WvW - What Makes a Great Commander?

[Coelho Nat.4697]

I play on a server which is not made of great wvw guilds, so most of time we have zergs made of pugs. If that is the case, I can suggest:

Always keep moving, capping stuff, killing players, etc. Keep the action coming. Therefore, pugs will keep playing and following you. If your zerg is composed by pugs, try to have fun rather than trying to win fights against organized guild zergs.

[MadBomber.3719]

combat related-

* positioning is one of the biggest things

* knowing when to engage/ where to engage

* being able to bait bombs (positioning/ engages) knowing how to counter certain playstyles

* predict enemy movement

* know when to be aggressive and when to be pull back to regroup

* being able to monitor your squad. cooldowns & health. can you push? or do you need to wait? just because you are full health and have your cooldowns doesnt mean everyone is ready

* being on comms (obv better than a commander not on comms)

* overall awareness of surroundings and the map, dont tunnel vision

 

i know that list sounds kinda repetitive and everything sounds the same because for the most part everything is comes back to positioning and awareness

 

 

[MithranArkanere.8957]

1. Extremely vicious irrational hatred towards any and all invaders.

2. Total and absolute contempt towards the sanctity of life.

3. Reckless disregard for personal safety.

4. Desire for victory.

5. And to a lesser extent, knowledge and numbers to triumph over the enemy.

[Hidden Blade.7913]

A lot of great suggestions! I have decided to spend more time learning WvW on a strategic level and trying to be a lieutenant before leading a squad of my own.

[Dralor.3701]

Not losing your mind and raging is probably the most important.

 

After that communication and to some degree trying to explain to pugs where to bomb, how to move etc can help.

[X T D.6458]

I have run with a lot of commands and guilds over the years and heres some things that I look for:

 

-Plays smart- make use of terrain, use proper siege/counter siege, make use of chokepoints, use appropriate tactics and strategy like veils, portals etc. Dont simply charge in like an idiot trying to one push everyone. Know when to pirateship, know when to push, and know how to move.

-Learn to pick your fights. Sometimes you are up against a group you simply cannot beat, you need to keep a group together, go cap stuff. Keep your group active. Eventually the tide will shift.

-Know how to herd the pugs, Pugs are always available, guilds are not.

-Put aside the ego, dont be arrogant

-Learn to utilize scouts, roamers, and small teams and watch how amazing the results are.

-Communication is key, regardless of whether or not you are typing or in comms, be clear, be quick, be confident, and always think 3 steps ahead.

[Dawdler.8521]

> @"MithranArkanere.8957" said:

> 2. Total and absolute contempt towards the sanctity of life.

 

Did you mean backline?

[ArchonWing.9480]

I think it's important to be able to take responsibility for the consequences of your own decisions. That's what separates a good player from a good commander.

 

Unfortunately, this isn't really something that can be taught.

[Jumpin Lumpix.6108]

Not excluding people, for any reason, otherwise it's a sign of a commanders inability to adapt, and tolerate others.

[Vova.2640]

A commander is only as good as the people he is leading.

If your guild/squad are naturally good at the game it will be much easier to be a 'good' commander.

 

But yes, a lot of combat experience, self confidence, knowing how to use the terrain around the battlefield to your advantage, knowing when go in and when to retreat/preposition, remaining calm after a lost battle and learning from the loss, etc etc etc are all very important skills.

[No One.3716]

Have a commander that you trust sit in on your raids if possible, not so much to back seat command but to let you make mistakes and pm pointers and tips after a failure.

[Gorani.7205]

## Advice for homeland commanders (on non-dominating servers, like 2nd or 3rd place)

* Home borderlands is about moral and keeping it, so care about keeping the BL your colour; keep your structures and divert attacks from the northern part of the map

* Offer participation in your squad for scouts and roamers; even a small squad can have a few slots for those and people calling out enemies on the map and flipping back camps are more important than having an extra two or three people in your squad.

* Most people will not be in TS, even if you advertise that and use it, so make your strategy clear in map chat, like "Squad will attack [Redbriar], need additional forces and supply" or ping the Citadel WP if you have to regroup

* If you wipe, take a short time to analyse the situation and talk to your soldiers. They will follow you again, if you offer a revised plan. They will disband if you yell at them or blame them for the wipe

* Do not select professions if you run with PUGs. Three non-meta players are as good as one meta-elite, because of the psychological effect of a larger squad

* If you want to keep moral up, listen to scouts and defend your structures, even if it means you have to abandon your current plan. A saved T2 tower in the north is worth a lot more than a quick flip of a paper tower in the south.

* Allow people to catch up with you, so sometimes use a path past a sentry and stay there for a cap to let you "tail" catch up. You usually should not run past sentries directly, because you will lose quite a lot of people.

* Place offensive siege yourself and wait for at least one to be built completely, before placing a second or third blueprint. You will lose so many people on resupply runs. If possible, don't run off without calling out a re-supply run to a camp in chat/TS

* Assign the building of defensive siege to other people, like your scouts; be aware not to drain their supply completely, when you run past a keep or tower.

* Supply should be take from camps first; Don't take your squad to a structure, just because you have to run 20 sec longer to a camp.

[Lobsters.3869]

Hello! On Maguuma, commander must have atleast 33 omega golem blueprint to be good commander. Squad also take you more seriously if you outfit color matches you pin color.

 

Maguuma commander pretty much run over other server commander in open field anywhere, so most important to just make pin when you log in and lead group to run over them.

 

;)

[Kaiser.9873]

FLEXIBILITY, the ability to adapt your commands to the group you are commanding.

[Roxanne.6140]

when commander gives me gold, he is a good commander when commander don't give me gold, he is bad commander

[Dawdler.8521]

> @"Lobsters.3869" said:

> Hello! On Maguuma, commander must have atleast 33 omega golem blueprint to be good commander.

... so Maguuma commanders bring far less siege than even solo roamers?

[shiri.4257]

my good looks and big booty.

[Dralor.3701]

> @"Dawdler.8521" said:

> > @"Lobsters.3869" said:

> > Hello! On Maguuma, commander must have atleast 33 omega golem blueprint to be good commander.

> ... so Maguuma commanders bring far less siege than even solo roamers?

 

Mag does not understand this “siege” you speak of.

[GDchiaScrub.3241]

> @"shiri.4257" said:

> my good looks and big booty.

 

This.

[FASTCAR.7831]

#1 being trained by the military or police in tacticts. I cringe when I see 99.9999% "lead"

#2 having people join you

#3 Not (on coms) spamming like an auctioneer ....see 1:25 this is 90% of bad commanders, often drunk or high to boot

#4 Forming exact groups..with the classes,builds and races that are best (nobody but me does this)

#5 Normal smart things...I.E. use correct food/oil...heavies up front, long range in back ect ect. I will be cryptic now

#6 Keep it real and honest. Dont expect 20 of you to kill 100, THEN get mad when you lose and say "why didnt you use your dodges"

Last, on off time teach so so players how to be better (however that applies to that person) Help them with class and gear/build..so many are just way off

Have fun, it is a game after all.

 

 

 

[DeadlySynz.3471]

Ya don't alienate players or classes. The meta comp is easily destroyed with a few ranged, so a good commander would utilize all the available classes to what they excel at.

 

Also, don't lead them into slaughter. If you know the other group is bigger than you and clearly after 1 engagement they treat your group like a speed bump; don't continue to poke the beast. You'll likely start losing people in the group. Your better off avoiding them, switching maps, and boring the enemy zerg to death until they log (and they always will).

[Dravis.7681]

I roam a lot and as a result, end up tagging along with many different squads/commanders for various lengths of time. There are a couple things that I see now and then that result in me immediately abandoning the group...

 

Yelling/Insults: soon as a commander yells at or insults anyone in his group... I'm gone.

Meta Requirement: kind of a personal pet peeve here but even seeing/hearing the word "meta" is almost enough for me to bail... If/when I'm told what I "should be running" see ya.

 

The best commanders (IMO) keep it simple, are humble, thank others for their help (even those not in squad or on other maps) and lead by example.

[BMW.2951]

A commander that doesn't die and wipe the whole zerg would be the best commander.

[aspirine.6852]

Never quit when you get beat, even if you get beat all the time just go for it again and again. If you leave after you got beaten the rest will have an even harder time. It's not always fun, but go for it.

[hunkamania.7561]

Best wvw commander =)