top of page

support

"The support players lack damage output but are the ones responsible for healing their allies, boosting their damage, limiting the enemy movement, weaken their damage and their defenses"

Types of Support

In this game there are several types of support, we can classify them as:

​

  • Dependant on attributes:

    • Healing (requires healing power attributes)

    • Boon generation (require concentration attributes)

    • Movement impairment or weakening conditions (require expertise attributes)
       

  • Independant of attributes:

    • Crowd Control CC​

    • Condition cleansing

    • Boon ripping

​

Every player, regardless of role can provide some support to the team, specially support independant of attributes.

 

However in this guild, we have had significant experience in fights and we have observed that the more efficient supporters are those capable of taking hits (aka TANKS) because they provide reliable support throughout the whole fight.

 

Next to the tanks, the Solo-role players are also effective at providing some support.

​

Finally, DPS-role players are the least desired for support, because the amount of damage they stop dealing as they focus on supporting, is critical. Also they can easily die and all the teamates will lose the support making it harder to repel the enemy or have a comeback. For DPS players we recommend to have fewer support skills/traits the bigger the team gets, that way DPS players can focus more on doing their damage.

​

​

SUPPORT TANKS

​

In this guild when we talk about Supporters, we will refer to SUPPORT TANKS. Apart from providing support, the Tanks have an advantage for the team, they can receive enemy damage and aggro instead of having the squishy players taking that damage.

​

Damage reduction in the form of "stepping away from the danger zone and letting the tanks deal with it" is much higher than any amount of heals, barriers, or any other defenses.

​

  • The job of the support tanks is mainly being able to survive and create a distraction, while doing this they help sustaining the team as long as possible with the several types of support they provide. Remember, the longer they survive the more support they can provide, and the more they can prevent their allies from being hit.

  • The defensive support players ARE NOT supposed to keep allies indefinetly alive, every player needs to be aware of their own safety and disengage when needed

  • The support tanks will mainly be in the front line facing directly the enemy. This will direct the enemy damage to them instead of the team. However in big squads there might be support tanks with the DPS players if they are receving significant damage or they lack boon support.

  • Support tanks are capable of reviving allies if the Solo players cant. 

Minimum Requirements:

Avenger_s_armor_human_male_front-removebg-preview.png
DEFENSE
(Attribute independant)

​(In WvW):

  • Armor: 2,800

  • Health: 24,000

(In PvE):

  • Armor: 2,800

  • Health: 24,000

(In PvP): 

There are no real tank stat combinations, the tankish sets are:

Paladin, Valkyrie, Carrion, Rabid​

Avenger_s_armor_human_male_front-removebg-preview.png
DEFENSE
(Attribute dependant)

​(In WvW):

  • Armor: 2,600

  • Health: 21,000

(In PvE):

  • Armor: 2,600

  • Health: 21,000

(In PvP): 

There are no boon or expertise based stat combinations, only healing. The sets are:

Avatar, Sage​

UTILITY

(In WvW and PVE)

For healers:

  • At least 1200 healing power

For boon givers:

  • At least 70% extra duration if the build is only for boon giving

  • At least 50% extra duration if the build has more utilities

For condition givers:

  • At least 70% extra duration if the build is only for conditions

  • At least 50% extra duration if the build has more utilities

​

(In PvP)

For healers:

  • Sigil of transference (+20% healing effectivness)

Testing your Healing

When doing a healer support It is very important to have high healing, it is quite common to see players with equipment set for healing power but with skills or traits that do not have high heals. Look at our guide about how to select your build and equipment. Once you feel like you have selected a good build/equipment, you can perform an easy test to give you an idea of wether you are actually doing a good heals.

​

With the Guild Master, you can evaluate the minimum requirements. In this guild we have standardized the process by measuring sustain at the Special Forces Training Area, a place where you can receive damage in a controlled environment.

​

aerodrome 1.png

It is located south of the Lion's Arch map. You will need to have heart of thorns expansion in order to access it.

For a succesful test you should be able to do at least 3 full skill sequences.

(The test result will vary depending on the defensive attributes of the person helping you out)

(Try to test with another tankish player)

After you do these tests, with or without the Guild Master, you should approach him and ask for a review. The Guild Master will take you to the Guild Hall arena where you will test your build and role against him.

Healer PvP Pointers

DO'S AND DONT'S FOR PVP 

  • The healer tank is the role with more independance in the field. The healer tank is the one responsible of deciding where he goes, as opposed to the dps roles who are always looking for a base with allies.

  • The healer tank may choose to go for empty bases for easy capture, may choose to stay on a capturaed base to defend it, may go to outnumbered places to hold the enemy, or may go to places with ongoing battles to help the team.

  • Dont duel, this role lacks damage so you are not going to kill anyone. Exceptions are: if you are defending a base, or if you are holding a significantly strong enemy.

  • Stay as much as possible inside the bases. You are the role with most sustain so you are the one called for staying inside damage as much as possible in order to keep control of the base. BUT if you can, try to push the enemy outside of the base, either using CC, or baiting them, or anticipating an incoming enemy.

  • Do try to revive allies, you are tanky and you will probably resist the enemy damage while reviving.

  • DONT CHASE you are not going to kill anyone, and the enemy may take you away from your team or a base in purpose, that is an strategy to take away a team's support.

  • If you are stuck in a fight on a base that the enemy controls, you should go away unless you are outnumbered and holding several enemies there.

  • Always keep an eye on the score and think where can you get more points.

  • If the enemy team is significantly stronger try to bait them, make them chase you, every second you hold various enemies you are helping your team, by releasing pressure on them.

In this clip you can see an example of me fully healing an ally and bunkering to defend base.

​

I dont need to go to any other base because they are all controlled by my team, and i dont take the enemy bait to get out of base bacause i know thta even if i did i wouldnt be able to defeat him, so instead I earn score for my team and deny score for the enemy.

In this clip you can see how i notice several enemies coming, and instead of holding the base inside, i go outside of it to be an obstruction for the enemy and keep it longer while having the advantage of not receiving direct damage form them.

 

When i revived the ally notice how i almost die, this is why we try to let the tankish players the reviving, because any squishy player can easily die while attempting to revive.

 

Then I kept control of the base doing ranged support (which is a particular feature of the chronomancer).

 

Notice the great work the ally does by baiting the enemy away from the base making it easier to defend and earn points.

​

During this defense we earned 32 points which is equivalent to killing 6 enemy players just with two of us (which doesnt happen in reality)

FULL LENGTH FIGHTS

Healer WvW Pointers

DO'S AND DONT'S FOR WVW

  • Stay close to your Tanks lieutenant. Your team is responsible for pushing or retreating so your eyes have to be in your LT, NOT in the enemy.

  • If you are the Tanks lieutenant or if he is dead, remember positioning is in the frontline. You want to be baiting the enemy into dropping the damage on you instead of your dps teamates.

  • The tank team should move slowly enough to receive the heals and to be predictable. When retreating the tank group should move slower than the melee dps group, this is to draw attention and help the melee dps team escape easily.

  • Dont spread too much, as tank group you want to give the enemy an easy target so they choose to hit you instead of your allies.

  • Focus on your rotations. Dodge as little as possible because every second you are not using your support skills, your allies are receiving more damage.

  • Try to face your character towards your allies. Often the healing skills are applied in front of you so if you are facing the enemy your allies wont receive any heals. Instead if you are facing your allies you will maximize the healing.

  • DONT CHASE you are not going to kill anyone, and the enemy may take you away from your team in purpose, that is an strategy to take away a team's support.

  • If you are pulled, or pushed, or stuck, or get lost, or any other that makes you separate from your team, try to go back to them as fast as possible, you are tanky and you can resist some damage so use your defensive skills to cross the damage. The faster you regroup the more chances you and your team have to survive.

Other support PvP Examples

bottom of page