Greetings Friends and Family,
I'm posting here to guage interest in a WvW workshop covering strategy, group dynamics, class roles, builds, and community integration.
Background
We are blessed to reside on a very dynamic and active server with respect to WvW. We have many large and very organized guilds that represent us on the battlefield every day, backed by scores of smaller guilds and individuals, all working together effectively. This didn't get built overnight but the results speak for themselves. Sanctum of Rall has moved from a low of 17th all the way to 1st on the WvW ladder, setting two GW2 records along the way - most ranks gained (next closest server moved up 10 ranks) and the only server to never drop down a tier. Best of all, we did it our way, not the standard way of paying large sums of gold to entice mercenary guilds to come fight for us. Guilds that eventually leave when the going gets rough.
I've purposefully been away from the family for over two months now. My goal was to WvW heavily and learn from the leaders of the SoR WvW community, then bring that knowledge back to the GSCH and Tuatha family. I've run extensively with TW, FEAR, CHOO, and TSYM. I've also logged many hours with some of our Euro and Sea guilds such as SAHP, LUN, and more recently IRON. Each have slightly different approaches and I've tried to learn from them all. Along the way I've gained 80+ WvW rank levels, almost 10,000 WvW badges, and have tallied just under 30,000 WvW kills as a front line melee Guardian.
[EDIT: I thought it would go without saying in this family but let me clarify why I listed my accomplishments. It's not to "epeen my street cred" or any such nonesense but instead it's to say this... I'm not a great player. I'm not even a good player. I consider myself *maybe* a hair above average and that's on a good day. My point is that I was able to accomplish all of the above because I became part of a very good team. I'll take a solid team of average players any day over a handfull of super stars. I am however, a very observant player and I try to learn as much as I can from every engagement. All that I've learned in the last 4+ months of daily WvW is what I'm willing to help bring to GSCH, not because I feel our current commanders are lacking; rather, to bring a different perspective and experience from the field. Ideas and concepts that have proven themselves in the crucible of battle.]
Intended Audience
This workshop is intended for anyone interested in learning more about WvW. All are welcome and no prior WvW experience is necessary as I intend to start with the basics and work all the way through to expert tactics.
Goals
The primary goal is to further build SoR's WvW competency and remain #1 for as long as we can. This will possibly be two-fold, with the first being to spread knowledge through workshops. Secondly, if there is enough interest and commitment, build a GSCH/Tuatha WvW force that ties in effecively with the SoR WvW community.
Scaling Curriculum
The heart of the project consists of four core workshops:
- WvW mechanics and strategy
- Classes, roles, and group integration
- Battlefield movement
- Combat tactics and scale
In an effort to spur increased interest and get more people involved, I'm introducing a "kickstarter" style offering (LOL!). The more people that attend the more we can plan on achieveing.
- <5 people - Training Postponed
- Due to lack of interest, the workshops will be delayed until later in the summer.
- 5-9 people - Basic Training
- Basic training includes the core workshops followed by basic field excercises and minimal active WvW participation.
- 10-14 people - Intermediate Training
- Intermediate training includes the core workshops along with specialized workshops for classes and roles, followed by expanded field excercises and multiple sessions of active participation in WvW.
- 15-19 people - Advanced Training
- Advanced training includes the core workshops along with specialized workshops for classes, roles, effective communication, and force integration, followed by advanced field excercises and multiple sessions of active participation in WvW. After advanced training is complete a dedicated GSCH/Tuatha WvW force will be assembled to participate in weekly WvW events, excluding reset nights.
- >19 people - Expert training
- Expert training includes the core workshops along with specialized workshops for classes, roles, effective communication, and force integration. "Guest" expert instructors will be brought in from the SoR WvW community to run the individual class workshops. The specialized workshops will progress over a period of several weeks, after which we'll hold greatly expanded field excercises and active participation in WvW with some of the leading SoR guilds. After completion of the expert training course, a dedicated GSCH/Tuatha WvW force will be assembled to participate in weekly WvW events, including reset nights.
Proposed Schedule
Tuesday through Thursday nights present the best opportunities for our group to have access to the WvW battlegrounds for workshops. As for me personally, Friday and Saturday nights I participate in WvW reset groups, so I'll be unavailable on those nights for workshops. Furthermore, I am married and my wife and I have an 18 month old son. My wife works full time and I run a small business (which luckily means my hours are a bit fluid). I pick my son up from daycare every evening at 5:30pm eastern, after which I prepare dinner. After our meal the wife and I spend time with the boy before bathing and getting him to bed by 8:00pm. This is valuable family time that I do not skip! I am usually in game by 8:45pm - 9:00pm eastern (5:45pm - 6:00pm server).
With that in mind, the proposed schedule for workshops will be Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday evenings starting at 9:00pm eastern (6:00pm server). Being that Fog usually runs epic creature hunts on Thursdays, and the Great Tyrian Adventures on Tuesdays, let's shoot for Wednesday nights starting at 9:00pm easter (6:00pm server).
The schedule for the core workshops has been set for the four Wednesday's of June 2013. Please check the guild calendar for times. We will be using Raidcall 5012, WvW Squad 1 channel.
Current Status
!!ADVANCED TRAINING UNLOCKED!! - We have enough attendees to unlock the advanced training program.
Signup roster:
- Jessica
- Kamia
- Borol
- Ragmar
- Raven
- Mikaella
- Thora
- Brave
- Drakaar
- Blackeye
- Xanissary
- Saryx
- Wulfemeister
- FinalFAB
- Aingeal
Workshop Notes
WvW mechanics and strategy - The first workshop took place on June 5th during which we covered the WvW scoring and supply systems as well as tips and tricks.
- For the scoring discussion, we covered...
- WvW is a big game of capture and hold - supply camps, towers, keeps, castle and lord buff timers
- Potential Point (PPT) value - what it means
- Clock ticks - when PPT is added to the cumulative score
- Strategies for maximizing PPT at ticks
- For the supply system discussion, we covered...
- What is supply and how is it used
- How and where supply is generated
- How supply is distributed to structures
- Supply acquisition, etiquette, and best practices
- Strategy for yak defending/slaying
- Supply traps - how to buy, use, and get the most out of
- Since we had some time remaining, we also covered some pro tips and tricks for WvW
- Maximizing buffs with Nourishment (http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Nourishment) and Food (http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Food)
- Stacking buffs via superior sigils (Sigil of Life[healing], Sigil of Bloodlust[power], Sigil of Corruption[condition damage], and Sigil of Perception[precision])
- A commander's best friend, the real time map tool at http://mos.millenium.org/na/matchups/map/728
- Video quality settings specific to WvW - how to maximize performance and load times
- The benefits of PVT or VPT gear for beginners to WvW - maximum survivability
Classes, roles, and group integration - The second workshop took place on June 12th but our normally scheduled program was interrupted by our group being called in to action. We did cover a few points about classes, roles, and builds.
- For class roles we first discussed the organization of a team
- Groups are formed based on roles within the team
- Front line / back line team organization, ideally with each having a commander to follow
- Front line is compromised of defensively built Guardians and Warriors - a.k.a. "the melee train"
- Back line is compromised of all casters, ranged, and support
- Some teams, such as FEAR, break it down further into a front, mid, and back line
- For builds we briefly discussed...
- The concept of "selfish" v.s. "selfless" builds
- "Selfish", or the "power" build is a build in which traits/gear/utilities are chosen to enhance performance of the individual in small group combat or solo play
- "Selfless", or the "synergy" build is a build in which traits/gear/utilities are chosen to enhance performance of the team in large scale combat situations
- There is a valid place for both builds but we'll be focusing on synergy builds in our upcoming class workshops
» Edited on: 2013-06-14 11:13:34