User:Piumosso-Uldum/AB Guide

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Work in progress - text is mostly complete

This is Piumosso's Guide to Arathi Basin. This guide is intended for all players - from complete newcomers to experienced players looking to organize and lead a good team. It's quite long, but some of the basics can be skipped for more experienced players. Below is an overview of each chapter - skip to the one that interests you. If you have any comments, please leave them on the talk page.

1. #Basics and Objectives - Rules, objectives, and other info meant for newcomers.
2. #Arathi Basin Strategy - Detailed tactical discussion.
3. #Organizing a Team - How to form a team, including a basic strategy to use.
4. #How to PUG Arathi Basin - And, how NOT to PUG. Keeping your sanity when queueing solo.
5. #Author's Closing - Final remarks

Basics and Objectives

Arathi Basin is a PvP battleground, located in Arathi Highlands. The Alliance are represented by the League of Arathor, and the entrance to the battleground is located at Refuge Point in Arathi Highlands. The Horde are represented by The Defilers, and the entrance is located north of Hammerfall in Arathi Highlands. The premise of the battleground is that the two factions seek to exploit the natural resources of the land. Players can join a match at the entrances in Arathi Highlands or at the battle masters located in the capital cities. Alliance (blue) and Horde (red) teams are fifteen players each. Players can form an organized team of up to fifteen players and join as a group, or join solo as a PUG (pick-up group) player. Joining the battleground places you into a queue, and players are matched to fill the teams to fifteen. The game play is a type of "king of the hill" match.

The objective is to collect resource points, which are earned by controlling resource nodes. The first team to collect 2000 resource points wins the match. Resource points are earned by controlling resource nodes, of which there are five on the map. Points are accumulated in real time as a function of the number of nodes a team controls. Thus, the team that wins is the one that generally holds more resource nodes for a cumulatively longer period of time than the opponent.

A match can last anywhere from 5 minutes to nearly 40 minutes or longer depending on the relative strengths of the teams and the tactics used. Most matches between equally strong teams average 25 to 30 minutes. Unlike Warsong Gulch or Alterac Valley, a match will rarely go on indefinitely. This is due to the nature of the scoring system, with points almost always being awarded steadily over time.

Scoring

There are exactly five resource nodes on the map that can be controlled for resource points. Points are periodically awarded as a function of the number of nodes your team controls as follows:

Nodes	Points awarded	Point rate
0	None	0 per second
1	10 every 11 seconds	.909 per second
2	10 every 10 seconds	1.000 per second
3	10 every 6 seconds	1.667 per second
4	10 every 3 seconds	3.333 per second
5	30 every 1 second	30.000 per second

Note that points are always awarded 10 at a time, except for the five node situation, where points are awarded 30 at a time. Also note that the reward is not linear with respect to node count. The third node captured gives more points than the second node, the fourth node captured gives more points than the third node, and so on.

Map Layout

The Alliance start at Trollbane Hall at the northwest corner of the map, and the Horde start at the Defiler's Den at the southeast corner of the map. Each starting area has a graveyard that remains in control of the team for the entire game. The starting areas award no resource points, and cannot be captured.

The map is mostly symmetrical from the Horde and Alliance starting areas. Each side of the map has similar features and obstructions, and with small differences, the average time it takes to reach a resource node from either starting location is equal.

Each of the five nodes on the map has a flag to be captured, a graveyard, and various structures, with usually one large building that sits between the graveyard and the flag. Each node has a unique layout that gives it advantages and disadvantages compared to the others.

• The Stables are in the northwest corner of the map. The stables are the closest resource node to the Alliance starting area, and this node is significantly farther away from the Horde starting area. Thus, the stables are usually claimed by the Alliance at the start. On the map layout, the stables are symetrically opposite the farm. Stables is often abbreviated ST.

• The Farm is in the southeast corner of the map. The farm is the closest resource node to the Horde starting area, and is significantly farther away from the Alliance starting area. Thus, the farm is usually claimed by the Horde at the start. On the map layout, the Farm is symmetrically opposite the Stables. Farm is rarely abbreviated, but it is sometimes shortened to FM.

This guide will often refer to the farm and stables as the home nodes to denote their proximity to the starting areas.

• The Lumber Mill is in the southwest corner of the map. The lumber mill is effectively equidistant from the Horde and Alliance starting areas. The lumber mill's unique feature is that it is on a hill, and is the highest elevation resource node. Lumber mill is often abbreviated as LM or mill.

• The Gold mine is at the northeast corner of the map. Like the lumber mill, the mine is effectively equidistant from the Horde and Alliance starting areas. The mine's unique feature is that it is in a ditch, and is the lowest elevation resource node. Gold mine is often abbreviated as GM, mines, or mine.

This guide will often refer to the gold mine and the lumber mill as wing nodes.

• The Blacksmith is in the center of the map. It is equidistant from the Horde and Alliance starting areas, and equidistant from all the other nodes on the map. The blacksmith is on a small island surrounded by water, with two bridges on the north and south, and two ramps for swimming access on the east and west. Blacksmith is often abbreviated as BS or smith.

Graveyards

There are seven graveyards on the map. There is one graveyard at each team starting area that remains in control of that team for the entire game. Each node has a corresponding graveyard in the vicinity. These graveyards are controlled by the team that controls the node.

Upon death and spirit release, the player's ghost is moved to the nearest controlled graveyard. The graveyards work the same as in the other battlegrounds, with spirit guides resurrecting players every 30 seconds with full health and mana. Hunters and warlocks will have their last pets resurrected as well. If a node is captured (and thus the graveyard with it) while a player is waiting to be resurrected, he will be moved again to the next nearest controlled graveyard.

A player may optionally run to his corpse, the same as he would outside battlegrounds, though this is not always recommended. Resurrecting at your corpse is subject to resurrection wait timers, and only half health and mana is restored. Also, if an enemy loots your insignia from your corpse, you cannot resurrect and must run back to a spirit guide. There are times when running to your corpse may be advantageous, as discussed later in this guide.

Battleground Buffs

Arathi Basin has battleground buffs similar to the ones in Warsong Gulch. These are icons that appear on the ground that a player can pick up for a temporary buff. The available buffs are:

• Berserk (red demon face icon): Increases damage done by 30% and damage taken by %10 for 60 seconds
• Restoration (green leaf icon): Restores health, mana and pet happiness for 10 seconds
• Speed (winged boot icon): Increases run speed by 100% for 10 seconds

The buff icons are located inside the building at each node, with the exception of the gold mine, where the buff icon is in a wagon just east of the flag. Each buff appears randomly at these spots, and once used a new one appears after a short time.

Controlling a Node

Physically, the node is represented by a stationary flag object at each area on the map. Capturing a node is a process similar to opening a chest. Simply move in to range and click the flag. The player must stand still for ten seconds while the action completes. Direct damage and crowd control abilities will interrupt it.

A node can be in one of three states: uncontrolled, in-conflict, or controlled.

At the start of the game, each node is uncontrolled. This is the only time a node is in the uncontrolled state. On the map, it will appear as a gray icon. A node that is in-conflict means it was recently captured by a player. On the map, the icon for the node will appear as half-gray and half-colored, with red representing a Horde team capture, and blue an Alliance team capture. After one minute in-conflict, the node will become controlled by the faction that captured it. On the map, the icon changes to a solid red or blue color representing the controlling team. Only controlled nodes will return resource points, and only controlled nodes will allow a team to use the nearby graveyard. The 30 second resurrection period of the spirit guide starts the moment the node is controlled.

An in-conflict node can be reclaimed by the team that lost it if it is captured before the one minute expires. In this case, the re-capturing team does not need to wait the one minute to regain control, it is returned immediately.

Arathi Basin Strategy

General preparation

The information in this guide, or any other will not turn you into a PvP god. No amount of text can take the place of experience and confidence in ones PvP ability. As in any battleground, the team that is most likely to win has players that know how to play their characters effectively. The objectives of the game can only be accomplished through PvP combat. This guide only focuses on the specifics of Arathi Basin, while the general details of class knowledge, gear, healing, crowd control and other combat topics is left to other sources.

Always take the time to learn and improve on your own play, learn how to handle one on one versus any other class or spec, and learn how to contribute best in group PvP, which is the majority of battles in Arathi Basin. Your class is not the most nerfed class in the game, and your opponent is not ridiculously overpowered. Leave the whining for the message boards and bring your best game.

Some common themes throughout the strategies presented here are mobility, communication and aggression. Mobility and communication are important because of the size of the map and number of objectives that fifteen people must cover. Players must be aware of the situation on the entire map and be able to move from one point to another quickly. Aggression is important because time is a factor in the outcome. A team that waits too long to make an attack will find itself too far behind to come back.

Overview of a Typical Game

The most typical strategy in Arathi Basin is to capture three nodes and defend them for as long as possible. Because team size and map size is fixed throughout the match, the more nodes a team controls, the more difficult it becomes to defend the position. Holding a fourth or fifth node is certainly desirable, as this will give your team a bigger point advantage, but the risk to reward ratio is often too great. The core strategy should be to hold three.

The start of a match is a lot like the opening in a game of chess. Each team decides what nodes to attack first. Within the first 30 seconds, the Horde will capture the farm and the Alliance will capture the stables, as these nodes are the closest to the starting areas. These nodes are important as they will become the first forward graveyards.

Teams will send players to the remaining three nodes with the hopes of capturing two of them to set up the first three node advantage. Often, this means sending players to only two of the nodes rather than spreading the offense thin across all three. The blacksmith usually gets the most players and is the site of the first major clash, due to its strategic central location.

Eventually, one team will emerge with a three node advantage (or possibly four nodes) and take the defensive, while the other will take the offensive. In Arathi Basin, defense refers to the act of defending a node you hold to prevent enemy capture. Offense refers to the act of attempting to capture a node held by the enemy. Since there are five nodes and five potential conflicts, teams can be in an offensive and defensive situation simultaneously. But in general, the team with the node advantage is playing to defend it and the other is playing to topple it.

Playing with the node advantage

When your team has the advantage of three (or more) nodes, the goal is to maintain the advantage. Players should be positioned to defend nodes and respond to attacks. How to set up a defense is dictated by which nodes are held, and this is discussed in more detail later in the formations section.

A common defensive strategy is to divide the team into static node defense and a mobile defense force. The static defense is 2-4 people guarding each node flag. These people will call out to the rest of the team if enemies are incoming. The mobile defense is mounted and positioned to move quickly to nodes under attack. Once the attack force is cleared out, the mobile defense mounts up and prepares for the next assault. How to assign these roles is a matter of team organization, with some suggestions made later in this guide.

Call Incoming

It is impractical and often impossible to place enough players at a single node capable of defending any possible attack. Therefore, it is necessary for defenders to assess incoming threats, and notify the rest of the team for proper reinforcement.

The goal of any communication in a battleground is to provide your teammates with situation awareness. The best communications give your teammates information about the current state of the game. Therefore, when reinforcements are needed at a node, it is best to first give the team specific details about the threat, rather than demand specific reinforcements.

The best incoming call is correct, specific, timely and concise. A system of shorthand that is widely understood is to call "Incoming," or abbreviate it as "Inc," with the name of the node and the number of enemies. This is the minimum amount of information for it to be useful to your teammates.

For example, five Horde are headed across the farm/lumber mill side bridge near the blacksmith. A call of "Inc BS 5" is sufficient information for your teammates to judge the threat and respond accordingly. This short, simple message tells your teammates where one third of the Horde force is on the map, and that they are moving towards the blacksmith. How to respond to this threat is a matter of team organization, but the minimal amount of needed information is now available to the entire team.

To understand why this is the minimum amount of information needed, consider the case when any portion of that message is removed. "Inc" is a common abbreviation for "Incoming," it's a verb that tells what the enemy is doing. Remove this and the message becomes ambiguous: is the enemy still incoming, or already on the flag, or about to cap? "BS" is a common abbreviation for the blacksmith, the node where the enemy is about to attack. Not mentioning the location is probably the worst offense when calling incoming. Your teammates are only going to read the text in the chat window. Do not make them also scan the map to locate you. The number of incoming enemies is important for your teammates to judge the threat from afar. Five incoming is a considerable force for most static defense to handle, and will usually requires reinforcements. But, if only one is incoming, he can probably be stopped without the need for reinforcements. Omit the size of the attacking force and too many might show up to kill off just one attacker, leaving other nodes vulnerable.

The message should be short and concise for two reasons. The obvious is that a short message is typed faster. More importantly, your teammates can read and process a short message more easily. Your teammates will be doing other things and will only scan the chat log briefly, so the message must be understandable with only a glance at the text. The example given above uses abbreviations and a shorthand system. Consider the same information expressed in a different way: "I am standing at the Blacksmith, and I have spotted five filthy Horde, who are approaching in a threatening manner!" While excellent prose, it took considerably longer to type than "Inc BS 5." Furthermore, your teammates need to stop and read all that, which will probably wrap to a second line in the chat log. The shorthand message is clearly superior.

Once the minimum information is provided, it may be beneficial to add details, such as the direction the enemy is coming from, or what classes are coming. For example, "Inc LM 3, farm side" or "Inc ST 2 shamans, from water." When identifying other parts of the map, use unambiguous descriptions. Node names have common, well-known abbreviations, while the bridges, roads, and bodies of water aren't as well defined. Incoming at the blacksmith from the water is one example, as there are two possible water entrances.

Calling incoming is only the first part of good defense communication. It is important to provide updates on the situation during the battle as needed. For example, if more enemies show up, if not enough reinforcements have arrived, if enemies are on the flag, if the node is overrun and about to fall, or if the enemy is cleared out and the node is OK.

Fight near the flag

Always fight near the node flag and don't wander too far from it. It is important to be in a position to interrupt an enemy flag capture whenever possible. If a defender is distracted from a flag, it is possible for another attacker, possibly stealthed, to move in and capture the flag amongst the chaos. With close proximity to the flag, it is possible to quickly switch targets and interrupt captures. It is certainly important to kill all incoming attackers, but more important is that the node stays in your control.

It can be tempting to chase down incoming attackers before they arrive at the node, but do not allow attackers to draw you away from the flag. Arathi Basin is a timed game, and offense needs to attack fast. If enemies are not actually attacking you or your node, then you should let them waste time.

Interrupt flag captures

During the ten seconds that it takes to capture a node, a gold swirling animation is visible on the flag. Aside from spotting a player standing suspiciously still by the flag, this animation is the only indicator that the flag is being captured. Only direct damage and some crowd control abilities will interrupt a capture. Damage shields, like Power Word: Shield will protect from interruption if the damage is fully absorbed. Stuns, fears, polymorph, or any crowd control that causes loss of character control will interrupt. DOTs and some periodic damage AOEs, like blizzard, do not interrupt the flag. Learn which of your abilities will interrupt and which won't.

The best interrupts are AOE (area of effect) because they can be applied to the entire vicinity of the flag, hitting multiple possible captures. Damage AOEs need to have a direct damage component, such as Arcane Explosion, Flamestrike, Fire Nova Totem, and Holy Nova. The periodic portion of the spell does not interrupt, just as the tick of a DOT spell does not interrupt either. Some AOE spells only count as periodic damage, such as blizzard and rain of fire. AOE stuns, such as war stomp and grenades are also effective as they cannot be absorbed by damage shields. The best interrupt is instant AOE fear, such as psychic scream or intimidating shout. This not only interrupts the capture but scatters the enemy away from the flag.

In a chaotic assault, the offense may forget to loot insignias from corpses. This is one opportunity to run back to your corpse instead of waiting for the spirit guide. If the resurrection time is long and you haven't died recently, you can run back you your corpse in time to get off another interrupt near the flag. This buys time for the other defenders waiting to resurrect.

Defensive Scouting

Defenders at a node should actively scout the area to spot incoming enemies long before they arrive. As stated before, incoming calls should be timely, and the sooner an incoming call is given the better.

Where to scout is determined by the current node situation. The general idea is to watch the enemy graveyards and watch the paths they might use. The enemy can attack from any direction, but the most likely is the direct path from enemy controlled graveyard to your node. Scouting should focus on the most likely path first.

For an example, consider a situation where your team holds the mine, blacksmith and stables. The enemy holds the lumber mill and the farm. At the blacksmith, a scout or two can watch enemy movements at the farm and lumber mill without moving too far from the blacksmith node. From the graveyard area of the blacksmith, a scout can see all the way into the farm graveyard. Enemies resurrecting there will be mounting their next attack. From the flag area, a scout can see enemies as they come down the lumber mill hill towards the stables or farm side.

Communicating this information is similar to calling incoming. The goal is still to give good information about enemy positions. For example, "6 leaving farm, mine side" or "5 leaving LM, stables side." Early enemy advances don't necessarily predict an assault, but they do indicate likely targets, so it is necessary to provide updates if the situation changes. For example, "6 leaving farm, mine side" can quickly turn into "Inc 6 mine" or "Inc 6 BS."

Each node has its specific scouting quirks that are explained in more detail later in this guide.

Playing without the node advantage

When your team has fewer nodes than your opponent, your team must take the offensive and attack to gain the node advantage. Defending the current nodes becomes secondary, as the other team is most likely trying to hold their three.

The weaknesses in an enemy's position depends mostly on the nodes it controls, and its approach to defending them. The weakness isn't necessarily apparent by examining where players are currently positioned. Instead the weakness is exposed by attacking at different points in sequence until the defense breaks down. Remember that teams with the node advantage will be playing defensively, and that does not always mean players are statically positioned at a node. As described above, a good defensive strategy is to have a mobile response force. The offensive strategy is to break down this defense by pushing it until it makes a mistake.

The most basic plan is to assemble a sizable force of about five or more and run straight at a node. This may or may not win the node outright. If it fails, the question is where to attack next? One possibility is to hit the same node until it falls, but this usually fails as a sizable defense force is now present there. A better plan is to hit another node, and this is where the weaknesses in the defense begin to show.

A sizable assault at one node probably drew a lot of defenders to that node, so the other nodes are now weak in two respects: Only a few defenders are actually stationed there, and the rest have some distance to travel to reinforce it. Identify the weaker node and attack it.

Of course, in a real match defense and offense is much more nebulous than strict static and mobile defenders. The strategic example given above is given to illustrate the need for awareness of defensive position, and knowledge of how it will react to a sequence of events and where weaknesses will be exposed.

Choosing an attack plan is one problem, but your team must follow it up with aggressive execution. Many weaknesses in a defensive position are only a window of opportunity that will close in a few seconds. Hesitation on offense will give the enemy time to reinforce its position.

Node assault

There is more to a successful assault than killing the defenders at a node, there is still the matter of capturing the flag. A common mistake is to concentrate on killing and not getting on the flag as soon as possible to capture the node. Just as fighting by the flag is important on defense, it is important to keep the defense away from the flag on offense. If enemies are cleared out and resurrecting at the nearby graveyard, don't wait for them to come to the flag to interrupt your capture. Move toward the graveyard to intercept the enemy, and move toward the most likely path of reinforcement.

Crowd control is very helpful for keeping the defense away from a flag during the capture. An immobilized enemy can't get to the flag to save it. Focus on fears, stuns, roots, disorients, snares, polymorph, traps, mind-control-assisted-BASE-jumping and anything else to keep the defense from interrupting. Avoid breaking any crowd control to score an easy kill, there will be plenty of time after the capture to kill off the defenders.

Damage shields will prevent interruption if the damage is completely absorbed. Priests should use Power Word: Shield on anyone trying to capture. Mages should put up Mana Shield and Ice Barrier if available. Warlocks can sacrifice a Voidwalker if it is available. Several trinkets are available that will give you a shield, including one that can be bought from the Arathi Basin reward vendor. The shields don't absorb a lot of damage, and they won't stop a crowd control spell from interrupting, but they will often hold up just long enough for the last few seconds of a capture. Immunity shields should not be used, such as Divine Shield, Divine Intervention and Blessing of Protection, as these will make a player unable to interact with the flag.

For an example, consider an assault on the blacksmith node at the very beginning of a match. The node is uncontrolled, but the goal is still to capture it while holding off the enemy, so treat it like any other assault. Designate one person to stand on the flag to capture it. The rest should ride past the flag, and crowd control as many enemies as possible while the flag is captured. Mages can Frost Nova enemies out of range of the flag. Warlocks, priests and warriors can fear people away. Hunter can set traps in between the enemy and the flag. Nearly every class has a stun or a snare to slow down the enemy. Use them all to buy time to get the flag captured. It only takes one person to get the flag, the rest need to protect him.

After a capture, the local graveyard is not in your control until a minute is up, so the node is especially vulnerable to recapture. Other defenders might still be on the way to assist. The attacking force needs to stay in position until all enemies are cleared out. A few static defenders need to stay behind until the node turns over to your team's control.

Stealth-capable classes can play a big part in assaulting a node. A small stealth team can go to a node early and scout the defense. Attackers can get in position for the assault before the defense can call incoming. If the defense is particularly weak, the stealth team may even be able to take the node by themselves, or "ninja" the node if the defense isn't paying attention. In any case, the stealth team need to be supported by the rest of the offense.

Avoid peripheral combat

Peripheral combat refers to any combat that takes place far away from the nodes. Sometimes this is unavoidable, as the enemy will attack as you are trying to ride past him to another node. You need to be aggressive and attack a node, not meaningless space between them.

Peripheral combat can be used as an effective distraction, but only in very specific circumstances. Some advanced tactics described later on involve using one or two players as a distraction for mobile defenders that are moving to a node that you're assaulting. These tactics use a small number of players to hold up a larger group to gain a mobility advantage. Unless you know what you're doing, avoid fighting anywhere expect near a node.

The Three Node Formations

A "three node formation" refers to a particular set of three nodes controlled by a team that form a recognizable pattern on the map. By far, a three node to two node advantage in one team's favor is the most common situation, due to the general strategy of only holding enough nodes to win. There are ten possible combinations of three out of five nodes. This section describes and categorizes all possible three node sets.

Triangle formations

Triangle formations consist of the blacksmith plus one wing node and one home node. There are four possible triangle combinations, with two "strong triangles" and two "weak triangles." The strong triangles are possibly the most desirable formations to hold, as they provide the best defensive situation.

Strong triangles are the stables-mine-smith "Alliance triangle", and the mill-farm-smith "Horde triangle," sometimes also called the "Iron triangle." These are particularly strong because the bridges on either side of the blacksmith meet up near the midpoint of the other two nodes.

The strong triangles offer a superior defensive advantage over the other formations. The distance from one node in the group to any other is minimized in this formations. But more importantly, the area contained by the triangle is a mobility advantage. A common defense strategy for the strong triangle is to place three or so static defenders at each node and use the rest as a mobile defense force. Mobile players can gather in the center area of the triangle and be in position to defend any node in the formation. Comparing the two strong triangle formations, the Horde triangle is slightly more advantageous due to the positioning of the flag closer to the mill/farm bridge than the mine/stables bridge. The drawback is that scouting the mine is more difficult than scouting the mill. Either team can hold either triangle effectively, the names only refer to the side of the map and the most likely team to hold it at the start of a match.

Scouting is mostly done from the blacksmith, where defenders can watch movements at the farm, stables or mill for possible assaults. At least one person should be watching the enemy's nodes for movements and call out where the enemy is concentrated. Scouting the mine is more difficult, and may require sending a spare player away from the main triangle to spy it. Good teams will use the cover at the mine to launch an effective assault.

Many organized team strategies, such as one described later in this guide, center around establishing a strong triangle early in the match, and defending it throughout. The key is to formulate an opening assault that will establish the triangle, assign stationary defenders with good reconnaissance abilities, and form a mobile defensive response force with a good sense of awareness.

Assaulting a strong triangle is difficult. It requires fast movement and rapid strikes on different targets until the defense makes a mistake and gives way. The triangle has a mobility advantage over its assaulting force, so it takes a defensive mistake or trick play to overcome.

One advanced tactic to assaulting a strong triangle is to plan two staggered strikes. A strong primary attack on one node will pull many defenders to that node. A secondary strike comes from the opposite side of the map and hits one of the other two nodes. The secondary strike should be placed at the node that offers the better cover from scouting, such as the mine. The primary strike is mostly a distraction to allow the secondary to take a flag.

Consider an example where a team needs to break the Horde triangle. Large forces are first stationed at the mine and stables. The stables crew sets off to attack the lumber mill. This is spotted from the blacksmith, and defense response heads to the mill. Meanwhile, the mine group is waiting until the mill battle begins. Just as the attack begins, the mine group heads to the blacksmith. A risky option here is to pull all defense at the mine and attack with everything available at the blacksmith. If enough defense got pulled to the mill, they will be occupied with that attack, and the blacksmith is vulnerable. The primary attack is not concerned with the flag as much as cornering the defense, so crowd control and immobilization is the primary concern. If the blacksmith is successfully taken, the attackers resurrecting at the stables need to head there immediately to hold it, and also to the mine, which may have been left vulnerable. If a node is lost while pulling your own defense, the newly captured blacksmith is a superior position to gain a node back. Attacking the Alliance triangle is a similar situation, except the mine is not available for cover. The lumber mill is usable if the attacking force does not stand close to the edge, and the large building at the farm is usable for cover. The Alliance triangle also has slightly more ground to cover for defense, especially when getting to the blacksmith flag.

The weak triangles, mine-farm-smith and mill-stables-smith, are difficult to defend and should be avoided. Getting to the blacksmith is difficult due to the bridge placement, offering no mobility advantage. Unlike the strong triangles, the area contained by the nodes becomes a no-mans land, not useful for defensive staging. Defense in general becomes split around the perimeter of the triangle, where with the strong triangles, the defense is centralized.

Defense should focus on holding the blacksmith first in this formation. If an overwhelming assault comes at one of the other nodes, let it go and strike quickly at the opposite node. This will transform a weak triangle to a strong triangle. For example, a Horde team holding the mine, farm and blacksmith can wait for a massive assault at the mine as an opportunity to take the lumber mill and establish a strong triangle.

Attack the weak triangle with a sequence of attacks on different nodes until one falls. The defense does not have an advantage on mobility here, so a more aggressive offense will eventually win a node.

Horseshoe formations

Horseshoe formations consist of any three nodes except the blacksmith. There are four possible horseshoe formations, which can be described in terms of the node in the center of the formation. For example, the mill, stables and mine can be called the "stables horseshoe." Stables and farm horseshoes commonly occur, and mill and mine horseshoes are less common.

The weakness of a horseshoe formation is the distance from the two end nodes. The direct route from one end to another must bypass the blacksmith and the body of water that surrounds it. Thus, moving defense to one end leaves the other end weak due to the longer distance.

For example, consider a stables-centered horseshoe, with the mine and lumber mill at the ends. A heavy attack at the lumber mill requires a sizable defense to hold the node. The enemy that just failed to assault the mill is now resurrecting primarily at the blacksmith, while many defenders are still near the mill. The mine is now vulnerable to a similar attack, as the defenders are farther from that node than the enemy.

A possible defensive solution is to divide the mobile defense among the two halves of the horseshoe. In the above example, half the mobile defense would move between stables and mine assaults, and the other half would move between stables and lumber mill assaults. Another solution is to place more static defenders at the mill and mine and fewer at the stables.

Attacking a horseshoe is a matter of alternate attacks on the end points. The key is to draw lots of defense to one side, then use the positional advantage of the blacksmith to attack the other side. After resurrecting at the blacksmith, the offense needs to mount and head straight for the opposite node. The window of opportunity is greater than when attacking a strong triangle, but it can close quickly if the offense isn't aggressive enough.

Part of the offensive force, no more than one or two, can distract the defenders into peripheral combat along the path from one node or the other. They can slow or control the defense with snares, fears, or other crowd control, especially abilities that dismount. This is especially the case in wing node centered horseshoes, where defense will use the north and south roads by the blacksmith to move from one end to the other. This is an advanced tactic, and should only be used if it distracts more players than it takes to set it up. Generally, the offense needs to attack quickly at nodes to overcome a deficit, and peripheral combat should be avoided.

Winning a node from a horseshoe assault will result in a strong triangle or weak triangle. An organized offense can coordinate attacks to ensure a strong triangle is the outcome. For example, a Horde team holding the farm and blacksmith can attack the mine first with the intention of drawing many defenders, then assault the lumber mill to take the node and establish a strong triangle. Defense should keep this in mind, and should seriously consider dropping a node intentionally to take the blacksmith. This is a fairly advanced tactic only recommended for organized teams.

Since the enemy will be attacking primarily from the blacksmith, scouting should focus on the blacksmith graveyard. Defenders at the stables and farm are best suited for scouting, as the mine is stuck in a bunker-like area, and the mill is too far from the blacksmith graveyard. Scouting the other enemy node is less important, but still it should be watched for some activity.

Inline formations

Inline formations consist of the blacksmith plus both home nodes or both wing nodes. There are two possible combinations, the home node inline of stables-blacksmith-farm and the wing node inline of mill-blacksmith-mine. On the map, the three nodes connect in a straight line.

Inlines are similar to horseshoe formations in many ways. They present the same defensive problems, with the long distance between the two end nodes making mobile defense difficult. Defense can now use the blacksmith as a pass through from one end to the other, but they won't resurrect there when defending another node. Defense can use the same strategies to overcome the distance, such as moving static defense to the end points and splitting the mobile defense.

The offense's situation is different, as the two nodes they hold are split. Assaults need to be coordinated from both sides of the map. Again, the weak nodes are the endpoints and alternating attacks on them will eventually weaken one enough to capture. The blacksmith can't be used as an advantage here, so the distance to attack is a bit longer. With a home node inline, attacking your own home node will probably put you into your starting area graveyard, further disrupting the assault strategy.

Defensive scouts will need to watch two opposite nodes from the blacksmith. Assaults will come from two possible directions, so scout both enemy nodes for possible incoming.

For advanced teams, a defense will want to consider dropping an end node in favor of another that will set up a strong triangle, similar to the situation described with a horseshoe. When holding a home node inline, the defense can use the starting area graveyard disadvantage of the offense to launch an assault on one of the wing nodes. For example, the Horde team holds stables, blacksmith and farm. When the Alliance attack the stables, they will have to use the Trollbane Hall graveyard upon death. Horde can use this to their advantage to take the lumber mill and complete the strong triangle. A good team may also use this as a way to hold four nodes.

Strategic Elements for Each Node

Blacksmith

The central position of the Blacksmith makes it an excellent place to stage offensive strikes or defensive response. The average distance from the Blacksmith graveyard to the other four nodes is the shortest of all the graveyards.

From an offensive perspective, this is valuable when attacking different nodes in sequence, as described earlier. When striking an opponent's node, any deaths will place players at the nearest graveyard, which is almost always the blacksmith, if held. The attack group now has a head start to attack a node on the opposite side of the map. For example, after a failed strike at the lumber mill, attackers will resurrect at the smith and be in position to attack the mine. The enemy will need to travel all the way from the mill to defend it, giving the advantage to the attackers.

Defensively, the blacksmith is one of the better scouting points in the game. The blacksmith provides clear views of the stables, lumber mill, as well as the roads linking them, without requiring defenders to move too far from the node flag. The farm graveyard is visible from behind the blacksmith building, near the graveyard. This scouting position obstructs the path to the blacksmith flag, so care should be used by defenders watching the farm. The mine is the one node that can't be scouted well from the smith, due to it's bunker-like position and the node flag being placed closer to the lumber mill side bridge.

There are four ways attackers can enter the blacksmith, from the bridges on the north and south sides, and from water-accessible ramps on the east and west. The bridges are the most common routes in and out, but the water routes have a surprise advantage. The ramp by the stables side is lower than the node flag, and defenders can emerge very close to the flag. A scout that is watching the stables or lumber mill ramps will be able to spot anyone in the water. On the farm side ramp, the advantage is the obstruction of the blacksmith building. Defenders standing near the flag won't see the assault until it is already on land. A farm scout will be able to spot anyone coming up this ramp, also the ramp is near the graveyard, and any ressers will spot the attack. A disadvantage to a water assault on the blacksmith is that swimming is generally slow compared to arriving mounted. A water assault can work well in conjunction with a mounted force coming across the bridges, as this can hide the number of incoming attackers.

Stables

Stables have the shortest distance from the graveyard to the flag of all the nodes on the map, which gives a distinctive advantage to the defense. After resurrection, a player can move quickly to interrupt a flag capture. All nodes have a structure that sits between the graveyard and the flag node. At the stables, it is possible to stand to either side of the stables structure while waiting for a resurrection, and have a line of sight on the flag or anyone that might be trying to capture it. Keep in mind that the resurrection spell from the spirit guide has a line of sight requirement. It's possible to stand inside the stables structure or very close to it and still be in range of resurrection, but the spell will fail due to no line of sight.

"Stables Syndrome" is a common problem for Alliance teams, especially in pick-up groups. It occurs when Horde capture the stables, and Alliance resurrect at Trollbane Hall and try to retake the node, unsuccessfully. As noted above, the stables have the shortest distance from the graveyard to the flag, making it easy to defend. Meanwhile, the distance from the Trollbane Hall graveyard to the stables flag is considerably longer. The tendency is for players to stream out of Trollbane Hall, rather than move as a group, (mount speed, uncertainty and timidity all contribute to this) making it easier for the defense to focus on single attackers. A group of Horde can thus hold off a much larger group of Alliance attackers, assuming they obey basic node defense principles.

The result is that Horde will use fewer players to occupy the time of a larger group of Alliance, leaving the player balance on the rest of the map in their favor.

The first solution to Stables Syndrome is to avoid it entirely by not losing the node in the first place. As stated earlier, the stables is the easiest node to defend due to the graveyard placement. However, it is often left under-defended and vulnerable to a quick, fast strike. Practice proper defense at the stables, especially at the start of the match, as one Horde strategy is to hit the stables early with the intent of causing stables syndrome.

The second solution is to recognize it quickly and move away from it. If stuck at Trollbane Hall, mount and run as wide of the stables as possible, towards the mine. The lumber mill side is hindered by a river, where you'll have to dismount or cross a bridge to get over it. Dismounting and swimming slows you down, and the bridge is a choke point that is close to the node flag where you might just get killed again.

Stables syndrome does tend to draw more Horde to the stables, which weakens their other holdings. Once enough players have escaped from Trollbane Hall, organize an assault at the farm, unless another node is significantly weaker. The farm is typically the weakest due to the concentration of Horde at the far away stables.

A third and unorthodox strategy involves abandoning the stables early and focusing on different nodes. This requires a plan ahead of time, as it is a standard practice for Alliance teams to hold the stables.

Part of the problem at the stables is psychological attachment. Some Alliance players see this node as their "home turf" and will defend it as a point of pride. Holding a node simply for emotional reasons is irrational.

Farm

The farm can suffer from the same problem as the stables, but the situation is not as pronounced. The farm doesn't have a graveyard very close to the flag, instead the distance is one of the longer graveyard-to-flag runs on the map. The Defiler's Den is farther away from the farm than Trollbane Hall is from the stables, giving the Horde more space to run wide of a large group at the farm. Also, the farm flag is not placed near the bridge that leads to the mine, where on the stables side the flag is close to the bridge creating a choke point for Alliance trying to move past the stables. If the Alliance want to hold Horde back at the Defiler's Den, they need to move away from the farm flag and up towards the gate, which can leave the flag vulnerable. That said, Horde can have the same psychological attachment to the farm as Alliance does at the stables.

Lumber Mill

The lumber mill is up on a hill, giving it some defensive advantages. The only way to get to the node is via two ramps up the side of the hill, and both work well as choke points to hold off attackers. One drawback of using the ramps as choke points is it means moving far from the flag, which can make it vulnerable to attacks from both sides, or a stealth player going for the flag. A popular strategy among priests is to use mind control to jump players off the edge of the hill.

Players with a slow fall ability, from items or class abilities, can float from the top of the hill to the blacksmith. This aerial assault can be useful for quick defense of the blacksmith or a quick capture if it is unguarded. To make the jump, a 100% movement speed increase is required. Mages can cast Slow Fall and then use an epic mount to make the jump, as mounting does not remove the Slow Fall effect. Other slow fall abilities are removed on mounting, such as priests' Levitate spell. In this case, a speed potion or the run speed boots at the mill will make the jump. Other classes can use items such as the Parachute Cloak or Olaf's All Purpose Shield to make the jump.

Gold Mine

The gold mine is sunken in a bunker-like area, lower than the rest of the nodes. One tactical advantage of holding the mine is that it is difficult for the enemy to scout movements there, due to the terrain obstruction. An attack force leaving the mine usually won't be spotted until it is at the top of the ramp.

It is possible for players to jump in from any direction, however, without some sort of safe fall or slow fall ability, they will take fall damage. The only way out is up the two ramps.

A disadvantage is that scouting from the mine is difficult. A player has to move up to the upper ledge to get any visibility on the other nodes, such as the blacksmith, stables or farm, which is considerably far from the node. The vulnerability in this case is greater than at the lumber mill, because attackers can jump down from any point rather than using only the ramps.

The distance from the graveyard to the node flag is fairly long compared to the other nodes on the map, making this node easier to assault. Attackers should move up the hill towards the graveyard and use the narrow passage to hold back ressers from interrupting a capture.

Organizing a Team

Presented here is a basic setup for players that are organizing their first Arathi Basin teams. This is by no means the only team strategy available. This a flexible and easy to learn plan that provides a framework for teams to develop their own style. I provide justifications and analysis for each decision so that a team can tweak and improvise to find what works for them.

There are plenty of teams that zone in with vastly superior gear and steamroll PUGs all day long. This entire guide I have assumed you are playing an equally-geared, equally-competent opponent, and this section is no different. Do not let gear disparity discourage you, as gear can only take you so far without a plan.

Your Teammates

A balanced group of ranged damage, melee damage, healers and "survivors" (PvP equivalent of a tank) is ideal, but not always possible. First and foremost you should recruit players who are willing to play as a team. It's good to find players that have PvP experience and know their class, but if that person doesn't follow directions, doesn't demonstrate situational awareness, or otherwise clashes with the rest of the team, he is useless.

Where to find players for your team is up to you. Start with your guild, your friends list, or people you know from random PvP or PUGs. At first, don't worry about filling a full fifteen man group. Start by joining as a small group of a few players while you recruit more. About ten players is enough to make a difference and start to develop a team strategy.

Your First Few Matches

Simply assembling a team and having a plan doesn't turn you into gods. Your teammates must be willing to play a few matches and become accustomed to the strategy, communication styles, strengths and weaknesses, and they must build on each match. Use the time in between each match to refine strategy and focus on weaknesses that can be corrected. Take the same approach a raiding guild would use on any tough PvE boss.

When first starting out, do not let a victory over a poorly organized PUG make you complacent. The goal is to win against other organized teams, not farm PUGs. Use every match as an opportunity to fine tune your team play. Underestimating your opponent can lead to a loss, even against a PUG.

The Triangle Strategy

This team strategy is focused on establishing three nodes and holding them. By far, this is the most common strategy used in Arathi Basin. The most ideal three nodes will form a "strong triangle" as described earlier in this guide. The opening assault is designed to establish this triangle early in the match, and the group setup is designed to support a three node defense. Alliance teams will focus on capturing the blacksmith, mine and stables, while Horde teams will focus on capturing the blacksmith, lumber mill and farm.

Analysis: Three node formations are described earlier in this guide, and the strengths and weaknesses of each possible formation are analyzed. This basic strategy does not try to do anything fancy, just hold three nodes for as long as possible. Thus it is wise to choose the formation that gives the best defensive possibilities. This basic strategy is chosen because it focuses on developing some of the fundamentals listed earlier: communication and mobility. The set of possible situations is limited, giving the team the chance to focus on execution of basics, which is scouting the enemy, calling incoming, and moving quickly to respond. Organizing an offense is also important, so strength will be biased at the blacksmith, as this node will aid the most in an offensive assault.

Group setup and roles

Group 1: Blacksmith defense, 4 people. Group 2: Mines (Alliance)/Lumber mill (Horde) defense, 3 people. Group 3: Stables (Alliance)/Farm (Horde) defense, 3 people. Group 4: Roving group, 5 people.

Groups 1, 2, 3 are primarily static node defense. They should consist of a healer, a damage class, and a "survivor." A survivor is any type of player that is hard to kill and can last a while at a node, such as a paladin or high-HP warrior. These groups need to hold off an assault long enough for more reinforcements to arrive. Crowd control can be very effective in holding off attackers. Node defense groups are also responsible for scouting the enemy and calling incoming. One player in each node group should be positioned to watch the enemy graveyards and attack paths from afar.

Group 4 is the mobile defensive response. This group should be mostly high damage with a healer to support if available. Players in this group need good situational awareness. The best roving defenders can keep track of most of the players on the map using information from the raid chat, knowledge of enemy graveyards and general intuition that comes from experience. At times, the group will need to split to assist with multiple assaults. Epic mounts are a plus.

The node assignments apply to the initial assault. Nodes may be lost, and other nodes need to be taken, and groups will deviate from the initial assignment as the match goes on. When behind on nodes, the defense group that got displaced becomes part of the offense with group 4. When a new node is captured, the defense group takes over at that position. If nodes are changing often in a match, defensive positions can shuffle substantially from the initial setup. Once the node advantage is regained, use common sense and always keep good static defense at each node despite how groups are set.

With the current battleground auto-grouping, the raid leader and groups will not match what is set when you queued. Assigning groups and roles before a match is good, but they will have to be reset before the gate opens. The auto-picked leader needs to hand leadership over to your team leader to set groups.

Analysis: This strategy uses static defenders and mobile defenders. Earlier in this guide, the benefits of having a mobile defense are discussed, as opposed to a static defense at each node. The setup here uses five mobile defenders and three groups of 3-4 static defenders. The numbers in each are flexible, but three defenders at a node is a good rule to follow.

The blacksmith group gets a 4th defender for two reasons: The first is that the blacksmith has a strategic advantage over the other nodes in this formation. If any of the other two are lost, the blacksmith is key in regaining the advantage. The second reason is that with three in each group, and five in the roving group, there is one person left over that has to be put somewhere. Theoretically, physical groups don't matter as much as the roles people are playing. Setting up groups in the raid interface is only a formality, and that extra person could easily be assigned as a sixth roving defender despite his grouping. Care is given to set physical groups in the raid interface to make the roles clear, and to give the raid leader an easy way to direct groups of players throughout the match by group number. Groups are set in relation to their physical location on the map to make use of group-wide auras and totems.

A raid leader could also split the players into more groups for more flexibility in tactical direction. One possible setup is five groups of three people each, with three groups assigned to node defense, and two groups assigned to roving defense. The advantage here is that if the roving defense needs to split, the raid leader can give direction by group number. Beyond this, too many groups leads to an unmanageable situation for the raid leader. A four group setup is chosen here for a good balance of flexibility and simplicity. In all cases, a team should experiment with the group setup to find the balance that works for that team.

The Opening

From the start, the goal for Alliance is to take the blacksmith, mine and stables, and for Horde to take the blacksmith, farm and lumber mill. Groups 1 and 4 will assault the blacksmith, group 2 will assault the wing node (mine/lumber mill), and group 3 will take the home node (stables/farm).

Assault teams must call out how many enemies are encountered at each node. Group 4 will need to asses the situation and send help to the wing node assault if needed. Also, group 4 must be ready to help the home node if it is attacked early. A common strategy is to send an early attack directly for the other team's home node, as it is often left weak on the opening.

Treat the initial assault on an uncontrolled node the same way you would assault an enemy controlled node. Use crowd control as much as possible to keep the enemy from the flag, and get a player on it as fast as possible to get it captured.

Analysis: This opening assault places heavy emphasis on the blacksmith. Typically, the blacksmith will have the largest clash as it is a desirable node, and this opening sends nine players to take it. This opening is the first test of the group 4 players to analyze the situation and move quickly to the other node assaults if the blacksmith is easily taken. If few enemies show up at the blacksmith, it doesn't take nine people to kill one or two enemies then watch the node get captured. They need to mount up and move to assist the others while group 1 takes the node.

Alternatively, the opening can split Group 4 among the blacksmith and the wing node. Slightly more risky is to send some of group 3 to help with the assault and then fall back to the home node. The assignment of group 4 to the blacksmith simply anticipates where the largest battle usually happens in the beginning. The choice of how many to send to each node at the start is flexible. The important elements here are to get the triangle established and set the defense. Capturing the blacksmith is the priority of all the nodes. If your team has trouble taking all three nodes at the opening, focus on the blacksmith, as it will provide more benefit when organizing an assault to take the third node later.

Hold Three Nodes

The rest of the match consists of following the basic strategies described in the rest of this guide. With a three node advantage, the static defense groups will scout the enemy and call incoming. The group 4 roving defenders will move appropriately to assist at nodes that need help. Good communication and smart decisions can hold the triangle for the entire match. Holding three nodes will award 2000 points after roughly 20 minutes.

A heavy emphasis is placed on the blacksmith in this strategy. Should you fall behind in nodes, the blacksmith is the best position to launch an assault. In this situation, group 4 becomes the primary offensive group, with the displaced node defense group assisting. This gives 7-8 players available for an assault. Coordinating an assault is difficult, especially if you don't hold the blacksmith. Refer to the formations section for details on how to launch your assault.

As your group becomes better, you can learn other techniques for assault and defense, like stealth groups, distractions, and pulling the defense. Before trying anything fancy, your team needs to be able to consistently capture three nodes and hold them.

The Battleground Leader

The leader is more than the person that queues the group at the battle master and sets the groups at the start. In a good team, the leader is calling the shots on the field, sending groups to different nodes and coordinating offensive strikes. The leader needs the trust of his teammates to accomplish any of these things.

The leader should make a few macros to help with basic communication tasks. At the minimum make a macro to remind everyone of the strategy and the opening at the beginning of the match. If you have pick-up players, and they see a mostly organized team with a leader and a plan, they will be more likely to contribute than run off on their own.

Other Team Considerations

Always make sure your players are using the /bg channel in the battleground. If you join as a group, it's still possible to use the /raid channel, but this is only seen by players in that group. The battleground auto-group is separate from a normal raid group, and anyone that joins but didn't queue with your group won't see /raid messages. With a full team of fifteen people, it's not as important, except to build a good habit. Without a full team, any PUG players will miss incoming calls and other information that is in /raid.

This section - and this entire guide for that matter - has not mentioned using voice chat such as Team Speak or Ventrillo. Voice chat can be very effective for communication if used well, but it is not a magic bullet. The first problem is getting your entire team to use it. If some of your team isn't using it, communication to them is cut. If some players don't have microphones hooked up, they can't communicate to the rest of the team. In these cases, you have communications split among the voice chat and the text chat, which is two sources of information to monitor instead of one. If your full team cannot use voice chat, consider sticking to text, and develop a good shorthand system and make macros. Voice chat can be very valuable if you use it properly. The same guidelines for communication apply, only without the typing time. Avoid extra chatter and stick to concise, meaningful information.

It's possible that this strategy will become too ubiquitous, and every team will try to take the blacksmith at the beginning of the match. Once your team has the basic strategy down, try a different opening to avoid a massive Zerg at the blacksmith, with the plan to eventually transition to a strong triangle when possible.

How to PUG Arathi Basin

Pick-up groups (PUGs) in Arathi Basin frequently exhibit little organization. You will often find others with selfish or defeatist attitudes - they assume a PUG will have no capability to organize, so they make little effort to cooperate. The truth is that a PUG can organize to some extent, but not in the sense an established team will organize. If enough players know basic strategy, a PUG can self-organize without a clear plan or leadership.

The best approach is to figure out where on the map you'll be most useful and move there. Find a node that is under-defended, follow an assault force if you're behind on nodes, or defend a node under assault. If you're more concerned about getting the most kills and the highest honor, then this section is not for you.

Communication and leadership

It is tempting to try and take charge and give orders if no one is leading the group. Many PUG players tend to resist taking orders from someone they've never met, and would rather go it alone. A leadership model that works well for an organized team fails in a PUG because the leader does not have the trust of the others, and the match is not long enough to earn it. Instead, the best a PUG can do is come to a collective agreement on how to proceed.

Rather than attempt to take a direct leadership role and bark orders, the best plan is to use good communication to encourage course of action. Telling so and so to move to a node to help defend will be met with resistance. But stating your feeling that a node is weak and needs defense may get someones attention. A direct order is easy to decline ("No, I won't.") but factual information is not disputable. Being talkative and providing useful information will also encourage others to do the same.

The worst thing you can do is begin to berate people, call them names or insult their abilities. This is a sure fire way to earn someones distrust, and it discourages others from contributing. It can be difficult to control your temper in the face of perceived incompetence, but there's always a more effective way to address it than angry ranting.

It's not important that you or anyone else specifically take control and lead the team. Too many people trying to lead leaves no one left to follow. First look to cooperate with others that care about the match, and build a collective approach based on good communication.

Zerg Mentality

The "Zerg Mentality" is the general tendency for a number of players to collect and fight as a large group. The obvious advantage of a large group is that it wins by sheer numbers alone in combat. The disadvantage is that it is often a poor allocation of available forces. The key is to recognize when a large force is useful and when it is not.

The Zerg is useful for attacking a node, but only when the goal is to directly attack a node with force, and the team is down on nodes. The group cannot become distracted by peripheral combat. If others in the group are distracted, let them be and continue to the target node. Follow the suggestions in this guide about capturing nodes with force. Once it is captured, the Zerg may move on or it may linger. Observe the general defensive strategies, and move to a better position.

A bad Zerg offense is one that moves from node to node, capturing and leaving them undefended. A few players should always stay behind and hold the node to prevent recapture. If no one stays, head there yourself and let the team know it's under-defended. Again, do not demand that specific people come and defend. Instead, make the case that defense needs one or two more people, and if anyone cares as much as you they will come.

The worst Zerg is one that stands in one place and does nothing. Often a group of players will gather up on a single node in the name of "defense". Zergs happen because people feel more secure in a large group, and are insecure in their abilities to fight in small group, one on one, or outnumbered situations. Large groups cowering on defense when falling behind is the worst kind of cowardice in Arathi Basin. A somewhat effective way to get them to move is to insist that some enemy node is weak, and open to attack. That large group at the stables could certainly overwhelm them!

Rambo Mentality

The opposite of the Zerg mentality is the go-it-alone Rambo attitude. These are people that are over-confident in their abilities, and try to single-handedly slay entire armies. They usually take many trips to the graveyard as well. More often the Rambos are looking to catch other strays for one-on-one fights to inflate their kill count or honor points. An organized team won't have many strays for them to catch.

With too many Rambos in the match, you'll have everyone spread out on the map with no focus. These individuals can be picked off easily by groups of four or five that focus fire.

Find a small group that is moving together and stick with them. Three or four small groups moving or defending will accomplish more than a large Zerg or a group full of Rambos. They can cover more of the map and are still grouped up for team combat.

Author's Closing

It's important to reiterate that no amount of text is going to turn you into a PvP god. This guide will provide you with information, but experience will always be your best ally. Zone in and play is the best advice I can give. Arathi Basin has great strategic potential, and this guide is by no means complete. Experiment with different tricks and tactics, but keep in mind the fundamentals I have referred to here: communication, mobility and aggression.

I am always looking to expand this document with more strategies and information. Feel free to send me your suggestions.

See you on the battlefield,

~ Piumosso, Gnome Mage of the Uldum realm