30-50 PVP Tips

General starting tips

Jousting: Everyone says it, so do it. When jousting just start a combo, do the initial key moves except the last, then get in range and hit the last key to initiate the combo. Even if the target is moving you will get all the hits off if you let the cast bar finish. IMPORTANT: if you know ahead of time you are going to miss the combo, you can quickly hit active block and cancel it to free your animation frames up.

Frames: Everytime you swing, or combo, there's animation frames that lock you in place. Maximize your frame count to stay ahead of the game. Use your active blocking key to cancel any frames that aren't going to do anything. As said above, missed combos should be cancelled ASAP. Double tap moves should be cancelled since you get the buff they give and can save yourself 2+ seconds of animation frames by doing so.

Anticipate combos: Watch your opponent. You can tell when they're trying to land a combo. Also count "in your head" if you know the cooldown on their most devastating combos. If you see them trying to joust a combo and head in for the blow, you can pop active block or double S evasion and usually avoid it.

Use your shielding: Some combos can literally one shot you. Find out what those combos are and be ready to shield that side of you against certain matchups. The first strategy to winning is knowing your enemy.

Use cooldowns: This is all-out, kill or be killed. If you aren't using everything to your advantage, you are setting yourself back. Restealth/run if a fight is going bad, there's no dishonor in it. The only loser in a brawl is the one that dies. Use health/stam pots generously. I always carry at least 40+ of each when I venture outside of town, and restock constantly. Keep food buffs up always. This gives you a huge advantage over people who don't use them. USE YOUR COOLDOWNS. Unlike WoW many cooldowns are on short timers (1-2min), so they will usually be up for every engagement. Use them when you feel it is appropriate. Cat's Paw to buy yourself time to go toe-to-toe with your opponent if they're melee, pop lotus extract to keep yourself at high hp, excellent balance so you don't get KB'd ahead of time, etc.

Use shield positioning: If you can, try to always get on your opponent's backside. There are 0 shields on someone's back at ANY time. You might think this isn't a big deal, but the difference between Cunning strike 6 head on and directly behind is easily 2x damage difference. Also keep that in mind when you use UL and UR combos, if you can land them from your opponent's side and hit the unshielded part, you are in the zone. Keep in mind most people keep their shields neutral, so always shoot for the back zone. I've hit soldiers for upwards of 50% of their hp (in defensive stance) with a well placed CS 6 as said above.

On joust timing: If your opponent knows how to move, take some time, be patient, and predict where they're going, fire your combos ahead of where they're moving. Sometimes I'll start a combo up, double W and stun someone with the followup hits in the combo and then land it perfectly on their back for a lot of damage. Also try to snare someone before combo'ing, it makes it a lot easier to get it off.

Vs. Barbarians: I have lost to a barbarian twice between 30-48 so far. TWICE. And they're everywhere. Since they have light armor I'll usually open with Stealth Attack *from directly behind* using a mid attack for maximum crit chance and a snare. IMMEDIATELY open with Slow Death and then back the f* away. Let SDS tick away and then hit Excellent Balance, head back in. The first thing they'll probably try to do is Clobber and KB you. If you have EB up this will fail. They will realize they missed it and go for a stun. Count to 3, Double S evade and hit active blocking immediately once you avoid the clobber. I have parried so many stuns to this day I can't even count on one hand. At this point you can now joust away, mainly try to land a cunning strike or vicious/sds when they're up so you can kite some of their hp down.

If they get the jump, use any cooldowns you need to to stay up. If they are strafing around you double W stun them and hit cunning ASAP. Everything in the above works as well. The main thing is to watch their swings and count. Most combos at this level are 3 swings (combo initiator, follow up, landing blow). If it looks like they're going to joust a combo keep on the move or get ready to evade tap/block. It doesn't always save your ass but more often than not it will. As soon as you see the parry start your own combo. Above all else if they can get a clean KB -> stun chain on you you might be screwed though :/. The KEY to winning vs. good barbs is avoiding those stuns before you go for the kill.

Vs. PoM: Open with SA, and pay close attention to what they're casting from there on out. The main thing to look out for is "Repulse", and is very easy to see by the giant golden rings around them while they cast it. If you see this, immediately stop what you're doing and run just out of range of their AOE, then start to run in again as the cast finishes. You will effectively have dodged it.

The only thing that will remotely get you is their fear, which is pretty short duration and will only let them get maybe one nuke off on you. Otherwise if they're trying to launch a smite or lance on you, double W stun the spell and go for your hardest hitting combo. If you're getting low and are out of CDs, and they just used radiance to full heal, now's the time to run and restealth ASAP. You have a minute to repeat what you just did and finish them before radiance is useable again. Key points: Avoid repluse, avoid repulse, avoid repulse and you can win.

Vs. Guardians - They don't hit for much, a health pot will keep you alive against their damage for the most part and you can just go toe to toe with them for a good while without worrying. At the same time, a good guardian can just defense stance and pot as well, the fight will never end. Generally I just avoid wasting my time with Guardians, but if you're worried about Overreach for any reason, just shield 1U 2R (that's basically 2L to them). The best way to dish out damage is to land SDS and Vicious Strikes for the unmitigated bleed/poison damage. Helps to have 2 GC ranks up on them as well. You can easily take out 70% of a guardian's HP just doing those 2, even if they're in d stance. If the guardian is in frenzy, you can probably kill them with an SA/cunning. Use excellent balance to avoid their Batter Aside, and stay on the move so they can't charge stun you.

Vs. Conquerer - Same as above, but joust more since they can dish out some hard damage. Use your bleeds if they are defensive stance and be ready to double S evade a bit more also. Cat's paw if you're below 50% and out of other CDs and you can stand toe-to-toe for a bit to get some harder hitting combos off.

Vs. Dark Templar - Same as guardian, but easier. You can pretty much just toe-to-toe with one and win.

Vs. Assassins - This will come down to whether you have the jump or not. If you know there's another assassin nearby try to de-stealth them with search. It will start the combat timer on them and if they're close enough immediately stealth and launch an SA before they realize what happened. In most cases the only time you'll be fighting other assassins is if they either jump you, you jump them, or for some reason both of you are unstealthed at the time you meet. Two hiding classes just never goes anywhere fast unless it's a ranger =.

Vs. Rangers - This requires a lot of focus, and a little luck on your part. Almost every fight vs. a ranger will start with you being rooted out of stealth or mezz shotted. As soon as you know there's a ranger about to get you, hit a health/stam pot and get ready for the fun part. They will likely show up directly in front of you and start plucking away, watch for Salvo. Immediately triple shield 3U and active block. Your root probably will still be up, or you'll be snared, depending on what kind of ranger it is you'll probably either be hit with Armor Ripper or Crippling Snipe next. Now here's the tricky part and that is identifying whether their bow or xbow.

If you can figure it out here's the deal. XBow uses Crippling Snipe, and it hurts. Shield 3L for this, and this is really the only type that uses a UR combo. For everything else, after Salvo go 1U 2R and sprint towards them immediately, and get behind them to snare. Pop excellent balance in case they try to KB you and run. Once you close range you pretty much win though. Use double-W to stun them if they're still trying to point-blank hit you with a powerful shot.

Now if they get behind you after the initial root, and you aren't quick to discern the change in your shield positioning, just hit cat's paw. It will save you a lot of the time from getting one shot, but it's not always reliable.

In most cases don't count on winning. Even blocking properly a ranger can kill you before you get out of root, or even get close to them. Most of my wins are because I parried a key shot that would otherwise one shot me . At this level just have to sweat it out and realize they are our direct counter, until 70+.

Vs. ToS: SA, initiate either a cunning or SDS but DONT finish it yet. Double tap side-step and active block cancel the animation, then attempt to finish the combo. If they are fast at reacting they will likely try to stun you. The sidestep is your only real chance at avoiding it, and it's rare, but it has saved me from their stun a few times (spell resisted).

In most cases you'll get stunned, immediately have a pot going before this can happen of course, then once the stun ends close range and finish the combo (joust the 2nd swing to keep the combo active on the way in). They'll likely be trying to nuke you into the ground. After your first combo double W stun them, combo again. ToS really go down very fast in many cases. If they already blew their CDs and focus on healing reset the fight and kill them a la PoM style. They are fully capable of owning you, but if you play smart your odds are highly in your favor. I think I've lost to maybe one ToS to date.

Vs. Bear Shaman: Not a hard matchup. Use bleeds as they have higher armor level and use Excellent Balance to avoid their KB. Joust a bit and kite if you start to get low, with a pot rolling this will pretty much give you some leverage to fight with. Once they get low try to stun them and finish with cunning, before they can refresh their heal. Overall one of the easier classes to beat with basic jousting moves.

Vs. Demo: This can go terribly wrong or terribly right. Most of the time SA/GC will kill them for me. If they get a root off though you can likely just get nuked down. They are a joke once you have escape artist though.

Vs. Necro: Lol.

Vs. HoX: Easily your most dangerous foe, they can root you and one shot. As soon as they root, go demon form, hit cat's paw and start blocking like a madman. I've parried 90% of fire lances just doing that. And also just keep on the move to avoid their deadliest combos that they are likely to open with. Be very careful with your jousting as it's very easy for them to drop you while demon forming. You can drop them very fast once you make them burn their cooldowns, and snap kick seems to work a lot more often on them than other classes. Use it to land your strongest combos when they're <50% and you win. Remember that the initial part of fighting a HoX is surviving their initial burst, then dropping them when they have no offensive retaliation.