Introduction to Keep Sieges & Battlefield Objectives

Part 2


Tier 1 has no keeps to attack or defend. Tier 2 keeps consist of a single fortified tower structure with a single door to breach/defend. Tier 3 and 4 keeps are protected by an additional outer wall (aka Wall Walks for the castle definition fiends), thus adding another door to breach before the keep can be taken. These doors can be damaged using player abilities, but the use of siege weapons, such as rams and trebuchets, are highly recommended!


Welcome to the second part of our article detailing Keep warfare for Warhammer Online.  In Part One of this article, we discussed the basic strategy of Keep warfare and specific methods for offense.  This time around, we will look at defensive strategies and the roles of the individual classes for both offense and defense during Keep warfare.

Defense

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Tier 3 Keep

You have a huge advantage if you are defending a Keep.  Right now, taking a Keep is extremely difficult without any players helping to defend the Keep.  It takes great teamwork and communication to stand a chance at taking over a Keep.  With your help defending the Keep, you can make it impossible for all but the best groups to take your Keep.

Make sure to buy Oil, Cannons, and Catapults, to use in defending the Keep.  When the siege starts, get up on the second floor and use the Oil to kill those trying to knock down the door.  The Oil does a lot of damage, and you can kill all but the toughest of Tanks with it.  With enough Oil, you can all but stop a siege before it really starts.  Your enemy will be targeting you and the pot with a lot of fire power.  Try to stand as far behind the pot as possible making it harder for enemy players to target you.  Keep your eye on the health of the Oil pot, and repair it often to keep it up and raining death down upon your enemies.  Remember:  Orcs like their humies deep-fried!

If someone is already manning the Oil, set up your other siege weapons and  target as close to the keep door as you can.  You need to keep everyone back from using a Ram on your door.  If your door holds, your Keep can't be taken.

Eventually most teams will break down the door, but your job is slow this down as long as possible.  The longer it takes, the more players can get out there to help you, and the enemy players may become more and more annoyed.  Hopefully if they die a few times, they will tire of the effort and just leave for easier prey.  Gloating macros are heavily encouraged at this time.

Once they get inside, move to the balcony, or behind the Keep Lord.  Most teams will gather on the steps with a few Tanks at a time, rushing up to take on the Keep Lord.  You can easily ruin their day by just targeting whoever the Lord is targeting.  He hits really damn hard; with a little extra DPS from you, no one should be able to stand more than a few seconds.  If you are targeted, move out onto the balcony until you can heal up.  You need to stay alive.  If you die, you give precious time to your enemy to attack the Keep Lord unhindered.  Use hit and run tactics to distract the enemy and back up your Keep Lord.  Keep Lords are damn tough, so they don't need too much from you.  Just a few hits here and there, push the enemy back for a few seconds to let the Lord heal up, and you can hold a siege off easily.

Tip: Keep in mind that your enemy has a limited time to kill your Keep Lord.  If you hold them back long enough, your door will reset, locking everyone out.  Which makes them have to start all over again.  Often times they lose interest (like an Orc in algebra class) at this point and leave.


Class Roles

Tanks : If you are attacking a Keep, you should be the first person on the Ram.  You have the armor and hit points to take the massive damage that burning Oil will cause.  When you charge upstairs to the Keep Lord, use your taunts to keep the Lord on you.  If he goes after one of the Healers or a Ranged DPS, they will die in seconds.  Keep him on you, and trust your Healers to do their job and keep you standing.  If you are defending, charge the Healers and take them out.  No one can take the damage dished out by the Keep Lord without healing.

Tip: Make sure you are using your Guards on the Healers.  If the Keep Lord targets them without your help, they stand no chance, and you stand no chance without them healing you.

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Tier 3 Keep Wall

Melee DPS : If you are attacking a Keep, you should be on the Ballista or Catapult.  Keep it firing to keep defenders from raining death on your Ram.  The Oil pot is your primary target.  Once inside the Keep, follow the Tanks in.  It's their job to hold the Lords attention, while it's your job to kill him!  If you are defending, charge the Healers and take them out.  No one can take the damage dished out by the Keep Lord without healing.

Ranged DPS : If you are attacking a Keep, you need to stay clear of the door and target any enemy players running around upstairs.  Any time you do enough damage to make them move inside to heal, that is precious time given to your Tanks to break down the door without dying.  Once inside, wait until your Tanks have engaged the Keep Lord, then bring the pain.  Unload on him with everything you have.  If you are defending, target Healers first as that no one can take the damage dished out by the Keep Lord without healing.  Throw an attack or two at anyone the Keep Lord is attacking for a quick kill.

Healer: If you are attacking a Keep, you need to pay close attention to your Tanks.  They are going to take a lot of damage for the Boiling Oil.  Make sure to stay back so it doesn't hit you.  You stand little chance of surviving if you get hit with it.  Once inside, you need to stick with your Tanks.  If they are doing their job, they are going to be taking a ton of damage.  It's your job to keep them on their feet.  If you are defending, keep the other players standing and use your DPS on anyone the Lord is hitting.  Even your DPS can quickly drop someone if the Lord is attacking him.

Tip: Before you charge in, talk to the other Healers in the War Band and assign Tanks to heal.  This will help make sure that heals are not  wasted by healing a Tank at the same time someone else does.  Of course, if someone is about to die, everyone should be trying to heal him.


Summary

The main key to success in defending a Keep is mobility. Use hit and run tactics, you don't have to stand and fight with the enemy. The odds are already on your side, with just a little help, you can protect a keep from a force many times your size.

Make sure you check out Part One of The Introduction to Keep Sieges.


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Last Updated: Mar 13, 2016

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