A POTBS Guide for the Solo PvPer

[beltpouch]

Introduction

Welcome to Jack Simple's guide to solo PvP in the world of the Burning Sea. The purpose of this guide is to lay out some simple suggestions on how to go about having a successful and fun time while solo PvPing in POTBS. Let's begin with the dispelling of a couple of myths.

MYTH #1 : You have to be high level to enjoy PvP in this game.
This simply is not true. I realize that not everyone will beleive me, but I know from personal experience that you can have enjoyable PvP encounters even as low as 15th level. This is the level that I believe people who are interested in PvP should start thinking about trying it out. You can solo PvP at an even lower level but I feel by 15th level you have enough skills under your belt and have a better idea of how the game works to be successful in solo PvP.

MYTH #2 : You have to be in a group to enjoy PvP in this game.
This also is a somewhat controversial issue but again I know from personal experience that you can quite successfully participate in PvP in POTBS "all by your onesees". Hopefully by the end of reading this guide you will believe it too.

Getting Started

So how does one get started with solo PvP in POTBS? Most people have the mistaken assumption that the battle begins when you and your opponent are loaded into a combat instance and are staring at each other from 700 yards away. The truth is that the battle began long before the load screen. The battle began while you were back in safe and warm confines of the harbor. Before you undock you need to both be prepared and have a plan. You need to decide what type of ship and equipment you will be using, where you will be sailing, and what your objectives for the foray into the PvP wilds will be.

The Ship

First you will need a ship. The first question you need to ask yourself is what ship am I comfortable losing. If you only feel safe loosing that Halifax Fallback, then that should be the only ship you PvP in. You will lose your ship on occasion, especially when you are just starting out and learning the basics. Do not enter a PvP zone in a ship that you do not feel comfortable with losing.

For those captains just starting out I would recommend a good small ship which can be acquired relatively cheaply and have a lot of durability. Bermuda Sloops or Mediator Cutters are ideal for this role for low level players just entering into the PvP fray. For higher level players getting their first taste of solo PvP, then the mastercrafted version of these ships are an excellent choice. Xebecs also make excellent solo PvP ships due to their close haul capabilities.

In the end the type and size of the ship you decide to use will vary greatly depending on your level and play style. I would personally not recommend the larger ships for solo PvP action as it can be more difficult to avoid a bad situation, however, I see plenty of captains sailing around PvP zones all alone in their 4th rate Ships-of-the-Line, so in the end the choice of ship is up to you.

The Outfittings

How you outfit your ship is a matter of personal choice and play style and it would be difficult for me to give any suggestions on exactly the best route to go in this area. Some people prefer to get in their opponents face at less than 100 yards and go toe-to-toe. This is where items that give you good close range damage and maneuverability will come in handy. Other captains prefer a longer range approach and keep their distance while firing cannons at a superior range. These are just two examples of a myriad of different play styles.

Experimentation and practice are the keys to determine what play style best suits you. After figuring that out it is simply a matter of selecting outfittings that fit your particular play style. Another thing to remember about outfittings is that at higher levels they can get quite expensive. Only take into a PvP zone what you are comfortable with losing. Also make sure you have plenty of extra outfittings so you can get right back out into the middle of the action.

Ammunition and Consumables

The most important thing I can say about ammo and consumables is to make sure you have plenty of them. Nothing is more frustrating than running out of ammo or consumables in the middle of a fight. Study up on each of the ammo types and what their capabilities are and make sure to bring the ammo that fits your style of play. Make sure you also have plenty of each type of consumable. I personally only use the basic consumables that you get from manufacturing and I think that is all you really need. However, there are a lot of different kinds of consumable out there and it would be useful to study up and understand what effects the various consumables have and which ones might fit your type of play.

Avoiding Combat

Now that you have a plan, a ship, and some basic supplies it's time to head out into the deep red waters. The first thing you need to know in order to successfully solo PvP is how to avoid combat. As a solo PvPer you can't just jump into any combat situation that comes along. Being all alone has the disadvantage of, well, being all alone. You don't have anyone to help you out of a sticky situation. Therefore you need to become skilled at keeping yourself out of situations that are not favorable to your survival.

The two best weapons in your arsenal of combat avoidance are stealth and speed. They are a solo PvPers best friends. You cannot buy the largest and slowest ship you can afford, load in down with armor plating and extra scary cannons, and then expect to just safely sail through a PvP zone. There are large fleets of roving bands of nationals and pirates that are just waiting for a slow and easily spotted ship to come across their path.

I would recommend investing in the best stealth and speed outfittings and skills that are available to you in order to make your solo PvPing experience the best that it can be. I would also highly recommend equipping a spyglass if you can spare the general slot. Seeing your enemy before they see you and being able to react to them is very important for avoiding those fights you have no business being in.

While sailing around in a PvP zone aboard your stealthy and speedy ship the next most important thing you need be doing is paying attention. I like to keep my open sea map up at all times so I can keep an eye out on what ships are around me. If you see a large group of ships heading your way you can use your stealth and speed to get out of the way before they even see you.

If you are unlucky enough to get pulled into a combat you didn't ask for then use your extra speedy outfitting and skills to get away and escape the battle. I would also recommend, if your hold is empty of unsecured cargo, to offer an immediate unconditional surrender. You have nothing to lose and a lot of times (thought not every time) your opponents will be kind enough to let you get away.

The Hunt

Now that you are avoiding combats that you want to avoid it's time for the real action. That is getting into combats you don't want to avoid. Also known as "The Hunt". Solo PvP is all about hunting. Weather you are hunting for a cargo laden merchant ship as a pirate, or a scoundrel pirate as a pirate hunter, or you just want to get in a good fair 1v1 match up, in the end solo PvPing is about hunting for a fight you feel comfortable engaging in.
Again the trick here is to pay attention. Keep your eyes peeled on the open sea map for any and all targets that you feel would be the kind of fight you are looking for. Before engaging the target take a look around and make sure you don't see any other player's of your target's nation lurking around that could come in and end your 1v1 fun.

In summary solo PvPing in POTBS is an acquired skill that you must practice in order to get the experience you need to be successful. So get a ship you are comfortable with losing, load in down with the right supplies, choose the best skills that fit your play style, and head out into the red waters for some good 1v1 solo PvP action. In the end the most important rule to Solo PvPing in Pirates of the Burning Sea is to HAVE FUN!

[BigBadB]

Excellent guide. Applause.

[Pchan]

Thanks for writing this Simple. It teaches the thoughts behind and leaves open for own decisions. I never knew you could write this pedagogical

[Matt Madman]

Couldn't have said it better myself. Good job bro.

[Loktofeit]

Excellent guide, Jack!

Here's some PvP basics I wrote a while ago for Vault's Wiki

Open Sea
- Watch what lanes are most trafficked and note the days and the time-of-day the traffic is light/heavy. Not only does it help you to determine when it's best to travel with the pack, but it also gives you a good idea of when/where you can look for those lone stragglers to pick off.

Sea Combat
- Watch what distance your enemy keeps (if any) and try to assess why. Keep an eye on the types of damage he is doing and it will give you an idea of what kind of ammo he is using. That also gives you a decent idea whether he's looking to board or just to outright sink you. In team combat, notice whether you are the primary or secondary target and use that to your advantage. If they're locked on you, you can often lead the enemy into a position that works best for your team. If you are not the focus, that leaves you with plenty of options. If you have a good team leader, he will most likely be assigning you a task or tactic. Please, for the love of all that is holy, listen to him. Even if you think it's the worst idea ever, you can discuss it with him later - if he was right and you did your own thing, you screwed the team.

Remember also that the ammo you use and the tactics you use aren't solely dependent on what you wanted to do but also dependent on the opponent. Combat in most MMOGs, especially with capped characters, is usually rather predictable. In PotBS, you can't always look at a ship and say "Oh, he's a Naval Officer. He's going to do this," especially in team combat because his role in his team might differ greatly from what he would otherwise do one-on-one.


Boarding Combat
- You'll learn quickly that this differs greatly from the PvE version of run into the middle, All Target the Captain, repeat. PvP is where you find that those other neat buttons that you haven't used yet can provide for some interesting tactical battles. Since we're not expecting to win these first few battles, it doesn't matter if we make mistakes here so try out the different commands so that you can get a feel for how they work. Also, take notice of what the other guy is trying to do - watch what he orders his men to do and see where he puts or moves his captain. A good way to observe this is by letting the opponent grapple you early while you still have several sets of reinforcements. It gives you more time to take in what is going on and assess what his gameplan is.

General Basics

Adaptation
- The physics and mechanics of the game world change often. It could be a small patch that reduces the effect of your ammo or a large change that puts a major dent in your favorite tactics. It's time for a change. Not in a few weeks and not when you get around to it. Now. The sooner you adapt to the change the sooner you are ahead of all the others that are spending their time throwing tantrums on message boards because their character was 'gimped' or their gear was 'nerfed.' If it gets changed back then you can resume what you used to do. If it stays this way, you are well on your way to mastering it and taking advantage not only of the change, but of the people who have handicapped themselves by refusing to adapt to the new situation. This is one a big reason why I am writing this guide - too many guides are step-by-step instructions on how to utilize what is currently the best gear/tactic. This often results in half the PvP playerbase overusing a certain tactic and the other half complaining that PvP is "boring" or that skill/tactic x is imbalanced. When the change comes, the players that just memorized the guide steps are usually the first to the boards to claim their character has been made 'useless' or that PVP now 'sucks' in PotBS. They wasted their time memorizing a static pattern instead of putting their time into learning how they can best utilize the tools and mechanics at their disposal.

Camouflage and Mimicry
There's several approaches to this and each is dependent on two things - your personal playstyle and, to a degree, ethics. Each one is effective in its own way and it's worth trying out one or two to see which you enjoy more. While various hotkeys and UI elements negate a lot of the benefits of this behavior, it still has some merit. Against the unaware or in the heat of war you will find that despite game features to counter it, camouflage and mimicry can provide an advantage now and then.

Blending in - This requires the least effort - do nothing special to your ship. Sail an unpainted ship and sails. The goal is to do as little as possible to stand out. Use small ships in areas of small ships, and big ships in areas of big ships. Being inconspicuous helps to keep you out of some of the battles that you may want to avoid and helps to get you closer to your intended mark without being noticed.

Wear the colors of your enemy - This is an area where ethics come in but, hey... pirates? The phrase "show your true colors" came directly from this situation. People can identify who you are by your colors - or mistake who you are for that matter. If your enemy has olive green sails and a dark brown hull, then they might not give a ship a second look if it cruises by with those same colors. Additionally, in the fog of war in team combat, mimicking the enemy's colors can buy you a bit of freedom to avoid fire and get into positions that you normally wouldn't be allowed to if they readily noticed who you were.

Changing colors often - not so much usable in PotBS, but mentioning it since it is one of the techniques used in various game.

Distinct look - This approach is for two types of PvPers - the good ones and the stupid ones. If you're a good PvPer and are looking for a fight at all times, there's no better way to do it than to make sure that you can be spotted 40 miles away by anyone. You fly your green and yellow sails on your orange ship so that everyone at who sees that ship says "Hey, there's that guy again!" And for that very reason I classify the other group as the stupid ones. If you're not good at PvP, the last thing you need to be doing is painting a gigantic bullseye on your ship that reads "Easy Mark. Come sink me."

Food chain
- There is one. Understand it and get over it. The big guild with all the high end PvP guys is on top. The solo PvPer, in most cases, is at the bottom. In a game, you have the ability to affect where you are in the food chain. If you feel the guys at the top are sellouts, cheaters, too big, imbalanced, or whatever then that's fine. Just keep in mind that you choose your own station in the game and, as such, you choose to take on both the good and the bad of that station. Personally, I like being with the underdogs. I like to know that if we won a battle, it was because we gave it our all and took a victory when the odds were against us. That also means I will usually be on the side with the least optimal gear, smaller team numbers, and lower caliber PvPers. I understand that and accept that. If you want to engage in world domination, conquer every port, and dance around your computer room singing "I'm number one!" then I don't advise going my route. It's not likely that will happen. If you go the other extreme and people say "You joined such-n-such because they're [whatever the gripe is against the winners that week]" then shrug it off. This is a game of competition and your goal is to win. If it's not breaking any game rules and remains within the spirit of the game then you're 100$ in the right and the complainers can go take a flying leap.

Prediction
- Being prepared is half the battle. Predicting the enemy's next move and using what you've prepared to thwart or counter it is another good chunk of the battle as well. The sooner you can identify what the enemy will do, the sooner you can counter it. Too many PvPers focus only on what they plan to do and don't even give consideration to what the enemy is doing save for reaction to what he has already done. By predicting the enemy's moves, you can counter early and force him to either use a bad plan or scramble to change it. Prediction helps to reduce morale of the RL opponent because, in all honestly, you will find that most have their gameplan decided (very possibly what they memorized from some board post or guide) and usually haven't a clue what to do once you throw a wrench in the works for them.

Refuge
- Always know where the exit is. On the open sea, keep in mind where safe ports are and make note of where you can hide with buddies if you're getting chased. In sea combat, immediately check the obstacles and boundaries. If evasive action is needed, scooting around an obstacle int he water can buy you some safety while you escape the enemy. Knowing the avenues of escape ahead of time greatly increase your chances if a battle goes south and you need to turn tail and run.

Zones
- We all have our comfort zones. It's the area we know the most about and are most comfortable hunting in. You have yours and the enemy has his. If you're going to engage on the OS, lead the enemy into your zone, don't let him lead you into his. You know your zone well - who travels it, who can get there quickly, who hangs out at what ports. All that helps to put things in your favor. Avoid fighting in the other guy's zone. While this seems trivial to some, any hunter or sportsman can tell you the many advantages both physically and psychologically about the Home Advantage.

Source: http://potbsvault.ign.com/wiki/index...-Player_Basics