Putz Guide to PVP

Elba Jayba · Aug 22, 2008

I wrote this guide to help answer a few of the more common questions we get in the PvP Section. Please read through before posting your question. A quick look through the index can tell you whether or not your question is here. There is an addendum of guides that are useful for PvPers, as well as PvP specific guides.

Index

<ul type=square>I. General Questions and Getting Involved

[*]Q. Where can I pvp in CoH/CoV? Is PvP cross-server?
[*]Q. What’s the best server to PvP on? Is there an official or unofficial PvP server?
[*]Q. What is this test server you speak of, and how do I get on it?
[*]Q. When is there PvP on Test and what type of PvP is it?
[*]Q. What PvP SGs are active on Test? How do I join one?
[*]Q. Where can I find out about the PvP SG/VG Ladders?
[*]Q. What’s the PvPEC and how can I find out about their events? [/list]

<ul type=square>II. Specific Problems

[*]Q. I keep getting AS’d by a stalker I can’t see. What can I do to prevent him from ASing me? How can I see him?
[*]Q. I keep getting held/feared/slept/disoriented/immobilized. What can I do?
[*]Q. How can I get out of TK?
[*]Q. What can I do if someone is using tp foe on me?
[*]Q. Is X cheating?
[*]Q. How can I get people to respond helpfully to my post? [/list]

<ul type=square>III. Guides

[*]Useful References for PvPers
[*]Recommended Guides
[*]Introductory and Zones Guides
[*]Build specific guides
[*]Other PvP Guides [/list]

I. General Questions and Getting Involved

Q. Where can I pvp in CoH/CoV? Is PvP cross-server?

A. There are two main types of PvP in the City of Games, arena and zone. The arena can be used by people of any level, but is dominated by 50s. People on the side of good can find arena terminals in Galaxy City, Talos, and Peregrine Island. Villains arenas are located in St. Martial and Port Oakes. Both heroes and villains can use arena terminals in Pocket D. An arena match listed in any zone is available at all the terminals on that server. There are also four PvP zones: Bloody Bay, Sirens Call, Warburg and Recluse’s Victory. For a more in depth look at zones, I recommend this guide by ColJasmine. The servers are not linked for PvP, but many people use the Test Server for a taste at cross-server competition.

Q. What’s the best server to PvP on? Is there an official or unofficial PvP server?

A. There is no official PvP server, but Test server is where you’ll find the highest quality and where PvP groups from different servers meet for matches. Among the live servers, after a recent poll and discussion of attendance at recent PvP tournies, there has been a movement to declare Infinity the unofficial PvP server. Many PvPers have transferred toons there, and Infinity already has its own active PvP League.

Freedom has the highest population and very active zones, indeed, many still claim it as the unofficial PvP server. Virtue is well known for its RPvP and has reasonably active zones. Liberty is well populated and home to the highest number of PvP SGs currently active on test. PvP happens on all the servers, and each has its own characters and flavor. That said, when people come in and ask what the best server for PvP is Infinity, Freedom and Test are the default answers.

Q. What is this test server you speak of, and how do I get on it?

A. This post has all the answers you need.

Q. When is there PvP on Test? Is it in the arena or zones? What level? Heroes or villains?

A. Test PvP pretty much all happens in the arena at SHW (47-50) level. It is greatly dominated by heroes, but some villains do participate. On Friday nights at around 8pm or 9pm Eastern there are generally large pick up matches, sometimes called kickball. During the rest of the week you can often find 1v1s or 2v2s during the prime time hours (6pm-Midnight eastern, give or take a bit), but many SGs reserve that time for practice and will not have open matches. Keep an eye on the PvP boards, where people will announce tournaments, pick up groups, large FFAs and other events. The channel Cross-Server PvP is also used to announce Test Server PvP happenings.

The PvP SG/VG ladders also take place on test, as well as the CoX duel ladder. Both are covered more later.

Q. What PvP SGs are active on Test? How do I join one?

A. Here are the SGs I know to be currently active on Test, in alphabetical order, along with their common nicknames and abbreviations and server of origin:

dUmb (Infinity)
Freaks of Legend or Freaks or FoL (Liberty)
Hell Raisers or HR (Protector)
Integrity formerly Statesmans Watch or SW (Infinity)
Justice for All League or JAL or JfaL (Freedom)
Old School or OS (Triumph)
Pingu City Justice League or Pingu or PCJL (Champion)
Velocity or Vel (Liberty)
Victory Reborn or VR (Victory)
Whirligig (Liberty)

Each SG has its own application process and guidelines for admittance. Some will not be accepting new members at all. Look around the SG’s website and speak to its members for more information. As practices and matches are held on test, many SGs do not consider members having an affiliation to their home server a requirement..

Q. What’s the PvPEC and how can I find out about their events?

A. The PvP Event Committee, or PvPEC, is a player led group that works with the NCSoft community team to arrange PvP Events. They’ve run several large, successful events both on the live servers and test, giving out prizes ranging from in game yellow titles to CoH/CoV shirts and capes. The PvPEC’s website is here. People interested in volunteering or finding out more should inquire there.

Q. Where can I find out about the PvP SG/VG Ladders?

A. The PvPEC sponsors two ongoing ladders, one for PvP Super Groups and another for PvP Villain Groups interested in competing with the best in the 8v8 format. More information about the SG ladder is available here, while information about the VG ladder is located here. New groups are always welcome to join the ladder at any time. Registration details are available in the respective threads.

II. Specific Problems

Q. I keep getting AS’d by a stalker I can’t see. What can I do to prevent him from ASing me? How can I see him?

A. One great way to prevent getting AS’d is to constantly keep moving. If you’re bunny hopping around, a stalker will have a hard time getting an AS off. In order to see the stalker or other stealthed or invised foes, pick up tactics, get any +per giving powers in your set, pop yellows, have an empath CM you or have a sonic give you clarity, hug the drones, stay near a teammate with tactics, or, best yet, do some combination of the above. Reading Peritus’s Guide to Stealth and Perception in PvP so highly recommended.

Q. I keep getting held/feared/slept/disoriented/immobilized. What can I do?

A. From the leaping pool, combat jumping will give you great immobilization protection and acrobatics will give you mag 3 mez protection (breakable by one controller or dominator hold, but enough to stop you from getting held by the first one from blasters, defenders, etc.) If you have some form of status protection in your set, you should be sure to pick that up. However, even with all those things, you will get held. Get someone to cast stimulant/ID/clarity/CM/Thaw on you and be sure to carry break frees. Even if you do have status protection in your set, be sure to carry them as players can (and eventually will) stack enough holds on you to break through it.

Q. How can I get out of TK?

A. There are several tricks for dealing with TK, which is a repel effect. To break TK you can run out of its range, phase shift or hibernate, kill the TKer, end drain the TKer, mez the TKer, or get repel protection. It takes four tier 1 break frees, two tier 2 break frees or one tier 3 break free to resist the repel effect of TK. You can also have a kin cast increase density on you or play a power set with an armor that gives you repel resist.

Q. What can I do if someone is using tp foe on me?

A. An orange inspiration or a kin casting ID on you can prevent you from getting tp foe-d. A few power sets also have access to tp foe protection. Another helpful trick is to always keep jumping. If tped while jumping you’ll often escape any traps they may have set for you and they may not have time to get off an attack before you hop out of range.

Q. Is X cheating?

A. While there are many different things that X can be, generally speaking the answer is no. TPing people into holes in the geometry in PvP zones is a petitionable offense, as is the use of language that breaks the EULA, but other than that, everything goes in a PvP zone. Trailing NPCs to another player is perfectly legal, as is killing someone repeatedly, popping lots of inspirations, interrupting duels and rep farms, stopping someone from getting nukes, using your tier 9 before you go into sirens, or really anything else you can think of.

Q. How can I get people to respond helpfully to my post?

A. The PvP forums aren’t always the gentlest of places, and poorly worded or thought out posts can often engender only rude or unhelpful responses. Before posting I highly recommend double checking that your question isn’t already here and hasn’t been asked recently. When writing a post, use proper grammar, show you’ve thought about your question, try to ask a clear and narrow question, and most of all, keep it succinct. Posting a build of your own and asking for criticism is more likely to get a helpful response than just asking someone to post a build for you. If your post is longer than two paragraphs and a build, it’s too long.

III. Guides

Useful References for PvPers:

PvP Accolade Guide for Heroes and Villains (pdf) Inspector6

Guide to Powerboost F22Major

Perception/Stealth in PvP Peritus

#’s of Perception/Stealth in PvP Peritus

Guide to Defense Arcanaville

Guide to Recharge Arcanaville

Recommended Guides:

Note: These guides will all be repeated later in the correct section, but are worth singling out for their exceptional quality. Nicci, ColJasmine, Shallow, and Labrynth were/are all members of respected Test PvP SGs and these guides can all be considered reliable and authoritative.

PVP 101-104 Nicci [I6]

PVP Zone Guide v2 ColJasmine [I7]

Sing’s Guide to Successful PvPing Shallow [I8]

C-Lab’s Guide to a PvP Empath Labrynth [I6] – Outdated regarding whirlwind, but invaluable nonetheless

Introductory and Zones Guides:

PVP 101-104 Nicci [I6]

PVP Zone Guide v2 ColJasmine [I7]

Sing’s Guide to Successful PvPing Shallow [I8]

An Introduction to PvP Black_Snake [I7]

The Harsh Reality of PVP BuffyASummers [I6]

Basic Guide to PvP CuppaLythos [I6]

PvE’ers PvP Survival Guide v2.0 Memphis_Bill

The PvP (and PvP Avoidance) FAQ v.1.0 Lady_Sadako [I5]

Misconceptions of Zone PvP Dubya [I8] Note: there is a large correction to the number of –fly powers here

Build specific guides:

Revised Guide to Warshade PvP Combat [I9]

A Dominator’s Guide to Zone PvP Hambone [I7]

EM/Nin Stalker PvP Guide Elernet [I7]

Em/Elec Brute Guide PvP and PvE Battleheat [I7]

Garden of Doom: PvP Plant Dom Serps [I8]

Be a Thunder God: Storm/Elec PvP Guide Lei_Kung [I8]

Guide to a Fire/Rad PvP Controller Choff [I8]

Guide to Ill/kin for PvP Dubya [I8]

Phant’s Guide to a PvP Empath Phantastik [I8]

Ninja/Ninja Stalker PvP Guide Serps [I7]

C-Lab’s Guide to a PvP Empath Labrynth [I6]

Sing's Guide to Peacebringing Love Shallow [I8]

How to Make an Anti-Stalker: Fire/dev and Ice/dev Blasters Fury Flechette [I8]

Other PvP Guides:

Perception in PvP zones ConcreteDragon [I7]

Sing’s Guide to Vengeance in PvP Shallow [I8] Note : To prevent veng stacking the use of vengeance is currently banned in official ladder matches.

Sing's Guide to Potent Mixed Teaming Shallow [I8]

Sing's Highlights on Abstract FoTM Potential Shallow [I8]

Sing & the Snipe Surprise Shallow [I8]

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Putz Guide to PVP

Elba Jayba

Member