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The Quick Guide to PvP
[SIZE="5"]The Quick Guide to PvP[/SIZE]
Written by avsquare
Written by avsquare
VERSION HISTORY
Ver 1.00 - Published on 8th Jan, 2010
Ver 1.01 - Updated on 8th Jan, 2010 with a new chapter on "Easy Skill Points Farming" NEW!
[SIZE="4"]PREFACE[/SIZE]
The intention of this guide is to discuss the various builds for different styles of PvP. I will talk about the pros and cons of the various PvP builds and it's functionality to assist those who are lost in finding their preferred build. Various mathematical ratios and their implications will be discussed here.
It is also hoped to assist the newbies who don't know how they hell they die on the battlefield to understand PvP better, and hopefully by reading this guide they will not make more of those "WHY?!" thread that has been answered a googolplex times. (ATTN NEWBIES: Go check at the bottom of this guide, I have a FAQ. If your question is listed then you should very well read this guide).
[SIZE="4"]CONTENTS[/SIZE]
- Chapter 1 - Assumptions
- Chapter 2 - The Battle Strength Index
- Chapter 3 - The Stat Ratios
- Chapter 4 - Easy Skill Points Farming
- Chapter 5 - The Most Common PvP Questions/FAQ
- Chapter 6 - Conclusions & Further Reading
[SIZE="4"]CHAPTER 1 - ASSUMPTIONS[/SIZE]
- It is assumed that you have GOOD knowledge on the mechanics of PvP. If you don't, either read other guides first or check out my FAQ at the last, later.
- To facilitate easy mathematical comparisons, the different builds are assumed on the ground of 1,000 total stat points in attack & defense.
- It is assumed that both parties in comparison discussions have the exact gears and army composition.
- The comparison of BSI is supposed to be used for comparison of near level peers. Extreme level differences beyond the gauntlet may not be fully applicable, due to the sheer amount of stat point difference. Using your BSI to estimate your strength against players who are much over-leveled than you would thus not be effective.
- Win and Defeat mentioned in this guide are mutual. It refers to both offensive and defensive battles. (ie. wining offensively and defensively)
- The ratios used are assumed to be in the order of Attack : Defense.
[SIZE="4"]CHAPTER 2 - THE BATTLE STRENGTH INDEX[/SIZE]
The BSI, is a moderated indicator of your battle strength based on your current level. The formula for this index "(attack + defense)/level" is widely used and accepted to evaluate one's PvP power based on his/her level, and used to compare him/her with their close level peers to see how they fair in the battlefield.
For yourself to be considered a build majored for PvP, I would say you would need a BSI of 5.0. To me, it's a fair number to be considered ready for PvP action and subsequently, improving on it. Anything below that, you are just food to those who are PvP oriented, as simple as that.
Now, let me discuss this indicator, and what the numbers mean.
- The Beginner - 5.00 to 5.49: Welcome to the PvP scene. This is where you begin. At 5.0, you are just a mediocre PvP player, so do not expect much. At this ratio, you are only strong enough to fend off players whose BSI are generaly below 4.5 to around 5.5, depending his attack:defense ratio. These group of people are generally monster hunters who just started PvP or taking PvP as "part-time job". Your preys are generally from monster hunters to players with a BSI under 6.0 with negligible defense, depending on your build's ratios.
- The Intermediate - 5.50 to 5.99: You are of intermediate strength. What you are able to attack and defend from are dependent on your build's rations again. However, you should be able to do well against about 50% of your peers. What you cannot handle is those who's BSI are 6.0 and above, they are the "full-time" PvP players
- The Serious - 6.00 to 6.99: You are of superior strength in PvP. A good majority of your peers should not be your match in most circumstances, which depends on your build's ratio. Of course, I would assume that at this stage you know what you are doing and what you want from PvP. I assume that you know who to hunt, who are your competitors and who are the top dogs around your range. You are able to stand and fight on your own with ease.
- The Hardcore - 7.00 and above: You are basically a monster within your peers. Not much people should be able to defeat you. You are ready to have a shot at hitting beyond your level range, and you should do so, because the higher you go, the more tasty food you find, although the dangers get higher. HOWEVER, you are clearly limiting your ability to slay monsters and gather loots compared to the lower BSI builds. It's the major trade-off for such massive PvP strength.
From time to time, you should use the above Index to evaluate your strength against the general strength of your peers. The BSI is a very relative index and you need not follow it to the T to be a top notch PvP player. You can easily adjust your BSI to your needs and your surroundings. For example, at a very high level of 600+, you need not have even 5.0 to win against most players. Being at the top levels means you can fairly weaken your BSI and invest your SPs on other aspects instead. Why? For a level 600, having a BSI of 3.33 is rather powerful enough. That could well mean 1,000 attack and 1,000 defense which is a challenge to most CA players.
Venture it out and see what lies in front of you, and decide what BSI you should go for.
[SIZE="4"]CHAPTER 3 - THE STAT RATIOS[/SIZE]
Now, you've heard all the stuffs about the BSI, and now you wonder, what kind of ratio build you should go for? Now, I'll discuss the various build for your consideration. I will move from the extreme offense to the extreme defense.
- The Destroyer - ALL Attack, 1 Defense: Yes you know it. You are the ultimate destroyer, you crush almost anything in your path. The only one within your peers who could stop you is "The Wall (pure defense)". However, it is not your concern at wall because Walls are rare in nature, I'll tell you why later on. Lots of foods lies around, so, move on if you hit a wall. You deal massive damage on monsters too, compared to your peer. But defensively, you are going to suck big time. Even if you are a "Destroyer" with a hardcore 7.0 BSI, in defenses your defense score is amounted to 4.9x your level. You can take it as good as a 4.9 BSI in defense. Any "The Beginner" of this "Destroyer" build will crush you biscuits, and they love it. Everyone loves it, BTW. As such, this build is clearly not viable in the long run; at high ranks it's difficult to get good BP per fight, and if you continue to be a "Destroyer" you are going to lose more than you gain.
- The Aggressor - 5 : 1.5: This build is for those who wish to be aggressive, and at the same time, being able to defend well against the weak to mediocre attacks. Why? Let's take the ratio and use the numbers as factors to your level. That means, you have 5x level Attack, and 1.5x level Defense. Offensively, you have 6.05x level attack score, and defensively, you have 5x level in defense score. It's pretty good I'd say.
- The Offensive - 2 : 1: This build is for those who plan to be offensive but at the same time, being balanced. Why so? At 2 : 1, during the offensive you are have a total attack score of equating to 90% of your total attack + defense stats, and during the defensive, a defensive score of equating to 80% of your total attack + defensive stats. Fairly balanced, I'd say.
- The Balanced - 1 : 1: This build is basic enough. One to one, the perfectly balanced ratio. It's basically the jack of all trades, master of none. You don't shine particularly in either department. The good thing is you can do fairly well against most players except the mid-extreme to extreme ratio builds.
- The Defensive - 1 : 2: It's just the vice-versa of "The Offensive", with the downside of weakening your powers in the monster hunting department.
- The Paladin - 1.5 : 5: It's the vice-versa of "The Aggressor", which a significant downside of your powers in the general monster hunting department. However, you are valued in 2 monster battles: Serpents and the Orc Horde for fortifications.
- The Wall - 1 Attack : ALL Defense: The vice-versa of "The Destroyer". Just that you do horrendously poor against non-fortification monster battles. You sucked absolutely at them except for the Serpents and the Orc Horde, which you will be greatly welcomed and loved.
Now that you read about the builds and it's strengths and weaknesses, we shall look at how it fairs against each other:
It has come clear that the offensive builds are the ones being initiative, and the defenders passive players. Both has it's pros and cons on PvP, but on multiple aspects on CA, defenders tends to lose out on the monster battle department, resulting in lesser ability to get the alchemy gears faster, and in larger quantity.
Also, assumed that the comparison above is based on 1,000 total stats in attack and defense, you will realize that pure defenders lose out totally on the offensive, which limits their ability to retaliate players of similar level or total attack + defense stat. This is the reason why offensive builds are preferred over defensive builds by the general CA community, and the fact that after reaching the gauntlet, you are susceptible to all attacks makes the "Wall" build and the "Paladin" build fairly unattractive, resulting in most players picking on an offensive or balanced build.
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