User:Malokai92/Guide Index/AB Guide

General overview of AB and how to play it.

Group
The most important aspect is to stay with your group. The only thing you have control over in AB is what you bring in your group. The key to any group is its offensive ability to take down enemies, defense to defend against larger groups, speed at capping, and strategic movement and position. Groups must be very flexibility to react to an assortment of builds in AB.

Offense

 * You need offense to kill enemy groups. This means that any other team of 4 you face in AB, you should be able to take them down. This means a strong frontline that can quickly take down the opposing side and get on with capping.
 * The frontline should always have a Warrior.
 * Hammer Warriors can bring Earth Shaker or other KDs, which make it easy to take down squishies such as Monks.
 * Axe Warriors can quickly take down targets, especially the popular Warrior's Endurance Axe, which spikes every 3 seconds are so.
 * Sword Warriors have access to two key Elite, Crippling Slash and Hundred Blades. Crippling Slash can keep enemies of the Monk's back and prevent kiting. Hundred Blades provides massive AoE damage thanks to synergy with Sun and Moon Slash, making it an excellent way for capping and powering through enemies.
 * Minion Masters are handy for taking down squishy targets and should not be taken lightly.
 * Dervish can quickly dispatch enemies with Wounding Strike in addition to hitting multiple enemies at once makes it very strong in AB in general and for capping.
 * Assassins are useful for taking out key targets, but lose effectiveness when it comes to mobs where they can be taken down easier.
 * Scythe Rangers can deliver a big punch in offense with spamming and enchantment removal, along with great defensive ability.

Defense

 * A key to defense is the frontline. Warriors are the best for absorbing damage with their high armor. Dervish and Assassins also can serve as a frontline.
 * Bring snares, interrupts, Blind, Daze, and/or lots of blocking as well to counter mobbing.
 * Condition and hex removal are usually not a problem for the Monk unless there's pressure from melee, bringing condition removal for yourself can take pressure off the Monk.
 * Minion masters work towards this because it's hard to find the correct target among a bunch of minions and provides meat shields against enemies.
 * Assassins are for mostly to single target kills and have lower armor than Warriors, and should bring extra defense such as Critical Defenses, useful for capping and balling up melee for the nuker.
 * Dervish should be whooping ass if melee is balling up around them and they don't have much problem with squishy casters either.
 * Scythe Rangers really shine here. Victorious Sweep while provide plenty of health for them and blocking stances such as Lightning Reflexes, Escape, and Whirling Defense mean the melee will be balling up in no time to feed Victorious Sweep. Rangers also have high armor against elemental damage which makes them convenient for soaking up damage from nukers and such.

Capping

 * AoE skills are important for kill NPCs quickly.
 * The main source of capping is nuking Elementalists. There is a reason they are the most commonly used for capping. Fire Magic hits hard and will often hit more than one person in AB. Elementalists also have access to Meteor Shower, which allows them to cap every shrine quickly and efficiently.
 * Ray of Judgment can pretty much kill NPCs in one cast, and Smiting Prayers skills are useful for supporting the Monk as well as additional offensive power.
 * A Ranger can use Incendiary Arrows to quickly dispatch NPCs or just degen them to death with Apply Poison if they are using a different skill.

Splitting

 * There are times when it would be more beneficially to have one person, such as the nuker, cap one shrine while the rest of the group caps another or helps defend a shrine.
 * This should usually be done if the nuker has an npc traveing with them to boost efficiency.
 * Be sure to plan ahead of where the mob should be so you can regroup with everyone alive.

Shrine Defense

 * If you have seen the lone Elementalist or Warrior taking down a shrine, then you should know how helpful it can be to prevent this.
 * If an enemy manages to kill one or two npcs, it will be much easier for another player to come along and finish the shrine off.
 * The Ranger should usually be the one to shrine defend because they split well and can interrupt nukers.
 * Be sure that if you see one or two players attempt to capture a shrine that you cut them off, it should not be hard to defend a shrine with the npcs helping you.

Mobbing

 * Mobs are very effective if done correctly, such as camping the opposing side's entrance, while picking off strays.
 * The problem with mobs is that they move fairly slow, and are counterproductive to capping (The capture rate stops at 4 people idiots).
 * Avoid the mob at all costs unless you are supported by another group and/or control the res shrine.
 * Choke points such as a bridge are useful for nuking the mob and holding them off.

Resurrection Shrine
This is such a key shrine it deserves its own section. At the beginning, a strong side can quickly kill off the opposing teams and capture the Resurrection Shrine. The problem with this is the enemy ends up mobbing to the shrine, killing any opposing enemies. They then continue on capping one way or the other.

Capping the Resurrection Shrine means that your side can quickly get to all the shrines instead of starting at the base, giving great strategic advantage. This is one way a group can greatly influence the outcome of the game. Be sure to keep it up as much as possible as you go around capping, if the shrine isn't capped quickly however, enemies will slowly overpower your group with numbers. It is key to kill enemies that spawn.

Spawn Camping
A rather quirky and fun way going about things. Usually two players can camp on the Resurrection Shrine, killing any enemies that spawn. This usually requires a snare to prevent kiting. Two Rangers can probably do this most efficiently because of their spiking power and are just good at being pain in the asses. A Monk and strong frontliner can also achieve a similar effect. The trick is to kill the Monk, but avoid capturing the shrine. This can be done for awhile until an ally is dumb enough to capture the shrine. Doing this will give no chance for the opposing side to form up in a mob, and will allow the other two party members to continue capping.

Pug & Organized
The difference between a pug group and organized group can turn the sides of the map. A decent organized group can cap extremely fast and slaughter opposing teams. However, skilled pug teams can almost achieve the same effect, although these are few and far between.