Having trouble getting into playing Warzones

[shonenjumpstyle]

I've been playing a Jedi Guardian for a while now, my first character. I am really getting tired of Belsavis, so I rolled a new character, an Imperial Agent Operative. I buddied up for Dromund Kaas and my groupmate asked if I wanted to try playing a Warzone. I said I'd try it and she queued us up for a random one. We ended up on Voidstar and we were defending. I tried to talk to my team and get some strategy going, but it seemed like everyone was on comm silence or something; no one said a word. I don't think that's normal. So anyways, once the match started we all just ran in and started shooting and stabbing things. The only time I saw two people from my team fighting the same opponent was when I rushed in to help someone else. The other team formed little groups and took us down systematically. We lost the match, and so I looked around at the results. My team consisted of people from level 14-19 with one level 23. The other team was consisted of level 17-27, with one level 12. I was tied for second best on my team with 11 kills and 9 deaths, not too bad for me (considering I've only ever PvPed in 2D Anime-styled sidescrolling platformer MMOs that mostly involved jumping around and running away while shooting special moves at the other player) but horrible under other circumstances. The best on our team had 16 kills. The other team was full of people with 36 kills, the highest being 47 kills.

 

Anyways, how exactly do Warzones work? Do you strategize with your teammates? And how does the balancing system work if there is one? My first experience was pretty fun and I want to know what I'm getting into next time.

[DariusCalera]

Well, for one, thank you for starting to PvP early and getting all the questions like this out of the way before you hit 55.

 

As for actually communicating, it doesn't happen very often in the lowbie WZs simply because a lot of those trying them are in the same shoes you were and not really understanding what was going on, what they need to defend and who they needed to target and from the sounds of things, your opponents probably had a few more experienced players on alts.

 

First, I would direct you here:

 

How To Become A Contender

 

A very good thread that should shed some light onto the WZs and what needs to be done. Granted, some parts of it are out of date but the general information about the WZs is still good. The one WZ that it doesn't cover is The Ancient Hypergates, but if you know the basics of the others, then figuring it out is relatively simple.

[Kerensk]

Alot of the time my silence comes from the fact that I'm busy playing. I only type while respawning or calling out important incoming. But I still read, alot of those silent people probably read too.

 

As for knowing what to do it's hard when you're new or you don't even have basic class abilities. Take charge without being a dick and you pull off a win. At the very least some tips like "focus on an enemy at a time", or "kill the marked healers first" can help them be better in upcoming rounds.

I also bait people with comments like "I'm giving my MVP vote to whoever I see guarding our lone turret the most." or "whoever calls out incoming the most gets me MVP vote."

 

Considering how worthless MVPs are you'd be amazed how many people wakeup and become real fighters when they thinktthey'll get one.

[Kerensk]

Duplicate Edited July 16, 2013 by Kerensk

[Banderal]

Anyways, how exactly do Warzones work? Do you strategize with your teammates? And how does the balancing system work if there is one? My first experience was pretty fun and I want to know what I'm getting into next time.

 

In my opinion/experience...

 

Strategizing is here or there. In VS, sometimes the only "vocalized" strategizing that happens is that someone calls out "left" or "right" at the start of the attack round to indicate which side the main force should attack first (with stealthers often going the other side). The other thing is calling "inc". While it's always good to call inc, in VS people paying attention can get by without it - there are only two doors, and the respawn is instant for attackers. So, if they are not at your door, they are at the other one. But calling inc is still good, because people tend to focus down on that last kill and not pop their head up to look around until it's too late.

 

In other warzones you will still see mostly "2 inc west" or the like. And just like in VS, you might see people "rotate" with or without the "inc" call - but call anyway. Very rarely (in PUGs) will you see anything more than that (well, you might see a lot more in chat, but it will mostly be raging).

 

Another nice thing to call in chat - although I don't think you'll see it too often, is "omw" (on my way). It's a response to an "inc" call - and helps the rest of your team know where you are going. It helps to avoid the problem where the lone defender calls "1 inc west" and your whole team goes to help, and then they cap mid.

 

And, final comment about communication, I think calling out anything at all that's constructive about what you are doing is advantageous. "Going to try to ninja east" to let people know why you are heading to the "off" node, and maybe not to follow you and bring their whole team along. "Staying west so we have 2 guards" so that the guy there knows you don't intend to take over solo guarding for him (he might leave you anyway) - and so that the rest of your team knows to call for one of you if things get really desperate at the "main" turret. But people rarely do these call outs. Calling "you all suck! we'd win this game if you were as good as me" is not constructive. But people do that all the time.

 

There is no balance system in place currently. There is a thread about how a matchmaking system might work, but it's all player ideas (I don't think it's anything Bioware is paying attention to ).

[Avicii]

One other good habit is after you call inc if you clear the enemy let your team know by saying "clear" this can help in CW in particular saving someone from rotating over. I often call 1 inc when node guarding but if I clear them by myself I let people know. Really though good players will realize hey there's 4 of us here and 2 enemies likely means we are out numbered elsewhere rotate. You don't need to stay to get the killing blow this tactic can save games when you are the last to rotate into mid in CW you can stall the cap long enough for your team with a well placed grenade or some good sap and stall tactics since your an operative.

 

Good luck and stick with it you will run into some frustrating games where team plays death match and doesn't seem to give a **** or run into 4 man premades that wipe the floor with your team despite what some people claim class comp make up and voice chat is an enormous advantage on some maps. Running into a HB where it's a premade with a Jug, Op healer, Shadow, DPS or healer gives them a huge advantage when you have a random comp. take the lumps try to learn something from it and move on, you will genome a better player in the end.