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A Guide to Slaughtering the Innocent:

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The Basics of Mana Conservation

a) Mana, for most classes is life! It allows you to do three unique and important things 1. Heal 2. Do damage 3. Cast beneficial and defensive spells. A mage with Zero mana. and an opponent at full health might as well recall (unless he has hiding) .

1. Dress for the occasion: If you are a player who relies mostly on magic to do dmg, you want to regain Mana ASAP! Therefore your optimal dress code is GM leather (or the new leather types that dont affect mana regen).

2. To dump or not to dump. This is key! Biggest mistake I see is people spending 100 mana in the first 20 sec of battle. The good old, explosion cor por, cor por, cor por. Or even worse explosion flame strike!!!!!

To win a battle you have to be creative. Mind blast and explosion, are two mana efficient spells. Poison stops or disrupts the heal - comes in handy to cast after Explosion if the enemy pre-casts In Vas Mani. Weaken is another underused spell.

In other words, dump to kill, not to damage.

3. Choose your spells wisely! There are so many spells the average day to day PvP'er neglects to use and some they do that are just wrong. The best underused spell must be In Mani. Also use for fireball/Harm (Harm is proximity based run ou to your opponent and hit last target) for killshots when you are at very low mana or to disrupt longer spells.

Also lower circle spells are cast faster than higher level spells. So, with harm or Fireball you can actually disrupt a mage casting Greater heal. Poison is the best example of a low level spell that is worth its weight in mana. Any mage who doesn't use it in combat better start.

4. To drink or not to Drink? Yes, If you want to win you have to use potions. Potions allow you to stay on the attack. Always drink them first. Firstly, because the 10 sec timer on heal potions will reset faster and secondly, it will save you mana and time, which in turn you can spend on offensive spells.

Pk Rule #6

Use enhancing and defensive spells. Before you enter combat make sure your char is in prime condition. Have MR or Prot up at all times and fresh if possible. Arch protection can be used in addition to RA or MR (adds tem points to AC), so use it.

Continued....
 
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Battle Tactics:

The key to winning is knowledge. You must know your opponent, what their strategy will most likely be and how to counter it. Much of how a battle develops depends on two things. The type of char you play (mage/warrior) and the type of char you opponent plays (mage/warrior). Remember the person that attacks first has the advantage, as he directs combat.

a)Recognizing char type:

Simplest way to recognize the type of char your opponent plays is to look at the armor they wear.

Initiating Battle:

Warrior vs Mage: A warrior facing a mage must be expecting two things. Firstly damage en mass and poison. The best way for a warrior to survive a mages attack is to keep the mage from casting harmful or beneficial spells. To ensure this, a warrior should have the fastest weapon (of their type, preferably lesser or deadly poisoned) at their disposal. In the best case scenario the warrior should have magic reflect precast on themselves. Next they should disarm a shield or dex reducing armor if they have any. Most, if not all damage you sustain will be spell based. A shield will just hamper your ability to effectively drink potions. Next drink a greater agility potion. It will raise your dex and therefore increase your swing speed. You will do more dmg and disrupt more spells. Next cast bless if you can. This allows you to increase both your maximum life and damage potential. Also it allows you to start applying a bandage even before you take spell damage. It also does not change the differential between your stats (mindblast protection).

After you begin applying the bandage take stock of your situation. If you are low on life <30 hp from your new max drink a Greater heal potion. Drinking it now will rest your timer and let you drink one sooner, later in combat. If you are poisoned DON'T wait for the bandage to cure the poison. Drink a greater cure ASAP. At this point you are in good shape the mage is lower on mana and you have the advantage. Do what you do best. MELEE.

Mage/Mage:

First thing I do is use my eval macro to get a sense of my opponents stats (time permitting). This is important for deciding whether or not to use Mind Blast. Most mages have 100 int which mean MB will on average be more effective. Also, if you can, have Magic Reflect precast on yourself. If your opponent has more balanced stats (ie he's a hybrid) fall back on good old Cor Por. Now you may ask "what do I do now, there are so many spells?". Well this depends on your character's type. First option, what I suggest for novices, is the defensive approach.

a)You know that one of you will begin with a mana dump. Don't initiate. Be ready to heal. Drink a Greater strength, cast In Mani or drink a GH potion. You may have to heal a lot. Never cast the spell cure, to cure poison instead use a potion. This will save mana and let you heal dmg more effectively and faster! After the initial dmg burst use a heal potion, then if need be cast greater heal. If you survive the dump your opponent is low on mana and you have the advantage, now is your turn to go on the offensive.

b)This is the offensive approach. Most mages openings are personal and they differ from person to person. These are suggested openings. The mistake you don't want to make is to spend all your mana in the first two seconds of combat. I begin with the all popular explosion. At this point, watch if your opponent casts heal. If he does, immediately cast poison. This will nullify his tactic. Next cast Mind blast or Cor Por, in such a way that the explosion dmg and the other spell's dmg resolve at the same time. If you haven't already cast poison do it now! You will disrupt the mages heal and panic them further. Now take stock of their life, you've entered into the intermediate stages of battle.

Mage/Warrior: Again follow most of the instructions above. Key to surviving a warrior is Reactive Armor or protection. Wear GM leather armor, both will raise your AC without hampering your mana regeneration. If you have time, cast arch protection on yourself. It works in addition to other defensive spells. I'd also drink a greater strength potion. Then begin with the before mentioned combo. You’ve now entered into the intermediate stages of battle.

Finally Pking

This is the big one, everyone dies, even the best fall. Accept that before battle, restock, learn from your mistakes. Practice makes perfect - win or loose...also the only way to actually get better is to fight ppl that are better than you are...challenge yourself.

And my final pet peeve.... There is never need for trash talk. If you owned someone, you will know it, they will know it and anyone around watching will know it. If you spout off nonsense, it will only take away from your victory and reputation.

*Much credit to Kamikaze of GUL - as I said, I only ammended and updated and added things here and there*

Vy
 
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I borrowed a good bit (read most) from many pvp/pk guild websites and added/amended any info as I went on. I have to give much credit to the info I found on the GUL site (I am an active GUL member on Cats) and the guys there.

Pk Rule #1
There are no rules.
Don’t believe anyone who tells you there are. This doesn't mean you should grief other players, show respect and you'll receive it. Don't get frustrated with others who lack your moral standards, they aren't obliged to follow them.

Pk Rule #2

Always Be Prepared or you will die!
Simply put, you must be prepared to battle at any moment, anytime. This means having the necessary equipment available and organized

Everyone’s pack different depending on char class and playstyle. What I'm going to list is the base necessities:
5-10 Greater heals
6-12 Greater Cures
5-10 Total refreshes
3 Greater explosions

50+ bandages
7 or more magically trapped boxes (these should be in one back that is set as the "use Once agent" in UOA then assigned a hotkey) - thats 2 mages mana worth of para-explode ganking.

Food

Pk Rule #3

If you are experiencing lag then don't, I repeat don't Pk.

Pk rule #4

Establish a good macro set up.
Although I don’t want to go into macro setups in detail (everyone’s is individual), establish yours with one premise, accessibility. All important keys most be within a hands width and easily accessible. Once again it is personal preference, just ensure you are not fumbling. Seconds matter, they are the measure between life and death.

Pk rule #5

PvP is really about balancing and maintaining your two key resources, Health and Mana (in that order)

Note: stam is also important, but Total Refreshes make refilling stamina a simple matter. Remember though, your swing speed is directly correlated to your stamina, so keep it as close to full as possible.

a) Always heal! You can't fight if you're dead. It's better to err on the side of caution.

Basics of Healing:

1. Recognize when you need to heal. If your opponent is a mage, your first sign that you are going to have to heal are the words "Vas Ort Flam" (Explosion). Explosion is used in combination with other dmg spells namely mind blast, Ebolt and Flamestrike or poison. Explosion has a delay so both spells will resolve at once dealing mass dmg. Precast GH (Greater heal) and hold off targeting yourself until the dmg resolves - or poison hits.

You should have healed most dmg and at the same time cost your opponent multiple times the mana you spent, now you have the advantage.

If you're a warrior bless yourself or drink a Str Potion and begin a bandage and have a potion ready on hand to drink. If you have a shield, disarm it. If need be, drink the potion, retreat, then cast GH and reenter combat back at full. The mage will be at a stark disadvantage.

2. If you're a warrior always apply bandages ASAP! You know the msg “you have just healed 35 points of dmg.” (UOA also has a handy healing timer that resets after bandage application. Approx 11 sec for a High dex warrior) That is your hint to start the next Band-Aid. I have a macro key set up for apply bandage (target self), again this is a UOA feature.

3. When to heal? A good rule is to heal whenever your opponent heals, hence you always retain the life advantage, or when your life is low.

Continued.....
 
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This information was gathered by Ivan Ho:

-Mage Tactics-

Tactics change depending on who you fighting.
If you’re fighting another mage, then poison is your best friend. If they are balanced then rely on 6th circle spells, and weaken. Mana drain sometimes works too, if they have low resist.
If the mage your fighting is unbalanced, then cast weaken, cunning, and clumsy on him. This will take a mage who is at 100 100 25 stats to 89 111 14. The difference between mind blast damage is as follows:
100-25=75 Good damage
111-14=97 Even better damage
If your fighting a dexer with no magery who is balanced, your best bet is to cast weaken, and then a couple explosion ebolt combos. Don't waste mana on poison, if you can dump all your mana before his first bandage applies, that's what you want to do.
If the same dexer is unbalanced, cast weaken, feeble mind, and agility. This will give the best possible mind blast damage.
Hybrids are probably the most difficult for a mage to fight, because they can heal three ways: Magic, Bandages, and Potions. If they are balanced, one tactic is to cast weaken, ebolt, poison, ebolt poison, ebolt. This is considering they don't kill you before you get the mana all gone.
If the hybrid is unbalanced, do the same stat alters as the dexer, but alternate poison and mind blast. Hopefully they will be too interested in healing themselves to swing a weapon at you.
Unless you are duelling, when you run out of mana, run and hide. A mage without weapon is like a macer without any maces.









-Dexer Tactics-

As with mages your tactics will change depending on who your opponent is.
It doesn't matter whether your opponent is balanced or unbalance, since you won't be mind blasting them.
Mages will be your hardest fights, unless you have balanced stats and good resist. If you can keep your dex up by drinking greater agilities, and total refreshes, do so. If you can hit a mage 50% of the time, you have a 50/50 chance to interrupt them, considering they don't have inscription. Also with you hitting them, they will have to waste mana and time on healing; the exception to this is if they have healing in their template.
Dexers will more or less be a fight of chance. Here character templates come into view, instead of individual tactics. Macers will win most long fights, as they destroy both armour, and stamina. If you are up against a macer, make sure you have plenty of total refreshes. The alternate template that is a 'quick kill' template is a fencer or swordsman with poisoning. If you are fighting one of these, have plenty of cures. If they are using a two handed weapon don't get below half health, and if they are using a one handed weapon, don't get below one quarter.
Hybrids put up a moderate level of difficulty. When fighting these guys, carry all the potions of the rainbow. Heals, Cures, Total Refreshes, Dex, and Strength pots. Also carry some explosion potions if they cast invis or hide from you.
Once again if you run out of stuff, like armour, pots, aids, or moral, leave the area. Those who run, live to fight another day.








-Hybrid Tactics-

To me, this character is the easiest to play, and the most versatile. Your most difficult fight will be against another hybrid.
Since you have magery, when fighting mages, save that mana for defensive stuff. Like lesser heals, cures, stat changes, magic reflect or what not. Also have an armful of potions.
You use your mana completely differently when fighting dexers. Rather than heals, cures and all the defensive spells you used when fighting mages, you will save your mana for offense now. Rely on your potions and bandages as defence. Only cast a spell when they are far away, or paralysed. Never try to cast with them swinging at you. With no weapon in your hand it will check your wrestle skill, and that is probably 0.0. You can pick what spells you want to cast by looking at magery, meditation, and eval.
No med, eval, just magery. Poison seems to work the best here. That doesn't check eval, and it doesn't use that much mana.
No med, but magery and eval. Save your mana for a grand finale when they are low on health, and running. A flame strike will do the trick, or if you’re afraid of fizzling, do exp ebolt.
Med, Mage, and Eval. This is a rarity on hybrids, but if these are your skills, wear light armour and cast as much as you would if you were a mage. But remember don't cast when they are swinging at you.
When you fight other hybrids, careful of the same tactics coming your direction, use the same tactics as you would a dexer, with poison. They will have to drop their weapon if they cure with the spell, and then you will hit them every time.
In a duel, it is rare you will need to run. But if you do, don't be bashful!









-All Melee (This includes both dexers and hybrids)-

Group Tactics will change is your group roster changes.
When you are fighting an opposing group of mostly dexers and hybrids, and you have an attendance of five or more, it is best to have everyone use two-handed weapons. If one or a couple people are taking a lot of damage from other melee combat, and they have parry, switch to a shield. This is because your enemy cannot fight every melee'r you have in yours. So maximize damage by using more damaging weapons.
If there are more than a couple mages on the opposing team, you will use the same tactics (two handed weapons), however you may want to switch to a one handed weapon, if one or all of the mages has targeted you, so you can easily drink potions.
If your groups target is an individual, they will most likely be running. So hybrids should paralyse them as much as they can, and all the fencers should be using long spears or short spears, for para blows.
If your target is attempting to recall, use fast one handed weapons, like krysses, katanas, and war axes. This is to interrupt the recall or gate spell.
If one person on our side has fallen already, and the situation looks grim, it is best to run and hide. That sounds unfair to the one that died, but if one person dies, that lowers your chance of survival. For instance, in a five on five battles, one of yours dies, makes it a five on four battles. So instead of having a 50% chance of winning you have a 30% chance. Then if they pick off another that lowers the percentage down to 20% or less. If one person falls and all the enemies are defeated, res him and help him loot. If you get separated from the group, and you see a friendly corpse unlooted, loot it and return the contents back to the HQ. They will most likely show up soon, restocking.









There are two unique tactics a group of mages can use when fighting the enemy.
Fighting a large group, one mage should sit back, and heal/cure the others as they take damage. For the offensive mages, cast the same spells as you would in a duel. If you are against overwhelming odds, heal each other, until you can hide, recall or gate out.
Individual Targets will defiantly run when they know a group of mages is going to kill them, so do not start out with explosion combos. Instead do small spells first.
Another way of killing one or two people very quickly, is to paralyse them. If they have trapped pouches, re-paralyse them until you are sure they are out. Then have all the mages meditate to full, and cast explosion ebolt combos on one of them. This combo emitting from four or five mages is enough to kill anyone.
Whoever was healing, should open a gate for the rest if overwhelming odds show up. If you open the recall book, and gate using the pages, it will not give a criminal, or heat of battle check.








The most versatile of all group fights are when every class is involved.
When you’re up against a large group, dexers and hybrids will use the same tactics as if they were in their own group. However mages spells will differ slightly, depending on the situation. Mages' main job, if the odds aren't very good, is to watch everyone’s health, and heal/cure as necessary. If everyone is doing good health wise, have all mages should target one player, and concentrate all mana on him until he is dead. It would be a good idea for everyone in the group to pick a common target, but in the heat of battle it is hard to control everything. If the dexers aren't attacking a common target, it isn't a huge deal, because if they are attacking someone, they are doing damage, and keeping the enemy busy. But mages need to attack the same player at the same time. 100 mana from one person an enemy can still survive. However with 300, 500, or more mana from multiple people, the enemy doesn't stand a chance. Cast the same spells as you would in a duel on the enemy.
Individual targets require the same tactics for dexers and hybrids, but mages should cast small spells, like poison, harm, stat changes, and other small spells to interrupt the enemy’s recall/gate.
Once again if you have a mage who is the designated healer, this player will more than likely have the mana required for a gate spell. This person should be the last one through the gate, insuring the others have exited.






If you are in a relatively small group, of mages and high end weapons, like axes, hammers, bardiches, or other slow, two handed weapons, and your target is one or two individuals, you will use different tactics altogether.
There will be four groups of people assigned to different tasks, each equally important.
The mage paralysing (I say one because it is a waste of mana to have 2 or more mages paralysing the same target) need to chain para the enemy. If they have pouches, keep paralysing until they run out, and when they do run out meditate to full mana. When the dexer swinging the high end weapon unparalysing them, repeat.
The mages healing need to concentrate health on the dexer that is swinging his weapon. If the target is a dexer himself, damage can easily be dealt to the one on our side. These mages also are the assigned gate mages, if large amounts of trouble show up.
The mages finishing the victim need to have either ebolts, of flame strikes precasted for when the target gets so low on health a single spell will kill him.
The dexer has the job of dealing damage to the target. Use an axe, hammer, bardiche, or some other very slow, very damaging weapon. Stand back from the target; until he is out of pouches, and the paralysing mage is full mana, and has paralyse precasted. If you get hurt, stand back until a mage heals you; never drop your weapon for pots, unless you don't have an assigned healer.
It is rare that the enemy will have the time to all upon help against us, but in the event that he does, the healer mage has the task of gating out, and making sure everyone has exited.





-Crimping (Special)-

If you are assassinating a target or two, the use of crimping can bring death to your target very effectively.
There will be a couple different fighters here too. Mages will be used to paralyse, and dexers block and swing.
The mages in the group will use the same tactics as if you were going to use high-end weapons as you start out, by chain paralysing them, and if they have pouches, run them out of those. While the dexers are beating on him, concentrate on small spells like poison to disrupt a would-be retreat.
The dexers (minimum of four) will walk up to the paralysed target in PEACE MODE, and surround the enemy on all sides. Do not sue your mounts for blockers, as they are easy to kill, unless you have something like a mare, or frenzied ostard. Soon as the enemy is completely surrounded, attack them in unison. It is up to you what weapons you use, as any four weapons on a common target will end up in death quickly. If the target is dealing damage to one of the blockers, the adjacent dexers should heal this person, so you do not break formation.
If there are not enough dexers to crimp, then the mages in the group can also block, but careful, the enemy will most likely pick you as a target first, so concentrate on heals. Also look for heals from the adjacent dexers.
 
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