t want to be part of the team, if you disagree, if you just want to yell that the current leader is a moron? Best policy is to just leave the group and go about your own business. Part of the team? Do as told. Time for discussions afterwards.

Praise their leaders in victory; praise them more in defeat:

Those that lead you are people as well. You cheer for them when things go well, you support and thank them. When things go bad though is when they really need your support. They’re people too, just people that decided to act responsibly and try to bring some organisation in our way of fighting. They will make mistakes and they should and will do their best to fix them through discussion and consultation after the battle. You should not hammer, boo or disregard them. A lot of people have the skill of a leader in them and the ability to gather crowds around them like a magnet; the actual process of learning how to strategically hit, take advantage of the game’s strengths and weakness comes through learning. Learning, like with babies and children, comes through encouragement and support. If the leader is the body’s head you’re the rest of the body. As well as a brain can function it can’t really turn an idea into reality unless the body moves to do so. And when a brain is depressed or down, it’s the rest of the body keeping it straight up. Trust in those you follow once you choose to follow them. Give them your feedback and support them when you know they do their best for you.

Be more understanding:

If sometimes a party leader does talk roughly at you in whisper or public, suck it up and carry on. Time to discuss on the situation after the fight; I know it’s easier said than done but think on this. If being killed aggrevates you once, your leader has to deal with 100 times the aggrevation. If you have one person whispering to you, the leader has to be in 10 different channels, talking with 100 more people and since we’re not run by machines it’s only human to lose one’s temper; trust me, with your support and understanding and politely talking to them afterwards they will see and learn and understand and try to improve themselves. They are only humans just like you are and it’s easy for one to lose their temper nowadays. Don’t let misunderstandings or momentary arguments escalate to something large when the basis of it is silly and trivial. If something troubled you, talk about it with them afterwards. At the end of the day those who act rudely on a constant basis will be removed from the groups. Leader or not. The rest will sum up and carry on. Be polite to your teammates. They do what they can (and what they want as well), just like you do.

Thank you Armand, well said! (Original post can be found here.)

COMBAT BEGINS

The inevitable happened, you have followed your leader, and standing across from you are your adversaries! Don’t panic, that’s why you are there!

1. Positioning yourself correctly

Positioning is fundamental in combat, whether it’s in engagement or when the front shifts. Make sure you always keep tabs on your allies’ and enemies’ positions at all times.

Make sure you are always in easy reach of your healers; don’t leave to follow an opponent by yourself, because they will no doubt lead you to other enemies. Follow in group or don’t follow at all.

Something bad is going to happen…

Defensive fighters have several choices in combat: they can take advantage of their strong armour and remain at the front, to annoy the enemy (or even to kill them, which will no doubt also annoy them) or stay slightly behind, closer to the more weaker careers, to protect them and use their guard and other abilities which will help push back the enemy’s advances.

Ranged fighters: take advantage of your range, don’t stay in hand-to-hand combat. But make sure that you don’t stray too far either; the enemy won’t be far from exiting your attack zone. Watch out also for your line of sight; if possible position yourself up high, so that you can attack freely. You don’t have to advance towards the enemy to attack them, especially as this means that you will enter the enemy’s attack zone and they can in turn attack you. Sometimes, you should let the enemy approach, to limit the risks involved.

Generally, it is pointless trying to get in range if you don’t know which target to attack. Select your target and position yourself in such a way that you can defend yourself while preventing them from fleeing.

Healers: make sure you can follow what’s happening in the combat while remaining apart from the enemies. Under no circumstances should you be on the first line of defence, as you would be an easy target for your opponents. Depending on whether your healer is designed to go into the thick of things or not, you may or may not have to enter the fray, but make sure that you are don’t go there alone.

For the weaker healers, don’t forget to remain visible to your allies. Should you encounter any problems, you will be happy to receive the help of a tank who is protecting you or even a mage who is stopping any would-be attackers.

Offensive melee careers: don’t blindly run off after your target for too long, or you might find yourself alone, with no healing to keep you alive. Don’t hesitate to come to the help of your allies if they have enemies on their back; keep an eye on the combat and keep next potential victims as close as possible.

Consider using the setting to your advantage, to always have the best line of sight. Quite often, you may be the target of enemy spells, so take shelter from time to time to be healed.

There it will be much more difficult for anyone to lay a finger on you!

Regardless of your role in the group, remember to keep watching the combat and feel free to take a few moments to reposition yourself. Try to anticipate when the enemies will be on you, or even the moment when they are out of your range. Reposition yourself taking into account the rest of your group, and don’t let it be split apart into smaller sections.

2. Knowing your role and your enemies

To have any chance in winning, you must obviously know your role and your potential. We will be publishing guides over the coming weeks for each career; and so we won’t go into any details on this here. Try to get to know your own abilities however and don’t forget the role that you have been entrusted within the group.

Get to know the careers played by your partners; get to know their abilities and their weaker points, so that you will be in a better position to judge each situation as it arises. There are certain things that go without saying, like the fact that a tank doesn’t really fear the attack of a healer in hand-to-hand combat, but knowing that, your mage will know for example to immobilise and distance themselves from the tank charging towards them which will help you avoid a pointless exercise.

The same goes for getting to know the enemy careers: there is nothing more frustrating than wasting time trying to kill an opponent you thought was a weaker class but whose armour is too strong.

Define everyone’s role beforehand. Who will be the ‘main assist’? Who will be responsible for selecting a target to kill? And above all, this person should be able to identify the target correctly by career and name in order to help their partners identify the target.
We advise you to choose an offensive melee character for this, who will be able to locate their target easily, will have a good line of sight and will have a much greater chance of surviving longer than the others.

Who should bring defeated characters back to life? Whoever is the nearest?
Here, we advise you to leave the resurrecting up to the Shaman and Archmage careers, taking advantage of their instant cast so as not to waste any time. If they are not able to do it, it should be up to the Zealot or Rune Priest, as the Disciple of Khaine healers and the Warrior Priest are often found in the heart of the battle and their group avails of their most powerful healing spells (that will affect the entire group).

The leader of the group should always be shepherding the group, ordering them to reposition themselves during battle etc.

Protect each other: make sure no one is left behind. The casters and archers should stay within easy reach of the healers, so that they are able to immobilise any potential danger (of course they can also kill them while they’re at it); the tank characters should remember to go back and protect the healers or push back the interlopers; and the healers should make sure they stay within easy reach of all group members (and remember to signal when a member strays too far away and is no longer within reach).
That’s what we call teamwork!

Unless you need to, do not change the assigned roles. Stick to your responsibilities, and when the need arises, consult the rest of your group later to make any changes.

Whatever your role, whatever your action, make it public! Again, communication is very important. It can sometimes occur that two people go to do the same thing (such as a resurrection) or even that a group member starts moving out of reach as you cast a heal targeted at them. Talk to one another and you will avoid these problems.

3. Tactics

There is no one tactic that will work in every situation, the key being to adapt to whatever situation arises. Depending on the makeup of your group however, certain tactics are easier to implement than others.

When possible, attack the flanks or from behind; try to be in a position where you have a choice of targets to your advantage, and take advantage of the element of surprise as much as possible.

In this case, the two groups are facing one another, neither one having the upper hand. The positioning and reaction speed will therefore be paramount.

Here, the group has succeeded in getting around their adversaries and attacking the flank, being immediately able to take out the enemy support classes. If the attackers are able to quickly kill one or two of them, the outcome of the battle is almost certain.

Here, the combat had already begun and the leader took advantage of this to turn the melee around and attack the support classes. As previously mentioned, being able to select a target that is very tender and ripe for the picking, will sway the balance in your favour.

Sometimes, a direct attack is not always the best offence. Try organising an escape or use the range of your group members in order to avoid defeat.

Here, the group is counting on three casters and three healers (hybrid with long-distance damage). Even if they seem fragile, the enemy should choose their target well; but even so, they will remain – unfortunately for them – under a shower of damage from the other players not under attack. Heed my advice when I say a poor positioning choice on your part will lead to certain death! Beware; if you are not positioned correctly, your death will be imminent!

In this instance, spreading the battle out will allow you to kill a maximum number of opponents, therefore reducing them in number, in order to increase your chance of winning.

When you choose to flee, make sure you all do so together… in this instance, it will be in base camp where you are next reunited!

Flee in the same direction towards a destination that is as secure as possible (whether it’s a keep, allies, or something else safe).
If the pursuers are disorganised you can even avail of rapid simultaneous attacks to begin killing the first chasers and counter-attack directly before they can regroup!
In the image above, you can spot the easy victim!

The points we have outlined above are only examples of the many that you will no doubt experience in-game at some stage. Although there are similarities between the scenarios, there will always be one detail that will make each situation unpredictable: for this, it is experience that will help you.

EXPERIENCE COMES WITH PLAYING

This is no secret; experience comes with playing! It’s through trying, making mistakes, and learning from them, that you will be able to make progress. Share your experiences with other players, get together with your group and talk about your battles, victories and defeats. Find your weaknesses, those that you need to change, or keep…

The better you know your partners, the better you will be able to predict what they’re going to do next. Little by little, you will get to know the actions of your adversaries, your allies and, instinctively, you will adapt accordingly.

Even more than knowing how to play your own character, it is knowing how to play along with others that matters. So play the game, combat by the side of your allies and one day you’ll get the hang of it. But don’t forget the most important point of all: enjoy yourselves and have a blast!

Feel free to share your experiences and opinions with us. No guide can be exhaustive when it comes down to personal experience, since every situation is different.

This guide is just the beginning and we look forward to reading your take on the subject. We’re counting on you all to take part!

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I hope this guide was useful for you. Remember, a couple of these leveling guides also include extensive RvR guides as well so you might want to check them out as well!