Order on Averheim say, “No, you can’t take it during prime time!”

This is long and may be poorly typed.  I'm beyond sleepy but I wanted to get this in black and white for my fellow Order players on Averheim, who stood together tonight to tell Destruction, "Hell no, you can't roll us during prime-time hours," so bite me!  Unedited pictures here.  I'm too tired to clean up any lighting or crop them to make them look good.  And way beyond adding any captions to the pictures tonight.  The story of what unfolded is below...

I popped on around 9:30 ET just to check some auctions.  I immediately noticed that a siege was being mounted by Destruction.  How?  Not because the game indicated anything special but because I’d learned a lesson from the Sunday sleep-attack and had the Objective Tracker HUD turned on.  I started asking around but most people in the guild didn’t seem aware that an attack was underway.  I asked about the existence of an all Order channel and was given the slash command for it < /chan Order >.

In the Order channel I found players who were aware and forming a warband.  I admit to being a bit peeved in the beginning that my faction’s response was apathetic.  Our T4 Keeps were being captured while people were doing “business as usual in Altdorf”, while unaware that trouble was brewing.  I wished for a global channel that everyone was configured for by default, so that we could raise the alarm.  When I inquired about a guild response, I found misinformation had taken root as a result of the happenings on Sunday.  The few that were on Vent at the time, thought it was only for level 30s and took place in scenarios. 

Not being an expert on the whole thing myself, I explained as best I could, that if we took back the Keeps, Destruction couldn't lock down Altdor for an attempt at the Franz.  A couple of people voiced reservation about everyone being rushed into the end game so quickly, and in a casual guild.  I understood their concerns.  I recalled how I felt pressured to continue doing guild raids in WOW, long after it had lost its appeal. But this was different.  It wasn't just me not getting loot.  A capture and then sacking of Altdorf impacted all Order players.  For that reason, as well as faction pride, I wanted our guild to be represented.  With that in mind, I continued the conversation a bit longer.  Within a couple of minutes the people in vent and in guild chat, decided that it didn't matter how low we were in level would could do "something" to help.

I capped locked in Order chat and tried along with others, to assist in explaining the importance of Order making a stand right now. I honestly felt that if we didn't make a decent showing here and now, it was over for us on Averheim.  I cringed at the thought of leaving the server to start over.  I was distressed by the idea of leaving COW.  However casual I may be in my play schedule, I’m very competitive at heart.  It would rub sorely in my craw, if Order sat on its collective ass and did nothing.

I AM SO HAPPY TO BE A MEMBER OF CASUALTIES OF WAR!! People in Vent stopped what they were doing and came just because.  Even if they didn’t think we could really make a difference at our levels, they came anyway to support the desires of others.  This is what makes Casualties of WAR (COW) an amazing guild!

Reikland fell before most of us arrived but those that had made it there, told the rest of us to race to Reikwald.  I had no clue of where to go but saw a guild-mate and asked him to wait up for me which he did.  People who knew they way started giving directions and guidance to others, and we gradually made our way to the frontlines.

When I arrived at Reikwald I dodged the Destruction players on my heels and entered the side door.  *Whew*  Six Order players were trying to fight from inside the keep with AOEs and popping in and out.  Thank Gawd a healer with sense was in the midst and she kept us healed and rez’d.  The lag was getting worse by the minute and twice some sort of AOE spell pulled me through the door and dumped me back outside of the Keep for an ass whipping.  I was rez’d every time I died and jumped back into the fray for more.

Within fifteen minutes of me having logged into the game and figuring out something was going on, Order was at Reikwald in force.  We defended from the battlements once we had about a dozen players but Destruction had sufficient forces that they soon broke down the doors.  It was a lag show of epic proportions!  You might as well have been watching a slideshow.  You couldn't move.  You could barely target the opponent.  People lagged off the walls.   You went from 100% health to 0% with no updates in between.  Regardless, people fought on by whatever means necessary.  Healers healed.  Order communicated.

When the door gave way the squishes moved up to the next level and prepared for an in-keep battle.  Tanks and higher level DPS stayed below and fought from the door way. This was the battle for Helm’s Deep and it would not fall, so long as its people defended it.  Death by death, we pushed them further from the door.  It was Destruction’s turn to get sandwiched in between defenders inside the Keep and Order continuing to arrive at the rear.

When Destruction could not hold their position they retreated and we gave chase.  Slowly, we saw Order recovering the other keeps.  The timer for them to either finish the capturing of the Keeps or be denied, ticked away.  Holding what was ours, we relished every second that past.  When the time allowed for them to complete their captures passed and Destruction was now locked out from assault, Order went on the offensive.

We mounted in unison and rode out for vengeance.  The angry mob made its way over land to Pragg.  In less than five minutes Pragg was taken by Order!  I was elated that we’d been able to make a showing.  Level 20-something and all, we proved that Order can and will participate in end-game RVR.  And no, you can’t just take our shit during prime time.  BOOYAH!!

Comments

[Pete S]

I had fun during the attack, even though I was a level 15 DPS and pretty darned ineffective. (Shameless self-promotion - my view of the events: http://dragonchasers.com/2008/10/13/defending-altdorf/ ).

I wasn't on Vent so didn't hear the talk there but the response in Guild Chat at first was a little underwhelming. Once I found the place to go to defend (I hadn't 'tagged' Flight Masters out there so had to run from Altdorf) I saw more CoWs and took a lot of comfort from that.

My apologies for not being able to give better directions on how to get to the fun but it was my first time. Which is really why I went. I know a 15 DPS wasn't going to be able to do much, but I wanted to know where to go and how to get there for when I'm high enough level to matter.

I never did find Stonewatch, though... :)

[JoBildo]

It'll be truly amazing as most of us in CoW do hit that Tier 4 content, and can really make a more effective impact on the ebb and flow of battle up there.

Can you imagine what it will be like to see 50+ CoWs stampeding across the field of battle towards the Inevitable City, joined by the other Order guilds?

Oh yes, Destruction WILL NOT have an easy time on our server. :) Even if they have out-leveled us thus far.

[Pete S]

It will be UDDERLY amazing!

(Yeah, I went there...)

[Saylah]

@Pete - Bravo for you being level 15 and finding your way! I didn't realize what level you were when reading your struggles to make it that far. OMG you walked!!! *laughing very hard* Yes, we are udderly amazing now. Moooooooooooooooo.

@Bildo - It's going to be damned amazing to see COW at 40! It's great that the Guild leaders immediately take charge and get us all organized. They weren't on when it all started, but the minute they logged and heard what was going on they gave directions, kept us coordinated and all together. PLUS OMG our guild is great at watching out for each other. Even in the midst of all that madness people waited for each other and tried to help the lowbies, and I know first hand because I was a lowbie in trouble several times. :-)

[yunk]

I was on at the time but had no idea this was happening. Next time instead of typing "keep name is getting hit" someone needs to type in caps "T4 FORTRESS GETTING ASSAULTED" then I would probably have noticed, since I don't have the names of the keeps memorized :) I thought people were just having fun in t3 that had nothing to do with me.

[Saylah]

@Yunk - Mythic needs to work on this ASAP. Most players are completely oblivious to the fact that their city's keeps are being assaulted! Sorry that in the confusion of trying to get to the frontlines, we lost track of communicating with people that were still logging into the game after we were in the heat of the battle. :-(

Destruction can talk all the crap they want about Order being apathetic. I've been present both times on Averheim and players are completely unaware of what's happening. Not all of us got to live in WAR BETA-land for a year!!! And we also know from players that were in BETA most of them were playing Destruction side and Mythic had to practically beg players to test Order side content. Besides a quantitative imbalance, this translates to Destruction having a HUGE advantage in the knowledge they possess about the content and game mechanics.

I don't know the keep names myself. I turned on the HUD only because I was actively trying to find a way to keep track of warfare since the game seemed deficient to me in that regard. After what I witnessed on Sunday, I realized I couldn't rely on in-game notifications which is just WRONG. Further more, if we need to use that HUD overview to know what is being contested in the zones, especially around the faction cities, then dammit it should be turned on by f'n default. Like Duh!

I am sorry you missed it. We should make a T4 Defense and offense channel in Vent perhaps? You log in and you see people in there you know shit is going down?? As it was we were in the normal Order channel dominating the airwaves regardless of the level 1 to 10s that might have been online trying to play too. :-)

[p@tsh@t]

Nice post.

World Defense channel please FTW.

I logged on in Altdorf just to tweak some settings to see if I could improve the RvR lagfest probably about the time this would have been going on and had absolutely no idea anything was up.

Had I known I would have tried to come to the fight had I known where to go....

Mythic might want to consider expanding the tour of Altdorf quest to include defense of the city.

[Wolfgangdoom]

Awesome! Wish I could have been there, but with the move and subsequent wait for internet, I will be MIA for probably the next week or so :( Woot for COW and Averheim!