1: you do not need to be in TS3 to play the map, and PPT. If you want to win ZvZ fights however, you will want to have VoIP
2: Yes. I carry a stack of everything, and about 50 supers of everything at any given time. I use 1 super ram and 1 regular ram on paper gates, supers only on reinforced gates.
If you want to defend against map queue, you NEED superior defensive siege. regular siege does not have enough stopping power without building an absurd amount.
3: ask backseat drivers to keep their suggestions to /w. If they are just being critical and not helpful, then tell them to shut up or tag up.
4: Leading in EoTM would help you learn how to manage supply, but not much else.
5: Watch the map. Sentries moving, Yaks disappearing and the flip timers should give you a good idea of what is happening anywhere on the map. If you know the two other servers are engaged, fighting in stonemist for example, go hit an upgraded or inner tower like Ogrewatch, Jerrifers or Bravost. Map politics are about controlling where your enemies go and what they do. If there’s a waypoint in both SMC and their keep, and the third server has them occupied in SMC, lay siege at their keep and force them to pick which waypoint to save.
6: you need them. If no one is in your corner how do you know if your keep was tapped, or if there’s a golem coming up the water gate.
These folks are often your most stalwart tower and keep defenders. treat them well.
7. Yes. I loose a lot of respect for commanders who give up after wiping once or twice. In WvW you will die a lot. If you are not able to direct through voice, (where to bomb, when to dodge, pop stabilities, condi clears, water fields etc.) then you need to be extra careful about where you take your zerg. most people will take a few seconds to realize you’ve moved. Command through /S chat to get the best reaction time from people. Most of the time you should be able to maneuver around without bumping into the enemy zerg until you need to get past them into your tower.
Mostly you need to focus on hitting objectives that are not too hard. If you have a very small group, like less than 10, focus on controlling supply camps and ninjaing the odd tower here and there. Controlling supply is often underestimated by new commanders. If you can keep their camps flipping and their yaks dead, you WILL be able to whittle down their supply reserves, and when they’re dry, you can take their towers (and possibly keeps) with minimal resistance. Don’t rush to hit big objectives, build momentum and feed your zerg with champ bags and loot, and it will grow.
8. It does not take a lot of experience to lead a map for PPT. Lead people to supply, and lead them to an objective. Learning siege placement takes a while though. Don’t forget to get on high ground and use a ballista to destroy enemy siege if it’s giving you a hard time. Catas are extremely versatile and 2 super catas(with masters) are faster than rams on a paper wall. Watch the tick timer, and time your defensive holds and ninjas around the tick timer. If your whole corner is paper and gets ktrained by a map queue, but you can flip all 4 towers back before the end of the 15 min tick, then you’ve effectively lost nothing.
9: You can tell most of the time. If half your zerg dies on the first push, you should probably bail. If the enemy is holed up in a heavily sieged tower or keep, and they’re just waiting for you to come in, build a treb and destroy their siege(supply and numbers allowing). Try to avoid walking into a killbox. You need to pick your fights based on how quickly your zerg responds to commands, and how well you know they can fight.
10: For fight tactics: watch this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYrQMoOBqaI
For map politicing and map control, watch this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erZ2YidTZp4
For the second video, there are many lessons to be learned from that whole documentary, even if you can’t behead people.
11: IF you’re watching two other servers fight, then yes. Pick your fights carefully. however, you are where your team is focusing damage. so you are leading the charge. Like lioka said, you need to manage your team’s positioning. If you dont have enough to come out of a fight intact, then don’t go into the fight( 10v30 not always the best idea)
12: Don’t get flustered or worked up because you’re getting hammered or loosing stuff. c’est la vie. focus on having fun, and keeping your zerg together.
