Guild Wars 2

So, new PvP season, new shinies to get. Incredibly rusty me has trudged through my placement matches and all that, but I feel a bit out of the loop, gameplay-wise.

First things first, I haven’t played PvP since Season 2 or 3, I think. I’ve followed up on the Meta (more or less) since, of course, and avidly read the patch notes. What I cannot scry from mechanical changes however is how it affects gameplay.

So here I am, ready to drop a load of questions about the game:

1. Has there been any major overarching changes in terms of splitting on specific maps? Do you still occasionally split 1-3-1 on maps like Niflheim, or is it better to always advocate a 1-4 split now that Full Teams aren’t available anymore?

2. What’s the status on side objectives on each of the Ranked maps, when/if should they be considered? Specifically: Lord Rushing on Foefire; Beasts on Niflheim; Skyhammer on… well, Skyhammer; and lastly Trebs on Kyhlo. I mainly (read: So far Only) play Bunker Druid, should I concern myself with any secondary objective at all?

3. As a Bunker Druid, what match-ups should I search for? What match-ups should I strive to avoid?

4. Rotations. Should I endeavour to focus on Close and Mid as a rule of thumb? How long can I stay on a “capped” point that is empty before I’ve stayed there too long?

5. Common Scenario: My team has Mid (I am here). Home is Neutral and Contested, but we have a 2v2 there with a +1 halfway there, going from Mid. Last player on the team is going Far to Decap, but the enemy team will respawn and reach the Point before the Decap will happen, they also have 1 more player alive and roaming somewhere. What do I do in this scenario?

6. Another Common Scenario: We have Mid, 1 Teammate is 1v1-ing on Home and seemingly winning there. Rest of the team overextended to Far and one of them got stomped early, currently respawning. They’re fighting a losing battle 2v3 currently, soon to be a 2v4. What do?

Thanks in advance for any responses!