World of Warcraft Battlegrounds - A Series - 1) Warsong Gulch

This is the first of a series of articles about World of Warcraft Battlegrounds and they are principally aimed at new or inexperienced players.

Battlegrounds are where most players get their first taste of player versus player (PvP) action. Of course you may have decided to experiment with casual battles with your friends beforehand, and these are great for developing your skills, although you may get a little disheartened when you find they haven't really equipped you for the "big league". Don't let your first few experiences of PvP play put you off. You will improve, I promise.

On your game screen there is a WoW toolbar that houses your character details, spell book etc... you will also find access to Battlegrounds through an icon housed on it. This doesn't become active until level 10. Please do not be tempted to join a BG at this stage for this very simple reason... you will die in seconds. BG's are graded 10-19, 20-29, 30-39 and so on. So if you join at level 10 you will find yourself up against guys and gals at level 18 and 19. There is a huge difference in the power and armour of a level 19 compared to a 10. The only way a lower level could compete is if it was equipped with heirlooms and other buffs, that you will not be able to get... but that is another story, which you can read all about on my main site.

The first BG you can join is Warsong Gulch... it is a simple defend and capture a flag theme, one which is present to a degree in some of the other BG's, although most of them are more about capturing and defending territory. You start off in your base with 10 fellow Alliance or Horde compatriots. You should use the waiting time to discuss tactics. The most important tactic is to always group together, the only classes that can act on their own are Rogues and Druids. Usually their principal role is to ambush prey, hence why it is important to group. When you die always look at the map (M on the keyboard) to locate team members and try to avoid those cowardly Rogues and Druids.

There are a number of ways of approaching Warsong Gulch:

The first is, all head off to their base and capture the flag. If they have any defenders in the flag room they will be simply overwhelmed by sheer numbers. The flag should preferably be carried by a tank and they should be kept alive by the healers. On the way back confront the enemy and ensure their flag bearer is killed, but don't neglect the others, because they will not neglect you. During the melee it is often possible for the flag bearer to veer off unnoticed, so be aware. Of course your flag bearer should be looking to veer off as well. Some players get carried away with idea they are invincible and often carry the flag as a come get me symbol, and forget the game scenario. If their flag bearer has stolen away and yours gets killed, they have the advantage.

In group battles it is vitally important to target the opposition healers first for this reason... it is a pain in the proverbial to have tanks constantly being healed. Firstly silence those healers and then kill them quickly. If they have a lot of Paladins you might have problems. Remember the opposition flag cannot be placed in your base whilst the opposition has your flag. It is a good tactic to always keep one player in the opposing flag room, so that your team can quickly grab their flag again if it is lost. But remember there is strength in numbers, if you have too many missing from your main group you will lose. If you die always look to get back in a group.

Another tactic is to send only two members to capture the flag while the rest defend. Your team should confront the enemy outside of the main tunnel to the flag room. The problem with this is that you might be outnumbered, although if this is the case you will have time to regroup and have another attempt at reclaiming your flag. After your death I recommend heading towards their re-spawning area with your group and preventing their "reborn" from joining their teammates. This should give you a numerical advantage for a short while. The two you sent to get their flag can play their part in reclaiming your flag. In fact one of them should remain in the flag room.

The obvious problem with this tactic is that the two you sent to get their flag were out numbered, or were not strong enough to capture it. However, as 99% of teams go as one group it's a worthwhile tactic and a Rogue/Druid combo are very hard to deal with. If the opposition have defended with 3-4 players your team will have wiped out their first attempt at getting to the flag. You should all then rush to their flag room with your two initial attackers going to defend your flag room. Send a tank back with their flag and then head towards their re-spawning area, leaving one player in their flag room

The game gets more complicated after the first team has completed a capture, because if the opposing team are next to complete a capture they are in the winning position. The team that wins is the first to capture three flags, or be ahead at the end of 15 minutes. If teams are well matched it can become very tactical. Like all the BG's the primary objective is to impose your superiority and one of the best ways of doing that is to keep the opposition penned back to the re-spawning area. But make sure that when you are doing this that you keep your focus on the point of the game, which is to capture and return their flag to your base at the same time as stopping the enemy from doing it.

Now go win your first Battle Ground...

The author, Philip Bailey, been playing World of Warcraft, and other PC games, on and off over a number of years and is able to pass on his wealth of experience and know how.

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