Magus/Engi Sniper groups.

[footpatrol2]

Hey so its been a LONG long time since I posted a group comp.

Just to let everyone know. If you don't know me I think this game was originally balanced with the idea of racial groups being a serious thing. I think we got a complete warhammer online game roughly, around patch 1.3.6 and then when patch 1.4.1 happened Mythic started to direct mirror classes mainly due to player complaints. But when warhammer online was at the gamestate of patch 1.3.6 all the classes had their unique identity. For me this is the gamestate I like to focus on and try to figure out WHY warhammer online was balanced the way it was. Just some reinforcement on why I focus on 1.3.6 is because that's where the old renown tactic system was still in place and you could still slot in the extra morale gain renown tactics that increased morale gain. You can also take Tactic specific banners to further increase morale gain. Anyway Blah blah.

Ok so this Sniper group for both the magus and the Engineer is a Alpha Strike group. This is best used on a keep wall or could be used as a backline RvR assist group. What is a Alpha Strike group? It is Front loaded damage. The idea is you do so much damage upfront that there is very little reaction time for the healer's to react. Typically this is a 3rdps/3healer group comp or a 4rdps/2healer group comp. You could add a support tank if you want.

How the group comp works. All group member's huddle next to each other. Why? So they can easily single target assist. It is critical that everyone targets the same thing roughly at the same time.

So a Alternative way of running the group is the zealots and runepriests are the Seeker's/spotter's/Main assist of the group and set up the kill target to be Alpha striked and then the Magus/Engineer's Conduct the Alpha strike. What the Zealots/Runepriests are doing is running around looking for targets and then they will Single Target Stagger at 100ft the target. Then Magus/Engineer portion of the group will move if they have too then will use Snipe/Bolt of Change to Start the Alpha strike.

When running group comps what I like to do is just use key tactic slot combo's and morale's then let the player's dictate the rest of their tactic line up.

Onto the Dwarf group comp:
Take 2 Grungni runepriests
https://web.archive.org/web/20090822070 ... 4:1645:697

Take 4 Riflmen Engineer's.
https://web.archive.org/web/20090815115 ... :1576:1580

OK lets look at what we got here...
You have a Defensive morale Cycle with armored plating for 100% upkeep. Duration 20 sec's + 20 sec's + 20 sec's = 100% upkeep. This is a 20% damage reduction on all damage.
You have another defensive morale cycle with Mountain spirit for 100% upkeep. Duration 30 sec's + 30 sec's = 100% upkeep.
That's 1320 Morale Armor + 502 morale Resist which stack with ability and tactic's.

This group provides:
Armored plating defensive morale cycle (requires 3 engineers)_
Mountain spirit defensive morale cycle (requires 2 RP's)
2 100ft 9 sec Stagger's or (old) 3 sec stun's for target set up through rune of binding ability.
2 sources of 50% heal debuff at 100ft coming from RP with rune of nullification tactic.
2 100ft snares from immolating grasp tactic from the RP.
2 access to Master of Rune Fury for group AP feeds for ap hungry engineers. (which stacks)
2 access to Master Rune of Speed for faster Snipes and and gun blasts (reduces cast times by 0.5 sec's)
Access to 3 or 4 Cannon Smashes (Large morale armor debuff stacks with ability armor debuff) can kill tanks with this or finish off targets.
Access to 4 rifle turrets for 4 different sources of armor debuff at 100ft.
coordinated fire tactic for 15% extra damage

So the Runepriests should be a true hybrid dps/heal in this role. The group comp shouldn't be taking heaps of damage so the rp can focus on providing assisting dps. You can go 3 engineer's and 3 runepriests you get more heal debuff, Stagger for set up, range snare but loose on raw damage and a cannon smash. Up to you.

The cannon smash 1400 morale armor debuff + pet ability armor debuff 990 is roughly 2400 armor debuff which is no joke of a armor debuff.

So there is tons more that this group does. I just pointed out the largely obvious stuff. Look at how everything lines up. Look at the hard choices the Engineer's need to make with either keeping armor plating defensive morale cycle up or going for Cannon smash.

Oh so Why is single target damage good for oRvR. It's for the morale drain that single target provides. Player Death is the ultimate morale drain. It's so morale's can't line up and sync with each other for defensive morale cycles or morale bombs.

I'll write up the Zealot/Magus group later. It's very similar if you can't tell.

[footpatrol2]

Ok for Magus group.

Take 3 Alchemy Zealots
https://web.archive.org/web/20090819085 ... :8607:8611

3 Havoc Magus's
https://web.archive.org/web/20090815115 ... :8529:8533

You have a Defensive morale Cycle with Tzeentch shielding morale 4 for 100% upkeep. Duration 20 sec's + 20 sec's + 20 sec's = 100% upkeep. This is a large absorb and action point group feed every 20 seconds.

This group provides:
3 100ft morale 6 sec Snares coming from Magus from m1 grasping darkness
3 100ft 9 sec stagger's or (3 sec stuns (old)) from Aethryic Shock from zealot
3 Tzeentch's talons Morale 1320 armor debuff and 502 resist debuff for 15 sec's. M1 from zealot
3 Tzeentch shielding morale 4 defensive morale cycle. (requires 3 Alchemy Zealots)
3 "By Tzeetch's will" tactic on zealot (morale pump) to assist in starting the Defensive morale cycle.
3 Ritual's of innervation for group AP feeds (which stacks)
3 Ritual's of Superiority for group absorbs. (which stacks)
3 100ft ability Resists debuff's coming from magus pets
3 Scourged warping for additional damage coming from zealots.
3 Rolling Wind area effect morale damage 2 to assist in dps for an adjacent pull group.
3 Soul Leak's for 100ft morale damage dot.

So the way this group differ's is the Defensive morale cycle is also an AP feed for the group.
The zealot needs to make a hard choice of either using the Tzeentch's shielding morale 4 or using Tzeentch's talon's morale 1 Massive resist debuff. This is similar to how the Engineer needs to make a choice between armored plating and Cannon smash.
This group can use the AP feeds of Ritual's of Innervation until they get the Tzeentch's shielding morale 4 Defensive morale cycle up. Since Tzeentch's shielding is also a ap feed the zealots can switch to Ritual of Superiority for additional group absorbs making the group tougher.

See how all the abilities line up?

If lets say there was a pull group in the chaos or dwarf warband. ON THE PULL when the targets land, all the Magus/Engineer from this Sniper group would use Tzeentch's Firestorm/Phosporous shells on where the targets landed to assist in dps. Then go back to Sniping until the next pull happens.

Another difference between the engineer and the magus is the damaging morale's based on the pull or a key moment.
The Magus has Rolling winds the m2.
The engineer has Scattershot m4 It hits hard and has a bigger effect but that's because it's a m4.