People love the realm versus realm encounters in href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/war/" target="_blank">Warhammer
Online: Age of Reckoning. Players have flocked to these
playgrounds of destruction with reckless abandon, yet time and time
again new players seem to get in over their heads in the low tier RvR
scenarios. After seeing enough corpses to fill a small castle, the Ten
Ton Hammer staff decided to move in and give players some guidance on
the best way to complete the various RvR scenarios without too much
loss of life.



Without a doubt, Nordenwatch is one of the most popular Tier 1 RvR
scenarios in Warhammer
Online
. As the demo scenario for many of the conventions
over the past two summers, Nordenwatch is incredibly fun and the ease
with which you get caught up in the combat is incredibly addictive.
Named after the Nordland newbie zone, Nordenwatch represents the
watchful gaze of the Empire as they try to control the ever pressing
hordes of Chaos.  


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A map of
Nordenwatch..

As with the previously released guide on the scenario of
target="_blank">Khaine’s Embrace, this
RvR guide will hopefully give players
a good glimpse into what the Nordenwatch scenario is all about and a
few tips and tricks to keep you and your faction alive long enough to
win. If you’ve yet to catch one of my RvR guides, make sure
you check out my entry on Khaine’s Embrace and see how to
issue Khaine’s Wrath upon the masses.



RvR
Scenario Summary




This scenario takes
place in the critical beachhead of Nordenwatch. The battle rages around
the Lighthouse, Barracks, and Fortress. Take and hold these objectives
while killing any enemies you find. – from the
WAR style="font-style: italic;"> developers



Veterans of PvP or RvR type mini-games in href="http://wow.tentonhammer.com/" target="_blank"> style="font-style: italic;">World of Warcraft
or target="_blank">Guild
Wars
will feel right at home in this RvR
conflict. The Warhammer
Online
developers really didn’t try to hide the
fact that the Nordenwatch scenario is little more than a simple
“control the map” type of competition. Like any
good RvR encounter, the two player sides start off on the two opposite
ends of the map, and the players are forced to try to take and hold the
three objectives. Two of the three objectives – the
Lighthouse and the Barracks – are close by the player
starting location for each side (Order has the Lighthouse, Destruction
the Barracks), so these two objectives are quickly taken by the players.



However, the Fortress is the point where many players will see the most
brutal action. During my attempts at conquering the Nordenwatch
scenario, I’ve seen more players meet their demise around
this objective than in all of my attempts at href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/43666" target="_blank">Khaine’s
Embrace. Just like in the Khaine’s Embrace
scenario, the
developers at Mythic Entertainment explicitly tried to force players to
clash around this objective. As you can see in the map, the two major
paths that players travel on meet at this point, and it’s
with a violent sort of collision that few games can hope to replicate.
The paths that converge on the flag are really protected from the view
and attacks of the opposing team, so almost all of the damage is
centered squarely on the objective.



The majority of the Nordenwatch scenario takes place on a massive hill
that rests on the very western edge of the zone. Although players can
traverse the distance between the two spawn points with relative ease,
there’s little reason to take the time to cross the distance.
Instead, most players head for the nearest objective, which happens to
place them in a pretty severe pathway that leads them up into the
Fortress, where the true battle takes place.



Unlike many of the other new player scenarios, Nordenwatch seemed to
have an incredibly diverse number of classes playing within. Although
the Dwarf legions were notoriously missing from the Order ranks, plenty
of High Elves were scattered amidst the Empire individuals. That said,
few Greenskins were included in the Nordenwatch scenarios that were
played on the Destruction side, but plenty of Dark Elves and joined the
hordes of Chaos.



A
Few Strategies




Due to the construction of the Nordenwatch zone, the melee classes
really excel in this space. With the majority of Nordenwatch played on
a hill, most ranged combatants won’t be sniping opposing
players from a distance until all of the forces are nearly on top of
each other inside the Fortress. Sending all of the melee combatants
into the fray first is the best way to insure that your ranged
characters stay alive long enough to contribute to the fight.


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A group of
players gather at the Order spawn point.

If you’re interested in maintaining a defensive position
around on of your objectives, the best way to do that would be to
simple place a small crew of DPS and healer characters scattered and
hidden amidst the landscape, while two high hitpoint tanks stand on the
objective. Since the Nordenwatch objectives must be taken through a
time based conversion system, it’s easy to keep control of an
objective once you have it, as long as your characters stay alive long
enough to contest it. While the majority of the fighting will be
occurring at the Fortress, it is possible for players on the opposition
to sneak across the battlefield and attempt to take your home objective
from you.



Finally, always make sure that you’re keeping your healers
safe. The Nordenwatch objective relies on healers more than any other
scenario, in my opinion, simply because there won’t be one
individual at the front of a charge taking all of the damage. Instead,
it’s going to be an all out war, so the team that keeps its
players alive the longest will surely win.



Class
Assignments in Nordenwatch




Tanks



Do: This is
a scenario where the href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/41568" target="_blank">tank
classes can really shine. Instead of the open killing ground
that you experienced in Khaine’s Embrace, you’ll be
fairly protected from ranged attacks until you reach the Fortress
objective. With that in mind, make the most of your abilities. Take the
heat off of your DPS and healer teammates by jumping into the fray with
both feet.



You’ll also be the best candidate for holding down a
defensible flag position, so don’t be afraid when the enemies
troops come charging up the hill. Rely on your healers and DPS
characters to take them down before they take you down. If you do this,
you’ll probably be able to get in the killing blow on a
number of occasions.



On top of all this, always try to grab a healer to escort you. Though
you may be big and tough, tanks can’t do squat without their
healing comrades. Before the scenario starts, send a quick tell to the
healer to have him watch your back when you go in. That’ll
make things much easier on you.



Don’t: There’s
no reason for you to try to sneak over and take the enemies home
objective away from them, especially if you’re going in with
only one or two teammates. Instead, focus your abilities on drawing the
fire from the opposition on top of the Fortress. You’re much
better off fighting in that area than by trying anything down in the
opposing objective.



Never forget that you’re the toughest, strongest character on
the field, however. Don’t be afraid to jump into the fray and
cause some chaos in the ranks of the mages and healers behind the enemy
lines. You’ll be in a fantastic position to do some serious
damage if you get up the courage to kill.



Ranged DPS



Do: Be
cautious throughout this scenario. For the majority of this encounter
the target="_blank">ranged DPS classes will be at a
disadvantage simply because of the terrain. Take a step back and
don’t try to be heroic. Merely stay behind your melee
teammates and let them get dirty while you stand back and mop up
whatever is left of the enemy.


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Squaring off
at the Barracks.

However, make sure you take advantage of any situation that presents
itself. If you see a healer that’s just over the ridge from
you, don’t be afraid to href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/41752" target="_blank">let
that bugger have it square in the face. Your job is to focus
on killing, not on chaos. Make sure you do your job.



Don’t:
Like the tanks, don’t try to wade over into the opposing area
and take their home objective. Leave this tactic to the melee DPSers
and the healers. They’ll have a much better chance at
grabbing the objective than you will, simply because any resistance
will be able to see you coming from miles away.



Despite all this, don’t be too cautious. Turning and running
is only effective if there’s no other option, and
you’re just as likely to die when running as you are when
standing toe-to-toe with the enemy and throwing some damage their way.
It’s easy to turn and run in this scenario, but
don’t do it.



Melee DPS:



Do: If
there was ever a scenario built specifically for you, this would be it.
Characters in Nordenwatch won’t know what hit ‘em
as you crest a hill and href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/42661" target="_blank">plunge
your blade straight into their fleshy underbellies. You along
with the tanks will be at the href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/30163" target="_blank">head
of any charge into the heart of Nordenwatch, so make sure
you’ve got your steel shorts on. You may die an awful lot
around the Fortress, but if your healers and ranged crew are doing
their job, you should come away with a ton of experience to show from
it.



Also, you along with a healer are perhaps the only two classes that
should consider venturing over to the enemy stronghold and taking their
objective. Normally, the opposing team only keeps 2-3 defensive players
around their objective, so if you’re eager to be aggressive,
here’s your chance. By being stealthy, you just could make it
over to the objective and lay down some law before the opposition knows
what’s happening.



Don’t:
Be too overzealous. You may have the best chance of winning this sort
of objective by being aggressive, but it doesn’t pay any sort
of dividend by getting yourself killed. If you’re trying to
determine who goes first into the fray, let the tank lead the charge
before jumping in after him, that’s just common sense.



As always, don’t be a loner. You achieve absolutely nothing
by striking off alone to try to be the hero and take an objective. Not
only is it fool hardy, but it does nothing to increase your rank within
the scenario. Stick with your team, and don’t be afraid to
land a killing blow.



Healers



Do: Stay out
of the way. This is the sort of scenario that could see you dead in
many, many ways. If you want to stay alive, you need to href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/41346" target="_blank">stay
back and out of sight of the enemy. Due to the open nature of
the Fortress, as soon as you crest the hill, the enemy will be able to
spot you and take you down. Let the melee characters do their thing,
than simply come forward and heal them when you must.



target="_blank">As a healer, you also have a
perfect opportunity to try to put together strategies for your
teammates. Don’t be afraid to chat with them, and when you do
find someone to team up with, encourage them to go on the offensive.
You’re there to back them up, so always try to give them the
confidence they need to break down the opposition.


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The
aftermath of the Fortress run.

Regardless of whether there’s another healer in your party or
not, you should really try to focus on one or two melee combatants to
really make sure that you’re getting the best efficiency out
of your healing spells. Have them protect you, and then
you’ll be efficient killing machines.



Don’t: Try
not to get caught out in the open when you’re around the
Fortress flag. This is the easiest place for ranged DPSers to lay
strikes down upon you, so really try to stay off to the side where the
ranged DPSers can get to you. That way you’ll stay alive and
always be able to heal your comrades.



Final
Word




Again, the Nordenwatch RvR scenario is a terrific example of a great
PvP conflict. Players are constantly forced to fight each other, and
there’s some definite tension as the two teams collide again
and again. Try to always have your best strategy in mind before you
begin, and make sure your team is constantly communicating. If you do
this, victory will be yours!


To read the latest guides, news, and features you can visit our Warhammer 40,000: Storm of Vengeance Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning Game Page.

Last Updated: Mar 13, 2016

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