Hopeful future commander with a few questions
So, as a commander, do most of you guys run something more support oriented so that you aren’t glass cannons that are on the floor or do you run a more balanced style of build, or just stay glass cannons and hope you don’t die.
I run a bulkier Warrior as my Commander. I’m not full PVT, but I’m also not full glass, and this helps a lot both with being threatening but also with not dying. As a commander, thieves and others tend to seek you out to put you down. The reason is simple, because a dead commander can’t effectively lead a group, and if he has to WP, the zerg gets disoriented and is more liable to wipe. If you’re glass, you need utility skills that will keep you alive, but you also want to be a threat when you fight back. For me, I think a balanced build is important for that with some defensive skills that you can invoke to save your life if things are really going badly. For a Warrior, this means things like Shield 5 or Endure Pain. You could also work around a more ranged build with a rifle and not get up front and personal with your foes; I know a great Warrior Commander on my server who runs a Rifle for just these situations (running range also helps with inspiring randoms to shoot cannons and mortars and oil).
Also, how do you guys try to figure out what to do next, as in take camps/keeps/towers or what, and when to defend and when to just let towers and stuff go, and when to try to rally more bodies to your cause, and do you guys ask other commanders to pop/depop their tags to get things done or do you let it be?
There are so many questions here that more often than not are driven by intuition and strategic planning. I can’t tell you something like “Always take Bravost” or “Always defend your camps above all else” or something, but I will tell you this: Defend the holdings that you have most invested into. Defend keeps if at all possible, but know when you’re in a protracted battle and need to extract yourself and your group. You do not want your groups getting deadlocked while another server has free reign over your territories. Pay attention to white swords and check your map frequently. If you use voice chat, listen to them, and watch map and team and squad chat for tells of enemy troop movements. Learn to anticipate where they might go based on where they are, learn to distract the enemy with small groups and well placed siege so that your larger force can move and take points, learn ground-troop combat tactics like pincers, flanking, and splitting, and above all else learn to respect your groups and they will respect you.
Good luck.
(edited by Rising Dusk.2408)
It’s important to have a good working relationship with the other commanders on your server, so you know they will come to your aid when you need it, and so they won’t suddenly go “who the kitten is this guy?” when you, a newbie commander, appear with a tag.
If your server has forums, go there to introduce yourself, and give people a chance to get to know you that way before you go into commander mode.
I’ve seem lots of different types of commanders, we have seven or so in our guild atm.
- I run a semi-bunker staff ele. I’m very useful in a siege and group vs group combat, and I’m also quite durable.
- Another one of our commanders runs a shout/heal + condition damage warrior. He can charge in first, not get downed, and get the enemy off balance before his troops hit.
- Another runs a stealth/glass cannon thief. He stays alive with stealth, and ruthlessly picks off dangerous targets while the group fights.
Those are just examples, you have a lot of options. Make sure your build has survivability, and is effective in group vs group combat.
As for figuring out what to do next, the best thing to do is to learn from experienced commanders. If your server has a server wide voice chat, get in there and learn. Most servers would love to have a new commander who spends a few weeks learning, before turning his tag on.
Niniyl (Ele) | Barah (Eng) | Luthiyn (War) | Niennya (Thf)
This is
I usually only turn my tag on when it is needed. If I am on a map with no commander I will pop it or if we have enough players to split in to two groups I’ll pop it after whispering the other commander. Just because you have the tome does not mean you need it on all the time. Maps with 5 commanders just confuse everyone and thin your forces.
I run Knight’s gear with berserker accessories/weapons. Good survivability but I can still hit over 60% crit chance/over 90% crit damage with food. Staying alive should be a top priority, especially if you are running with a pug.
With planning you just need to communicate with those on your map. People will give suggestions and scouting reports, listen to them. Make sure you hit supply camps often as a group with no supply won’t take anything. The rest will come with experience. With time you will know when you can push and when you need to hold back. Communicate everything with your group and be open to ideas and input and polite to others. This separates good Commanders from those just running around with an expensive tag.
You should be a commander before you get the icon.
Keep in mind that if you’re leading a zerg, you’re typically leading a group with fragile morale. This means that in addition to managing strategic objectives, you have to manage the momentum of your group. Run in a zerg yourself and watch when the numbers start to fail during a protracted battle. If you have to wear down the enemy with siege, make sure that you occasionally break away to knock off a small objective. (my favorite EB commander seems to always resupply by taking camps.) Staying in motion and giving your zerg little time to be bored will also be helpful. Find pointless activities to take part in, if you need time to consider your next move.
Uru Kalach (80-War)/Kalthin Leafletter (80-Rgr)/Kalfun Gai (72-Guardian)
Leader – An Unexpected Kinship (AUK)
You should be a commander before you get the icon.
qft
know how to place siege, be willing to buy siege/upgrades, try to have at least a little mechanical skill with your character (but more importantly know your class’s strengths/weaknesses and how to deal with them), communicate with others, work with others, keep a level head, listen to others.
smart people will forgive you for being lacking in a couple/few of these things if you can show you can learn. but bad commanders lack the majority or all.
as for your last questions about intuition… those can only be answered by your experience and experiences. there is no clear answer. just learn from mistakes. no single bad decision will cost the weeks match, the collective force from any server is too large ( as long as you dont keep repeating mistakes ).
head here to discuss wvw without fear of infractions
Know that being commander is more than just a tag and bossing people around. It’s about making WvW fun for the players and having strong tactics. 100g is just the investment to get the tag. You should also be willing to provide all supply for the sieges under your command.
As far as picking the right class, it really depends on your play-style in my opinion. I am a thief commander, not running glass of course; I would recommend staying away from a glass cannon build because your fellow players won’t like ressing their commander every 2 seconds in the midst of combat.
Crystal Desert
We Came To Dance [WCTD]
You are only as good as those who follow you. Be respectful of your allies. Do not blame them for losses and stay positive. There is no general rule for how to conduct target priority other than using opporunity. Take camps before tick and rely heavily on scouting. Check any time white swords show up. Prioritize destroying the siege before repairing the wall. Don’t queue upgrades in a Tier 1 location with no supply built up (some exceptions to this). Get in VoIP and follow around another commander from your server. PM a commander you look up to and ask them to show you the ropes for a week by running with them. Educate yourself to all the nuance of WvW before throwing on that tag or you will be lost when you go from the tactical level of leadership on the field to the strategic level of leadership that generals use. Learn to play the map before you worry about being strong in the open field. Without a focused guild, it is difficult to win open field combat anyway so you are better off utilizing your forces as siege mules and choosing your battles carefully. Without a guild, pug morale is fragile. It is important to keep your forces in high spirits. Feed your armies karma and silver and they will follow you to the ends of Tyria.
I run a shout heal warrior with full PVT armor, soldier runes, and tanky dps (Cavalier, Knight, Valkyrie) trinkets/weapons. I use a hammer and sword/shield and am very survivable. I notice most successful commanders are front lines sort of players. A large part of this is likely the mindset that comes with people who play tanky melee classes, and also because it is hard to lead a charge on a glass mesmer.
Riven – [KnT] GM – http://KnightGaming.enjin.com
Commander – Grand General of Blackgate