Your Job (or: How Not To Look Like A N00b) V2

[IGN Storm]

This is intended to be a quick primer for new players who want to get a basic idea of how to play their character in an effective and team-friendly way. There's a lot of detail and some options I won't go into, rather, see the various class guides for Bears, Birds, and Elves.

For the sake of simplicity, I'm going to limit discussion to "pures", as they're the simplest and most straightforward way to play, especially for beginners. A "pure" is a character that is focused on its class' primary attribute (STR for bears, DEX for birds, and INT for elves). Other types of builds ("hybrids" and "dual specs") are more specialized and are more likely to be successful for more experienced players.

So, without further ado... here are the basic roles you're expected to fulfill when playing in a group.

Bears

Your job is to "tank". All that STR you're pumping up? Well, its not really for damage (yes, it helps, but that's not your main job) -- it's to increase your hit points and armor so you can take more damage. You go in first, and get the attention of the enemies. Make them attack you. Use Taunt continuously... it's free in terms of mana cost and it increases the chance that enemies will focus on you.

Get the best armor rating and H/s regen rates you can. Yes, a two-handed sword looks cool and does more damage, but in a group, that's not your job. A shield will serve you better and some of the 1-handed weapons have nice effects that can help offset their lower damage.

Birds

Ok, see everything above about bears? Do the opposite. You want to hang back, using long-range attacks, focusing on the enemy causing the biggest problem. No one, repeat, no one is better than you at dealing damage to a single target, and your presence will help greatly in boss fights.

But beware, you're squishy and taste like chicken. The last thing you want to do is stand toe-to-toe with any enemy, let alone a boss. If they decide to target you, run. Literally, you can run circles around the bad guys while continuing to fire away at them. Discretion is the better part of valor, and cowardice is the better part of discretion, so valiantly run like a scared child. Thorn root can also hold them still while you make a brave dash for safety.

Your long-range attacks can be used to "pull" single targets toward the group, allow the team to split up encounters into more manageable chunks. Once you've pulled, though, stop firing until the tank draws enough hate to keep you from being turned into a chicken nugget snack.

Elves

You are the kings (queens?) of area-of-effect damage. Single-target? Not so much. At higher levels, you will literally be able to blast apart "trash" mobs with your standard battery of area-of-effect spells, especially if you time them correctly for combos.

But for now, early on? You're going to maximize exactly 2 skills: Lightning and Heal. And Heal is vitally important. That bear tanking for you? Keep it healthy, because if the bear dies, you're probably next. That means you've got to close in a bit tighter than the bird, to keep your tank inside the effect range. You can also soften up enemies or finish them off with some Lightning strikes.

Like birds, your best defense if you become the hunted is to run. Since the game forces you to take a rank in Frostbite, you can use this to freeze a pursuer in its tracks, at least for a second, to buy yourself some time.

Heal is important for more than just hit point recovery; in a pinch, everyone can (and should) use potions for that, allowing you to save mana for later. But many negative statuses can be cured by Heal, in addition to hit points -- broken armor is the most common at low levels. Keep an eye on the icons next to character names, and you'll soon learn when to patch them up before they take big damage.

Rhinos

Your job is to "tank" and support. All that STR you're pumping up? Well, it’s not really for damage (yes, it helps, but that's not your main job) -- it's to increase your hit points and armor so you can take more damage. You go in first, and get the attention of the enemies using Summon. Make them attack you. Use Heal and Buffs (Vital Force and Brute Force) when you are near your teammates, as often as possible. These skills restore your teammate’s HP and give you a lot of H/s, boost your team’s offensive stats, and boost your team’s defensive stats.

Get the best armor rating, M/s regen, and H/s regen rates you can. Yes, a two-handed sword looks cool and does more damage, but in a group, that's not your job. A shield will serve you better and some of the 1-handed weapons have nice effects that can help offset their lower damage.

Foxes

Ok, see everything above about Rhinos? Do the opposite. You want to hang back, using long-range attacks, focusing on the enemy causing the biggest problem. Occasionally, when the mob is targeting someone else, use Vixen Kick or Rabit Bite to get close and deal some damage. Only birds are better than you at dealing damage to a single target, and your presence will help greatly in boss fights.

But beware, you're squishy. Standing toe to toe with an enemy or a Boss is pretty dangerous, so make sure you back enough potions, healers, and Evasion(Your defensive buff that boosts dodge and armor)

Your move Hypnotize can be used to "pull" single targets toward the group, allowing the team to split up encounters into more manageable chunks. Once you've pulled, though, stop firing until the tank draws enough hate to keep you from being turned into a chicken nugget snack.

As You Progress

Teamwork means understanding what you and your team members are supposed to be doing, and executing accordingly. Use tactical positioning and skills to control the battlefield to let the tanks draw enemy aggression ("aggro") while the others deal the main damage and debuffs. Learn what skill combos exist, and know when to contribute part of the chain and when to hold off because someone else is setting something up.

And whatever you do, stay with the group. If you go wandering off on your own, it likely won't turn out too well.

In addition to the notes below, everyone will want to invest in skills for self-preservation (e.g., Evade for bears and birds).

Bears

Taunt and Beckon. Even without the stun effect, drawing groups of enemies toward you make the bird and elf jobs a lot easier. Stomp, while quite useful early on, becomes a lot less useful because it has the nasty habit of breaking up the others' combos as well as scattering all of those enemies you want to group together.

Still, Stomp can be useful to trap enemies in a corner, but it requires good positioning and working well in timing with your team.

Birds

As tempting as some of the skills may look, you are most valuable to the team when you are focused on boss killing. This means ranks in Focus to do more damage, Blast Shot and Blinding Shot to debuff them, and Thorn Wall to slow down pursuit (and set them up for a Nature Strike combo).

It can be hard to be patient, but know that even if you fell like a "hanger-on" during routine mob clearing, you will get a chance to shine with bosses.

Elves

One you've got some skills built up and some pretty good mana regeneration going, it's up to you to handle most of the routine "clearing" work by dropping area-of-effect skills pretty much as fast as they recharge. Throw out a Heal as soon as it will help anyone, to avoid letting them drop into danger realms. You'll want at least 1 rank in both Blessing skills to keep the team buffed.

Against bosses, you want to ensure the team is buffed with Blessings, that you keep the enemy debuffed with Nightmare and Weakness, and that you spam Heal as often as possible. Any damage you contribute is generally secondary, though be ready to jump in with a combo when the opportunities present themselves. You'll want to use your area skills to mop up the "entourage" of mobs around the boss so the team can focus on the boss by itself.

Rhinos

When you are running low on health, and heal is on cool down, you can use Charge followed by Redemption. This Combo heals your HP 2x the damage you deal, and also boosts your damage by a bit. When fighting enemies, use Summon a lot so they won’t dodge. Your teammates can easily finish them off after. When you see a teammate in need, use Holy Tempest to push enemies away. Also, use Rhino Might to stun enemies, so they won’t be able to harm your team’s delicate Fox or Birds. When all else fails, you can always rev your teammates so they can get back in the action! Don’t forget to use Stone Skin, Vital Force, Guardian, and Brute Force to make yourself more powerful!

Foxes

Your damage might be slightly less than a bird, but your tactical skills make you very important to the group. When fighting, you should try to use Rage Tonic and Fury as much as possible. Rage Tonic boosts your damage and critical by a lot, while Fury increase your hit% so you never miss. Evasion is good for evading enemy attacks, so once in a while you can fight them hand to hand! Poison Dart slows down an enemy so you or a teammate can escape. Fox Howl deals good damage, but also reduces the enemy’s damage! Hamstring and Armor Shredder is crucial to boss fights. Hamstring makes them dodge a lot less while Armor Shredder obviously reduces their armor. Your group can then finish the boss off much faster. And don’t forget, Rabit Bite + Hamstring = Combo!



Thanks all for reading and Good Luck in your journeys ahead!


Note: The majority of the this guide was created by the amazing Duke so click on the link below and give him a thumbs up!
http://www.spacetimestudios.com/show...k-Like-A-N00b)