Auzzie's PK Advice

[khaede]

As I mentioned before, I've finished grad school and have returned to corporate finance (don't worry Grim, I'll be making at least 5 times your quoted income), so unfortunately its time for a hefty if not permanent break. I'll be pleasantly surprised if Aabahran is still around when I have the time again...knowing you degenerates it will be

Anyway, having played this game since the beginning, I thought I'd be remiss if I didn't share what I've picked up over the years before I forget it again. Feel free to completely ignore this post, because you're probably better than me.

For those that aren't familiar with my characters, on my hits at peak (azun/arath/salith/kalith/kentry/uhril/laeroth/ug/etc) I ranged anywhere from 50:1 to 100:1 on pk/pdeath ratio, so I like to think it wasn't complete luck. I had my fair share of misses too (faerik, goblicant, some thieves, some berserkers).

This is fairly stream of consciousness as I don't have a lot of time. I may post an essay on monks if I get the chance. I'd LOVE to post an essay on fighting vamps, but I'm fairly certain it wouldn't see the light of day.

Without further ado and in no particular order...

1. Preparation is relative: We all know being prepared is key to PK. The key to being really good is understanding that being relatively prepared will open up a lot of opportunities for fast decisions. Don't waste time spelling up when you could be engaging if you are relatively more prepared, as your target may bugger off. Obvious example: You (melee) unsanced, against fully spelled up spellcaster with no protective shield. Other examples: players in the middle of lengthy weapon change triggers, separated from mobs, hurt, etc. In these kinds of situations its more important to do damage while they are vulnerable than to be totally spelled up (even sanc) before you do.

2. Dirt/Firebreath are the gift that keep on giving. Simple advice, but worth it. Provides both offense and defense. Use them early and often. I would take a flaming socket over almost anything else, perhaps even curse, depending on the target.

3. The waiting game: when you fight is a huge factor. Be the decider of when you engage, and time your opponents buff spells. Duck into their area with no intention of fighting, just to have them spell up. Return a few ticks later. If they are coming for you, run for a while without your buffs up, as they will probably have spelled up before the chase. Etc. By being cagey in this manner, you will frustrate them, burn their consumables, and increase the chance of them losing a key buff in combat.

Detect magic is invaluable here. 2 ticks on sanc or something else key is the perfect time to engage.

If you are the target, you have the advantage here.

4. Chasing for the lazy: I'm a very lazer pker. And I am awful at chasing. I never even bothered to learn the underdark or any expansive areas (except winter). Yet I was once accused of having chasing triggers for when people fled from me in combat because I was so close on their heels. Its easy to do...fight in places with minimum exits if you anticipate to overpower your target in the SHORT term. Knight Canyon is great for this. Conversely, if you anticipate being overpowered in the short term, fight in Elium. Lots of exits, lots of mobs to screw scanning.

For the more advanced, you can even time this strategy. When your opponent is almost dead, don't hit that last bash or trip. Wait for them to flee and if you only have to choose from 2 or so directions you should be able to catch them and perform ANOTHER bash/trip before they recover. This maximizes the effect of the few exit fleeing penalty. You'd be surprised how many extra kills this nets you.

5. Know the skill level of your opponent: its like poker. You must know how they will react to your strategies. Some advanced chasing strategies won't work on newbs, and vice versa. Perfect example...someone flees into a shop in Val Miran. They must run back past you to get out. Against a newb, you don't move, you just spam bash. Against a shaky vet, same thing. Against a strong vet, you chase, because they will just sit there with the down direction waiting for you to walk in (at least I do).

6. Know their strategy: whatever class you are fighting will have a dominant and secondary strategy. Combining this with number 5, you should know what your opponent is going to lead with or throw at you very quickly. Prepare for this. This is beyond being poisoned for sleepers. There's a counter to everything and a counter to that counter, and so on...so realize what part of the spectrum the next battle will take place on and exploit it.

7. Command timing: never stack commands. Refer to number 4 for an example of command timing, but it is key to enter a command only immediately before it will execute. Takes practice, but increases your kill rate on opportunities and flaws when they present themselves.

8. Multiple stage strategies: not every battle has to be decided in the first skirmish. Many aren't. You don't even have to WANT it to be decided in the first skirmish. For tough opponents, multi stage strategies are important. This includes focusing on killing mobs first, or destroying weapons, or making them use powerful spells with longer cooldowns first while focusing on staying alive, and then switching to a more aggressive style at the appropriate moment. Classes vulnerable to this: necros, vamps, clerics, rangers, etc.

9. Character creation: many people won't agree with me on this, but I always start with a pk combo in mind and then create an RP for it. In an ideal world we would think of an RP and then build it, but the practicality of it is that everyone gets frustrated if they die a lot, and you can't play a grizzled but bad arsed dwarven warrior if you are getting spanked every other battle. With that in mind, choose race/class combos that compliment against the widest array of opponents (less so the case as the player base diminishes). That way, you won't have those one or two enemies who keep making you have to equip.

For example, if I was ever to roll another character, it would be a minotaur warrior gladiator. Warrior gladiator to defeat melees and hybrids, mino charging gladiator to defeat mages. Well rounded.

Or, undead shaman. Immune to most shaman weaknesses, and opts out of some key enemies.

Or, watcher thief. Again, rounded.

Just my 2 cents on it.

10. Consumables: always carry multiple! vial of sparkling liquid (0% fail rate for that situation when you cant afford for your staff to fail), pill or potion of teleport (theres a teleport potion you can see while blind, get it), herbal brews, and a garlic serum. Always.

I've probably got more that haven't come to mind, but thats enough for one sitting. If anyone would actually be interested in the monk essay, I'll write it. Or the vamp one...

[TheNewGuy]

10. Consumables: always carry multiple! vial of sparkling liquid (0% fail rate for that situation when you cant afford for your staff to fail), pill or potion of teleport (theres a teleport potion you can see while blind, get it), herbal brews, and a garlic serum. Always.

Gyvels?

Thanks for a nice read, btw.

Welcome back, when the time strikes. We all know it will happen. And enjoy yourself in the mean time. <3

[tassinvegeta]

Mino warrior gladiator. One of my thoughts as well. Just haven't gotten around to it yet.

[H&R]

Many wise points in there To add to number 4, you need to set aliases that you can type in quickly.

Man, I so hate it when someone does the waiting game on me And you are so right about number 1. Countless times I have lost my target, or lost my advantage because I had to put a key spell up, re-sanc myself or whatever. Preparing is very vital. Everything from making sure you have sanc & protection up to cancelling and recasting key-spells right before the battle. Oh, man. I want another invoker now, where you barely get delayed when putting up spells

[mya]

I fought Uhril a couple of times. Boy did you spam that spell.

Found you more powerful than Valadar, but not as fun

As i actually had fun dieing against Valadar.

By the way, why were you called a cross-dresser ?

Did you cross dress in order to CENSORED!!!

Or did the imm's changed your sex like that Knight....

"6. Know their strategy: whatever class you are fighting will have a dominant and secondary strategy."

Like Warriors Dirt -> Disarm ?

"pill or potion of teleport" - Haaa, you would be amazed how many times i cursed to the lack of one of those. I hate losing, and will teleport death before allowing myself to be killed.

[EtsoShex]

I'd love a monk essay! Plzz!

[Pali]

It's been fun fighting you over the years (and I like to think I held my own nicely in our many bouts ). Can't find anything in your advice that I'd dispute, and your point 8 is an extremely important one for communers and paladins - they are terribly suited for quick victories (they happen, but rarely), and appropriately timing and prepping for your various engagements is incredibly important.

[Croyvern]

All good advice, and may good fortune and prosperity keep you company until you return to us.

[Kyzarius]

All solid stuff.

I would like to add that the best way to learn from your fights is to save a log of every fight and review them. Find your mistakes, when you die. Find the point in the battle where you won. Where victory became assured and attempt to re-create the same scenario in future fights.