If you enjoy a BG or two…. Mmmm let me rephrase that…
If you would like to enjoy a BG or two, there is a good chance that you have played with people that have not read the various “How to win” BG guides out there, produced by the likes of Cynwise, WoWInsider or even myself.
No, more likely you have played with people that have studied the “How to Lose” range of guides.
Yet you are perplexed. You have googled “How to lose X Battleground”, yet you haven’t been able to fin them.
Just to make your life easier, I am going to write just such a series of guides. Today’s installment is:
How to lose: Battle for Gilneas.
Don’t talk
To be honest this is a rule for all BGs you intend to lose.
Don’t even say hello to your team mates
If you talk to your team mates, you might form a temporary bond, become more than just a collection of individuals with disparate goals.
Worse yet, you may be breaking the ice and encouraging them to speak out when it’s important.
Do your best to discourage communication!
Don’t suggest a strategy
Whatever you do, don’t suggest a strategy, not even an intentionally fail strategy. If you do you may fail in your objective and by complete accident forge the group into a coordinated group of winners.
Don’t support a strategy that has been suggested
To do so might inadvertently suggest your tacit agreement with the idea of winning the BG and enlisted others to follow said strategy.
Even to call them out as a fool may encourage others to talk… Don’t let this happen!
Don’t call Incs
Occasionally calling out incs produces an unwanted result – support. Much better to keep quiet, let the node get capped and hasten the end of the BG.
If one of your team mates does call out incs, it’s time for drastic action… communicate, something like:
WW clear
or
WW under control.
That should turn them around.
Don’t inform people you are responding to their pleas for assistance
Whatever you do, don’t give any indication that you will support a node.
- the player under attack may hold on till you get there
- others may rally to your show of support.
Anyway, this would break the first rule of not communicating.
Silly me… you weren’t really going to support them were you?
Don’t call out healers
Healers slow down loses (if they are on your side) and speed it up if they are the enemy.
Your team mates are probably looking for healers to progress the win, but they are hard to see in the heat of battle, don’t draw attention to them.
Don’t use a mod to identify healers in a crowd.
If you see one CC’d, break it quickly with some white damage.
Ignore your healers
Let them die!
Better yet, drag the whirlwinding enemy to your healers to bring them down.
Don’t mark your healers
…you might feel guilt if you knowingly let them die.
Marked healers draw your team mates attention. They will protect them, they won’t leave them at nodes by themselves.
Don’t give your healers a sliver of a chance!
Make sure you leave your healer to guard the node
You want your healer by themselves at a node for two reasons.
- they are easy targets for enemy dps, which will speed up the turnover of the node.
- a healer without allies to heal is a waste of a player in a BG – you want this. A healer is only good when they are in the thick of the action, keeping your allies alive, assisting them, your team, to cap and win the BG.
In addition to these two reasons, the healer may be aware of both of these points and leave the node. FREE CAP FOR THE ENEMY!
While you are at it, ignore their healers
Remember, don’t call them out and don’t hit them, unless and only if they are CC’d and your white damage can break it.
Ignore the plan
Someone offered a plan that might promote some group coordination? Ignore it, you know better!
Once a plan has been suggested and accepted, it is your task to ferment dissent. They want you to go left – GO RIGHT! Watch as a portion of your team follow you like lemmings to the cliffs of humiliating loss.
Make sure you pause 2/3 of the way to your destination, hesitate, head in a different direction, turn about, do loops. The game is now nearly lost.
Whatever you do, don’t subscribe to the concept that even a coordinated group with a bad plan can win, don’t let it happen.
Ineffectively soloing nodes will usually drag a couple of team mates to their death as well.
Wait until you are dead to call incomings
Being a smart player, you will be careful to ensure you aren’t caught for the weak willed traitor… errr Heroic Loser you really are.
So call out incs occasionally, but not as you see them approaching the node. Not as you engage with them. No you want to wait until it’s all to late, preferably long after you have died (you aren’t releasing are you!).
All being well, the first your team mates know of the node under challenge is your…
inc WW
…followed by…
WW has been assaulted by the winners!
You are the hero, solo them
A node protected by 5 enemies… They are no match for your heroics and all being well you can ruin the surprise attack and die so you don’t distract the enemies from your team mates.
It’s about you, not the flag
Even if the enemy have left the flag and you have a clear Ninja Cap opportunity, ignore the flag and engage the enemy.
Flag = team win = personal fail!
If they hadn’t left you at the node, there wouldn’t be an issue
If you are the one left at the flag, feel no guilt as you ride off into the sunset. They left you there so they could have all the fun, so really it’s their fault that the node is unguarded.
If it really mattered that much, they would have guarded themselves.
Fight away from the flags
Always, ALWAYS, fight away from the flag giving an avenue for an enemy ninja cap.
Never, NEVER, place AoE over the flag. This will destealth ninjas and interrupt capping.
Don’t ignore that guy baiting you off the flag
Remember, give the ninja capper room to operate.
Hopefully your team mates will follow you and forget the flag.
Chase the guy leaving the flag
This will ensure no incidental AoE interrupts the ninja cap, as well as encouraging your team mates to follow.
Ignore the guy capping your flag while there is that guy teasing you
Teasers always take priority over cappers, I can’t stress this enough!
Split evenly between the 3 nodes
There are 10 of you… Plenty to go around, so spread out. If there are three of you at each node, each can easily be overcome with a Zerg of as small as 5 players.
Thin you numbers.
Divide and be conquered!
Strategic numerical advantage is an illusion that must be avoided at all costs, pull out of a fight if there are more of you than them, hover on the outskirts to soak up any honor, but don’t tip the balance in your teams favour!
Better a static defeated force than a mobile victorious force
This whole fast response, quick assult team rubbish… when are you going to get a chance to do your crafting?
Encourage your team to sit at nodes in pointless combat with overwhelming numbers rather than sending an assault team to their barely defended node.
Aim for 2 nodes, settle for one
Cap 2nd and defend
Wiser words have never been spoken.
For one it drags out the battle and most importantly, you just need to loose control of one of your bases to turn a lazy victory into a frenzied defeat.
You can’t lose BFG with 3 bases, so make sure your team badly defends two!
Get two bases and enjoy the slaughter of your team, while the enemy losely defends their one based (ready to return to defend with that fearsome three letter call “inc”) and sends the rest of their team to assault your divided and overwhelmed team.
One base can win can’t it?
Better yet, encourage everyone to relax when you only have one base.. why try harder?
Relax when you are ahead 1600 to 1000
Make sure your team relaxes when you are ahead 1600 to 1000. Convince them you can’t lose… you can be sure you will!
You are already a head, why try harder.
What’s the chance that they could win at this point?
Sure they could turn their one cap into 3 and win in just moments, or settle for 2 and still outpace your points to win comfortably.
Chase the rainbow
Meaningless achievements > nodes
Not your fault, everyone does it
Best if you do it 1st right?
Don’t offer BG supplies
Mage food, health stones, soul shards and buffs are for winners – no thank you
They unfortunately lend the impression that you want to run as a team, you care that people survive and can perform at their best.
Underprovisioned troops will perform worse, have to rely on the spirit healer for life, health and mana!
Start with a losing attitude and you are guaranteed to be right – you are always right, right?
Everyone’s favorite player is the…
lol noobs, Alliance always lose
Com’on, give up, get it over with, lets get the next queue faster
Stop trying for the node ffs, just let them win
L2P pplz
.. who says this even before the 1st node has capped.
Sure this sort of behaviour might just make me more determined, but there are many players out there that take this as the signal to let go using a simple calculation
(Trying to win + effort) < (Queue time + free honor)
Break your teammates spirit early and often!
Edit: As often seems to be the case, Cynwise and I are working on a similar project at the same time. So if you want to know How to Win: Battle for Gilneas, rather than my How to Lose, go read his excellent work, which includes his trademarked topological maps (you know, the ones that I have a coffee mug with all the way over here in Australia): The Battle For Gilneas
Gnomer and Out!
Disclaimer: Many BFG’s were lost in the making of this guide.
PS: Apparently I am the most hugged blogger at this years The Pink Pigtail Inn Awards of 2010 – The Blogosphere. Line up.. naaah stuff it, I’m wearing enough resilience gear…
STACKS ON THE GNOME!
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.
http://gnomeaggedon.net/2011/01/14/how-to-lose-battle-for-gilneas/
[...] kind of behavior doesn’t fly in Arathi Basin, and it won’t fly in Gilneas, [...]
Ohhh the How to WIN Battle for Gilneas.. great timing!
I spent last night finishing up my post and scheduled it for this morning, figuring I’d give myself a break and edit it right before work.
Then I saw your post go up this morning and was like… how does Gnomey DO that? That’s easily the 3rd or 4th post we’ve both done in a 24 hour time.
I thought yours was FAR more entertaining and full of helpful, NEW tips – I’m all “wah wah fight at the flag wah wah,” but you looked at the situation realistically, because, let’s face it – your teammates are going to screw you over, might as well get them first!
Also, I wasn’t paying attention – there’s seriously a Double Rainbow achievement??? Ffffffff.
ooh, just in time — i think my little worgen might be able to join the battle for gilneas this weekend. now i can lose in style, thanks to you! ; )
nice tip on the “all healers must die” addon, too. i’ve never heard of that one. and also, i’m sorry, but i am DEFINITELY getting that double rainbow achievement. : )
OH, and huge, HUGE congratulations on the PPI “most huggable/hugged”! you deserve it. i was rooting for you in several categories, and this was one of them. i’m not ashamed to admit it.
Yes, get your dog in there!
Yeah it’s a great addon.. from memory it performs the same in PvE as well, which makes it easier spotting those pesky healers in heroics.
I noticed the names Prelimar and Gnomeaggedon came up a couple of times. Thanks for your support… when I haven’t posted in a while, my 1st thought is… “Prelimar is waiting and will be disappointed if I don’t post something… anything…”
ha — don’t feel any pressure to post on my account. while i love to read whatever you post, i know you’re busy and have lots of RL things to take care of, too. i know you’ll post when you can, and when you do, it’s always worth the wait.
also, i read elsewhere that BfG is level 85 only? boooo, my little worgen hunterling won’t be able to go there for about 75 more levels, in that case… and i’m not even sure he’s going to make it that far. learning a new class is fun, and i’m liking being a hunter so far, but i’m a mage at heart. : )
That addon is terrific. I’d been training myself to try to spot resto druids in their new, sneaky, non-tree forms, but I always like having my UI work for me. Thanks!
Yeah.. I have to assume it will get nerfed at some point, but until that point (like timewarp and ring of frost in arenas) I will be making full use of it.
When I am on Squidly and it gives the me “Healer ping” and the big read target over the enemy healer’s head, it occurs to me the exact same thing is probably being done to me from the other side.
Solo them can be especially useful as it means the enemy will stay together and defend the node longer. Just make sure you die at the node, and don’t drag them away from it.
Agreed.. Gnome often fills this role… but only if it’s communicated as such a role. Don’t want others leaving their positions thinking you are making a push.
Likewise Ninja caps are a worthwhile solo attempt, but better if there is covering fire dragging your opponents away from the flag.
[...] most huggable blogger Gnomeaggedon – it’s the green mustache, I’m sure – has a first rate post today. But before we jump into it let me share one key fact with you so oyu’re not as confuzzled as [...]
LOL this is so SO awesome! and true! and making me sad! =(
you’ve successfully summed up the qualms of 5+ years of WoW pvp, congratulations!
Yes, I know.. didn’t have to dig too deep for inspiration… unfortunately.
I have left some out too!
I’m now at number 1 position (and number 3) for “How to Lose Battlegrounds” for Google search.
I call that success!
I wish more people would read this and Cynwise’s
, i’m tired of losing Battle of Gilneas or being the only one offering strategy or talking in a BG (I’ve actually begged people to talk before).
Thanks for the add on tip too! I always try to focus a healer when i realise they’re healing but my screen is crowded with name plates it can be difficult!
Healers are hard to miss with this addon.
- It pings (audible) when you mouse over one
- gives chatbox confirmation when you select them
- puts a big red “cross” (well, plus sign/christian symbol for medical aid… like the red cross) over their heads.
make it any easier… I think not.
waiting for incoming nerfbat…
[...] and Cynwise have both made excellent posts on The Battle for Gilneas. At the moment without co-ordination and communication this BG can [...]
Great guide! I think you forgot the “stand idle and berate your teamates in BG chat” technique though. Probably so common and obvious you didn’t have to mention it.
Oh that’s an advanced technique, two losing moves in one. Not sure I can cover those levels of difficulty in a beginners guide to losing