User:Toraen/Build Standards/Area Standards

While we have several guidelines that are meant to ensure quality across all builds, individual gameplay types are inevitably held to different standards. This is due to both the demands of each area and the perceived skill level distribution of players who participate in each. The purpose of this page is to document what the community feels is appropriate on an area-specific basis.

=PvP=

Random Arenas
Generally speaking, builds should not be submitted as only being appropriate in Random Arenas unless they are undeniably part of the meta and very commonly encountered there as almost any build including an empty skill bar is capable in this random environment. Generally speaking every build, except primary healers, should include a Resurrection Signet, but outside of that this format is fairly flexible. Hard resurrection skills should be avoided. Almost any PvP build outside of format specific bars, such flag runners, can be tagged for this format with minor modifications.

Alliance Battles
Players are able to coordinate their 4-person team in this format. Builds for AB that ignore the benefits of team-centered play will generally not be vetted.

Individual Builds
Will generally need access to their own IMS skill(s). Cappers usually do not need to dedicate themselves entirely to NPC clearing, as they will have 3 other characters supporting them and splitting is usually suboptimal due to slower capture of shrines, although it may be necessary at some times.

Shrine Capping
This is the objective most teams will focus on for its steady generation of points. Any coordinated team should be able to clear any shrine in a short amount of time.

Team vs. Team
Combat with other teams is inevitable, and winning these conflicts grants more points through kills and prevents the losing team from capping for a short while. All teams should have the ability to survive/win 4v4 situations to prevent downtime and gain additional points.

Jade Quarry
An arena with objectives that cause players to generally fall into one of 4 roles. Anything that does not accomplish at least one of these is usually voted down. Melee have trouble in this gametype due to the terrain favoring ranged characters and the lack of coordination. The latter reason also adversely affects primary paragons.

Shrine Capping
This role is the most important, as with no shrines controlled a side cannot gain any points.

Shrine Defense
This role is secondary, and a mine can usually be abandoned after the carrier grabs a jade slab and subsequently recaptured before the carrier needs to head back to the shrine. However, prolonged shrine defense does deny the shrine to the opposing team.

Carrier Escort
If the opposing team attempts to kill carriers, they will need to be escorted to continue gaining points. Otherwise the shrines are of no benefit. This usually includes speeding up the carriers to accrue points faster, which is a very noticeable advantage.

Carrier Ganking
Usually seen as a less important role, since it does not directly increase your own team's score. It denies the enemy points, but it is often more useful to focus on capturing the shrine than just killing the carriers going to/from it. Accepted builds may include the ability to kill carriers, but this is more of an opportunistic role than a dedicated one.

Fort Aspenwood
As an asymmetric PvP format, the two sides have very different roles and standards to fill.

Luxon
All builds will generally require an IMS to speed up movement into the fort.

Nuking
Gate nukers will require builds with quick activations, and ideally be capable of killing foes behind gates.

Guarding Gates
Healers will require builds capable of either stopping or healing through Seige Turtle/Luxon Warrior damage.

Amber Running
Amber runners will need an IMS and a way to capture mines.

Guild versus Guild
Teams for this format need to have at least one method of winning the game, either through splitting to eliminate NPCs and the Guild Lord or through killing the opposing team. General requirements include a stable backline, a flag runner capable of splitting offensively or to defend the base and appropriate sources of damage and secondary defence required to achieve the goals of the team and survive battle. A form of hard resurrection is required somewhere in the team.

Hero's Ascent
Two styles of playing HA are predominant: farming the early maps and playing to hold the Hall of Heroes. Players of the former style are usually inexperienced at HA and attempting to grind for their Hero title (either for the Hall of Monuments or to get into better groups later). Players of the latter style may be more skilled, and play for the greater rewards of later maps.

Early Map Farming
These builds often focus on winning the early annihilation maps to the detriment of their ability to perform in the later maps with other objectives such as relic running and shrine capturing. These builds are often referred to as gimmicks and can sometimes lack some of the required HA staple skills such as "Make Haste!" Builds of this type usually need to be very popular to pass vetting.

Hall Holding
Teams designed to hold halls have several basic requirements, such as a stable backline capable of holding a team up against heavy pressure and a way of catching spikes, capable relic runners, the ability to split somewhat effectively to capture shrines, at least one hard resurrection skill, an appropriate number of snares(usually including Ward Against Foes and Grasping Earth) and a copy of "Make Haste!" and Song of Concentration. Builds lacking some of these things are unlikely to be vetted.

Teams
A 'secondary' tag that is never seen without at least one of the above.

=PvE=

General
Builds vetted for general (a player build for missions, quests, and vanquishing) must be capable of dealing with a wide variety of foes and be adaptable to whatever task is at hand. All builds are assumed to be usable in Hard Mode.

Any player build used for 7 Hero playstyles should be effective at directing the AI of the team, and can assume support from heroes.

Pick-up groups are expected to choose whichever professions they need to fill out the team. If a role that a hero could provide is not available among the PuG population, a hero should be used.

Farming
Farming builds need to be profitable and reliable for someone who follows the usage instructions correctly. Profitability is relative to other builds vetted on PvXwiki.

Running
This gametype refers to the practice of a single or a few players doing something to allow others (who usually pay the runner) to skip doing content themselves. Speed is the most important criteria in any running build, followed closely by reliability.

Outpost Skipping
A build should be able to reliably deal with any mobs it encounters on its run.

Mission/Dungeon Running
The minimum number of characters (whether players or heroes) possible should be used to allow for running more people. Adding extra roles to the runner team should make up for the cost of reduced customers per run by being much faster and more reliable.

Speed Clears
Originally, this was a tier in Farming (above) but was separated due to the popularity of SCs and their inherent differences from the solo/duo farms in the rest of the section.

Pick-up Groups
The build should emphasize reliable completion of the run, while remaining a reasonably fast option. Tactics and builds that require exceptional coordination between players should not be listed on these builds. The unpredictability of PuG skill level must be taken into account.

Guild/Experienced
These builds are aimed at faster completion and should use tactics and builds close to those used for record-holding teams. It is assumed that the players are more skilled and coordinated.

Heroes
Hero builds must use the capabilities of the AI well and avoid its weaknesses when possible.

Teams
A 'secondary' tag that is never seen without at least one of the above.