What You're Doing Wrong In Shatter (And How To Fix It!)

Hi there, Lace Valeria, avid XIV PvPer. With the changes of 4.0, there's been a large influx of newer players in PvP overall and over the course of several matches last night, I spotted a few crucial mistakes that, if made aware, players can avoid and improve the quality of their match experiences. From time to time, I may reference a guide I previously wrote here; it's worth a read, even if you already do know the information within. Now then, let's get started.

1. Not Playing Multiple Objectives/Relying On A Single Objective - I'd say this alone can be a big liability to your team's success, but thing is, many newer players are given the mistaken impression that Shatter is all about the ice. The ice IS important, yes, but far from your sole means of scoring.
How To Fix It: Please refer to #5 in the guide. Namely, take advantage of every opportunity to score. Is some lone player trying to ride past you on their mount? Free points. Half dead enemies at the ice? Take them out. Easy 5 points, and they'll break quicker than the ice will. Is your team late to the ice? Go cap bases (leading team's first!), and take out any stragglers - at best, a few of them will back off the ice to come secure their base. All in all, take advantage of all the possible ways to score instead of just relying on the ice.

2. Melees: Using Adrenaline Rush On The Ice - Imagine my utter awe last as a greater number of my team was at the SW ice than one of the others, who only had perhaps 4 or 5 of theirs there (probably less than that as I know I took a few down on the way in), and while they were all half health (likely for the next reason below), I watch a DRG on my team use his Adrenaline Rush on the ice. . .
How To Fix It: Well, I'm not saying don't use it on the ice, but I WILL say between the ice and a half health enemy attacking the ice, it should be quite obvious what to use it on. Consider this: That half-dead enemy will break quicker than the ice will, AND that's one less enemy attacking your ice, which means less damage from their team, thus more points for yours. And a melee LB on 50% HP or less is a guaranteed KO.

3. Dropping Off A Cliff To Reach The Ice When Enemies Are Already There - If the other team has reached the ice first, dropping off a cliff and thus losing half your health is a terrible idea. Speaking from the perspective of your opposition: You're half dead, and I can take you down faster than I can break the ice. Might as well take 5 extra points per player AND stop you from taking any points from the ice at the same time.
How To Fix It: I already covered the full spectrum of this in the guide, Parts 2a-2c. All in all, there's always at least 2 safe routes in. Don't take the most dangerous one, even if it is faster.

P.S. To the Ranged that want to cleverly attack from the high ground - Good idea, BUT! Speaking as a fellow ranged, if you can attack me, I can attack you. ;)

4. Getting On/Staying On A Mount or Attempting To Ride Past Enemies - I've seen this entirely too much since even 3.5. I'm sure you're excited to show off your Alte Roite/Wolf/Phoenix/mount of choice, but understand this: It's been a solid rule since Frontlines started - If you get attacked on a mount, you will gain a Heavy debuff. The name may have changed (Limp), but the effect is still the same, and speaking again from the perspective of your opposition, you won't outrun me, I CAN still stun/bind/sleep you even on the mount, and you'll be an easy target for being unable to fight back right away - even if you do get off your mount.
How To Fix It:Get off your mount before you're in range of the enemy. There really is no other options.

5. Ignoring Battle Highs/Battle Fevers - A few times I've seen players simply ignore the Battle High/Battle Fever players on the other team, instead trying to stick to the objectives or ride past them, or all kinds of bad moves. Please understand: That player has a killstreak buff. 4 for the High, 8 for the Fever, and as a result, they deal 20% and 40% more damage respectively, AND gain Adrenaline 1.25/1.5 times faster than everyone else. Ignoring them will only make them stronger, AND allow their team to create even more of them.
How To Fix It: I covered this in the guide (#4), but focus fire and work together to take them down. In these ranged-favored days, try to catch them as they push forward, and if they're hanging back, coordinate your CC abilities to isolate them/drag them out/shut them down. DRKs, WARs, you're up. Casters, you too can shine here. Keep in mind, taking down a high/fever gives more points than a regular player KO.

6. MCH Specifically: Fully Loading Before The Battle - I see this so much (and hear if I'm not looking), I'm just gonna skip right to the "How To Fix It". . . Don't do this. Ever. You only lock yourself out of heat generation for all 3 of those shots, effectively nerfing your own damage potential. Furthermore, don't use Reload when under 50 Heat (2 Hot Shots will get you to 50 with ease).

EDIT: I've heard many MCH players tell me lately, "You can just use Stun Gun to overheat" and gain access to heated shots. . . For 10 seconds, yes. OR, you can use Hot Shot twice, then with careful usage of Reloads or Cooldown, manage your heat indefinitely. It's 1000>1250>1500 unheated with ammo vs 1250>1500>1750 heated with ammo, and STILL having access to the only aoe stun in PvP. Please, PLEASE, do NOT fully load your gun before you engage or rely on your stun skill to have access to higher levels of damage you can otherwise achieve normally.

7. Giving Up Too Soon - I've seen people ready to call it quits after the team misses one large ice, or perhaps lose all fighting spirit after an enemy team attacks their base head on. It might sound cliche, but it ain't over til it's over.
How To Fix It: This is a hard one to really explain, but know that you CAN come back from being focused, or missing an ice, or many different scenarios, but that really does require a group effort. I say this speaking from experience. Did that team beat you to the ice first? Attack them and steal points back from them. Has the score shifted while you were engaged with one team and now the ones that weren't in the fight winning? Disengage (carefully) and go fight them. Is your team being focused by the other two? Use the terrain (#2b in the guide); lure them into a choke point, or a position where they'll be forced to fight each other, and mount a counteroffensive.

Above all else, just don't give up. I once led my team against an enemy team that had a score of 1582 (when I checked as we engaged) in an attack right on their base and dropped them back down into the 1400s, then proceeded to attack the last large ice to secure a a draw victory (it counted as a win, as far as achievements and such are concerned). This was not with a premade. Just one really awesome group of randoms who decided they didn't want to roll over and accept defeat. Who dares, wins.

I hope this helps! See you on the inside :)

Didn't you make a simple map once showing the safe paths to an ice? You should pop it in here.

In the interest of time, I just linked to the guide with the map at the start :)

so lazy lol it's like two clicks :P

http://i64.tinypic.com/8x4h04.jpg

gj with guide

This is a good guide but I believe the main problem is a majority of players doing shatter, don't care about maximum efficiency.

A majority of players aren't looking for battle fever icons or simply don't care the enemy has em.

Thank you for this guide! I have just gotten into playing Frontline from Feast and I find I am guilty of some of the things not to do (like using my powerful attack on the ice instead of the enemy standing near it), or jumping off the cliff into a handful of enemies lol.

You forgot a sub point:

If you are on Moogle, go Maelstrom Since they almost always win, and bots go on other 2 factions by frontline freelance.

Hey no prob! Like I said, these are just a few observations of mine, based on experience. A lot of the 4.0 PvPers won't know some of the things I learned (and hopefully won't learn them the hard way like I did, lol), so I wanted to at least point out the easy-to-correct stuff. Hope to see you in there!

No don't focus players with battlehigh. I don't like to get focused. :D

#1 should be open maps at all times. Even if they follow coords, I see they get stranded left behind when the team move to next objective.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Garten

You forgot a sub point:

If you are on Moogle, go Maelstrom Since they almost always win, and bots go on other 2 factions by frontline freelance.

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Atleast on Aether, Maelstorm only win if either the other gc ignore objectives (#1 up there).