Post by Morreion on Jun 12, 2010 7:47:31 GMT -5
The Anvil of Crom: Delving into PvP minis (Massively)
The basics
Age of Conan's minigames are pretty straightforward, and offer a quick way to get your PvP fix without having to hunt around for random opponents, plan elaborate sieges, or deal with spawn-camping. Each mini takes place in its own instance, and players can sign up whilst continuing to go about their business elsewhere in the game world. When the rosters are filled, the game will prompt you to accept or decline the invite, and you'll be whisked away to 15 minutes of dedicated bloodletting. If you're thinking Warhammer Online's scenarios, you're not far off, though it's worth noting that Age of Conan's minis pre-dated Waagh by several months.
Minis require 12 players (so be prepared to wait for a bit if you're trying to join during off-peak hours) which are split into two teams of six. You can sign up at random and be subjected to the whims of the unholy pickup group, or you can sign up as a pre-made group. The latter option is highly recommended, as successful minigame PvP is highly dependent on organization and teamwork. You'll still get kill credits, guild renown, and PvP XP if you PUG it, but odds are you'll die more often than necessary due to all the helter-skelter bum-rushing, not to mention lose the match. In my experience, PUGs rarely utilize group chat, preferring to simply charge the enemy and hope for the best. There is the occasional experienced player who will try and direct attacks or call out objectives, but they're few and far between.
Minis are segregated by player level, so you won't have to worry about signing your newb Demonologist into a match and being demolished by a level 80 Assassin. In addition, your level is bumped up to the tier maximum upon joining the match (i.e. if you join a level 20-39 minigame as a level 26, you'll actually be level 39 for the duration of the match in terms of hit points and other stats). That said, you won't have access to level-based attack skills that you've yet to earn, which means there is some advantage for higher-level players. Even so, organized groups can and do overcome higher-level adversaries and win matches regularly.
Age of Conan's minigames are pretty straightforward, and offer a quick way to get your PvP fix without having to hunt around for random opponents, plan elaborate sieges, or deal with spawn-camping. Each mini takes place in its own instance, and players can sign up whilst continuing to go about their business elsewhere in the game world. When the rosters are filled, the game will prompt you to accept or decline the invite, and you'll be whisked away to 15 minutes of dedicated bloodletting. If you're thinking Warhammer Online's scenarios, you're not far off, though it's worth noting that Age of Conan's minis pre-dated Waagh by several months.
Minis require 12 players (so be prepared to wait for a bit if you're trying to join during off-peak hours) which are split into two teams of six. You can sign up at random and be subjected to the whims of the unholy pickup group, or you can sign up as a pre-made group. The latter option is highly recommended, as successful minigame PvP is highly dependent on organization and teamwork. You'll still get kill credits, guild renown, and PvP XP if you PUG it, but odds are you'll die more often than necessary due to all the helter-skelter bum-rushing, not to mention lose the match. In my experience, PUGs rarely utilize group chat, preferring to simply charge the enemy and hope for the best. There is the occasional experienced player who will try and direct attacks or call out objectives, but they're few and far between.
Minis are segregated by player level, so you won't have to worry about signing your newb Demonologist into a match and being demolished by a level 80 Assassin. In addition, your level is bumped up to the tier maximum upon joining the match (i.e. if you join a level 20-39 minigame as a level 26, you'll actually be level 39 for the duration of the match in terms of hit points and other stats). That said, you won't have access to level-based attack skills that you've yet to earn, which means there is some advantage for higher-level players. Even so, organized groups can and do overcome higher-level adversaries and win matches regularly.
