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We'll turn you from this...

Do you like PvE, but wish you could make it in the cut throat world of RvR? Do you enter a scenario without the slightest clue of how to PvP? Tired of being called "n00b", "candyass", and being told "go back to Hello Kitty and learn how to play your class, loser!"? Want to impress the girls (or the sexy Dark Elves who are most likely guys, but you pretend they're girls because otherwise it's just DAMN creepy!)? Well, if you've been a PvP wimp and you want 1000% more pwn when you RvR, then you need Ten Ton Hammer's Secrets to Ultimate Pwnage!

 

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... into THIS!

Yes, with this little guide you'll no longer be getting the proverbial sand kicked in your face! Learn the RvR secrets to unlock your hidden potential and stop totally sucking NOW! Our other hardcore guides give you hard facts, gear essentials, and equations for the effectiveness of your stats, but this is the guide written specifically for PvP/RvR novices and comes complete with trash talking advice! So if you're a Care Bear who wants to RvR without getting the virtual wedgie, then keep reading!

 

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Black Guard - "I hate everyone equally! You can't tear that out of me! No segregation, separation, just me and my world of enemies!"

The newest class to grace the halls of WAR, the Black Guard is the tank class for the Dark Elves. With more groupies than there are screaming teenage girls at a My Chemical Romance concert, you won't be able to spit without hitting one in PvE right now. Their abilities make them a wise choice to PvE your heart out, as they can go non stop with their hate based mechanic. However, are they any good in RvR? Like our buddy Magic 8 Ball would say, "All signs point to yes"!

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Cry havok! And let slip the dogs of war!

Being a tank, you can take the punishment (being a Dark Elf, you probably like it and ask for more) but unlike most tanks you can dish it pretty well too. You see, the more punishment a Black Guard takes and dishes out, the higher your Hate rating climbs and the more damage you do. Black Guards have abilities that dip into their Hate rating as well, so don't be shy about getting in there and mixing it up because you want to keep it above 90 if you can.

So much good stuff to use, so little time. First and foremost, use your "Crippling Anger" ability often! Someone beating on your healer? Crippling Anger. Someone trying to run off with your flag? Crippling Anger. Guy cuts you off at a stop light causing you to miss the light and sit there while your hot sandwich becomes even colder before you can get home to eat? Crippling Anger. The main reason this ability is so important is because of the snare. While it has a DoT involved, the snare allows your healers to create distance from an attacker or lets your group to catch up with that annoying Bright Wizard who keeps spamming his AoE and root spells so you can show him your gratitude.

There are two Hate driven abilities you will live off of. The first is a damage shield called "Shield of Rage". No, this isn't the result of you spending your wife's X-mas money on a new PS3 complete with MK vs DC and then telling her "We should just make our love our X-mas gifts!", it's a ward that absorbs corporal damage for up to 10 sec or a given amount, based on level. Spam this. Use it every chance you get. The less damage you take, the longer you stay alive, and staying alive makes RvR fun! The second ability is what keeps you going non-stop and it's called "Driven by Hate" and it replenishes 160 AP points automatically for the low, low price of 40 Hate.

Finally, two AP based abilities that you'll want to pay attention to are "Feeding on Weakness" and "Spiteful Slam". The results of these are directly affected by how much Hate you have built up at the time, thus your need to keep your Hate above 90 for maximum effect. "Feeding on Weakness" heals you for a % of the damage you do, based on your Hate rating. More Hate= More Healing = Frustrated Opponent. It refreshes every 5 seconds so hit it every time it comes up. "Spiteful Slam" is a knockdown that requires you to have blocked an attack to activate, which means you'll need a shield equipped to use it. Annoying as all hell, but useful when it does come up. Depending on how much Hate you have at the time, it can keep an opponent down for up to five seconds! Doesn't seem like a lot, but with multiple people taking some cheapshots? It'll add up.

Trash talking with a Black Guard is pretty simple. You're all about the Hate, so make it mean!

 

Shadow Warrior - "You killed my mother! You killed my father, you killed my people! "

Moving silently under the cover of darkness, with a grudge that's lasted longer than when Billy Myers pants'd you in front of Joanne Powers in the 6th Grade, the Shadow Warriors are the High Elves Ranged DPS class. A fun class that can be a bit challenging to play, it's a favorite for RvR folks and is tailor made for RvR novices due to the enormous range of some of your attacks and the damage they do with those attacks. High Damage + Far Away from Melee = Happy Player!

There's a lot to cover, so let's jump right in with stances. As a Shadow Warrior, you have three stances you can choose from to fight in. Each one has different benefits. For the RvR newbie though, we're only going to focus on two. The Scout stance and the Assault stance, each of which can be switched on the fly. The Scout stance increases your Ballistic Skill by 2 and your range by 10%. So if you plan on sitting in the back and plinking away at targets, this is what you'll want to be in. Remember, the further away you can be, the better as you have about as much survivability in melee combat as Oscar De La Hoya did against Manny Pacquiao last Saturday night. While in Scout stance, you'll want to spread the love around with your "Flame Arrow", an attack that does damage to your target and then explodes to do AoE damage to everyone within 20 feet. Your "Acid Arrow" will help your melee folks out as it reduces the targets armor and their chance to block. In between, use "Eagle Eye" which is a single target shot, but does the most damage.

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Legolas ain't got NUTHIN' on me!

You're going to want to close distance at some point to mid range (as a matter of fact, plan to do a lot of running around, in and out of battle). Why, you ask? You have a couple of abilities you need to use that can only be used at mid range, that's why. Quit asking so many questions. Your "Takedown" ability is a snare and it can save a healer or caster's life, so try to use it as often as you can. You also have an ability called "Rapid Fire", which they just recently increased the damage for in the last patch. "Rapid Fire" allows you to launch a series of arrows for a high amount of damage and is very nice for taking down healers and casters who aren't at full hit points.

Your Assault Stance is a close range stance for when you are inevitably dragged into melee. You do a lot of damage, and let's face it, you're reaaaaaally annoying with those stupid snare arrows. People are going to find you and try to kill you. Assault Stance realizes that you're annoying and it takes that into account. It grants you an increase to your strength and weapon skill for melee, 100% bonus to your armor allowing you to stay up just a bit longer, and the award winning "How to make friends and influence people" book on tape so you can be less annoying. While in Assault stance, you have access to more sword abilities and a few short range attacks you can use while moving, as well as some of your long range attacks just in case you can gain some distance. Some melee abilities you want to make sure your using while in Assault, "Draw Blood", "Broadhead Arrow", and "Whirling Pin". "Draw Blood" is a sword strike that is a DoT and when combined with your short range "Broadhead Arrow" DoT, can whittle down a melee opponent pretty quick with your normal melee attacks. "Whirling Pin" is a root attack. This is important because it allows you to put distance between you and an opponent so you can go back to your bread and butter which is ranged attacks. It's also good to free up beleaguered healers and casters.

Also, don't forget your knockback you get for your first morale calle "Point Blank", because tanks will hate you for using it and healer will worship you for it!

Trash talk for a Shadow Warrior should involve peoples difficulty in reaching you. Things like "I'm sorry, I couldn't understand you because you're laying face down with an arrow in your back."