User:DannyOnCurse/PvP

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Tips, guidelines, trick, and tactics for PvP.

Skill Bar
Your skill bar arrangement is one of the most important tools you have to start with. And by skill bar arrangement, I mean which slots the skills are in, where the skill bar is on your screen, and what keys and buttons you have bound to your skills.

Arranging your bar
The first step to being able to use skills effectively is knowing where your skills are and being able to comfortably and easily use them on demand. For this introduction, we'll assume you're using the standard key layout.

Key skills
Key skills are the skills which make the build the you're using. They're core to your function and should be used quite often.
 * These skills should be placed in slots 1-4, alongside reflex skills. Assuming you have your fingers resting near the home row or over WASD, you should be able to easily reach these keys in a very short amount of time without error.
 * If you do not know where these keys are by feel and memory, practice with it until you do. You should be able to find these keys while looking behind you.
 * Ideally, slots 2 and 3 should be skills which will require use the most often and slot 1 will be filled by a skill that is not used as often but is just as vital.

Reflex skills
Reflex skills are skills whose use is typically reserved for situations which require well-timed execution.
 * These skills should be place in slots 1-4, alongside key skills.
 * You should be extremely comfortable reaching this skill's key. If it feels awkward at all, move it.

Skill chains
Skill chains are multiple skills used in succession. These skills should be grouped both on your screen and on your keyboard in order to maintain continuity.
 * These skills may not necessarily be in slots 1-4. If the chain will be used often, it is probably worth placing the chained skills here. If it won't be used nearly as often, the skills should be moved to slots 5-8.

Utility skills
Utility skills are skills which are taken in order to fill a role or accomplish a task which assists the team as a whole.
 * Important and commonly used utility skills should take one of the first four slots, less commonly used utility skills should be reserved for slots 5-8.

Energy management
Energy management skills are generally not used as commonly as other skills and should therefore be relegated to slot 5-8.

Resurrection skills
By force of habit, Resurrectiong skills are best left to slot 8. It should be used the least of all your skills, and you will not be actively using it at any time.

Examples

 * Your standard Eviscerate bar. There's a specific reason this bar was put together this way. The chain is in the first two slots for ease of use. Bull's and DChop are placed next because you'll be using them more than the remaining skills on the bar. Frenzy and Rush are placed in the next to last slots because you'll be using these skills the least.


 * The HB Infuse staple of HA. The reflex skill is on 1 to allow for easy and comfortable spike catching, and your two most commonly used skills are on 2 and 3. Heal Party should be only used when necessary to conserve energy, to it's place farther back in the lineup. Last are your energy management skills.


 * A common Power Block bar. Your most imporant reflex skill is on 1, followed by two more reflex skills on 2 and 3. While you may use these less than you'll use Diversion, putting them in close reach and under the strongest fingers makes them easy to get to in an instant. 3 energy-management/shutdown skills come next and last is the res.


 * Classic Cripshot bar. Strong utility skill in 1, reflexes in 2 and 3, maintained skill in 4. Utility skills in the next 2 slots and a self-heal in the 7th slot make it a very well-balanced bar, both in terms of skill choice and layout.

Key binds
A very useful trick is creating keybinds on your mouse or keys near your mouse. This will allow you to effectively use both hands to split up the task. Consider setting numpad 1-8 to teammates 1 through 8 so you can quickly target party members without having to select them in the party window. Also, consider binding the numpad's enter and + keys to skills since they're both extremely close to your mouse hand. (Sorry lefties, but this guide isn't specialized for people who want to play with non-traditional arrangements.)

The Mouse
Additionally, consider purchasing a mouse with two side buttons. First of all, it allows for much easier browser navigation once you get used to it. Second of all, it will allow you to bind keys to the buttons. Many high-tech mice come with programs of their own which will allow you to dictate settings for various programs individually. If you don't feel like splurging, an extremely low cost alternative is to use a program such as AutoHotKey to macro or bind keys to the mouse buttons. Personally, I'd suggest the Microsoft Sidewinder - it's a reliable mouse that comes with a variety of weighting, resolution, and pad options and decent software with a built-in idiot-proof Macro scripter.

Knockdowns
If you've been playing Guild Wars for more than a month, you know by now that knockdowns are one of the best tools in the game. There are few things better than basically removing an opponent from play for a few seconds at a time. However, there are a few tricks that can make knockdowns even more devastating, and a few tips that will make using certain skills even easier.

Quarterknocking
First of all, there's quarterknocking. Most people have heard of it, a lot of people know what it is, about 10% of people can perform it properly and consistently. Quarterknocking is, traditionally, the process of knocking someone down, hitting them while they're down because you can, then knocking them down again before they can use a skill, even a skill that activates in a quarter of a second. If you're good enough, even a skill that activates in one sixteenth of a second.

Hammers
Hammers are the weapon of choice for quarterknocking, for one very big and very obvious reason: they have unconditional knockdowns. Quarterknocking with a hammer isn't all that hard. Here's a brief breakdown:


 * Assuming you've got adrenaline built, use your elite hammer attack - we'll go with Devastating Hammer for now.
 * Right after you've gotten that hit off, use Flail and Crushing Blow. You don't really need to use Flail to pull off a quarterknock, but it makes it easier.
 * After you've used Crushing Blow, either press your Cancel Action button or click somewhere adjacent to you.
 * Just as your target's almost fully standing again, use Hammer Bash.

You perform this tactic similarly using Bull's Strike to start the chain.

Other weapons
Other weapons are an entirely different story, and the term "quarterknocking" might seem a bit out of place. However, it the idea remains and it does still begin with a knockdown. The difference is that here, the tactic must start with either a non-traditional knockdown or an assist by an ally. Due to the unreliability, this is, for all intents and purposes, a one-step process.


 * Once you see your target stand fully upright, hit this skill. If they've got a skill queued up, you've successfully added 20 seconds to its recharge time.
 * If you've got any bow interrupts, using one just after an opponent has gotten to his feet should easily catch any skill they're going to use - if they're on the outer edge of your aggro bubble. Closer or farther away and you'll need to adjust slightly for flight time.
 * Remember: bow interrupts actually activate in a quarter of a second, not a half of a second.

Bull's Strike
A staple of every Warrior bar, this skill deserves its own section. Timing it can be extremely difficult, especially against experienced players.

Right away
Most players, even the more experienced ones, will attempt to kite from a warrior the very moment they get approached. Once you see your target turn in any direction, queue it up. It can often be worth hitting them once, then pressing your Cancel Action button and waiting for this cue to use your Bull's. If your target is casting a spell, use Bull's Strike right after he or she finishes casting. Most of the time, you should easily be able to catch them.
 * Note: This is advice, not a sure-fire way to catch everyone. Some people simply won't run, some will watch for Bull's to start activating and stop moving once it does, some will even use tactics to specifically counter the tactics I've laid out here. Test your opponents and watch their reactions - before long you'll be able to catch even the most aware of players.