Tips for Casual PVPers to Improve

Hello everyone,

Some advice for casual players that want to be more competitive in PVP. It isn't impossible, you just have to be willing to do a few things and PRACTICE.

1. Make friends. I mean this in a few ways. Yes it is a good idea to play with people you know and queue in with a premade; however being friendly to other PVPers is also a good way to get to know people. Being friendly helps foster positive competition.

2. Don't quit! Many top tier PVPers respect someone who is giving it their all and trying more than a player that quits and then QQ's. ALL of us were once noobs and had to learn. Losing is part of that learning process. How you lose shows alot about you. I've friended many a people in arenas and run matches with them later because they never gave up.

3. Ask questions. If you finish a match and someone did something you weren't familiar or had a power you thought was really cool, etc--send them a /tell or ingame email and ask questions or come onto these forums and create a topic. There unfortunately are not alot of applicable guides out there for PVP so you have to get the information from players themselves.

4. Practice and look for weapon counter opportunities. Immunity keeps additional damage and debuffs from affecting you while active. Learning to keep up immunity as much as possible will increase your survival and reduce the need for consumables to compensate for lost HP and power.

5. Pick a spot in Metro or Gotham that you find quite a few exos and between matches farm them--doing this you should be able to make 1-2 stacks of debuff or protection serums every few days.

6. Don't over spam your serums. Try to plan debuffs and protections. Since I'm a healer I try to wait until I have 1/2 HP AND my trinket is down before I use a protection serum. This brings my consumption down drastically.

7. If you feel overwhelmed in arenas trying to gear, mix it up with legends. Usually when I solo queue I'll do 1-2 Legends matches for every arena match. Use Legends to help increase you weapon counter and clipping proficiency and then practice various powers on your own character to see which clip together and the end effect.

8. Record your matches. If you have the hard drive space and your computer can handle it recording and reviewing matches later will help you learn from mistakes and understand what other players are doing.

9. Increase your SP. Skill points help give inherent increases that will make a difference as you progress. It might be a bit grindy, but you'll notice the difference between playing with 50 sp vs taking the time to gain 80-90 and if you read some of the guides it won't take that long to get them.

10. Play something other than DPS. Even if DPS is your preferred role, knowing how to tank, troll, heal, etc in PVP will help increase your importance to a team. It will also help to understand various counter mechanics that are the heart of DCUO PVP.

11. Communicate. Whether it is via a voice program ingame, typing in the chat window, or something like vent/TS--talk with your teammates. If you don't like taking lead type something like "what's the game plan." Going in with A PLAN is better than going in with no plan at all. Making, following, and adjusting plans according to what you are facing is key to excelling in PVP for any game.

12. Understand gimmicks and learn to overcome them. Like it or not PVE is here to stay in PVP (or at least as far as we know.) Things like Snowman trinket, OMAC trinket, CC trinket, Pet trinkets, DPS using PVE gear to increase burst, and now the DLC 6 fluff are going to be part of arena PVP. Understanding 1st how these things work is the first step in coming up with a strategy to deal with them.

13. Have fun! PVP can be stressful and if you run into a few lovely characters it could ruin you're night--or it can give you the chance to become a better player. If you find yourself getting too heated it's time to take a break. No sense in letting a game affect your personal peace of mind. We're suppose to be having fun right?

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Here is something that was shared with me regarding the new DLC stuff that may help casual PVPers save some time with their farming.

1. Upgrade everything to level 2 and test it out, then pick 1-2 things to focus on which will correspond best with your playstyle/role.
2. Equipment mods have something for everyone and especially support classes. If you only pick one area to upgrade imo this should be it. The bonuses are just too good to pass up.
3. While fighting in lairs, use the map to your advantage--IE circling pillars or jumping up/down levels to help break LOS and get some distance while waiting for soders or important items to recharge.
4. Don't settle for a tie if you can fight for a win. I've faced quite a few players who only built their characters for survival and not to do the damage necessary to actually win. Sad thing is several of these players had a pretty good chance at winning, but were being overly cautious and costing themselves potential marks towards T4 gear.

I encourage any vets that have something positive to share with up and coming PVPers to please do so. (We want the community to grow right?) Also if you are just getting into PVP or have a question please feel free to ask.

Hope these tips help and happy hunting,

--YZ

As a Casual PvP player, this is extremely useful, thank you!

Ask the mods to move this to the database

I don't really consider it a guide so much as some tips. That is why I didn't post it in the guides section. Also new PVPers are more than likely going to come to the PVP section to find out information about PVP imo.

You won't be able to edit it. You sure?

I learned the RPS mechanics and Clipping all while under fire in PvP and through many many losses. Now I consider myself quite good. Granted I play Legends mostly (I like the even playing field), but rarely ever lose. It took me about a month straight of mostly losses and a few wins here and there, but I kept at it.

I finally did go into Arenas and found that many people rely heavily on their Powers and not the basic weapon skills and RPS mechanics.

If I can provide my experience at all to your awesome tips it is to start with Legends to learn the Art of PvP, never forgetting the basics, and acknowledge that losing is a very important means of personal growth.

If your completely new to PvP then gear up in legends to t3 level . This will build up your fighting skills and let u learn the immunity system.
When u start to do arenas if u feel like u really enjoy it and may become serious about it avoid at all costs the temptation to run a pet heavy loadout . Although that setup will almost guarantee wins against most groups not using a similar tactic it is complete cheese and a major crutch that u won't be able to use in sync matches against good leagues.

Pugging since dlc6 is a no go area for me now as every man has 3 henchmen and power pets making lag, aoe effectiveness and targetting major issues. I realise most won't have the option of not Pugging so unfortunately if u do need to pug u may need to adopt similar tactics. Just don't mistake that kinda setup as skill it won't serve u well on the competitive scene.

Most importantly have fun and take your lumps like we all did . 2v1s where your partner has quit or ran around the bc all match will definitely help you learn to grab immunity under focus fire by switching targets quickly. 1 mark is better than none so don't give up . You may take a beating but remember the poor guys u have been beating on . EVERYONE loses , no point raging over it just try and improve next time

I really just wanted to start the conversation and let the community add to it. Alot of people have some great tips to give and unfortunately with the huge number of guides being copied over atm I'm pretty sure this will get overlooked. This thread is also meant to be more of a community discussion where egos and name calling take a back seat to questions and learning.

Thank you for everyone who has contributed thus far and please those who want to add something do so, you'd be surprised how something we take for granted can really help those still learning.

If enough people find it useful maybe we could get it stickied instead?

I like the positivity of the thread.


Like has been said, no matter how you choose to go about it, fight until the match is finished, even if you are taking a pulping.


It will only make you better in the long run.


Also, conventional wisdom says just do Legends first to get T3, then do arenas, however, for me personnally, I would say do both at the same time, since 2 marks are better than one, and also, from my experience, the best way to learn to play your role in PvP is to be under fire.


At least this way you can see what works and what does not while you are gearing up, instead of gearing up and then having to go through the process of seeing what is/is not effective in arenas.


Also, if you are a villain and want some good multiple on one PvP training, just linger about in Robinson Park for a Bit.


And always remember, it is a game, so make sure to have fun. Do not let the small things get you down.


Anyway, that is just what I think.

Oh, and two things, learn to clip and make sure to watch your opponents for signs of predictability in their attack pattern.

Text's a little too small for me. Mind increasing it a bit?

Won't let me edit it, however there is a browser trick of holding "cntrl" and either rolling the mouse wheel hitting +. That will increase the side of the webpage font.

#2 and #3

I am sick of people Quitting on me in Base duels.
I bet 60% of my matches end up with someone quitting.
Sometimes, not often, that person will call me a cheater.
I would gladly teach and show them what I do if they'd only ask.
I am not always mean.

I wish in base duels we could communicate outside of versus, but that is for another thread.

Thank you everyone for sharing and please vets provide some more tips for new PVPers. There is alot of knowledge that new PVPers won't find from guides but through experience. There is no way to teach experience you have to just jump in with both feet.

Great post, OP. Just to reiterate some of the most important points already stated.
1. Roll your role. Dont worry, somebody will show up to DPS.. never fails... XD If you can troll or heal... Do that. Theyre always needed and even having an unexperienced undergeared healer or troll can make a big difference for your team.

2. Make friends. Its not that easy when your first starting out. Strangers mostly will want to join you if they think it helps their odds of winning. If your pugging solo as a DPS with no gear, you wont be very enticing to other randoms. But as you start to get better stats and learn some tricks, you will find yourself in more and more winning situations. After a good win, find one of those partners and ask them if you wanna roll some more with you.. Rolling your role will help you find friends too. Everyone's always looking for a troller or a healer. Tanks are cool too.

3. Mics arent necessary. But they sure do help. All else being equal (stats, skill, etc...) , the team that better communicates with each other will typically prevail. A mic will also help you get people to warm up and run with you.. if you know how to use one politely that is...

4.Hope for the best, expect the worst. Getting started in PvP isnt easy. You will lose alot. Gotta have some thick skin and determination. Dont quit, keep fighting no matter what. Good luck out there.

Since this post on the old forums, Yallander, I've actually seen players newer to pvp actually asking for help or to make pvp buddies to team up with (mostly for Legends, which is good). Alas it's always at a time I couldn't help because I've been on a short schedule this week T_T but I hope to get a lot more players feeling confident by getting some wins under their belt!

1. Learn the strategy of each map. If there are nodes. Make sure you or a teammate is on the node.
2. Pay attention to the mini map. See what both sides are doing and learn their tendencies.
3. Pay attention to the score. A change of strategy might be appropriate.
4. Don't worry about the scoreboard. A win is much more important.
5. If losing try to still put up a good fight. You will get better and gain respect.
6. Have fun.

Seen a few people asking for advice about PVP, figured I'd bring this to the forefront since there is some good advice that the community added. PVP may seem like a ocean of so much unknown, but the only way you'll find out is if you venture into it.

I think it would be a good idea to put the url's to some or all of the useful guides on these forums. I hate to say it but I would guess that there is a percentage of the DCUO population that doesn't know this forum exists. Put info in game from time to time.

Would it be better to ask a mod to move this under Oracle's Database? For all we know, you might have more tips to add in the original post.