WAAR! STORIES

Well finally, for the first time in what seems like forever, my guild was able to run nearly a 6 man group in ORvR yesterday. We ended up running with only 5, but it was a solid 5 at least. Slayer / BW / RP / RP / KotBS. Probably not your "ideal" group setup, but it worked to perfection.

As we ran around Praag during prime time, obviously we tried to avoid the 3 WB vs 3 WB zerg that was running around, virtually doing nothing but camping each others warcamps. Sure we got zerged down a few times, but there were other times that were simply magnificent. And I must say that while I do attribute most of it to our skill, I must give some of it to the fact that AoE right now is crazy. Just maybe crazy perfect.....

We were able to, several times mind you, kill an ENTIRE Destro WB! With, that's right, only 5 of us! By using terrain to our advantage, mainly the closed in graveyards in Praag, we were able to really bottleneck people into the doorways and AoE them down. It was probably the best time I've had in WAR to date. It left me pretty satisfied with the state of the game right now. And finally, it left me with the feeling of wanting more from open RvR in WAR.

So tonight I was doing some T4 Scenarios with a few guildees, and would'nt you know it we came across several guild groups running 5+ Choppas....all level 40.

Now while I'm not surprised at the amount of rank 40 Choppas, I am surprised to see just how very few Slayers there are of equal rank. Besides myself, I believe I have only seen 2 other rank 40 Slayers (Phoenix Throne). So where are they all? Leveling up through RvR, gaining renown? Lets hope that we see a bunch of Slayers soon though cause I must say, my butt sure is sore from the beating we took in those scenarios. The amount of damage they put out is just through the roof. Not to mention it was coupled with some Sorc pits and Magus pulls.......again. Maybe it is just the fact that Destro has a lot more time to level? While I don't know the age breakdown of players on PT, I'd imagine that Destro appeals to a younger crowd. Just basing this shearly off of looks really. Who knows.

Also, do Choppas get some sort of knockback ability? On more than one occasion it seemed as if a Choppa was using an AoE knockback of some sort, I couldn't tell for sure though. While I could look on WarDb right now, it's to nearly midnight and I'm tired.

First thing's first. Welcome to the show! I've created this blog mostly for my own musings, but I hope there are some who enjoy reading and taking part of the experiences I go through in Warhammer Online.

Now, on to the meat of it. Active Abilities. Ever since 1.2 has hit, I can't help but feel as if active abilities really should have a place in Warhammer. A lot of people will think otherwise. There are some that will say, "Everyone will just spam their I-Win button." Or those that may think having an active ability takes away from the skill of the game play.

With the coming of 1.2, we have seen a major shift in power to casters / ranged dps. The amount of damage those classes can put out in such a short amount of time is unreal. I mean really, good luck getting sucked in by a Magus, into 3 Pit of Shades, all whilst being knocked down by a tank. Let's face it, there is no surviving that. Now the problem with the above that I had, isn't the fact that it is being done, but rather the fact that there is ultimately nothing anyone can do once the process of getting sucked in starts.

We've seen in other games, Active Realm Abilities (DAoC). Things like Purge, Group Purge, First Aid, Vanish, etc... Yes, at first there were abilities that were OP. Hibbies only having Group Purge being an example. Eventually though, Mythic got it right, and each realm had access to the same RA's.

What is the reasoning these abilities cannot have a place in WAR? Having a "Purge" would allow you to remove a knockdown or snare, and maybe get you out of that AoE mess. I'm definitely not saying these things are spammable by any means. Things with 10 to 15 minute timers, possibly even longer. Would that really be so bad? Would a Vanish type ability for WE and WH's be so terrible? They can only stealth once every 30 seconds as is right now. Would giving them a Vanish every half hour be terrible? By keeping these things on long cool downs, it doesn't take the skill out of the game, but puts in even further decision making by letting the player choose to use it in a particular situation.

Also keep in mind, that not all active abilities have their place in WAR. While a purge or an out of combat heal may be good, things like in combat full self heals for a dps class do not.

Some also may say that we do have active abilities in the form of Morales. I tend to agree with this, other than most of Morales seem to be oriented toward that of damage for a dps, or healing for a priest type career. Maybe making Morale abilities / Tactics changeable in combat would switch my view on this subject completely, but that is for another post.