Hey all!

Unless you guys haven't heard, a Shadowbane Emulator project is underway; trying to reverse engineer the Shadowbane Client from memory, breaking encryption and doing shit on the fly.

However, that's not what this thread is about.

In the spirit of the "new start" of KGB, I just wanted to share a post I found. To those that have never played Shadowbane, it is one of the games Darkfall copied - and to a larger extent, the game where a vast majority of the better guilds in Darkfall originated from.

THe following is a bible written by a guy named Romeo. (Not our Romeo I think) of LB. After reading through the following, I can assure you that this, in and of itself, is the most complete guide to PVP organization in Shadowbane. This guide does not tell all, but it does a damn good job of giving people an overview. I have personally tried almost EVERY SINGLE point this guy makes - he obviously knows what he's talking about.

This time around, if we are indeed making a new start - I am hoping that KGB is more open to PVP organization this time around. Hopefully this will be a good start, and we can move from there.

NOTE: Obviously some of the game mechanics are different, so some tactics you'll have to ignore. (Like spire disabling and invisibility tactics) Most of it, though, it stuff we can learn from.

I know many people haven't seen much pvp organization from the Darkfall community, and some maybe believe that it's impossible but that's what they said about people who tried it in Shadowbane. I'd like to believe that after the next patch, it will be possible. (I can only hope)


Shadowbanian Warfare Bible
The Bible to Shadowbane Warfare is long overdue in my opinion. I have patiently waited for a strategist or battle commander to post one for some time, but have yet to see an extensive version. Note that this is not a guide to warfare, sieging, or PvP; it is a reference for warfare, to be used in theory, philosophy, and innovation. There are some other good guides out there if you want specifics on how to kill someone. I am Romeo, a long-standing battle commander and tactician for Lemures Bellicus (Ghosts of War), but I consider my specialty to lean towards advisement more so than actively leading. I wrote this because I know I personally like having little references like this, especially when dealing with hostile natured situations such as PvP. Do not expect this to make you a great warrior or general, only you can do that, but this bible can help you understand the paths you need to take in order to achieve greatness. It’s broken down into eleven main parts:

15 Rules of Battle Commanding
5 Qualities of an Army
10 Traits of Good Soldier
10 Mechanics of Warfare
10 Steps to a Good Spec Group
10 Basic Siege Tactics
5 Foundations of Strategy
5 Elements of Tactics
5 Tips for Soloing
15 Quotes from Me to You
Closing Statements


15 Rules of Battle Commanding
* These rules, like all rules, are made to be broken. There are always exceptions, but heed to caution when deciding to ignore the following.


I. Be ready for the enemy.

Bottom line: Don’t get caught with your pants down. I see guilds trying to improvise their tactics on the field all the time, and it’s just not effective. If you research your enemy, if you study your own strengths and weaknesses, and if you plan ahead, then you will have an advantage before the fight even begins. Try not to get too complex with your planning though, remember most of the people you’re playing with are not former servicemen, and are only disciplined to an extent.

II. Have a plan B.

Don’t assume your plan is going to work, always have a backup available. Even if you’re backup plan is as simple as a melee charge, be ready to switch tactics, and have a tactic to switch too. The easiest way to defeat someone is to have more than one way to defeat them.

III. Communication is key.

To a soldier, the worst feeling in the world is waiting for an order only to hear silence. You need to be constantly communicating with your troops. Whether you’re leading a battle, planning a strategy, or regrouping after a loss – never leave your mates in the dark. Keep their confidence up by letting them know you’re still with them. They need your guidance, that’s why YOU’RE the battle commander!

IV. Be original.

I’m always impressed when I see a guild using fresh new tactics. Sometimes that means I’m on the receiving end of a butt-whooping, but one of the things Shadowbane excels at is creativity with your tactics. I suggest you take advantage of that. It can be hard thinking of new strategies mind you, but it can be done. More often than not, the best tactics are derived from older beat-to-death ones.

V. Have some faith!

It’s a heart breaking experience, when your general basically tells you you’re a screw up and suck at life… It’s also demoralizing/disrespectful as hell and should never be an issue. Your soldiers are out there fighting for you and your guild. Like it or not they are a representation of you, a symbol of your nation’s might, and they should be treated as such. They’re also putting their faith in you, they’re putting all their eggs in one basket and believing in your ability to bring forth victory, the least you can do is have some faith in them as well. This also means respect their opinions and ideas. Note that this does not mean refraining from disciplining people when they get out-of-line.

VI. Never, ever, EVER underestimate your opponent.

Oh lord, how I can count the waves. It seriously is a daily routine in Shadowbane. Guild 1 calls out Guild 2 under the assumption that Guild 1 is ten times the warrior. And what happens? ****y attitudes backfire, and the next thing you know Guild 2 walks away with minor casualties while Guild 1 runs to the boards or /global chat and starts making excuses. Usually this happens due to lack of conflict between to guilds, or situational conflict experiences that leave a false impression on a guild or nation’s capabilities. Don’t ever assume you know your opponents well enough to know what to expect from them. You don’t have to be in the “Elite 3” to win fights, and being in the “bottom 3” doesn’t mean you can’t rock the house on any given Sunday.

VII. Don’t flaunt too much.

I say “too much”, because part of sportsmanship is to rub in your winnings once in a while, but don’t get carried away. There’s a pattern in Shadowbane, and it tends to lean in favor of the quiet and restrained guilds. There is a simple reason for this – less flaunting and trash talking means less enemies. Don’t be afraid to show your pride, but don’t be an arrogant show off either. Unless you like an allied zerg of 100+ people at your door step in the morning (never really cared for it myself).

VIII. Learn from your mistakes, as well as others.

Let me ask you this: What makes a good general a good general? A good general doesn’t screw up twice. Everyone screws up once, that’s human, making the same mistake twice is unnecessary redundancy. If something doesn’t work, try something new. If you see a mistake your opponents keep making, remember that for future records, both for your own edge and for future reference when fighting them again. Also remember that just because a tactic worked once, doesn’t mean that it will work again.

IX. Motivation is a weapon all its own.

You can’t send your boys and gals into combat without getting them rallied first! In the days when kings ruled the world, it was common practice to hold rallies prior to combat, and is still done today. It gets the adrenaline going, it gets the mindset where it needs to be, and it’s a good way to boost morale pre-fight. You should also pursue motivating your troops throughout the battle itself. Let your troops know that you’re prepared, let them know they can do this, and make them want to win.

X. When in doubt, get the freak out!

There’s this unexplainable feeling you get now and then. Sometimes it’s at the grocery store comparing apples and sometimes it’s at home playing Shadowbane. It’s called that “gut feeling” by most, but I just call it instinct. If you’re a battle commander, especially a veteran, then you should have a pretty good feeling of how a battle usually plays out. If you start feeling like something isn’t right, or if something is too good to be true, there’s a good chance that you’re right. It’s always better to yield to caution than to take unnecessary risks. If something’s glooming in the air, regroup and try to pin-point it.

XI. Be confident.

Rule V stated you should have faith in your troops and rule VI stated that you should never underestimate your opponent. Rule XI states that you should have faith and confidence in yourself, but the hidden message is “not too confident”. You need to believe you’re capable of leading an army. You need to believe that your army can overcome any obstacle. And finally, you need to believe that no matter what happens, you’re going give someone one hell of a fight. The one thing you shouldn’t believe is that you’re better than your opposition. Confidence is a good trait, but it’s one of those things that has to be maintained with a balance, as too much is dangerous.

XII. Know how the game works.

Start doing your homework now. Time and time again I’ve seen guilds win fights seemingly effortlessly for no other reason than the exploitation of a game mechanic (and no, I don’t mean illegal exploitation). This rule is very important as it is reflected in every strategy you develop, as well as counter-strategies. You can’t be properly prepared if you don’t know how the enemy can use their surroundings against you and vice-versa. An understanding of game mechanics is also important when creating or utilizing spec groups.

XIII. Have a blast!

I’m sure everyone’s familiar with the “domino effect”. In Shadowbane, this effect is quite common. It’s usually caused by one person of authority loosing his/her cool – at which time it spreads like a plague to the rest of the nation. Never forget that this is a game, you are here to fight battles, battles are fun, and whether you win or lose it doesn’t change the fact that the PvP itself is worth paying $12.99 a month for. The biggest problem with not having fun is judgment. Anger is blind and will only hurt your commanding abilities if you let it get the best of you, not to mention the chances of you following any of the other rules is slim-to-none if you don’t maintain control. Enjoy every minute of combat, it helps keep your mind clear and alert, as well as keep morale up.

XIV. Practice makes perfect.

Marines don’t go to boot camp for twelve weeks because it’s an enjoyable experience. They go because sending kids off straight to Iraq wouldn’t be much different than lining them up against a wall and spraying them down with a machine gun. You can’t expect people to just wake up one day and be uber warriors. Practice, practice, practice! Whether it be live combat at mines and fields, or simulated scenarios, keep your troops fighting in some way or another. I would also recommend forcing your guild mates to practice focus fire regularly, as sometimes people get sloppy with targeting if they’re allowed to. Don’t let them get rusty!

XV. The only thing more dangerous than fear is fearlessness.

This is the last of the fifteen rules, and easily one of the most important. Intimidation, anxiety, fear, and other psychological assertions of warfare are a great way to demoralize troops. But remember this can work for you and against you. When faced against great odds or when placed in scenarios of great consequence – you must never winch. Never give your enemy the satisfaction of seeing you in a weakened state and never let your troops see you in a state of doubt. Stand firm, stand tall, and stand with honor, that is what a good leader does.


5 Qualities of an Army
* Anything can be considered a quality of an army, but these are, at least in my view, the most important in regards to Shadowbane warfare.


1) Mobilization - The quality of discipline, communication, and speed. How well an army moves in battle is an indication of how prepared the army is for battle.

2) Experience - The quality of knowledge, expectations, and adaptability. Training a soldier does not prepare him or her for battle; it only prepares him or her for assumptions of battle.

3) Persistence - The quality of loyalty, commitment, and stamina. Persistence can be both friend and foe – as a friend it can be helpful, as a foe it can be devastating.

4) Unity - The quality of trust, teamwork, and respect. If an army truly stands together, neither victory nor loss can break it apart.

5) Bravery - The quality of morale, confidence, and honor. To be afraid is to be fragile; to be brave is to be stubborn.

10 Traits of a Good Soldier
* I say “good soldier” for lack of a better word. The veterans and war heroes are usually well defined by all ten of these traits.

1) Humiliation – In time this is taken with grace, and can be a powerful mentor.

2) Respect – From and to both your enemies and allies. With respect and honor comes influence.

3) Patience – An experienced soldier knows the value of patience, and the dangers of eagerness.

4) Discipline – In the chaos of battle, maintaining composure and remembering training is necessary for clear thought.

5) Valor – To face any danger for the sake of king, country, and brother is the definition of a hero.

6) Wisdom – Wisdom is little more than good judgment, a trait taught only by experience.

7) Instinct – Strength without thought, yet with precision and effectiveness, a mark of a veteran.

8.) Compassion – Both to heal the wounds of brethren and understand the fears of enemies.

9) Passion – To fight with soul to the bitter end with enthusiasm - the core of inspiration.

10) Talent – Being skilled in the technicalities of warfare and combat is essential to success in battle.

The 10 Mechanics of Warfare
* A brief explanation of different combat mechanics commonly used on a daily basis by most guilds.

1) Kiting – The use of speed to draw or out maneuver your enemy. Sometimes called “nibbling” because it’s usually better to use hit and run tactics on the faster builds than it is to run in and fall into a stack fight. Most of the time it’s a good idea to kite until your opposition is about 50% down, and then finish them with a full charge.

2) Stack Fights – The tactic of a tight-nit group to create targeting issues and keep armies close together. Stack fighting is probably the most common tactic, though it’s rarely the most efficient. People like using it because it’s easy to control your troops when all they have to do is run up next to each other, and it makes it harder for your enemy target caller to pinpoint a name, but it’s also very vulnerable to melee rushes and area of effect spells.

3) Target Calling – The coordination of focus fire on one target. Most guilds have chat programs they use to call targets, this makes dropping a person easier as everyone (if done correctly) all jumps on the called target at once. The idea is to kill off your enemy one by one quickly rather than slowly kill 3-4 at a time. You can select a called target by typing /ta or /target (first three/four letters of name or whole name here).

4) Tanking – The tactic of beating your opponent by outlasting your opponent. When you tank someone, the objective isn’t to bash them into the ground; it’s to live long enough to wear them down, slowly pecking at them rather than hammering them. In a group setting, tanking another group usually works when your entire force is a) high hit-point builds, b) high defense builds, or c) healer heavy.

5) Stealth Ambush – The use of invisibility to sneak behind, inside, or to the flank of your opponent without them knowing. Sending in stealth troops to ambush a force mid-fight is most effective when targeting high damage and/or healing builds. Most of the time it is unwise to send in too many stealth troops, as they’re usually not high damage or high survivability builds, but instead send in a small force with a specific task or target to attend to.

6) Scattering – The deception of maneuvering in the form of retreat. I say “deception” because usually when you scatter away from an enemy, you have the intent of returning or simply misleading them into believing you’re fleeing the scene. Scattering is probably the most effective way to get a summoner in a safe location if you’re on the loosing end of a fight, which in return makes getting your troops back to the fight much easier.

7) Summon Chain – The repetition of summoning other summoners to a location as quickly as possible. Usually you’ll see people say over nation say “rfs” or “srfs”. These are indicators, letting the summoner at the hot zone know who is ready for summons. Generally the way a chain works is with a list created by on-the-spot improvisation. It requires timing, but with some practice you can summon someone after taking a summons from someone else, and summon them while translocating to the other part of the map. Once you arrive out of translocation, the person you summoned should have arrived or be arriving soon. If multiple people do this in succession, it creates a chain effect and quickly gets all you summoners in one general spot, where they can then start summoning fighter/mage/rogue classes.

8.) Melee Charge – The use of melees to penetrate, disorient, and disable enemy groups. Most effective when used against stacked groups, the melee charge makes the effectiveness of area of effect spells drop dramatically. It is also a good way to take out soft targets very quickly since melees can do considerably high damage output against mage and healer based targets.

9) Delayed Entry – The act of holding soft casters back until after the fight has begun. In mixed groups, it’s not always a good idea to send in all your class types in at one time. In fact, it’s usually better to hold back your light nukers, specifically mages, until the opposing group has already started firing. The reason is simple: If they’ve already started the assault, and your mages aren’t there, then your mages haven’t been targeted. You can then send them in and start nuking targets without worrying about your mages dying immediately. This is also a good way to cause confusion with your enemy.

10) Shuffling – The tactic of leaving healers behind your group and forcing troops to run back to them. This is a good way to keep your priests alive a little bit longer. You don’t want to make it easy for your healer bases to die. The way this tactic works is you keep your priests and other strong healer classes behind your main group, not far, just slightly. When your other members need to be healed or cured, they run back to the healers, then back to the fight once they’ve been rejuvenated. This helps keep your healers alive, screw up enemy target calling, and discourages the habit of sitting there and dying while spamming “heal me” over and over again.

A 10-Step Guide to a Good Spec Group
* As simply put as I could get it, this is a short checklist to go by when creating a new spec group.


1) Before you do anything, discuss your ideas with your guild. If you rush into a spec group, you will have 20 R7s soon and then say “awe man, we should have done this”, or, “we should have added this”. Don’t make that mistake, be thorough in your design, and design something people want to play.

2) Decide what you want your group to excel at more than anything, decide on only one.

3) Decide on what other abilities you would like the group to have, you can have several back-up capabilities, and should aim for at least 3 back-up/supporting abilities to be to par with most specs, but never try to put the importance of these above your group’s primary agenda.

4) If you have charter restrictions, use those to your advantage. After skimming through the charters, I’ve seen tons of spec group possibilities that I haven’t ever thought of before. You can get an edge from limitation if you’re imaginative.

5) Limit the number of classes in your group to 5. I would recommend 4. You never know when the right person for the right role will be on. Best not to flood the group with support classes – keep it to the absolute necessities.

6) Create (or have someone create) templates for each race/class combo so that all members involved can have a reference template to go off of.

7) Before making the group, use your current mains to gather the needed disciplines, runes, and gear for the group. It makes it much easier to have your mandatory items before creating the characters.

8.) Level your new builds somewhere rarely visited. Part of a spec group’s effectiveness comes from its uniqueness, and that can be tainted if too many people see you leveling.

9) Once your spec group is leveled and geared, get as much practice as you can in small PvP fights to get people used to their new roles and characters. Don’t jump straight into a bane as you may have kinks to work out.

10) Don’t use your spec group excessively. The last thing you want is for people to accurately predict what to expect from you.

10 Basic Siege Tactics
* These are definitions of core tactics that can be evolved or combined into more sophisticated operations.


1) Bulwark Nuking – Bulwarks are a great place for casters to nuke from. They cause line-of-sight issues and can greatly increase the lifespan of your softer builds.

2) Tree Hugging – While I generally advise against this, it can be useful if done correctly. Tree hugging means just that, you hug the tree of life and don’t leave for any reason. It can be used as a shelter if you run around it to force a loss of line-of-sight on your enemy, but as previously stated, I advise against it as the line-of-sight issues can work both ways.

3) Melee Rush – An old common tactic that is rarely used in today’s warfare. The way it works is simple. You put all your melees against the wall and use /stuck to pop out and charge an unsuspecting enemy. Time your /stuck and group heal over times so that your melees will have some healing during their charge. If the situation is appropriate, /stuck out the rest of your force after the melees being their assault – the enemy will be focused on the melees and that will give your other soft troops the ability to attack without being focused on immediately.

4) Guard Rushing – It’s usually best to reserve your guards. Keep them back until your army is ready to assault. Moments before making your move, release your guards into the enemy position so they’ll be targeted first. The combination of the guard rushing and player rushing creates a numerical advantage, as well as, confusion and frustration amongst the enemy forces.

5) Wall Fighting – Typically more useful if done by area of effect nukers, wall fighting is simply fighting from the top of the walls or from the ground to a force on the walls. Single targeting is simply not that effective as forces on the wall can run back to lose line-of-sight, and forces on the ground and move back out of range. Area of effect spells are always preferred for this tactic as you don’t really have to worry about hitting your own. Though be careful not to grab the agro of guards doing this!

6) Entrapment – Pulling your enemy into a position you want them to be in can be difficult, but if you succeed, you can drag them into a gauntlet of disaster. Hopefully you planned out your strategy and know where your forces can perform that best at. Try to lure your opponents into a spot where you have a geographical or tactical advantage.

7) Reversed Assault – Mainly a tactic for defending forces. When a guild shows up to knock down your city, it is only natural to assume you’re going to be there to defend. Now that you can teleport to your tree of life, this tactic has even more validity as most would assume you’re just running late and will arrive soon. The way this tactic works though is not by fighting your enemy from this inside out, but instead coming from behind them and attacking them on the open field, this in return will usually catch them off guard. The main reason for doing this would be if your guild didn’t have a good roster for fighting from the walls.

8.) Bulwark Stealing – Not as in actually stealing an enemy bulwark, but instead placing your bulwarks where they would want theirs before they get around to doing it. This just adds to level of control you have over the fight, and that’s always a plus.

9) Full Frontal Distraction – When fighting defensively at a bane, it is usually more important to knock down the stone than it is to win the fight. This tactic is simple enough, send in almost your entire force from one side to get the enemy’s attention, and then send in a lone battle magus or something similar to start beating on the bane stone. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t, but usually you’ll have a certain level of success with it.

10) Spire Disabling – Often you need to get rid of a spire so you can teleport or fly into a city. Now with the Saboteur and Sapper disciplines, you can send in a small special ops group to disable an enemy spire, then, with good timing, teleport or fly into the city before they realize what’s happened. An excellent way to catch a defender off guard, especially now that defenders have such an edge and rarely worry about sudden rushes.

5 Foundations of Strategy
* The ideas that come together to make one solid strategy.


1) Purpose – There needs to be a reason for every goal, each decision should be made in respects to accomplishing something.

2) Wit – Out thinking your opponent is half the battle, be original and misleading as much as possible.

3) Productivity – Finishing a task or goal is only part of it, after that you need to take advantage of your accomplishments by using them to your advantage. Take the strategy step-by-step.

4) Realism – You should never devise a strategy that is too complicated or risky. Always keep it as realistic as possible, and know your limitations.

5) Efficiency – The more bang for your buck the better. Optimizing offensive and defensive plans to reduce time consumption, resource usage, and unnecessary risk is best.

5 Elements of Tactics
* These are the top five things that most tactics are based around.


1) Maneuverability – How your army moves, when they move, and where they move to are all vital in respects to organization and planning.

2) Deception – A trait important in both strategy and tactics, deceiving your opponent into be believing something that is not true is often more productive than beating him with might alone.

3) Adaptation – Good tactics are flexible tactics. There should always be an alteration possibility for unpredictable situations.

4) Safety Measure – All good tactics have an “oh crap” function to be used for when its primary agenda has failed or is failing.

5) Control – There must be a fluidity in operations; there is no room for chance.

5 Tips for Flying Solo
* Just a few pointers for effectively running alone.


1) Have a buff bot, I don’t really like buff bots to be honest, but if you really want to compete solo in this game, you need one.

2) Play a rogue. As much as people complain about rogue effectiveness, there are enough classes out there without high ATR and/or revealing capabilities to make picking your fights easier, and that’s what soloing is all about.

3) Try to have multiple damage variances. On a thief or scout, it’s hard to do this, so you have to rely on procs if you want to achieve complete efficiency. The reason being some people load up on certain melee or elemental resists, and if you don’t have a way around it then you’ll encounter problems.

4) Don’t name yourself “LeET BoYkiLlU”. Might as well say “Hey, I’m on track and I’m a griefer, come kill me please”.

5) Always have an escape route. I would recommend PKing in the same areas regularly so you know the landscape, it makes getting out of sticky situations much easier.

15 Original Quotes from Me to You
* Words to live by in the world of Shadowbane!


1) The consequences of defeat are rarely as devastating as defeat itself.

2) When in need of reserves, use someone else’s.

3) Beating an opponent physically merits recognition, beating an opponent mentally merits praise.

4) You are just a person, your opponent is a god - such is the way you should view your enemies.

5) Proper preparation leads to proper execution.

6) If your opponent’s army is swift, you must be slow; if your opponent’s army is slow, you must be swift. In order to hold a true advantage, you must always be what your enemy is not.

7) Soldiers look to leaders for guidance, leaders look to soldiers for victory. There is a balance and a purpose, best not to forget your role.

8.) Desperate times call for desperate measures, but remember, war has no room for stupidity or risk.

9) In the absence of power lies the presence of resentment.

10) Legends may live on forever, but unsung heroes are the reason legends exist.

11) A good scout is more important than a good warrior.

12) The only real measure of control is annihilation.

13) Threat is the only justification for war; victory is war’s only capacity for justice.

14) A soldier of good quality most often derives from a person of good morals.

15) There is always room for hope and faith.

Closing Statements


Obviously there are more ingredients to battles, commanding, and following than listed here, but in all honesty this is no end to the lessons of war. I could write a book on Shadowbane tactics in multiple volumes, there’s just too much to know, too much to write, too much to read. What is more important to note is not the technicalities others have learned, but that it can be learned. Anyone can achieve greatness if one wants to. But I do hope that this reference has been of some help, though I’m sure some will disagree with certain aspects of it due to various experiences. The one thing I doubt anyone would disagree with me on is the importance of efficiency, but it would be far too easy to sum up the secret of war with one word.

I have walked through the valley of the shadow of death, I have seen the falling of empires, and I have celebrated victory the hour after certain defeat. In these experiences I have found the pride of man overcome the fear of loss, the innocence of rookies outweigh the brilliance of veterans, and the excitement of new beginnings. Believe in hope, have faith, be strong, enjoy yourself, accept both victory and loss gracefully, never surrender, look forward to tomorrow’s challenges, and the outcome of battles will never be a time for sorrow of grief. War is a trial, much like a test only without a score. In Shadowbane, it is not the material leftovers that decide who won, it is you.

My last bit of advice is to double-proofread guides before you send them in, lol.

Good luck and good game, and Play to Crush!
Romeo of LB

This is a GREAT guide - and the fifteen steps are tride and true of EVERY sucessful guild i've been in Shadowbane. Hopefully, the next patch will introduce an end to the skilless AOEing and we can begin again.

Thoughts? Comments? All are welcome.

Syloc

Last edited by Syloc; 11/06/09 12:19 AM.
Former KGB Member