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WvW - What Makes a Great Commander?

Hidden Blade.7913

By Hidden Blade.7913
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Blocki.4931

Blocki.4931

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I'll just list of a few things that should generally be pretty useful.

Best if you're on teamspeak/discord to coordinateStay cool, even if you wipeAsk if somebody wants to organize groups for boonsharing if you don't know it yourself (not THAT important, especially as an open tag)Know the spots to place catas atStock up on sieges. Nobody takes a comm who asks for donations seriouslyKnow when to push and CALL IT OUT (Push with me, countdown,) call dodges (dodge forward, get out their bubble) ask for bubbles yourself, call which direction you want to go next.. etc. if you attack a group from left or right so that everybody is ready to follow. Remind them to cleave downs

Lots more stuff, but that's the most important things probably

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Norbe.7630

Norbe.7630

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As a Pugmander...

Basic:

-Feel the air around you,(does your pugs have enough experience on fights on what to do when they are following you or spoon feed them to death)

-Have multiple plans on when you command,(change plans according to certain situations, like capping a tower, will killing a lord and successfully capping it be made within an X amount of time when you see enemy group coming to defend it or would you hold a spot and clash with the enemies and leave the lord atm)

-Know when to PPT and when to Fight,(when your group always lose fights, its frustrating isn't it?, think why you lose those fights, never blame anyone, make adjustments, keep the ball rolling, tell people what to do next time, tell them your plans early so they have a heads up, always motivate your group)

Advanced:

-Engaging fights,(never always go straight forward to enemies ^_^)

-Negating damages(never always dodge backwards, as a melee, dodging forward is your best bet, as a ranged dodging left or right is the best)

-Bringing down T3 objectives with a big group defending that could wipe you inside(a T3 hills and a T3 smc, have someone Tag up or temporarily Tag up, do a simultaneous assault, coordinate with that other tag, whispering him/her the situation on every objectives is good, your 2 groups might be able to capture both those T3s in 15-20 minutes)

Expert:

-Play for fun.

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XenesisII.1540

XenesisII.1540

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Proper Positioning and awareness, whether that be setting up a fight in open areas or chokes, fighting under siege, waiting for a gate to be rammed down, fighting a lord but enemy on the way, always try to keep your group/zerg/squad in a prepared position so you can react to whatever happens, players try to follow the tag so be mindful of where you're standing or rather where you want them to stand.

Use what you have, you shouldn't expect to have a full blown front line every fight, learn to use what's available, if you have mostly range classes then try and whittle the enemy down with side pushes, use chokes. Seen plenty of good commanders be able to use a zerg that another commander failed hard with previously, and I've seen commanders fail and just blame their pugs and not take responsibility for their mistakes and learn from it because of their ego, don't be that kitten we have enough of those around.

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Dreamy Lu.3865

Dreamy Lu.3865

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Other things that I can think off and seem important to me:

  1. It needs to be a good communicator: The commander shall manage communications internal to the squad, in the different chats, and shall be able to manage conflictual situations. I have seen to many times commanders who would have been good ones, but who were bad communicators. It did not need long until people stop joining them.
  2. It needs to be a good team leader: Team mind is necessary for a good and efficient together work, and that's mainly with the commander to build it up. Fact is: To be a very good player does not necessarily mean to be a good team leader. The abilities required to be a team leader are completely different.
  3. It needs to be able to manage stress, allowing to take proper decision even under stress.
  4. On the personal level, it needs to be able to manage critics because as soon as we tag up (I tag in PvE only, but that's the same), we have to hear how we do bad and how we should do it better! =)
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Sovereign.1093

Sovereign.1093

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plan your raid agead of time. meaning, you know what you want to achieve, how to, and. so you'll have nore chance to succeed

communicate, meaning talk to your players so they understand you and listen so you can adjust how to lead. explain your role, theirs, and what you need done.

have a very tanky toon, whom you use so that you can be comfortable moving around and speaking. i.e. mace shield staff fb. sword shield/warhorn.gs warrior.

do it. experience will mold you into who you need to be, after 1 and 2.

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Seffen.2875

Seffen.2875

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My Cents on this:

Having a WvW-Guild, which supports you and will stay with you no matter what makes things a ton easier.

Expect the first times to be a huge let down. You will fail. Especially under pressure. Listen to what others say to you. It is good to have someone experienced with you who can help you and tell you what to do.

Don#t overcommit to sieging. Stay with Karmatrain. This will Keep People with you and you have the Chance to just learn the Basics. If something is taking too Long, just quit it.

Don't fight if you are 100 % sure to win. (being a lot more is a good sign for that) Nothing makes you lose more People than wiping. Again and again. Change the map if you have to.

Play Guardian. And for heavens sake know how to Play it. Firebrand is one of the classes with the highest skill cap right now. If you suck at it go for vanilla. You Need to concentrate on leading not on piloting your class.

Be likeable. If you are grumpy or a Sissi or if you Keep whining all the time People will leave you. No one wants to deal with this Kind of People for a Extended period of time. Be funny, talkative and Keep a good conversation going.

Comment on everything you do. If no one in the channel is talking, you Need to Keep talking. No one likes a quite channel and People will leave pretty fast if they have the Feeling nothing is Happening. If you are lucky you have some People with you that are fun to talk to.

Make it clear to yourself, just because you doing this in your spare time and voluntarily you do not have to right to do it bad. If you suck People will call you out on it and you have to except that.

When People call you out on sucking you Need to listen closely and adapt to it. Don't fight back. Most of the times they are right. If they are wrong others will protect you.

Take every help offered.

Let People Play what they want.

This will get you started.A lot of These tips don't apply for advanced leading.

Edit: Btw. the most selfsufficent leading class/spec is Dragonhunter. (while also being easy to Play)

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Zephyra.4709

Zephyra.4709

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PUGMANDER/TYPEMANDER:

  • COMMUNIATION IS KEY... Have a SQUAD MESSAGE ready when players join your squad. I rarely EVER see anyone utilise this feature and it makes for some great basic tips for newcomers (e.g; stay on tag, bring supply, support each other). Have a short ANNOUNCEMENT to put in team chat now & then that you are actively tagged up. Go out of your way to be kind, understanding + reasonable and get used to using squad/say/map chats frequently. I say this because your squad will have all kinds of players - some tunnel vision. This is where Say chat comes into play since it literally pops up in front of them. Other players won't have team or map chat on, so use your Squad chat at all times. Acknowledge all SCOUT CALLS as they are vital to knowing enemy location, numbers, activities. Repeat your commands frequently; again, some pugs need you to hold their hand every step of the way and this builds trust, makes you and your pugs attentive and better players together. Communication is the bread and butter of forging a bond between each other and building respect and a willingness to learn.
  • SQUAD MARKERS... Like squad messages, SQUAD MARKERS are tools you will need to use for a multitude of reasons; from stacking (arrow), to signalling your pugs where to move, on top of siege that needs to be built, specific markers related to portals (circle), AoE up ramps/on walls (heart) or the big daddy of them all - marking enemy drivers (x), and singling out specific enemy players/enemy siege (x). Before engaging an enemy zerg you should: explain to your pugs you will MARK the enemy driver or specific player, tell your pugs to FOCUS that target or to stay clear of that end of the hammertrain. Doing so gives you a better chance at producing downs since everyone will be trying to focus on a specific player/spot due to the obvious marker(s).
  • SQUAD/TEAM COMPOSITION/PARTIES... Each PARTY should have at least ONE Firebrand, Spellbreaker, Scourge, Herald or whatever you find WORKS TO BENEFIT YOUR SQUAD composition against the enemy. Kindly explain to pugs if you are having a hard time to switch to zerg builds or swap classes to something more suitable, however, never solely dismiss certain classes' ability to contribute to a zerg. A common trend is rangers but with the right attitude, constant communication and team work I have noticed many to be switched on and ready to pounce on single marked targets, DPS'ing hard to reach siege and overall showing a willingness to work with the squad. ALWAYS appoint a Lieutenant - this role is important for keeping your squad CLEAN so choose a player who is willing to keep track of the parties.
  • MAP AWARENESS/KNOW YOUR LIMITS... As a pugmander, the WORST thing you can do is to be unwittingly feeding your squad to the enemy. This is why it's important to establish what kind of enemy is on the map (enemy guilds, blobs, havoc groups, double team etc) and decide whether or not your squad can handle being in a situation that could put them at risk (chokes, on lords, behind walls, lower terrain, attacking certain tier objectives, engaging both enemy teams etc). SITUATIONAL/MAP AWARENESS is taxing to keep track of since you're already juggling numerous tasks so it's common for allies to get upset if you end up getting rekt. This is where you should acknowledge what went wrong, how your squad could have avoided the issue and get ready to move on or switch maps.
  • FIND A BALANCE... All kinds of players are in WvW for different reasons. Acknowledge that not everyone is going to get what they want; some prefer to K-TRAIN, others enjoy FIGHTS, some honestly DON'T CARE. As a pugmander, you are trying to build up a sizeable force and to do this you should incorporate a fair share of CAPPING/DEFENDING OBJECTIVES and FIGHTS. Fights are just as important as assaulting objectives - it is challenging, helps your pugs better themselves against the enemy and keeps them on their toes. If you k-train too much - players tend to be off in fairyland which could get your squad rekt if an enemy group shows up.
  • ENGAGING THE ENEMY... Before approaching any enemy it is vital to have a PLAN and possibly a SAFE SPOT to fall back to (squad markers). Communicate with your squad the basics; NEVER run ahead of the tag, NEVER run directly into the enemy's bomb, you should be rotating AROUND the enemy bomb OR DODGE THROUGH IT if it's in a choke/tight space. You will want to practice FAKE PUSHING an enemy by explaining to your squad "FAKE PUSH to arrow and immediately FALL BACK to square". You do this to bait the enemy bomb so you may have an easier time to REAL PUSH them after. Constantly remind your pugs about these strategies - it will better them as individuals and hopefully train them to not be rally bots. Never ever let your enemy have the upper hand or an easy time - try to engage them by surprise. This includes; tight stacking outside of gate portal and pushing in after the enemy enters via wall, tight stacking around corner and wait for the enemy driver to pass then cut off their backline/midline, hiding behind certain terrain/objectives or utilising another path to get to their zerg without being noticed (e.g; catas up Wildcreek. Instead of risking being seen, head through dredge and smash them from behind while they are focused on their catas).
  • PREPARE THE DEFENSE... After destroying an enemy zerg inside/outside your objective you should replace any siege and repair the walls/gate. You know they will be back therefore you never make it easy for the enemy. Try to place siege as far back as you can on the walls in light of heavy enemy AoEs. Communicate with your scouts to kindly REFRESH SIEGE. This is often called 'ticking' e.g; "If you're scouting Bay, can you please tick all sieges thank you". Most siege if not all, has a 1 hour decay timer. Keep track of enemy tactivators (watchtower, EWP, invulnerable walls/gates being the big offenders) as this can make or break your attempt at a Tier 3 objective. You should also keep track of your own tactivators and be ready to take EWP if someone calls it.
  • SQUAD SUPPLY... The peanut butter of the squad UI. Always keep track of this and try not to waste supply on outer, save more rams/catas/shield gens for inner as this is where the enemy is going to make things difficult for you and that third shield gen on outer... could have been put to better use on inner!

That's probably the basic bulk of pugmanding you should be ready to fulfil. I hope this helps you in your conquest against the enemy. Enjoy pugmanding!

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Dawdler.8521

Dawdler.8521

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@LetoII.3782 said:

@"Brother.1504" said:The best commanders can talk really really really really fast.Thats not true at all. One of the best commander I've known dubstepped his commands. Rhytm > fast.

All the true greats use the techno-auctioneer method

That's still fairly tame.

This was in the good old days when hammerstuns where still called (and I was such a shitty mesmer) :p

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ugrakarma.9416

ugrakarma.9416

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what make a good commander: Positioning, strategy awareness and battle awareness.what make a bad commander: the worst type i have find: mesmers commanders thats constant use of teleport and other mesmer high mobility stuff unaware that entire zerg dont have mesmer mobility.

on SoS occasionally has a guy who commands using a Daredevil and does very well his name has something is something like "Bruce P" .

the best commanders i have served(i always on Sos since my account creation): Rhys from TL, Sun Tzu from GAL and Coron Bale from TSYM.

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