Battle Tactics and Creature Intelligence -- Tactical

Drylox · Post by **Drylox** » Sun Jun 08, 2003 10:20 am

Maintaining a tactical advantage will not only make you a more efficient fighter, but will keep you alive long enough to tell the tale. It has come to the surprise of many to hear that a high level toon like Aero, only has a couple dozen deaths since birth. This wasn't just dumb luck, it was my knowledge and experience in battle and the tactics I have mastered. Now I bring these once again to you.

Last Friday a group of us were at the south end of the west isle on Aphus Lassel. This has got to be one of the hardest areas to hunt in dereth (others include VoD and near Mt. Lethe). Every one died that night, some a few times (well everyone, except for me). When the group moved into another spawn location, it sometimes attracts other creatures from nearby spawns. You can become overwhelmed easily. If the players that were there with me noticed, I would run away from the crowd of creatures a short distance and turn to fight. What this did was give me a tactical advantage.

You NEVER let the creatures control the battle. You should be the one in control at all times. If a reaper gets behind you, back up until they are in front of you. Never let them crowd you unless you can handle it easily. If it becomes too much for you, run a short distance (40 yards - half of the radar). This will get you away from the spawn site of one or more of the spawn groups, lessening the creatures on you. Kill the creatures left on you and move in closer to take on more.

When you run away, you are not hurting the group that stayed behind. You have pulled some of the creatures with you and away from them and you will be killing the same amount, without ending up at the lifestone. If you do not die by doing this, you are helping yourself and the group. Sometimes a group of players will do well as long as there are other players with them to divide up the damage. But if players start to die, more damage goes to the ones that remain causing more deaths. The only way to remain there safely is to follow these tactical guidelines. I was left there alone due to the mass group deaths, but was following the same guidelines and lived through it.

If your health drops too low (less than 40% (buffer) of your total) and don't have the time to heal (damage still coming in at a high rate), run away from the spawn sites. This next tactic also applies when you are out of mana and cannot heal or panic and you run away. It is more easy to get the creatures off of you then you think. If you run and run and run, the creature(s) will chase you for a very long way, especially tuskers and bandies. But if you use their limited intelligence against them, you only have to run a short distance. Just run to a spawn free area, the first one you see that is at least 2 spawns away from the original spawn and stop! Do not attack them, just hold your ground. The creature(s) will get out of chase mode and may swing at you one time or may not. They are confused and will turn and run back to their spawn site. Just heal and return to the battle. Yep, its that easy.

One more thing on health (and stamina for melees). Don't let you health drop more than 25% of total (if your health is 180, don't allow it to drop below 135). If it drops more than 50%, those that heal with a med kit will fail at awkward times. All may die from a sudden war spell. If your health stays between 75 to 100% at all times, it is very hard to die. Don't just keep fighting. Don't think, "Let me finish this one or more creatures and THEN I will heal". That could put you in a spot that you may not be able to get out of later. The reason we heal at such a high place (75%) is to act as a buffer. If you are at 75% and go to heal and are hit by a critical, a drain or war spell, you have a buffer to keep you above 50% so healing is easier with med kits or giving you more time to heal with magic. If you are melee, don't let your stam get lower than 40 points. Again this is a buffer. Drink enough stam elixirs to get yourself back near maximum stam before resuming combat. If you get to zero stam, your weapon and melee d skills drop and you will be hugging the lifestone very soon unless you are quick to heal and recover (and a crit isn't about to strike).

Don't get into the practice of waiting until the last second just to get another kill. It doesn't work and my very few deaths proves this. By following these tactical guidelines your game experience will be much more enjoyable and you will become more confident.

Phade · Post by **Phade** » Sun Jun 08, 2003 1:49 pm

anewdamnname · Post by **anewdamnname** » Tue Jun 10, 2003 6:55 pm

just for the record

did you use buff bots ?? did you have a patron hunt with you on lower levels ??

dont know if your in a chain or not but hell i could hit level 100 and have no deaths if all i did was play it safe and collect xp from those below me.

the first 20 levels of your life did you recieve god buffs ?? and yes level 7 buffs on anyone that low a level is in my opinion turning you into god..

if you actually hunted with a party and run everytime something came out at you [when your party was expecting you to be there and support them] why do you think they all died and you didnt ?? hmmmm

anyway just my opinion ... when hunting alone or in a small group of like minded individuals your system works fine and is a very good system [ i think everyone eventually hunts this way after learning it and being out alone] but when with a party of people and they are expecting back up and help and suddenly poof your gone .. in my opinion you are not helping the party very much .. and the tactics you are useing are just a way to say i survived when everyone else died...

nice post tho i just had to get in my 2 cents worth

oneman

Drylox · Post by **Drylox** » Fri Jun 13, 2003 3:27 am

I started to use a buff bot when my clan got one. Aero was about 30-35. I didn't like coming back every hour to get buffed (I prefer extended hunts). So I hunted with no buffs except for some strength 6 pants I had (low dif, high melee d), elsya's favor strength and focus rings, focus stone, coordination 2 jewelry, will 2 jewelry and a quick 6/loyalty 6 collar. When I got the skill guy at 65 and trained creature, most of the jewelry was dropped.

Aero joined his first chain, in his clan at level 70 where he stayed until last month at level 128. He is 130 now.

In the years past I have had 5 other archers that have failed with too little melee d, poor protections or no way to kill a creature the same speed as a battlemage. Aero was the result of about 6 months of paper research. To make an archer that had a maximum primary weapon skill, the same protects and banes of a pure mage, a very high melee d / magic d and be able to make a creature weaker through vul/imps to kill them like having a mage next to you. Aero is not perfect, but he's a close second.

Aero does not play it safe while others push him up. I fight toe to toe with most every creature in dereth. But I if trouble arises I will not just stand there and die, I take evasive action. There are many procedures that I have learned and practiced over the years. Like how to make a creature unable to cast a spell or swing at you without killing it or running away.

In the coming months I will be joining your team. I love doing quests and going on clan hunts.