The Art of War(craft): Guide to the Isle of Conquest
Patch 3.2 introduced a new 40-man raid Battleground, technically the biggest instance since old world Naxxramas. In Burning Crusade and Wrath of the Lich King, raid dungeons were cut down to 25-players and the two Battlegrounds since then, the Eye of the Storm and Strand of the Ancients, were limited to 15 players per side. Isle of Conquest sees the return of epic battles not seen since Alterac Valley. Well, okay, epic battles with less lag not seen since Wintergrasp, anyway. If you're just hit Level 80 or are curious about the new Battleground, here's a quick guide to help you out.
What's the deal?
There are essentially two ways to win the Battleground, identical to the new and improved Alterac Valley -- kill the enemy General or deplete the opposing team's Resources. The Horde forces are led by Overlord Agmar, the orc after whom the Horde base in Dragonblight is named, the leader of the Kor'kron Guard who looks like he's wearing Northrend greens or blues, at best. On the other team is High Commander Halford Wyrmbane, the leader of the 7th Legion and whom Alliance players will typically first encounter giving quests in Wintergarde Keep in Dragonblight. He isn't any better off than his rival, as he looks like he's in Sunwell epics. Cool, right? Alright, now let's figure out how to kill them.
The boss fights
Unfortunately for flavor but wonderfully for game balance, Agmar and Wyrmbane are identical in every way except one is green and grumpy while the other is prim, proper, and probably powders his nose. Both have about 800k health in the Level 80 bracket and have a few notable abilities. One is Dagger Throw, a ranged ability cast at a random raid member and has a DoT component. Another is Mortal Strike, so named as to not confuse anyone -- it hurts and creates a healing debuff. The last ability, also the coolest, is called Crushing Leap, where the boss concentrates for about two seconds before jumping into the air and slamming on the ground and knocking everyone back with a little damage.
Unlike the bosses in Alterac Valley, who generally have to be tanked by a proper tank, Agmar and Wyrmbane are designed to be mobbed. The Mortal Strike debuff and leap discourages tanking to begin with, and the boss' hall design is such that the main difficulty is getting enough raid members on the same floor. The idea is to engage them with enough numbers to minimize the impact of random strikes and just DPS away. This is why it's also important to break down the walls so that allies can keep going into the keep. In short, mob the boss, DPS and heal, profit. I know, kind of brainless, but it keeps the games short and sweet.
The resources
Although it is significantly faster to kill the opposing general, another thing that can end the game is Resources. Each faction starts off with 300 and whittles down with every player death. Unfortunately, the capture of certain points of interest in the game will also add to the resources, slowing down that avenue for ending the match. The two locations on the map that confer resources are the Quarry and the Oil Refinery, and controlling both at the end of a winning match will also unlock the Resource Glut Achievement. Additionally, control of either location will grant Honor at a steady stream, increasing the incentive to capture them.
There are three other locations in the game that should be of interest to players, and each one provides a different benefit to gameplay. These are the Docks, the Hangar, and the Workshop. The Docks are located West of the map and gives players access to Glaive Throwers, anti-personnel vehicles that also deal significant siege damage. Control of this location also allows players to resurrect from the nearby graveyard. The Workshops give players access to Demolishers and a Siege Engine, identical to the ones found in Wintergrasp, as well as a graveyard roughly in the center of the map. The last location grants the most interesting twist to the game, as control of the Hangar gives players the ability to parachute from an airship that circulates on a rail above the enemy keep. As with the other two locations, the hangar also grants a graveyard to the controlling faction.
While each location grants various ways to penetrate the enemy keep, there is no one location that gives an unfair advantage. The Hangar was initially perceived as the "must" capture location but all it really does is allow players access to Huge Seaforium Bombs inside the keep. Until the gates are broken through, the airship isn't a reliable method of getting players to stream inside the keep. However, for players who enjoy the thrill of actual fighting, dropping from an airship right into enemy territory is the best way to get the most PvP in this Battleground. Control of the Docks and Workshop both provide traditional, reliable means to break into the keep. It works in Wintergrasp, and it works just as well here.
How to win
Break the walls down and rush the general. It's really just that simple. If you use the airship to drop in, grab a Huge Seaforium Bomb and damage a gate, preferably the one in the center. If you control either the Docks or the Workshop, focus the use of vehicles on breaking the gates down. While the Glaive Thrower is an excellent anti-personnel vehicle and the Achievement Glaive Grave actually encourages its use against other players, focusing on the keep will deliver the fastest results. The faster the gates go down, the easier it will be to get most of the raid into the general's room and give him a smackdown.
This makes it important to capture the flag inside the keep courtyard, as it allows players to resurrect inside the enemy base, making it easier to keep rushing the boss. There's really not much to it, except that it takes some coordination to keep all relevant locations under the proper control. Once the gates are broken, for example, none of the three strategic locations actually matter except for graveyard proximity. Most games will bog down when the team disperses -- through enemy defense, deaths, or simple distractions elsewhere -- after the gates have been broken through.
Unlike Alterac Valley where there can be a back-and-forth movement among towers, bunkers, and graveyards, the most movement important in Isle of Conquest is forward. In the Horde's case, it's towards the South and for the Alliance it's Northward. I mention this because Isle of Conquest is significantly the first Battleground map where the Horde base is located in the North. That doesn't actually have any strategic implication, I just threw it in there because it's a nice little factoid.
Isle of Conquest is fun and fast for a 40-man raid Battleground. Although even with the number of players, it doesn't feel as epic as Alterac Valley or Wintergrasp simply because the map is large and players can be dispersed all over rather easily. Unlike Alterac Valley where the narrow map and chokepoints sometimes force epic encounters, Isle of Conquest is so expansive that PvP can sometimes be minimal. That said, there's enough opportunity for player combat if one looks for it, with ample encounters at the key locations and inside the keep itself. Now open up that 'H' tab and sign up. We need players to fill the queue.
Zach attempts weekly to write about the Battlegrounds and world PvP in one crazy column. He discussed the new Isle of Conquest, mulled over Cataclysm PvP, and even blabbed on about how Arenas fit into the Battlegrounds experience.
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, PvP, The Art of War(craft) (PvP), Battlegrounds
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
MechChef Oct 1st 2009 9:11AM
I remember the games I played on the first couple days of IoC opening. The *only* tactic was to zerg the hangar. And back then, if you won it, you'd win the game. But these days, I actually prefer defending from a sky-assault. With a small team of people inside the base, it's great fun to pick off guys as they drop in one by one.
Slaytanic Oct 1st 2009 12:08PM
Same, only for us it was the courtyard, since most ppl didn't know which way to go, so it was a mad 40 vs 40 rush to the center. MAN, those were some epic battles.
Racci Oct 1st 2009 2:48PM
For me, a few friends and myself went docks while everyone else kept the opposing team busy at the hangar. We'd glaive throw or catapult in from the back and bomb the wall down before the team could even board the hanger :D 100 marks in 2 days, 8 min games lol
Cetha Oct 1st 2009 9:21AM
what went wrong with this BG? At least in my battlegroup (Shadowburn) it's almost impossible to get into one. You just sit in the queue, waiting and waiting and waiting. I think I've only managed to play 3 whole games since it came out, so am happy for this guide assuming I can ever actually get into one.
Kemikalkadet Oct 1st 2009 12:56PM
Since 3.2.2 bgs won't start unless there's enough to make a full team on both sides. This means less uneven matches but games pop less often.
Stag Oct 1st 2009 9:21AM
Such a terrible BG. This and strand are horrible.
Quiz Oct 1st 2009 9:29AM
I would tend to agree. Though Strand is certainly the worst bg currently, simply because of the broken two-turn system which feels like you're having to play the same bg twice to win one game.
I think the problem is largely one of vehicles: I don't care much for bg's in which vehicles are more important than your toon's abilities in determining the outcome of the match.
Wintergrasp is an exception, I think, because of the ridiculous honor you make and the fact that it is realm-contained, which is unique and fun.
Stag Oct 1st 2009 9:35AM
Agreed, Strand is the worst. Also agree on the vehicles... hates them.
Bring back pvp to bg's imo.
I want the next BG to be 40 v 40 dumped into an area, once you're dead you're out. To win you have to wipe the other side out. No flags, no towers, no %^&*ing vehicles... just straight up pvp.
Tarin Oct 1st 2009 10:39AM
With the new addition coming out of no BG starting before both sides a re full, it fixes the SotA problem.
Adamanthis Oct 1st 2009 11:45AM
That's the nice thing about having a variety of BGs in the game now; there is something for everyone. I quite like both IoC and SotA, though AV remains my favourite. EotS I simply do not enjoy at all.
rawrawrawr Oct 2nd 2009 2:37AM
IoC is my favourite BG. I actually enjoy the vehicle system, and especially in IoC. Each vehicle (and each node, as well) has a clear role to play in the way the BG plays out and each have their own strengths and weaknesses:
Demos, Sieges are slow, but with a lot of HP and a short range attack (demos have the ram, sieges have a ram+ people on the turrets can spew fire at enemies in melee range)
Glaives deal a massive amount of damage, yet have comparatively low amounts of HP and a minimum range.
Catapults are very quick, yet have a tiny amount of health and no defensive abilities.
Alex Dec 9th 2009 3:35PM
SotA: The battleground in which, after you fail, you continue to another round just to stop your opponent from getting 3 marks.
pfunkmort Oct 1st 2009 9:24AM
I disagree seriously with this critique. While the boss delineation is correct, the strategy is wrong. FIRST of all, AFAIK, the side gates have 75% as much hp as the main gate, meaning that if you were going for a hangar assault, you'd focus seaforium on one side gate, to break it quicker and gain access to the boss. Second, there is a serious lack of emphasis on the use of the hangar or the docks as a means of gaining entry (face it - unless both teams zerg WS, there's really no chance of having a turtle resource battle). Current strategy revolves around two options, as assaulting WS leaves you with a melee battle on the front gate with underpowered siege vehicles on a more heavily armored and HPed (and defended) entry point. One strat is taking and holding docks, and using the highly powered and long ranged glaives to assault a side gate. This is the most effective strategy for breaking the enemy gate. West gate, with two glaves, takes about 3 minutes to break. The problem with it, is that the glaves have 70k hp, and are easily killed. A glaive strategy revolves around taking and holding the docks, and sending a large portion of the offensive force to swarm and surround the glaives as they assault the west gate of the enemy keep - keeping any and all enemy dps off the glaives while they (the glaives) hammer away - the range on the glaives is JUST outside the range of the keep cannons, meaning that any defense MUST go on foot and destroy the glaives. The second option (which is slower and which relies on a base defense which neutralizes enemy glaive assaults) is to zerg hangar - originally the most desirable strategy for the instance, but hotfixed with hangar nerfs to make it less powerful. WIth a hangar assault, assuming that you're not being broken into on your own base with glaives, you can send in 20 people, and cart bombs to a side gate...which, along with diligent bombing from the airship (focus fire on a specified side gate) will bring a gate down in about 5-6 minutes. The next step, typically, is a free for all assault of the in-keep graveyard flag, to remove respawns of the enemy inside the base. With proper numbers (really, I've four manned the keep boss before), you can then get the win. However, without taking out that graveyard, if your numbers are insufficient to outlive a keep respawn, you will wipe, and have to wait to drive back to your enemy's keep - rallying into the base at the break point on the wall.
All things being perfect...you'd have about 5-6 people defending, and zerg docks, with heavy pressure on the hangar. Keeping the glaives safe as first priority, you'd kill west gate, using the hangar if you have it, to quicken the destruction of that gate. .Once down, an "all in" scenario ensues, putting people on the keep gy flag and in the courtyard to destroy remaining opposition, and using whatever you can get, to go in and kill the boss.
I had a couple other points, but I honestly forget.
Stag Oct 1st 2009 9:26AM
Glaives couldn't destroy that wall of text.
Rabidlemming Oct 1st 2009 10:45AM
Wall of text or no, this is an excellent strategy to winning IoC
snowleopard233 Oct 1st 2009 2:11PM
These are some great strategies here, but the hardest part is getting everyone in a BG to act as a team and use some strategy. IoC chat usually goes like this.
Hangar.
Docks
Hangar
Docks
Workshop noobs!
No Hangar
DOCKS OR WE LOSE! ALL IS LOST!
…
Blacksmith?
NOOB!
NOOB!
ZOMG (insert whichever faction is on) CAREBEARS!
Now, I would really like to see an article that tells one how to deal with this. How the heck do you get 40 random maniacs to act as a team?
rawrawrawr Oct 2nd 2009 2:29AM
Another major reason for attacking the side gates is that you only have half the amount of turrets defending the side gates, in comparison to the front gate.
Fnord Oct 1st 2009 9:53AM
Thanks a million for this article. After a dozen times in that place, it was STILL impossible to figure out what the objectives even were, what affected these mysterious "resources" & how, what the airship's point was, etc., etc., etc.
I vote for more articles like these: AV, SotA, and AV are battlegrounds whose objectives aren't immediately obvious, and where certain details never become clear. If you rely solely on in-BG observation during breaks in the chaos, you may never figure out the significance or location of the AV towers/bunkers/GYs, how you destroy/capture one, and why you should. (After all this time, most people who kill Balinda or Galvangar probably still don't understand why it helps them to do it.)
scraggerly Oct 1st 2009 10:02AM
The larger "epic" battles are fun now and then, but nothing beats AB for me. Everything you do means more when there's less people... 1/15 is a larger percentage/responsibility than 1/40 (sorry I dont feel like doing the math... also I'm aware of what that would imply about WSG but dam turtles). The 40v40s just feel like several ppl can afk and meh if you even notice or care.
BG like a Pro Oct 1st 2009 10:05AM
Zach:
You get the Docks. You get the glaives. You park them out of range of the Cannons and take down the side gates, which as somebody pointed out, have 75% of the health of the front gates. The Glaive Throwers can reach from out of cannon range.
You defend the docks. You have a few defend your keep.
The hangar, and all the other BS in this BG may as well not be there.
This BG, I might add, is awful. It's not quite as bad as SotA, but it's pretty low on the terribad list.
Really, AV needs a major make-over to encourage fighting in the field of strife and maybe an opt out with your honor each death following being in AV for 15 minutes. Enough with the Zergs and Turtles.
For simple BG pleasure, EotS remains the best BG in how simple and elegant it is and how nice the sight lines are.
WSG and AB, the progenitors of EotS, are more basic, but just as elegant.
Wintergrasp, would be cool, except that there's currently no server technology that can evidently support what the reality of WG is.......
You can do a great job defending until there's a minute left on the clock, but since the apparent logic is to devote resources to the Vehicles and prevent them from lagging, you run around unable to act while the last 30 minutes of your life get flushed down to the toilet due to lag immobilizing you. Otherwise, WG is very well layed out. It should have been instanced, though.