A basic guide to Scenarios
|
This is a basic guide to Tier 1 and Tier 2 scenario, the goal being to explain to people how those scenario works. Many of the nuance of the game rules are simply not clearly explained, hopefully this will clear things up.
On Queuing up...
You can now join a queue for any Scenario in your Tier. To do this, hit the queue button and use the arrows on the top of the window to select which scenario you would like to queue for. Clicking on 'Join all' allow you to have active queues up for all three Scenarios at the same time.
You also cannot join a Scenario as a party if one of your party member is out of the level range. The level range are as follow:
Tier 1: (Nordenwatch, Khaine's Embrace, Gate of Ekrund) 1-11 Tier 2: (Mourkain Temple, Stonetroll Crossing, Pheonix Gate) 10-21
So yes, there's a sweet spot (level 10-11) where you can Q for all 6 scenarios.
You can Q from anywhere, but you cannot take a Scenario if you are in combat. The best thing to do if combat is running long is either to die or hit the 'yes, but give me a minute' option, which gives you an extra 90 seconds. After a Scenario, you will re-appear exactly where you were, so try and find a safe spot.
The Illusion of Bolster:
Now don't take this the wrong way, I'm not saying to not Q for Scenario when your rank is low for the bracket - but be aware that Bolster is an illusion. Yes, it increase your level and stats, but it doesn't do anything for your lack of gear, lack of level appropriate potions or your lack of abilities/moral/tactic.
Despite the bolstered level, you are much weaker then a real level 8 or 18. Keep that in mind. Know your limitation and play accordingly.
Don't get discouraged if you do poorly in a Scenario while you are at the bottom of the bracket!
Basic Rules:
All scenarios share 2 common rules.
A race to 500 points: The first team to reach 500 points win.
A 15 minute time limit: If neither teams has reached 500 points before 15 minutes, then the team with the highest score wins.
Both winners and losers get bonus renown and xp for participating, but the reward is much greater for the winners. The winning team also earns a sizable amount of Victory Points for his or her Realm.
It's important to note that kills in Scenario always matter to one degree or another and do gives point toward that 500 point limit, in a close game, it may come down to getting those 2 or 3 extra kills before the timers roll over to 0.
Tier 1
Nordenwatch:
Rules: Nordenwatch has 3 nodes, which are captured by proximity. The more player of a faction are close to the flag, the faster it turns to their side. You can slow down (or reverse) a capture simply by getting within range of a flag being captured.
Capturing a Flag gives a small bonus to your points. Afterward, each nodes held by a team also give a periodic point (every 5 seconds or so).
Possibly the greatest unknown factor is that the center node, the Fortress, is worth much more point (both on capture and periodically) then the 2 other nodes! Yes, you can win a game if all you hold is the Fortress and the other side holds the TWO other nodes! Keep that in mind! In fact, the only time you actually 'need' the other nodes, is if you've just gotten the Fortress but you're so far behind in point that you won't catch up.
Layout: The layout of Nordenwatch is interesting mainly because it isn't symmetrical. While the map roughly resemble a triangle (which each corner being a node), it's uneven, has a lot of houses/rocks that can be used for cover and has a bridge which can be used for a choke point as well as ramp and other such things. Explaining all the strategical value of this goes beyond the scope of this guide, but just keep in mind - while the map seem to indicate a flow for both army, you can literally go to any node you wish in any order and there's several way to sneak around and surround enemies.
Quite often, the team that wins is the team that uses the terrain better.
Gate of Ekrund:
Rules: Ekrund follows pretty much the same rule as Nordenwatch (down to the center point being more important), the main difference is the layout.
Layout: Ekrund is a huge gate/wall, with 2 higher point at the extremities and a middle point that is lower. Both side can reach either of the high point by taking ramp... however, since each high point is closer to one faction's starting point, it's pretty much a no brainer that both faction will capture 'their' point first and then duke it out for the middle node. You can however, add a bit of chaos in there by taking the far ramp from your spawn point and going for the other faction's side of the map.
Ekrund is extremely friendly to ranged class, who can easily rain down doom on people fighting over the middle node from the relative safety of the higher ground.
Khaine's Embrace:
Rules: There's two flags, which must be clicked on to be captured. Capturing the 2 flags gives both side a 10 second warning... if the flag remain capped by the same faction after this 10 seconds, 3 huge explosion tear the scenario apart, killing any caught within and giving a massive point bonus to the side that triggered the explosion. After a few more seconds, the flags are reset.
Layout: There's 3 explosion 'center'. The two flags and the altar of khaine in the middle. Safe spot to not die include: Close to the two spawn point, close to the two 'exit' to the north of the flag, inside the cave network in the middle and roughly halfway between the flags and the altar.
This is a pretty simple Scenario. You only need some offense and some defense and you need people to avoid the explosions - this allow you to get back in the action much faster then dying and respawning.
Interacting with object (in this case, flags) in this game while under attack is much easier then in WoW. Much easier. I've seen (and have done myself) people cap flags while being beaten on, simply because they kept trying - If nothing else, the white swing timer from melee is way slower in this game then WoW, that means less interruption. This mean that somebody trying to cap a flag should be focused fired, don't assume 1 person can stop him from capping.
Tier 2
Mourkain Temple:
Rules: Mourkain Temple is a 'Murder Ball' type of game - it's the first one, but there's more in later Tiers. It means that there's an item in play (the murder ball) that can be grabbed by players, and while it is, said players get a pretty sizable Damage over time effect... but he also grants a lot of points to his team everytimes he kill someone. Killing the murder ball runner also yield a lot of point to the enemy team and make him drop the ball, allowing for somebody else to grab it.
The ball runner usually has a huge spire of light emanating from him. You can't really miss him. He needs to die. His healer need to die. His friends, family and his little dog need to die. Don't go off running in a weird corner of the map looking for some 1v1 action or try to pad your kill/damage ratio by spamming AE in a cluster of melee - focus on bringing the ball runner and his 'back up' down.
Layout: Fairly symmetrical map with an elevated temple in the middle. The ball can be found it it's center. Considering the nature of the game, there's little 'strategy' going here - you'll usually see both team walk around in huge mobs, find a spot, and duke it out there for the entire game. It may sound boring, but really, it isn't - it's closest thing to 15v15 Death Match you'll see.... when the side are somewhat evenly matched. It's sadly easy for 1 team to push back the other to the respawn point and just farm them for kill as they jump down.
Stonetroll Crossing:
Rules: You need to grab the flag that is sitting at the top of hill in the middle and bring it to the 3 nodes, which are huge rocks. There, you need to click on the node to turn them to your faction (Like taking a flag in Khaine's Embrace). As soon as the flag is grabbed, a timer start. If that timer reach 0, the flag is reset back in the center. Every time you cap one of the nod, you get some bonus points and the timer is extended. If you cap all 3, you get a massive amount of point and the flag is reset.
If the flag runner die, someone else can grab it and continue capping. You can (and should) reverse enemy caps on nodes.
When the flag get reset, there's a huge explosion on top of the hill that knock everybody down... so don't bother getting there waiting for the flag to reset. You can however, be ready at the bottom of the hill.
Layout: There's a lot of jagged rock coming out of the ground, which allow to break line of sight and prevent 'straight line' travel from 1 point to another. The hill in the middle has 2 ramps which allow to climb up it. Be mindful that many class with knockback can and will knock you off that hill (You haven't lived until you punted a Dwarf from a 200 yard high cliff btw) - you don't take damage when that happens (or when the flag reset explosion push you back), but you're out of the fight for a while anyway, which isn't good for your team.
The objectives themselves are huge rocks - and can be used to break line of sight. It's easy to fool idiots by simply stepping 'behind' the stone and while they're going 'uh! were did he go!??!? were did he go??!??' cap the rock. Don't be an idiot, keep line of sight on the flag carrier and hit him to stop him from capping. Even if you don't kill him, every second he's holding that flag and not capping is one second closer to a flag reset.
You can see where the flag carrier (ally or enemy) is going on your map (press M) - so use it. There's little use to following the guy, you need to try and figure out where he's going next and intercept him before he gets to node. If you're 1 step behind him, you'll usually end up watch him cap all 3.
This is the most confusing and complex Scenario so far. It will take you sometime to get it. I used to hate it, but since it's the only T2 scenario that cannot be ruined by the guard glitch, it's starting to grow on me.
Pheonix Gate:
Rules: A capture the flag game. You need to capture and bring back the enemy flag to your own base, while your flag is still there, to score points. Everybody has played CTF before, be it at the playground when they were kids or in other video games, the rule should be known to all.
One of the main difference however, is that the flag carrier eventually start losing moral and action points, and the longer he holds the flag, the faster he loses them. A flag carrier who holds the flag to long cam do nothing but auto-attack and walk. It should be obvious that tanks and other heavily armored class are better flag carrier - but this makes it doubly so. A tank's armor and health point doesn't go away unlike action points, while he might not be able to do much, he's still resilient... a healer or casting holding the flag just becomes a very squishie target.
Layout: The two bases are seperated by a river, with 3 bridges across. You can of course, just swim across. The 'gate' per say, doesn't have to be taken. They are way to go over the hill and into (or out) the bases on either side.
To capture the flag, you need to go interact with a small tower behind your base's flag. Like all other interact object, this mean people can hit you and stop the interaction. I've seen flag caps be stop while the flag carrier was at the tower, because he couldn't cap since he was being hit.
Pheonix Gate also has siege weapons - Repeater Bolt Thrower. They do a decent amount of damage and are fun to use, but overall they're a trap - you're much better off playing your class rather then shooting stuff fps style.