Tactics
So, you know how to play. But you want to know "how to play?" You will read here below general team tactics and tactics for each released class.
Class Strategies
| Class-Specific Strategies |
|---|
| Pirates | Vikings | Knights |
|---|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skirmisher | Captain | Berserker | Huscarl | Gestir | Heavy Knight | Archer |
Team Strategies
As a Swarm
The strengths of the pirate team fits the dirty fighting tactics pirates are known for. Pirates have a relatively low health/armor pool but they have great speed. To balance this, Pirates can deal a great amount of damage in a short time but often they require an unaware or distracted opponent. Pirate Captains require cover or breaks in combat to reload their blunderbuss. Skirmishers need those as well to light and throw their kegs. The success of a pirate team is made of providing opportunities for your teammates to flank enemies, reload, and light kegs. Scurvy Dogs who play pirates also need to know when to fight, and when to retreat.
After pillaging the holy grail, Pirates need to keep moving and ambush players in close quarters. If pirates are flushed out to open areas, skirmishers and captains 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 grail should be easy pickings for the rest of the pirate crew. On booty games a pirate victory is won by blasting the enemies defenses with kegs, finishing off the stragglers and making off with the treasure before they can recover. When defending as pirates, kegs make great defense in blasting an overwhelming enemy attack. When not blasting enemies, pirates should send scouts to warn of enemy attacks so their pirate buddies can ambush and prepare their kegs/cannon specials.
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 great damage. In terms of speed, Vikings carrying a full arsenal of weapons or a giant stone axe 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, and finally obliterating enemies with big axes and long spears. To create victories as a viking you must fight like a viking. Unless you are severely outnumbered, a viking should never show his enemy fear or weakness. In most situations a retreating viking is often too slow to get away and will not have a seat in Valhalla.
After plundering the holy grail from weaklings, a viking team is at it's most powerful when they stick together and keep moving. Enemies trying to take the grail are going to try to figure out which way the vikings are going and wait in ambush with kegs, crossbows and special attacks ready. Vikings on the move should be able to crush these "smart" enemies before they pose a real threat. When pillaging treasure in booty, vikings are able to use their fighting strength get to the treasure room, take the treasure, and kill anyone who gets in their way. A viking shield can guard a door allowing teammates to escape with treasure very easily. When defending, a viking team should push out of their base and keep their enemies reeling. If the vikings try a turtle defense in their base they will be blown up by pirate kegs or turned into pincushions by archers in good position protected by knights. Only when overwhelmed should vikings fall back and try to ambush their enemies.
As a well-oiled machine
Archers can be annoying but close the ranged gap and he's just another frag and perhaps the 4th powerup "Free special attack". A heavy knight can be tough as nails, a giant blade cleaving you and your buddies, or he can also be a slow idiot in a tin can for you and your buddies to use for target practice. The Knight team carries both sides of the coin in terms of class balance. Alone an archer or a knight 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, and the knight relies on the archers ranged attacks to nail enemies trying to kite the knight. Sounding much like Soldier-Medic combos in TF2. A knight can play in the "pocket" or go "roaming" for enemies. The pocket knight follows archers around and protects them from melee coming from the front or surprise attacks from behind. A knight roaming charges forward and keeps enemies from getting close to archers. An effective knight team finds the balance between archers, knights, and the role the knights are playing. Too many archers and you can get overrun in melee. Too many knights and you may get kited and weakened before getting to hit anyone with the big sword. Even with a mix of archers and knights, too many knights playing pocket can block shots and enemies may push forward with shields or parrots will get into melee range easily. Too many knights charging forward and your archers will get jumped by skirmishers and berserkers and may shoot teammates more than the enemy! In specific situations however, lots of archers and lots of knights can prove effective. Tight indoor quarters? You want a lot of knights. Open areas with elevation that is easily defensible? Get lots of archers. Volley!
When on a holy grail crusade, knights should push to a position where their archers can take advantage of of their range with heavy knight protection. Knights can also play lots of heavies in close quarters but be prepared for keg spam and shield/spear charges. When running the archer strategy you should have at least one knight playing pocket, and the remaining knights roaming. During breaks, the roaming knight should check around corners for skirmishers lighting their keg or captains loading their guns. When defending your king's wealth in booty, the knight team should work to have heavy knights between the bad guys and the treasure. Archers should cover the open areas or the chokepoints from a distance. After the base is safe from attack, the knights should consider pushing forward on the enemy's base allowing them to more easily defend fewer choke points. Sometimes even the most honorable knights must go to war, and a knight team will need to attack to reclaim their king's treasure. Attacking knights need to know when to hold a position and when to advance. 5 archers storming through a door are only going to feed the enemy special attacks to kill the heavy knights trying to catch up. It is advised to have the archers cover a door and wait for the knights to go first. When making the assault on the enemy base, archers should stay back and provide ranged support while the knights kill enemies and take treasure. Knights should pass the treasure they've stolen to an archer and then turn to fight or steal more. Archers can run the treasure back to the base faster than a heavy knight and a heavy can block a door with his shield if the enemies try to stop the carrier.
Miscellaneous
Gates
In PVKII you are likely to encounter a portcullis on some maps which can be opened or closed using or 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 at the knight's base on bt_island, in the same area where new players get trapped in the pool of water under the bridge. If you get trapped in that pool, then the only way out is through this gate which foes (mostly) will try and use against you.
There is a brick and a lever 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 then you may not get out for sometime. First of all, don't hit the brick to open it and try and rush out, because the knight will quickly retaliate by closing it on you. Eventually the knight may get sloppy and you may be able to quickly escape. Generally though, if he knows what hes doing, 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, its often a good idea to send a team message requesting help. Remember though that other knights can come and help the first knight which really messes things up.
If you're the one in control of the gate however here are some tips:
- Try and get the enemy to stand beneath the gate. A good way of achieving this is to open the gate and position yourself in front of it, inviting him to come take a swing at you. If the enemy is careless, he will do so and once hes in position you can hit the switch and crush him. You don't have to be directly beside the switch to activate it. You just need to be fairly close to it.
- 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 hit e, once.
- If an enemy gets too close to the gate and leans right against the grate trying to peek out then they can often be killed by activating it!
Another very important thing to note is that projectiles can be fired through the gaps in the gate, just directly aim through the gap. The is very useful and lets you get easy shots against enemies who can't walk through and slice you up with a blade.