Warhammer Online: Witch Elf Tier One Scenario Guide
MMORPG.com Warhammer Online Correspondent Andrew Bobb writes this guide to getting the most out of your Witch Elf in Tier One scenarios.
The Witch Elves are the primary melee damage dealers of the Dark Elf race. They dual wield daggers and combine status effects, damage over time, and rapid high damage attacks to quickly subdue their foes. This culminates in the release of built up Bloodlust through a Frenzy attack for big damage. A Witch Elf is an assassin, so do not engage in prolonged fights.
In RvR, Witch Elves provide a lethal boost to the main attacking force, but are even more effective as flankers harassing the enemy's ranged support. You can do this solo or with one or two additional players for support, depending on the number of players in the scenario. If too many players are missing from the main force, this will have the twofold effect of weakening their combat effectiveness and giving your tactic away to the enemy. If taking support, a healer or another damage dealer are ideal choices.
You can queue for RvR scenarios from level 1, but with only Throwing Dagger, Slice, and Flee available, your effectiveness will be limited. You will receive a temporary hit point boost for balance, but will still be lacking in additional abilities. Should you still desire to fight at level 1, hit and run tactics will be your best contribution to the team. Flank the enemy, hit the ranged support units, and then get away.
Open the attack with Throwing Dagger while closing on your prey. If you hit them from behind, this has a snare effect, preventing your target from running away. Follow with repeated use of Slice when you reach melee range. If you attract the attention of more than one target, activate Flee and get away. If they give chase, you will have pulled valuable combatants away from the opponent?s main force.
This guerrilla approach to playing the Witch Elf will continue to prove useful as you go up in level. By level 4, you will have a Frenzy ability to release your Bloodlust (Puncture), a stacking damage over time ability (Envenomed Blade), and a damage booster with a chance to cause a debuff (Kiss of Agony). At this point the Witch Elf can really bring the pain. Additionally, this is a good point to begin playing as a front line attacker if this is the way you prefer to play.
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At level 5 the art of assassination is revealed. The Agonizing Wound ability is your back stab skill, a damaging attack which ignores armor when used from behind. When flanking, this will be your new opener until level 10. If your target does you the service of trying to run away, keep hitting them from behind with Agonizing Wound for a really quick finish. Chasing scared Shadow Warriors around the backfield while the tanks are busy elsewhere is pure ecstasy for a Druchii.
Having spent the last five levels sating your lust for murder, you have reached level 10. All that sneaky backfield treachery is about to reach new heights of awesome. With level 10 you gain Shadow Prowler and Vehement Blades. Shadow Prowler is an invisibility skill that slowly drains Action Points while you are invisible. Vehement Blades is an opening attack from the invisible state that builds 2 Bloodlust, causes your opponent to take damage when they use melee abilities, and makes all your abilities cost half as much for a short time.
You now have ultimate access to your opponent?s backfield, and all the soft targets that tend to stay there. However, due to the AP drain of Shadow Prowler, it is best to wait until you are almost there to use it, or keep AP restoration potions handy. You do not want to run out of AP behind enemy lines. That said, open with Vehement Blades out of Shadow Prowler, stack Envenomed Blade three times, and then release your Bloodlust with Puncture for a big damage assault with lingering effects.
By level 10 you will also have unlocked a second Frenzy with a debuff (Heart Render Toxin), a skill to use your back stab from any direction for a short time (Feinted Positioning), a detaunt to weaken attacks from non-targeted opponents (Enchanting Beauty), a morale skill that deals massive damage (Sever Nerve), and a second damage booster with debuff (Kiss of Death). This provides a variety of tactical options for dealing with different situations. You should now set two skill bars: one for your backfield guerrilla tactics, and the other for front line combat. Your backfield skill set should focus on pouring on the damage with Kiss of Agony and Puncture being you damage boost and Frenzy choices. The skills to use on the front line should focus on debuffs which support the whole team effort. Kiss of Death and Heart Render Toxin are more useful here.
While pursuing front line combat, use potions to enhance your armor and provide health regeneration. This will help to counter the vulnerability of your light armor and reduce the demand on your healers. Enchanting Beauty will bolster your defenses further by ensuring most combatants in the fray are only hitting you for half damage. Don't forget about Feinted Positioning and Agonizing Wound either. Ignoring the heavy armor of an enemy tank will bypass their greatest asset.
With basic combat tactics covered, it is time to bring strategy to the battlefield. The 3 RvR scenarios for Tier 1 are Khaine's Embrace, Gates of Ekrund, and Nordenwatch. All three are capture and control missions, which focus on gaining and maintaining control of focal points on the battlefield. The focal points are illuminated with a bright circle of light and have flags at the center. The focal points glow blue for Order control, red for Destruction control, and Green for neutral.
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Gates of Ekrund and Nordenwatch both feature hree control points; one close to either spawn point and a third centrally located. At the Gates of Ekrund, they are situated in a straight line. At Nordenwatch, the control points form a V shape. Gaining control of the neutral points simply requires standing near them until the progress bar fills. Order controlled points take twice as long to claim as they must first be reverted to neutral status. The more players standing near the point, the faster control is gained.
Khaine's Embrace is unique, as it features two control points rather than three. The mechanic of this scenario requires right clicking the control point flag to begin a five second action to claim the point. Once both points are claimed by one side, a countdown begins. After lock down, a battle horn sounds and massive explosions occur, killing anybody near the control points and the Altar of Khaine. The control points then reset to neutral.
The battle generally begins with each team claiming a point them fighting over the third, or trying to take the other side's point in the case of Khaine's Embrace. This generally results in a massive stalemate somewhere in the middle. So, Witch Elves, it is time to put your espionage skills to use and take control of the field. Take one of the side paths and hide, or Shadow Prowl at level 10, close to the Order side control point and wait for the enemy to abandon it for further conquest. When they leave, slip in for a quick and uncontested claim. After a satisfyingly wicked laugh, go attack from behind.
These tactics should serve you well as you work your way through Tier 1 RvR. This will also provide a solid tactical foundation as you progress to Tier 2. However, these methods are not the only options available to you. One of WAR's best features is the balance of the RvR system. Experiment with your skills; maybe you will discover tactics that are even more effective for your play style. Go forth and slaughter, beautiful Daughters of Khaine.
