Slorkuz tells you how to win Arathi Basin
I have to admit, I've been giving Arathi Basin short shrift lately -- while I'm having a great time hitting all the solo achievements (just got my Delicious Chocolate Cake the other day, and Mr. Pinchy is my next goal), battlegrounds have fallen by the wayside on my play schedule. But AB is a great time, and if you've recently found your way back in there, Slorkuz happens to be an expert on AB winning -- when a player wonders how to win AB in a tournament setting, Slork shows up a wall of text on how to walk away with at least 3 nodes.Of course, Zach has already written extensive tips on how to win in there, but Slorkuz has a few tricks of his own -- rather than the usual 5-5-5 group, he recommends a 4-3-3-3-2 setup, with a group of four holding down what he says is the most important node, the Blacksmith. It's the closest point to all of the nodes, so if you group has to move fast, that's the place to be. The other three person groups hold down the other nodes, with an extra three person group and a duo moving back and forth and defending as necessary. And in a tournament setting, there are lots of things you can do to make the setup even stronger -- give mount buffs to the moving players, communicate back and forth to match the numbers, and make good use of CC when possible.
Definitely food for thought (and probably enough to pull me back into AB for a few fights this weekend -- to get Make Love, Not Warcraft, if nothing else). When Wrath actually releases, Wintergrasp will probably be the place to be, and I'm just plain tired of WSG and all the shenanigans in AV, but AB still seems to have some fun in it.
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Virtual selves, Odds and ends, Blizzard, Wrath of the Lich King, Battlegrounds
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Manatank Oct 30th 2008 5:37PM
I prefer to just kill all the horde instead of letting them kill me and 5-cap.
Kakistocracy Oct 30th 2008 5:50PM
You're crazy, I am sticking with the get killed and watch them five cap while I tilt at windmill method, it hasn't worked yet, which means it must work soon!
Jay in Oregon Oct 30th 2008 7:16PM
I am sticking with the get killed and watch them five cap while I tilt at windmill method, it hasn't worked yet, which means it must work soon!
Are you in my battlegroup? *grin*
I swear, I've had arguments with people who believe that rushing Drek is the only way to win in Alterac Valley; as the Horde picks us apart and stomps us into the mud, the rallying cry next round is "OK stick together this time!" Lather, rinse, repeat.
Kakistocracy Oct 30th 2008 10:40PM
Could be the same battle group, do you get the, "We are only leading by 20% now, lets just let the win so we can get quick markz!!!1!" a lot?
Darthregis Oct 30th 2008 5:48PM
What, no EotS love?!
*snicker*
jay Oct 30th 2008 10:41PM
EoTS is like testicles on a female..... pointless.
superfrank Oct 31st 2008 7:21AM
half the raid zergs the flag.
wtf.
superfrank Oct 31st 2008 7:23AM
I used angle brackets and the post failed. it should have said:
"ok guys, get 3 towers then start capping the flag"
*half the raid zergs straight out of the gate to the flag*
wtf.
Illucid Oct 30th 2008 5:50PM
I always end up with players who insist, at any cost, on holding the stables, because it's 'our' node. Doesn't matter what's happening on the rest of the field. I can only assume they have a Special Relationship with one of the donkeys.
Better groups cap and abandon the stables, grab the blacksmith and one of mone/lumber mill, then opportistically take the other one and the farm. This leaves the horde with the stables, miles from doing any real damage.
In general, if Alliance are holding the stables. they're losing.
pungkow Oct 30th 2008 6:02PM
Since when does holding a node equate to a loss? If you have 1 or 2 people standing back defending the node, getting ready to call an incoming, that's good strategy. Otherwise the opposing faction will just quick cap it, leave a person or 2 there, and go cap something else. If this happens during the first minute of the match, as it often does, that means anyone who attacked the node can just camp your spawn, cutting you off, and making a 5 cap that much easier.
I play Alliance, and very rarely does people holding the stables mean a loss, in fact it's usually NOT having anyone there to defend it that guarantees failure.
Illucid Oct 30th 2008 6:21PM
I agree that capping the stables is necessary. The problems start when Horde attack it. In many groups, people rush back to defend 'our' node, and end up losing two others, getting into a pitched fight, then losing the stables anyway. Down three nodes.
It's better to focus on the blacksmith, then radiate out from there.
Lemons Oct 30th 2008 7:15PM
Unfortunately, you sometimes you just have to cave into them. If there are 3-4 alli who won't give up stabs, just get over there and help them. You can usually take it back, and if you do you've just brought 3-4 alli back into play.
At least look at the situation, if it's truly hopeless, than just keep telling them to abandon and run past, they usually listen after a bit.
Danel Oct 30th 2008 7:34PM
I wouldn't go so far as to say that holding the Stables is *bad* for the Alliance, but as a Hordie I've definitely noticed that some Alliance have a strange overattachment to the stables - I've seen fights where we've held everything else yet the Alliance fights desperately with all they have to hold the stables, rather than even sending anyone off to spot a weakpoint. Gradually, the rest of our defenders trickle up until it's thirty players fighting for a single flag. Either one of ours slips through just long enough, and we win 5-0, or they manage to hold for long enough that we win 4-1.
It's almost depressingly pointless, since while the 3 marks are nice there's not really much satisfaction in defeating opponents that stupid.
Jason Oct 31st 2008 10:11AM
Don't even talk to me about the stables. That should be the last objective the Horde should even try to take. All it really ever does is over extend the group.
What battle group are you guys one because it sounds like the Horde on those servers know what the heck they're doing?
pudds Oct 30th 2008 6:09PM
Slork's strategy is much better than the typical 5-5-5. The trouble with 5-5-5 is you're conceding 2 nodes. Conceding 2 nodes means they can defend them with minimal effort, while committing most of their efforts to taking a single node. The result is that any of your nodes can easily be overrun by 10 or more enemies.
Putting pressure on the opposing side at 4 or more nodes means all nodes must be defended, which makes subsequently makes defending your own nodes that much easier.
Mike Oct 30th 2008 7:39PM
THANK YOU! I have been trying to get people to stop yelling "Just defend 3" for years now!
Eufimische Oct 30th 2008 6:17PM
Every time I join an Arathi Basin PUG, I have a conversation that goes like this.
Me: "So what's the plan"
Some guy: "Kill the Horde!"
Me: "That's not a plan"
Some guy: "Whatever, just have fun, it's only a game"
I can only assume these guys theorise that the Horde's plan is preventing them from having fun, so even as their score hits 2000 while ours has barely cleared the 1000 mark, we're the true winners.
Unfortunately you can't buy PVP gear with fun.
superstone Oct 31st 2008 1:51AM
Not implemented yet, huh?
That'll be in one of these patches soon...
gd1107 Oct 30th 2008 6:36PM
sure its a good plan, but u still need 14 other in the bg to follow...unless you run a premade. 4-3-3-3-2 is how all the premades I was in grinding for high warlord, and it was quite effective. that just doesn't happen in a pug.
what you need to win in a pug is a good dedicated healer. im an enhance shaman and i used to go in with a holy priest or paladin. we'd win 95% of our games with me being at the top with most damage and him being at top healing. add a warrior to the mix, and its just that much better...
if you can accomplish the full on push and hold the opposing team at their spawn, its game over.
Lemons Oct 30th 2008 7:03PM
Yeah, well, this is hardly an article. Who in their entire WoW career has ever played AB in a tournament setting? No one I can think of, in fact I've never even heard of such blasphemy until now!
If you want to win a normal PuG AB match there is only 2 things you need to do:
1. Defend what you have
So, when the horde trying to take your flag STOP THEM! sacrifice your life if you have have to! AoE and try to live as long as possible. It's easy to get tunnel vision when fighting so always be mindful of what's happening to the flag.
This spawns another rule: fight at flags (or FAF?)! How can you stop them from taking it if you're not even near it? Resist the primal urge to chase horde and leave the flag defenseless!
2. Communicate!
Ever notice the ABs you lose are the ones where no one is talking in the BG chat? There's a reason for that. A node that everyone thinks is safe can be suddenly overrun because none of the Einsteins at that base thought to call for help. Please do not be one of those idiots. A simple "inc stabs" will suffice.
You'd think people would know this one by now but I can't tell you how many bases are suddenly in enemy hands without a peep from any of the defenders.
And here's a bonus tip for your trouble:
3. Realize when you've been zerged!
If you do everything right, watch the flag, call for help, and you still get rolled, stop and think about it for a second. How many were there? If there was like 8-15 horde there then you my friend just got zerged, which is not a bad thing. That means the their other bases have little or no defenders. Forget trying to recapture the node, just run around and clean up all their bases. Teach 'em what happens when they put all their eggs in one basket!
There's more to winning an AB than that, but those are the basics. On the other hand if you're Alli then you just get pwned no matter what you do because half the people on your team seemed to have just dinged 70 three minutes ago and the fist thing on their "to-do when I hit 70" list was to play a freaking AB match! argh...
p.s. also if you can think of anything I missed comment and say so.