Tactics

So, you know how to play. But you want to know "how to play?" Here, you'll find strategies and tactics for each class and team.

Class Strategies

Class-Specific Strategies

Pirates		Vikings		Knights

Skirmisher	Captain	Sharpshooter	Berserker	Huscarl	Gestir	Heavy Knight	Archer	Man-At-Arms

Team Strategies

As a Swarm

The Pirates' strength lies in their infamous dirty tactics. They have a low health/armor pool, but possess great speed. To balance this, Pirates can quickly deal a terrifying amount of damage, though they often require a distracted opponent. Pirate Captains require cover or breaks in combat to reload their blunderbuss. Skirmishers need those to light and throw their kegs. Sharpshooters need cover to aim their rifle, and reposition. Providing opportunities for your teammates to flank enemies, reload, and unleash gunpowder hell will lead you and your team to success. The scurvy sea-dogs of the Pirates also need to know when to fight, and when to shamelessly abandon ship.

Trinket Wars

When carrying the Grog, Pirates should stay on the move to ambush enemies in close quarters. If they're flushed out to open areas, Skirmishers and Sharpshooters alike should try to take down Archers who may pick off their carrier. A slow Viking or Knight trying to chase a Skirmisher with the Grog should be easy pickings for the rest of the Pirate crew.

Booty

When fighting over booty, victory is won by blasting enemy defenses with kegs, finishing off the stragglers with firearms, and making off with the booty before they can recover. When defending, kegs also make a great defense by blasting an overwhelming enemy attack. When not blasting enemies, Pirates should send scouts to warn of enemy attacks so their Pirate shipmates can prepare ambushes.

Last Team Standing

In a fight to the Last Team Standing, Pirates should immediately abandon their starting point and set a course for another team to avoid being surrounded. Skirmishers should bombard enemies with kegs to keep them back early on, then flank opponents to distract them from Captains and Sharpshooters who should finish them off quickly, before spreading out to reload, then regroup.

Territory

When trying to raid territory, Pirates should maraud between territories to catch would-be reinforcements and charge their specials, then blaze into an enemy territory to plunder it for all it's worth. Rather than mount a defensive, Pirates should keep moving to other territories to stay one step ahead of angry land-owners.

As a Horde

One Viking well-versed in combat is a nuisance, a horde of well-versed Vikings is an unstoppable fighting force. Vikings have a good health/armor pool and can deal consistent damage. In terms of speed, Vikings carrying a full arsenal of weapons may not be able to catch a Skirmisher or Archer, but with shields and thrown weapons, they may never need to. Vikings are able to adapt to the battlefield ahead of them, drawing shields against a ranged attack, throwing spears/axes to soften exposed enemies, or flat-out obliterating enemies with big axes and long spears. To secure victories as a Viking, you must fight like a Viking. Unless you are severely outnumbered, a Viking should show his enemy neither fear nor weakness. In most situations, a retreating Viking is often too slow to escape and will not have a seat in Valhalla.

Trinket Wars

When wielding the sacred Mead Horn against veaklings, a Viking team is at its most powerful when together and advancing on an enemy. Enemies trying to take the Horn carrier down will try to figure out which way he's going, and lie in ambush with kegs, crossbows, and special attacks ready. Vikings on the warpath should be able to crush these "smart" enemies before they pose a real threat.

Booty

When pillaging gold, Vikings should use their great strength to reach the treasure, take the treasure, and kill anyone who gets in their way. A Viking shield can guard a doorway, allowing teammates to escape with the gold unhindered. When defending, a Viking team should push out of their base and keep their enemies reeling. Only when overwhelmed should Vikings fall back and try to ambush their enemies.

Last Team Standing

When trying to obliterate the other teams, Vikings should waste no time in learning the locations of the other teams. Once learned, the Vikings should corner one team or the other and devastate them before the other team can get too close. If the other team closes in, the Vikings should switch targets while the first team is still reeling.

Territory

When trying to pillage territory, Vikings should surrounded attackers and defenders alike, boxing them in and cutting them down before capturing the territory. Vikings territories are defended by intercepting one team's attackers before they reach the territory, then falling back to unleash specials on the other team.

As a well-oiled machine

Archers can be annoying, or just another notch on somebody's axe, and perhaps the 4th pick-up "Free special attack". A Heavy Knight can be as tough as nails in plate armor, or he could be a slow idiot for enemies to use as target practice. Men-At-Arms can cripple their enemies' morale with blinding insults and scathing retorts, or cripple their own team's morale by speeding off and being slaughtered.

The Knight team carries both sides of the coin in terms of class balance. Alone, an Archer, Heavy Knight, or Man-At-Arms have weaknesses that can be severely exploited, but together they are a deadly efficient war-machine. An Archer depends on a Knight for protection against enemies in melee range, the Knight relies on the Man-At-Arms' speed to nail enemies trying to kite him, and the Man-At-Arms requires an Archer to weaken enemies to a manageable level.

A Knight can act as a bodyguard for an Archer, while a Man-At-Arms hunts for enemies. The guard Knight follows Archers around and protects them from assaults and ambushes; the hunting Man-At-Arms flanks and finishes off weakened opponents, or flushes them towards Heavy Knights; and the Archer shoots enemies trying to get past his teammates. An effective Knight team finds the balance between Archers, Knights, and Men-At-Arms.

In specific situations, lots of Archers, Knights, or Men-At-Arms can prove effective. Tight indoor quarters? You want a lot of Knights. Constantly being given the slip by Skirmishers, Berserkers and the like? You need Men-At-Arms. Open areas with easily defensible elevation? Get lots of Archers. Volley!

Trinket Wars

When on a Holy Grail crusade, Knights should push to a position where their Archers can take advantage of their range with Heavy Knight protection. Knights can also send out Heavy Knights en-masse in close quarters, but they should be prepared for keg spam and shield/spear charges. With the Archer strategy, you should have at least one Heavy Knight guarding the Archers, and some Men-At-Arms roaming. During lulls in the combat, the Men-At-Arms should check around for Skirmishers lighting their kegs, Captains loading their guns, or Vikings trying to resupply.

Booty

When defending your wealth in booty, the Knight team should have Heavy Knights between the savages and the treasure. Archers should cover the open areas and chokepoints from a distance. Men-At-Arms should be in the middle of the defense, ready to help where needed. Knights should consider advancing on the enemy's base to more easily defend fewer choke points. Attacking Knights need to know when to siege and when to assault. Five Archers storming through a door are only going to feed the enemy special attacks to kill the Heavy Knights when they catch up. It is wise to have the Men-At-Arms and Archers regroup near the entrance to the enemy base, and let the Knights go first. In the assault, Archers should stay back and provide ranged support while the Knights and Men-At-Arms kill enemies and take treasure. Men-At-Arms should pass the treasure they've stolen to an Archer, then turn to fight or steal more. Heavy Knights can block doors with their shields if enemies try to stop the carrier.

Last Team Standing

When dealing wholesale slaughter, a Knight team should place Heavy Knights with shields in front to guard their weaker teammates, then advance cautiously to avoid being surprised by kegs and gunfire. Archers and Men-At-Arms should find Skirmishers trying to throw kegs and take them out before they have a chance. Heavy Knights should attempt to bash kegs away from their teammates if possible. Archers can suppress Vikings, and Heavy Knights can defend against and deter Pirates, allowing Men-At-Arms can cut them down.

Territory

When securing territory, Knights should approach from an angle that grants their Archers good line-of-sight, and preferably a chokepoint for Heavy Knights to fall back to in case of emergency. Once a territory has been secured, only a few Knights need to stay behind and defend it. The others can launch assaults on other territories.

Miscellaneous

Gates

You are likely to encounter a portcullis on some maps. It will be opened and closed using a lever, button or some other device.

It is important not to stand directly beneath the gate as it can drop on your head and crush you! The most exploited gate is located in the Knight's base in bt_island, in the dungeon. If you get trapped in the nearby pool, the only way out is through this gate which foes (mostly) will try and use against you.

There's a brick on the inside, and a lever on the outside that can be used to open or close this particular gate. If you're trying to pass through from that infamous pool of water then you're on the brick side, and you might be unlucky enough to have a knight perched on the other side waiting to hit the lever and drop iron spikes into your skull.

If you find yourself in this situation, you may not get out for sometime. First of all, don't hit the brick to open it and try to rush out, because the knight will quickly retaliate by closing it on you. Generally, if he knows his gate guard training, the only way you'll get rid of him is by waiting for a team member to come and stab him in the back. If the situation draws out, it's often a good idea to send a team message requesting help. Remember though, other Knights can come and help the first Knight.

If you're the one in control of the gate, here are some tips:

• Entice your enemy to stand beneath the gate by positioning yourself in front of it, inviting him to come take a swing at you. If the enemy is careless, he'll run right up to you. Hit the switch and crush him.
• If you're trying to trap an enemy, crouch beside the lever in the corner, and keep your crosshair directly on the lever and whenever the gate opens, quickly close it.
• If an enemy gets too close to the gate, they can sometimes be killed by activating it!

Another very important thing to note is that projectiles and melee strikes of sufficient range can be fired through the gaps in the gate, simply aim directly through the gaps. The is particularly useful, and allows one to achieve easy shots against enemies who can't walk through.

See Also

Combat