MMO Gamers

I’ve been spending a lot of my time doing RvR this week.  Actually, since hitting Tier 2 it’s been mostly RvR.  Questing is just something I do if it’s quiet and there isn’t enough guildies on to put a group together.  PQ’s I’m happy to do once a week on our PQ night.  I like PQ’s, particularly the rewards you can get (I got a purple belt at the last one) but spending two or three hours on them once a week is enough.

RvR on the other hand is a different matter altogether.  It is so much fun, particularly in a guild group.  We managed to fill another’s warband last night with 10 guildies in an attempt to take Spite’s Reach, the Tier 2 keep in the Shadowlands.  It looked good for a while but then the Order defenders kept turning up until their numbers overwhelmed us.  Is Order the new “Alb zerg”?

So, failing in our attempt to capture the Keep, six of us decided to do some scenarios and appease our RvR addiction via that medium.  We queued up Phoenix Gate and Stonetroll Crossing but neglected to queue up Mourkhain’s Temple because I hate that scenario almost as much as I hate Bright Wizards.  Five of the six of us were using Ventrilo for voice communications and the difference in success rate compared to a group that isn’t using it is phenomenal.  If you ever see a guild group and they seem to be well organized and handing your ass to you on a platter you can bet your shirt that they’re using voice chat. 

Phoenix Gate was the first scenario we got into. This scenario is a “Capture the Flag” type thing where you try to get the opposing team’s flag and return it to your flag area.  Our party consisted of a Tank (Chosen), two witch elves (melee DPS) and three Disciple’s of Khaine, the Dark Elf healing class, though one of the Disciples was specced for DPS.  We decided that each non-healer class would get their own personal healer and that healer was responsible for keeping only themselves and their “buddy” alive.  The success rate we had in this scenario last night was the best I’ve seen since playing it and we did it a few times with exactly the same result.

Our group dynamics changed slightly by the time we ended up in Stonetroll Crossing, with the loss of a Disciple and the addition of a Magus.  In this scenario you need to acquire the Pacifier and then take that to three locations.  Each time you successfully get it to a location you earn Victory points and getting it to all three gives you a bonus.  Only four of the six were on Vent now but it was a simple case of “Stick to the tank” rule and again, with the four of us coordinating on Vent, we won this scenario a few times and had some of the best skirmishes I’ve had in RvR.  It wasn’t a cakewalk and Order fought well, but we were just that little bit better organized and were able to change strategy on the fly.

On the downside there seems to be an exploit known as de-synching being used during RvR.  This allows players who find themselves cornered and pretty much screwed to disappear and reappear some distance away allowing them to escape.  I think it says a lot for a person’s character where they feel the need to cheat in what is merely a game and is supposed to be fun.  Cheaters are a lower form of life than gold-spammers.