Flipper
Knight
Flipper's UOGamers: Hybrid PvP Guide
A lot of people venture over to UOGamers Hybrid filled with questions about PvP. They all want to be the best, but many of them have only those two or three years of experience back in the day. I noticed there's no PvP guide in the Player Guides section, so I figured this would be a nice addition to help old veterans and new players alike fit in with the PvP here on UOG: Hybrid.
Contents
Part 1: Solo vs. Group
Part 2: Templates
a. Popular Templates
b. Dexxers
Part 3: PvP Materials
Part 4: PvP Forms
a. Dueling/1v1
b. Murdering/Blue PvP/Order and Chaos
c. Factioning
Part 5: Sync Dumps
a. Ventrilo
b. Skype/Google Talk
c. Alternate Forms
Part 6: Heals
a. Curing
Part 7: Finding a Fight
Part 8: Surviving a Gank
Part 9: Razor vs. PlayUO
Part 10: Further Information
Part 11: Summary
Part 12: Update 12/19/2008
Part 1: Solo vs. Group
There are two ways to PvP, alone and with a group. The first is the best way to learn the basics of PvP. I'd recommend keeping your first PvP character blue and dueling at Del Ponds for a while so you get the hang of basic spell combos. Then, graduate to red vs. blue PvP. From there you will likely have made some friends and can move to group PvP.
Because soloing has been pretty much the same since this game came out (the only changes being the spells/templates used, which will be discussed later), this guide will mostly focus on group fighting.
Part 2: Templates
A. Popular Templates There are a few widely accepted templates on Hybrid, which are much the same everywhere. The most common for group fighting is generally something involving Inscription, for its bonus to reflect. Other usefull skills are anatomy (for stun, to catch runners) and alchemy, also for killing peple on the run. Poisoning is another, though not as widely used, skill choice. In large groups, someone will poison, and with GM Poisoning it can't be resisted.
B. Dexxers As far as dexxers are concerned, a good alchy dexer is always fun. However, they're not the best for group fighting, as their damage is random and they can't sync/heal very well. Generally, the best for someone who solos often yet group fights as well is a tank mage with balanced stats.
All in all, any mage 5x (Magery, Evaluating Intelligence, Meditation, Resisting Spells, and Wrestling or Anatomy to give defensive wrestling bonus) combined with two skills works for group fighting. I've mentioned the three best (alchemy, anatomy, scribe), though almost any will work.
Part 3: PvP Materials
Assuming you're playing a mage, you'll generally want to stock up with a few key items, and nothing more. Remember, you lose whatever you have on you that's not blessed, so try to stick to a few key items.
The most important is regs. I bring about 60 of each. If you're new, you might want to cut that down, because you'll probably do quite a bit of dying. This is simple enough.
Next, potions. In group fighting, I generally bring about 10 of each, excluding Nightsight. When I'm on a character without Alchemy, I generally exclude explosion potions as well. I usually limit myself to 6 or 7 strength and agility because it's rare that you will need more than that in group fighting.
As far as trapped pouches are concerned, I generally only bring one or two, because paralyze is usually used in ganks, not group fights. If I'm going out alone I always make sure I have a few, because nothing is worse than being paralyzed waiting for 3 more people to come gank your ass.
Aside from regs and pots, and occaisionally pouches, there is little that is required. Once you get familiar with your template and group fighting, you might try mixing it up; I always have earthquake scrolls on me to be sure I never fizzle, and have started bringing Flamestrike scrolls along. I know people who always have Pedals of the Rose of Trinsic for the extra 5 strength. Aside from potions and regs, the extras are up to you.
Side note: If I'm planning on fighting near impossibly odds (it can be fun!) I generally stock up just enough to survive a couple dumps; if I end up winning the impossible odds, there will be enough loot to keep me going for a while. If I end up dying, I haven't lost much.
All things considered, it's up to you how much you bring.
Part 4: PvP Forms
A. Dueling/1v1s: IMPORTANT!! DUELS ARE NOT A 1v1!! A duel is a fight between two players with a predetermined ruleset and limitations. A 1v1 is a field fight in which anything goes - though generally things such as para and offscreening are off limits.
Now that we have that out of the way, dueling/1v1ing is a great way to get experience cheap. Setting up a field 1v1 is the best way, and dueling is second best. Please, please, please!!! do not become one of those people who say "lol chug" and run off if someone chugs a potion on the field. I've actually had someone complain about me chugging cures 2v1 when I stayed onscreen the whole time! It's ridiculous. A 1v1 is a field fight, so please do not hesitate to use potions and learn to use them well. For instance, you can cast a spell and, before the target cursor comes up, chug a pot. If someone casts explo/poison and I have greater heal precasted, I'll cancel the target and recast heal once the explo and poison have hit, and while the heal is casting I will chug a cure and target myself, putting my health at full as fast as possible.
Dueling is almost like an art form - it takes a while to get good at, and is mostly for show. Very rarely will you find dueling skills usefull outside of duels, because you will fall in love with the idea of no potions, and will cry foul or suck in any field fight involving pots or a lack of a specified ruleset. Please be sure to keep these two things seperate. Dueling is a great way to learn the basics of PvP, but set up some 1v1s to get field experience and learn how to chug like a pro.
At this point, any template without a killing method aside from the mage 5x will have a hard time on the field due to the addition of potions and alternate killing techniques. I personally like Alchemy, because I've had some good practice throwing explosion potions in combos for added damage. Without alchemy, stun, or a weaponskill, you may find it difficult to kill someone without using some sort of tricky method (ie killing them with your reflect when they're not ready for it). I'm not saying it's impossible - just that it will be much harder.
If you want some good 1v1 practice, feel free to AIM me at Flipper The Band. I'll fight anyone any time, and I'll give you some pointers based on your performance.
B. Murdering/Blue PvP: This is where you'll find almost anyone, from complete newbies (because it's a low risk area as a blue, making it a great place to start) to highly skilled old school PvPers (some people just enjoy killing newbies!). I'd recommend staying blue or keeping to Order/Chaos before turning red or joining a faction, just to get some practice in.
C. Factions: This is the big league, folks. Most new players don't last in factions. Soloing is sadly hardly an option unless you have a big gank squad to back you up if you run into a gank yourself. I try to take pity on new players who maybe saw the shiny gold stone and joined up without knowing what they'd done. If they ask, I always tell them how to quit, though the process takes 7 days, so please, do not join a faction unless you are sure you're ready! Just because I'm nice to newbs in factions doesn't mean others will be, nor does it mean I enjoy answering the question on how to quit factions!
Generally, you'll want to observe factions and join a faction guild right away, once you've proven you have decent PvP skill. There are almost always faction guilds recruiting, so just ask. Sure, most people are assholes and will say "stfu newb", but there are nice people out there willing to give you a tryout. I know a few really nice GMs myself, so don't hesitate to AIM or PM me asking about finding a faction guild.
Part 5: Sync Dumps
Sync dumps (short for Synchronized) are the most important part of group PvP. Using a voice program or in game messages (as long as they're not automatic or illegal), someone counts down to let the others know when to cast a certain spell. Generally, the "caller", or person in charge of calling targets and saying when to drop the spells, will say something like "load up", referring to casting the Explosion spell. He'll then use a method of counting down, and on the designated number or word, everyone will cast the spell designated, usually Energy Bolt (with one person poisoning).
The aim of this is to get all of the damage to hit at the same time, making it very difficult to heal through without experienced healing.
The best way to learn to sync is practice with a friend. Download Ventrilo and head to the RunUO vent server. Find yourselves a channel not being used and count down. "3 2 1" or "2 1 drop" are the most common counts. Practice at first syncing ebolts (just cast the spell on drop). From there practice syncing cows or other defenseless animals.
There is a slight delay in Ventrilo, about 1 second, that you'll need to get used to. Of course, there are alternative ways of syncing. One is Ventrilo binds. These are sounds played by the Ventrilo voice robot guy, and they hold next to no lag. Someone calls a target, and plays the bind; cast the spell on drop. Skype (an alternate VoIP, or Voice over IP) also has next to no delay, but is limited in the number of people able to connect. It is also for newbies who can't sync with vent (different story =)
Note that sync dumps are not a guaranteed kill. Even the most perfect dump is healable. However, most of the time you will kill someone with a less than or equal amount of healers, assuming you've thrown in a poison in a large group. Important note on poisoning (yea, it takes practice too): The poison must be "held" in order to sync with the EB/Explo damage. The explo is targeted on drop, but the spell target is held for a few extra seconds. The point is to drop the poison on the target at the last possible second, making it hard to cure before the fatal damage is dealt (remember, on UOG: Hybrid, you can't heal through poison).
Part 6: Heals
Healing is a learned skill. It's not especially difficult if you get in a bit of practice. To some people, it seems to come naturally (hi fcm). To others, it takes constant practice (sup Choru). Basically, you want to heal as much damage as possible without letting the person die. The best way to practice this is by setting up a Razor macro to explo/eb yourself on one client, and on the other client practice healing half of the damage dealt (around 25). You know you will have saved your target. once you get that down, practice getting the full ~50 damage healed as quick as possible.
Another great way to practice healing is by setting up some 2v2s with friends. In fact, this is the best way to learn to heal AND to sync. So definitely find a partner and some willing enemies and head to the duel pits and go a few rounds, practicing healing and syncing dumps on enemies.
A. Curing: It's important that if you're facing more than two opponents, that you are ready to cure that held poison mentioned earlier. The fastest way is sadly holding down the cure key in PlayUO. If you're smart and are using Razor, due to its slow curing, you'll have to anticipate it and press as fast as possible. It takes practice as well. You'll also want to set your object delay to 133. This can be done under Razor - More Options - Object Delay. Of course, use a hotkey. Double clicking won't make it go any faster =)
Part 7: Finding a Fight
The best way to find a fight it to make people orange (freely attackable anywhere except safezones) to you. There are a couple ways to do this. The most basic is through guild wars and Order/Chaos. This is a nice "warmup" because there is little risk to death; no reason to be rez-killed or stat loss (as opposed to Factions) and it's easy to find a rez (as opposed to being red). Also, there are fewer gank squads. You can also fight reds just as though you were a blue; though it should be noted that if you fight reds, if you're warring or in a different Chaos/Order, they can freely attack you in town, and you're not safe from the occaisional red gank.
Once you've graduated from warring/Order and Chaos, you can consider factions. This isn't to say people don't stay blue and remain in a non-faction guild; some people prefer that. Generally, however, people move on to a faction. There's more PvP there, and there are plenty of good fights to be had. You'll also find the most challenging opponents. If you follow tournaments, 90% of the winners are mainly factioners.
The best places to find fights are Brit town (for factions and blues), Moongates (recently for everyone, though that may change with the newly guarded moongates), Dueling Safezones (if you're lucky enough to find someone out of the pits), or occaisionally the brit GY (mostly reds) or my favorite place to fight, Moonglow.
Generally, fights aren't too hard to find, as long as you're relaxed about your opponents. I'll fight reds 2-3 vs 1 if I can't find a decent 1v1, though tactics do change when fighting alone vs. larger groups.
Part 8: Surviving a Gank
Wouldn't you love to know how to survive the inivetible: the gank. Sadly, there is little to be told. It mostly depends on the situation and proper usage of your surroundings. The gates to RP town have been a godsend to gank flee-ers. Use pouches to survive para, use corners and guardzones to survive explo pots, hell, use your enemies against each other. Just the other night I was running my ass off away from 3-4 Minax when I ran into an equal sized group of SL. They broke off to fight each other and I was free to go.
Survivng ganks takes practice and, yes, you WILL be ganked, and you cannot survive em all. So don't get discouraged if you can't outlive 10 gankers with para and EBs. If you want practice survivng a gank and you're in a faction other than CoM, hit me up, me and some friends would love to gank you =)
Part 9: Razor vs. PlayUO
This age-old argument can go on for pages. Personally, I use Razor, and so do most of the people I PvP with. However, some choose the route of PlayUO, or Krrios' Client (KUOC). It's a matter of personal taste. KUOC is faster with cures and animation, though it does use some "cheap" stuff like autoban and plugin support (this will soon be eradicated with its merge with Sallos).
In the end, it's up to you. I recommend Razor cause it's just less automated PvP and allows for maximum growth in PvP skill.
Part 10: More Information:
Don't hesitate to ask questions in the Faction forums or under General Questions. Please do not PM or AIM me any more though - I likely will not respond, as I don't really play.
Part 11: Summary
Too lazy to read it all? Ok, ok, let me sum it all up with a few major points.
First, pick a good PvP template. Wait until you're a relatively experienced PvPer to experiment outside the tried and true templates.
Second, bring the right stuff. Nothing you can't afford to lose, but enough to not run out of something in the middle of a fight. Basic materials: regs, pots, maybe pouches, scrolls and a bola or two.
Third, know what you're fighting. Is it a duel? 1v1? Group fight? Respond accordingly.
Fourth, learn to sync dump and heal through said syncs.
Fifth, practice makes (near) perfect. You will die. Don't get discouraged! Everyone sucks when they start. Everyone gets ganked and everyone dies. Look at the top 15 faction PvPers. I've got a recent death screenshot for every one of them; and I've been relatively inactive as of late. People die no matter their skill.
That's the number one piece of advice I can give new PvPers. Don't get discouraged. I sucked horribly when I returned to UO from OSI (this was in August, too)! I almost quit multiple times. But I stuck with it, and now I'm on par with most of the people who toyed with me when I started.
Don't forget that PvP is an awesome rush, but it's all part of a game. So have fun over all. If PvP isn't providing you a rush and is just frustrating you, take a break, or stick to banksitting or roleplaying. There's nothing wrong with that, and don't let the l33t PvP3rZ tell you different. PvP isn't for everyone, though I'd recommend that everyone try it.
Thanks for reading!
Update 12/19/2008
I'm bringing this Q&A from a few months ago (see page 6) to the original post. Might even update this whole thing to fit current PvP. But I'd have to play before I could make it accurate... so it's unlikely.
My questions:
1) Does having wrestling automatically give defensive wrestling bonuses, or must you have Anat + EI?
2) What are your thoughts on not having defensive wrestling and instead having heal? Can you always have a heal macro going on as a mage, or does it disrupt your attempts to use pots?
3) Same thing as #2, except having hide instead of heal. Worthwhile? Solo vs group?
4) And finally, can someone please explain to me what the specific benefits of scribe are? What are circles of reflection? What does reactive armor do? Protection?
Answer:
1)
Wrestling at 100 does give defensive (and offensive) bonuses, but not the 120 defensive wrestling that eval+anat give. However, if you're wondering whether wrestling alone is enough - yes.
2)
Wrestling, whether through EI+anat or simply by the skill itself, is necessary to balance your character. I did it too, when I first started - ignored things that I didn't see an obvious impact with.
However, wrestling is a necessary subtlety. NOT taking 75 damage from an axe shot is what it gives you... which, of course, you don't notice because you've probably always had wrestling. Without wrestling, you will be handing your opponent a huge damage bonus; it is not necessary to make the character work, no, but it is far more beneficial than any alternative.
3)
Hiding is a completely worthless PvP skill in all aspects. It offers you nothing when there's an actual fight going on, and therefore is detrimental to keeping the advantages balanced. By taking hiding on a PvPer, you're dropping yourself to 6x solely when it matters - not something you really want to do, is it?!
4)
Circles of reflection are the number of circles that will be reflected off you using the Magic Reflection spell.
It is, for a non-scribe with GM Magery, 8 circles. That means if someone fireballs you (a 3rd circle spell), you will have 5 circles left and the fireball will reflect. Then, if they Energy Bolt you, it will go through and will kill off your reflect... this is because EB is a 6th circle spell, and you had 5 circles of reflection left.
If a spell exceeds the number of circles you have left on your reflect, it will not be reflected and will remove all their reflect. (shortened)
This is why people will "re-reflect" when something small hits them, then they leave combat. They take off their own reflect by targeting themselves with spells, then wait to recast it - this is so that they have a "fresh" set of circles of reflection.
GM Scribe adds 7 circles, totalling 15. (shortened)
Protection is awesome in duels, and scribe helps. (shortened to remain under length)
Reactive Armor stops gimp dexxers and (especially) tank mages cold for a short time. (shortened)
A lot of people venture over to UOGamers Hybrid filled with questions about PvP. They all want to be the best, but many of them have only those two or three years of experience back in the day. I noticed there's no PvP guide in the Player Guides section, so I figured this would be a nice addition to help old veterans and new players alike fit in with the PvP here on UOG: Hybrid.
Contents
Part 1: Solo vs. Group
Part 2: Templates
a. Popular Templates
b. Dexxers
Part 3: PvP Materials
Part 4: PvP Forms
a. Dueling/1v1
b. Murdering/Blue PvP/Order and Chaos
c. Factioning
Part 5: Sync Dumps
a. Ventrilo
b. Skype/Google Talk
c. Alternate Forms
Part 6: Heals
a. Curing
Part 7: Finding a Fight
Part 8: Surviving a Gank
Part 9: Razor vs. PlayUO
Part 10: Further Information
Part 11: Summary
Part 12: Update 12/19/2008
Part 1: Solo vs. Group
There are two ways to PvP, alone and with a group. The first is the best way to learn the basics of PvP. I'd recommend keeping your first PvP character blue and dueling at Del Ponds for a while so you get the hang of basic spell combos. Then, graduate to red vs. blue PvP. From there you will likely have made some friends and can move to group PvP.
Because soloing has been pretty much the same since this game came out (the only changes being the spells/templates used, which will be discussed later), this guide will mostly focus on group fighting.
Part 2: Templates
A. Popular Templates There are a few widely accepted templates on Hybrid, which are much the same everywhere. The most common for group fighting is generally something involving Inscription, for its bonus to reflect. Other usefull skills are anatomy (for stun, to catch runners) and alchemy, also for killing peple on the run. Poisoning is another, though not as widely used, skill choice. In large groups, someone will poison, and with GM Poisoning it can't be resisted.
B. Dexxers As far as dexxers are concerned, a good alchy dexer is always fun. However, they're not the best for group fighting, as their damage is random and they can't sync/heal very well. Generally, the best for someone who solos often yet group fights as well is a tank mage with balanced stats.
All in all, any mage 5x (Magery, Evaluating Intelligence, Meditation, Resisting Spells, and Wrestling or Anatomy to give defensive wrestling bonus) combined with two skills works for group fighting. I've mentioned the three best (alchemy, anatomy, scribe), though almost any will work.
Part 3: PvP Materials
Assuming you're playing a mage, you'll generally want to stock up with a few key items, and nothing more. Remember, you lose whatever you have on you that's not blessed, so try to stick to a few key items.
The most important is regs. I bring about 60 of each. If you're new, you might want to cut that down, because you'll probably do quite a bit of dying. This is simple enough.
Next, potions. In group fighting, I generally bring about 10 of each, excluding Nightsight. When I'm on a character without Alchemy, I generally exclude explosion potions as well. I usually limit myself to 6 or 7 strength and agility because it's rare that you will need more than that in group fighting.
As far as trapped pouches are concerned, I generally only bring one or two, because paralyze is usually used in ganks, not group fights. If I'm going out alone I always make sure I have a few, because nothing is worse than being paralyzed waiting for 3 more people to come gank your ass.
Aside from regs and pots, and occaisionally pouches, there is little that is required. Once you get familiar with your template and group fighting, you might try mixing it up; I always have earthquake scrolls on me to be sure I never fizzle, and have started bringing Flamestrike scrolls along. I know people who always have Pedals of the Rose of Trinsic for the extra 5 strength. Aside from potions and regs, the extras are up to you.
Side note: If I'm planning on fighting near impossibly odds (it can be fun!) I generally stock up just enough to survive a couple dumps; if I end up winning the impossible odds, there will be enough loot to keep me going for a while. If I end up dying, I haven't lost much.
All things considered, it's up to you how much you bring.
Part 4: PvP Forms
A. Dueling/1v1s: IMPORTANT!! DUELS ARE NOT A 1v1!! A duel is a fight between two players with a predetermined ruleset and limitations. A 1v1 is a field fight in which anything goes - though generally things such as para and offscreening are off limits.
Now that we have that out of the way, dueling/1v1ing is a great way to get experience cheap. Setting up a field 1v1 is the best way, and dueling is second best. Please, please, please!!! do not become one of those people who say "lol chug" and run off if someone chugs a potion on the field. I've actually had someone complain about me chugging cures 2v1 when I stayed onscreen the whole time! It's ridiculous. A 1v1 is a field fight, so please do not hesitate to use potions and learn to use them well. For instance, you can cast a spell and, before the target cursor comes up, chug a pot. If someone casts explo/poison and I have greater heal precasted, I'll cancel the target and recast heal once the explo and poison have hit, and while the heal is casting I will chug a cure and target myself, putting my health at full as fast as possible.
Dueling is almost like an art form - it takes a while to get good at, and is mostly for show. Very rarely will you find dueling skills usefull outside of duels, because you will fall in love with the idea of no potions, and will cry foul or suck in any field fight involving pots or a lack of a specified ruleset. Please be sure to keep these two things seperate. Dueling is a great way to learn the basics of PvP, but set up some 1v1s to get field experience and learn how to chug like a pro.
At this point, any template without a killing method aside from the mage 5x will have a hard time on the field due to the addition of potions and alternate killing techniques. I personally like Alchemy, because I've had some good practice throwing explosion potions in combos for added damage. Without alchemy, stun, or a weaponskill, you may find it difficult to kill someone without using some sort of tricky method (ie killing them with your reflect when they're not ready for it). I'm not saying it's impossible - just that it will be much harder.
If you want some good 1v1 practice, feel free to AIM me at Flipper The Band. I'll fight anyone any time, and I'll give you some pointers based on your performance.
B. Murdering/Blue PvP: This is where you'll find almost anyone, from complete newbies (because it's a low risk area as a blue, making it a great place to start) to highly skilled old school PvPers (some people just enjoy killing newbies!). I'd recommend staying blue or keeping to Order/Chaos before turning red or joining a faction, just to get some practice in.
C. Factions: This is the big league, folks. Most new players don't last in factions. Soloing is sadly hardly an option unless you have a big gank squad to back you up if you run into a gank yourself. I try to take pity on new players who maybe saw the shiny gold stone and joined up without knowing what they'd done. If they ask, I always tell them how to quit, though the process takes 7 days, so please, do not join a faction unless you are sure you're ready! Just because I'm nice to newbs in factions doesn't mean others will be, nor does it mean I enjoy answering the question on how to quit factions!
Generally, you'll want to observe factions and join a faction guild right away, once you've proven you have decent PvP skill. There are almost always faction guilds recruiting, so just ask. Sure, most people are assholes and will say "stfu newb", but there are nice people out there willing to give you a tryout. I know a few really nice GMs myself, so don't hesitate to AIM or PM me asking about finding a faction guild.
Part 5: Sync Dumps
Sync dumps (short for Synchronized) are the most important part of group PvP. Using a voice program or in game messages (as long as they're not automatic or illegal), someone counts down to let the others know when to cast a certain spell. Generally, the "caller", or person in charge of calling targets and saying when to drop the spells, will say something like "load up", referring to casting the Explosion spell. He'll then use a method of counting down, and on the designated number or word, everyone will cast the spell designated, usually Energy Bolt (with one person poisoning).
The aim of this is to get all of the damage to hit at the same time, making it very difficult to heal through without experienced healing.
The best way to learn to sync is practice with a friend. Download Ventrilo and head to the RunUO vent server. Find yourselves a channel not being used and count down. "3 2 1" or "2 1 drop" are the most common counts. Practice at first syncing ebolts (just cast the spell on drop). From there practice syncing cows or other defenseless animals.
There is a slight delay in Ventrilo, about 1 second, that you'll need to get used to. Of course, there are alternative ways of syncing. One is Ventrilo binds. These are sounds played by the Ventrilo voice robot guy, and they hold next to no lag. Someone calls a target, and plays the bind; cast the spell on drop. Skype (an alternate VoIP, or Voice over IP) also has next to no delay, but is limited in the number of people able to connect. It is also for newbies who can't sync with vent (different story =)
Note that sync dumps are not a guaranteed kill. Even the most perfect dump is healable. However, most of the time you will kill someone with a less than or equal amount of healers, assuming you've thrown in a poison in a large group. Important note on poisoning (yea, it takes practice too): The poison must be "held" in order to sync with the EB/Explo damage. The explo is targeted on drop, but the spell target is held for a few extra seconds. The point is to drop the poison on the target at the last possible second, making it hard to cure before the fatal damage is dealt (remember, on UOG: Hybrid, you can't heal through poison).
Part 6: Heals
Healing is a learned skill. It's not especially difficult if you get in a bit of practice. To some people, it seems to come naturally (hi fcm). To others, it takes constant practice (sup Choru). Basically, you want to heal as much damage as possible without letting the person die. The best way to practice this is by setting up a Razor macro to explo/eb yourself on one client, and on the other client practice healing half of the damage dealt (around 25). You know you will have saved your target. once you get that down, practice getting the full ~50 damage healed as quick as possible.
Another great way to practice healing is by setting up some 2v2s with friends. In fact, this is the best way to learn to heal AND to sync. So definitely find a partner and some willing enemies and head to the duel pits and go a few rounds, practicing healing and syncing dumps on enemies.
A. Curing: It's important that if you're facing more than two opponents, that you are ready to cure that held poison mentioned earlier. The fastest way is sadly holding down the cure key in PlayUO. If you're smart and are using Razor, due to its slow curing, you'll have to anticipate it and press as fast as possible. It takes practice as well. You'll also want to set your object delay to 133. This can be done under Razor - More Options - Object Delay. Of course, use a hotkey. Double clicking won't make it go any faster =)
Part 7: Finding a Fight
The best way to find a fight it to make people orange (freely attackable anywhere except safezones) to you. There are a couple ways to do this. The most basic is through guild wars and Order/Chaos. This is a nice "warmup" because there is little risk to death; no reason to be rez-killed or stat loss (as opposed to Factions) and it's easy to find a rez (as opposed to being red). Also, there are fewer gank squads. You can also fight reds just as though you were a blue; though it should be noted that if you fight reds, if you're warring or in a different Chaos/Order, they can freely attack you in town, and you're not safe from the occaisional red gank.
Once you've graduated from warring/Order and Chaos, you can consider factions. This isn't to say people don't stay blue and remain in a non-faction guild; some people prefer that. Generally, however, people move on to a faction. There's more PvP there, and there are plenty of good fights to be had. You'll also find the most challenging opponents. If you follow tournaments, 90% of the winners are mainly factioners.
The best places to find fights are Brit town (for factions and blues), Moongates (recently for everyone, though that may change with the newly guarded moongates), Dueling Safezones (if you're lucky enough to find someone out of the pits), or occaisionally the brit GY (mostly reds) or my favorite place to fight, Moonglow.
Generally, fights aren't too hard to find, as long as you're relaxed about your opponents. I'll fight reds 2-3 vs 1 if I can't find a decent 1v1, though tactics do change when fighting alone vs. larger groups.
Part 8: Surviving a Gank
Wouldn't you love to know how to survive the inivetible: the gank. Sadly, there is little to be told. It mostly depends on the situation and proper usage of your surroundings. The gates to RP town have been a godsend to gank flee-ers. Use pouches to survive para, use corners and guardzones to survive explo pots, hell, use your enemies against each other. Just the other night I was running my ass off away from 3-4 Minax when I ran into an equal sized group of SL. They broke off to fight each other and I was free to go.
Survivng ganks takes practice and, yes, you WILL be ganked, and you cannot survive em all. So don't get discouraged if you can't outlive 10 gankers with para and EBs. If you want practice survivng a gank and you're in a faction other than CoM, hit me up, me and some friends would love to gank you =)
Part 9: Razor vs. PlayUO
This age-old argument can go on for pages. Personally, I use Razor, and so do most of the people I PvP with. However, some choose the route of PlayUO, or Krrios' Client (KUOC). It's a matter of personal taste. KUOC is faster with cures and animation, though it does use some "cheap" stuff like autoban and plugin support (this will soon be eradicated with its merge with Sallos).
In the end, it's up to you. I recommend Razor cause it's just less automated PvP and allows for maximum growth in PvP skill.
Part 10: More Information:
Don't hesitate to ask questions in the Faction forums or under General Questions. Please do not PM or AIM me any more though - I likely will not respond, as I don't really play.
Part 11: Summary
Too lazy to read it all? Ok, ok, let me sum it all up with a few major points.
First, pick a good PvP template. Wait until you're a relatively experienced PvPer to experiment outside the tried and true templates.
Second, bring the right stuff. Nothing you can't afford to lose, but enough to not run out of something in the middle of a fight. Basic materials: regs, pots, maybe pouches, scrolls and a bola or two.
Third, know what you're fighting. Is it a duel? 1v1? Group fight? Respond accordingly.
Fourth, learn to sync dump and heal through said syncs.
Fifth, practice makes (near) perfect. You will die. Don't get discouraged! Everyone sucks when they start. Everyone gets ganked and everyone dies. Look at the top 15 faction PvPers. I've got a recent death screenshot for every one of them; and I've been relatively inactive as of late. People die no matter their skill.
That's the number one piece of advice I can give new PvPers. Don't get discouraged. I sucked horribly when I returned to UO from OSI (this was in August, too)! I almost quit multiple times. But I stuck with it, and now I'm on par with most of the people who toyed with me when I started.
Don't forget that PvP is an awesome rush, but it's all part of a game. So have fun over all. If PvP isn't providing you a rush and is just frustrating you, take a break, or stick to banksitting or roleplaying. There's nothing wrong with that, and don't let the l33t PvP3rZ tell you different. PvP isn't for everyone, though I'd recommend that everyone try it.
Thanks for reading!
Update 12/19/2008
I'm bringing this Q&A from a few months ago (see page 6) to the original post. Might even update this whole thing to fit current PvP. But I'd have to play before I could make it accurate... so it's unlikely.
My questions:
1) Does having wrestling automatically give defensive wrestling bonuses, or must you have Anat + EI?
2) What are your thoughts on not having defensive wrestling and instead having heal? Can you always have a heal macro going on as a mage, or does it disrupt your attempts to use pots?
3) Same thing as #2, except having hide instead of heal. Worthwhile? Solo vs group?
4) And finally, can someone please explain to me what the specific benefits of scribe are? What are circles of reflection? What does reactive armor do? Protection?
Answer:
1)
Wrestling at 100 does give defensive (and offensive) bonuses, but not the 120 defensive wrestling that eval+anat give. However, if you're wondering whether wrestling alone is enough - yes.
2)
Wrestling, whether through EI+anat or simply by the skill itself, is necessary to balance your character. I did it too, when I first started - ignored things that I didn't see an obvious impact with.
However, wrestling is a necessary subtlety. NOT taking 75 damage from an axe shot is what it gives you... which, of course, you don't notice because you've probably always had wrestling. Without wrestling, you will be handing your opponent a huge damage bonus; it is not necessary to make the character work, no, but it is far more beneficial than any alternative.
3)
Hiding is a completely worthless PvP skill in all aspects. It offers you nothing when there's an actual fight going on, and therefore is detrimental to keeping the advantages balanced. By taking hiding on a PvPer, you're dropping yourself to 6x solely when it matters - not something you really want to do, is it?!
4)
Circles of reflection are the number of circles that will be reflected off you using the Magic Reflection spell.
It is, for a non-scribe with GM Magery, 8 circles. That means if someone fireballs you (a 3rd circle spell), you will have 5 circles left and the fireball will reflect. Then, if they Energy Bolt you, it will go through and will kill off your reflect... this is because EB is a 6th circle spell, and you had 5 circles of reflection left.
If a spell exceeds the number of circles you have left on your reflect, it will not be reflected and will remove all their reflect. (shortened)
This is why people will "re-reflect" when something small hits them, then they leave combat. They take off their own reflect by targeting themselves with spells, then wait to recast it - this is so that they have a "fresh" set of circles of reflection.
GM Scribe adds 7 circles, totalling 15. (shortened)
Protection is awesome in duels, and scribe helps. (shortened to remain under length)
Reactive Armor stops gimp dexxers and (especially) tank mages cold for a short time. (shortened)
.