PvXwiki:Style and formatting/2011 Rewrite

This article details the style and formatting guidelines for creating and maintaining new articles about character builds. If you are new to PvXwiki, please read the whole guide to familiarize yourself with the build submission process before you start editing. By following this guide closely you can save yourself and others a lot of work.

Before you start
Before creating a new build article, please look through the existing builds and see if a similar build is already available. If so, consider adding your build as a possible variant. If you decide to submit a new build, you have to create a new page for it, as described in the following section. Look through builds already vetted to get a general idea of what your build article should look like.

Naming
A new build article has to be prefixed with the abbreviated names of the primary and secondary professions. Team build articles are prefixed with "Team - " instead. For optional secondary professions, please use /any, not /Any. Always try to come up with a good descriptive name for your article. The following are examples of good build names: Note the "Build:" in front of the name. Build articles have their own namespace on PvXwiki, called "Build:".
 * Build:W/E PvP Shock Axe
 * Build:Rt/any PvP Soul Twisting
 * Build:Team - HA Invoke Spike

If you're not sure yet what the name of your new article should be, consider keeping it in your user space until you know. That is, replace the "Build:" with "User:YourUserName/" and give the build a generic name. For example, if your user name is Example, you would call it "User:Example/My New Build". You can follow this link to create that page. Later, when the build is more complete, you can move it to it's final destination.

Creating the page
To create a new build article in the Build namespace, you can proceed in one of two ways.
 * Edit your user page or the Sandbox to create a link to your new build article.
 * For example, if your new build is called "W/E Shock Axe", then add the following text to the sandbox:

""
 * When you preview or save the page, you will find a red link. Click on it to start editing your build article.
 * Note: It would be appreciated if you remove the link from the sandbox after finishing.

""
 * Alternatively, if you are more familiar with wikis, you can go directly to the URL of your new build. The "W/E Shock Axe" page will be at

Note that the build "W/E Shock Axe", used as an example here, already exists! To submit a new build article, you must give it a new name, following the naming conventions described above and in PvXwiki:Build Naming Policy.

Template
The following is a barebones template of a new build article. Just copy and paste this text into your new page to get your build started. You can also click the last icon on the editing toolbar. Note, however, that the toolbar button leaves the template tags out due to technical restrictions.

Describe the build.

Attributes and Skills
[build prof=Primary/Secondary Attribute1=12+1+3 Attribute2=10+1 Attribute3=8][1st skill][2nd skill][3rd skill][4th skill][5th skill][6th skill][7th skill][8th skill][/build]


 * List suggestions for any optional slots.

Equipment

 * Armor
 * Weapons

Usage
Describe how to use the build.

Counters
Describe important counters.

Variants
List the major variants.

Videos
Add links to or embed videos pertaining to your build. Omit this section if it is not needed.

Category tag
Begin the build article with a category tag, which shows the current state of development of the article:
 * as long as you are still assembling it,
 * if you're done with the article and would like others to review and comment on it,
 * when the build is ready for testing and vetting.

Remember to list the gameplay types the build was designed for in the Untested tags, e.g.. See below for a list of supported gameplay types.

Please note:
 * Not more than one of these tags may be used on a single build article!
 * On a page in your user space, please do not use any of these tags. It might give readers a wrong impression of the build's status.
 * On an article in the build namespace, always use one of these tags. If in doubt, choose.

Placing the tag will automatically assign the build to the corresponding categories. This function is disabled when a tag is used in user space.

Summary
Immediately give a short summary of the build. Do not give this summary a section title like "Overview" or "Introduction", as these titles are understood. It is generally preferred to begin the summary by stating outright what the build does. For example, the W/E Shock Axe build begins as follows:

"The Shock Axe is a PvP-oriented Warrior/Elementalist build, focusing on adrenaline spikes and disruption through the Elementalist skill Shock."

Notice that the build is referred to in bold (sans the profession prefix). This section should generally contain:


 * A mention of the key skill(s) in the build
 * A listing of which game styles (PvE or PvP) it applies most to. For PvP, a further clarification of Random Arenas, Team Arenas, Heroes' Ascent, Guild versus Guild or Alliance Battle should be given. For a farming or running build, the main areas or opponents it was designed for should be mentioned.

Do not fill the introduction with:


 * A mention of every skill used in the build
 * A list of attributes and ranks
 * Detailed usage or counter discussion.

This introduction section should be no longer than one paragraph.

Attributes and Skills

 * Use the PvXcode template (see the example above) to list attributes and skills.
 * Alternatively, you can use Special:PvXdecode to generate the wiki code from the in-game skill template.
 * If you use the old GuildWiki-style template to list the attributes and  to list the skills, you have to convert these templates to PvXcode via Special:PvXconvert.
 * The attribute listing should use the rank + headgear + rune syntax (e.g - 12+1+3 instead of 12+3+1). Do not add spurious = signs in the attributes or you will confuse the template.
 * Make sure your attribute point allocation is correct - you shouldn't have lots of unspent attribute points, nor can you spend more than 200. The Attribute point spending article can be used to check this.
 * A listing of skills to use in any Optional slots may be included. As a general rule, variants to the skills already on the bar should not go here.

Try to avoid having more than 4 optional slots in the build. If it is not possible to contain all the major variations of a build with a skill bar of at least 4 skills, consider splitting the article or using multiple main bars (an example of the latter is: Archive:D/any Wounding Strike Dervish).

Include only significant optional skills. If a skill doesn't offer much for the bar, it probably isn't worth listing.

Equipment
List only the following:
 * Essential weapons
 * Weapons should be listed as: Prefix Weapon of Suffix with Inscription/Modifier
 * Offhands should be listed as: Attribute Offhand of Suffix with Inscription/Modifier
 * Suitable unique weapons may be listed for PvE builds, as a link to its page on either Guildwiki or Guild Wars Wiki.
 * Weapon & Offhand requirements are assumed to be 9 in the linked attribute unless otherwise stated.
 * Essential armor
 * Note the types of insignias used and, when applicable, which piece they go on
 * List any non-attribute runes
 * Armor pieces that are swapped in should be listed with their attribute rune
 * Required consumables if a non-team build, team builds may include party-wide consumables in the introduction or use the Requires-Cons template.
 * equipment-template May be used on PvP builds to provide a copyable equipment template for the armor and one weapon set.

Each unique item should get its own bullet e.g. list insignias and runes on different lines.

Do not list attribute runes (which can be derived from the attribute listing) and non-essential gear. Try to be as brief as possible.

Note: The only case where attribute runes should be listed is if armor pieces are ever swapped during the build's usage (e.g. when you have to switch armor or headgear at a key point in a run).

Usage
Present usage information as much as possible in brief and in bulleted form.


 * Wikify the first mention of a skill, but do not wikify all mentions.
 * Try to be as brief in your descriptions as possible. You do not need to document game mechanics such as "hit C to target nearest" unless it is essential and non-intuitive. Assume that readers know how to play the game.

In case there are multiple levels to an area the build is designed for, add a subsection for each level.
 * General usage such as running to a dungeon or other general information can be listed directly below the Usage section.
 * Subsections are also useful for areas such as Domain of Anguish and other elite areas where each area can be considered a separate room.

Counters
List the counters to the build as stated.


 * Only list the principal and effective counters for the key idea of the build.
 * Do not mention general counters such as "run away" or "kite" unless it is relevant to the build.

Variants
List the principal variants of the build.
 * Try, as much as possible, to not suggest replacements for the key skills in the build.
 * If a variant you suggest requires an entirely different style of playing, it should be in a different build article.
 * There should only be one attribute and skill bar in a build page. If what you're trying to do cannot be described on one or two lines, it is usually not a viable variant.

Videos
Videos can be either linked to by URL or embed into the build article. Embed videos whenever possible so that readers may refer back to any other section of the article conveniently.


 * Provide a URL address of the video with a short description of its contents.
 * Youtube videos can be embedded with the Youtube Widget.

Team Builds
Team build format will vary slightly from single builds. Each player or hero should have a section for their build and any pertinent information. The subsections contain the same information as an individual build. Team builds are much more comprehensive than individual builds and therefore should supplement multiple images, videos, and other resources to help readers understand them.

Overview
The overview or team composition provides a visual summary of the builds used. This can be done by either listing mini skill bars or the builds by profession and name. Any combination of techniques that provides a brief visual summary is also acceptable.
 * Be wary of using mini skill bars, builds can change on the fly and it can be exhaustive updating the bars to match these changes; they are more useful for teams of 2-3.
 * Use profession icon templates to show the professions and bold the names of the builds.

Naming
Provide each build with a descriptive name, the same as if it were an individual build article.
 * If a build happens to have a relevant vetted build on the site, give it a similar name.
 * Do not name heroes with their actual names.
 * In the case of hero teams, players can simply be named Player(s).

Equipment
List only essential armor and equipment. Omit this section if it is not needed.

Usage
Keep individual usage brief and pertinent to the build.
 * Teams consisting of only players will have individual sections for listing equipment, usage, counters, and variants relevant to that build.
 * Individual usage sections should only describe general usage of the build. Specific usage will be described in the general Usage section.
 * Usage can be omitted for heroes unless skills need to be microed. Heroes are presumed to be set to Guard unless duly noted.

Counters
Counters can be listed on a build-by-build basis or overall. Omit this section if it is not needed.

Variants
Variant builds on team builds can be added if they accomplish the same task without modifying any other part of the team. The build can be added as a subsection or listed in the Variants secion. Omit this section if it is not needed.

Gameplay types
Once the build is ready for community review, apply the tag. The codes for the gameplay types are as follows:

Attribution
Originated on GuildWiki. Also see history at time of transfer.