Catapult PvE strategies

[Bedroc the Hero]

I learned yesterday what should have been pretty obvious, that people are using catapults in PvE with great effect. I also understood that its difficult to pull of. Have you any experiance with this? how and where best to use it?

In Hibernia we have a place with LOTS of lvl 25 mobs ( dampwood mites in Innis ). Someone told me this was a great place for a catapult. I just didnt understand exactly how. It was something like:

1. someone ( using AoE debuff?? ) pull all the mites to one spot.
2. catapult man times a shot to that exact spot, killing most in one shot!
3. Clear up rest of the mobs. PBAE is important.

He also told me they where using catapult in Coruscating Mines ( highest dungeon next to DF in Hib ). I guess you have to use a different strategy when fighting mobs that dont die in the first shot.

So, what is your best catapult strategy? Is it worhtwhile?

 

[old.tRoG]

the only use for catapults is kobold tossing!

unless you're an albie, then you have nothing small enough to toss

which gets fixed in the xpac, damn whining albs, just because we beat you in the kobold tossing champoinships every year

 

[old.Biohazard]

This is how I think you should do it,
You take a level 50 character with a AE debuff spell, he agro's the mobs to attack him, then aim the catapult at this guy and the mobs and just fire

 

[Bedroc the Hero]

Ahhh nice! Thanks! Does champs in hib have aoe debuff? which classes have it?

 

[Bodzilla]

Had a high level bard AoE mezzing lots of mites, who then attack him when mez wears off, then a group of lvl 1-16 people dropping a cata stone ontop of all the mites.
Great fun

 

[old.tRoG]

ive got to try this catapult bizniz

hrm, what middie class gets ae debuffs? could get a high lvl healer, but it would be too boring waiting for thier mes to wear off so the mobs would go into a small group

*thinks up more devious plans*

we could set up a catapult in varuvlhamn and fire it into the lords room

they have a nice tight spawn around the table there...

 

[mele-nko]

Powerlvling

What u need is the following:

- High lvl puller with an not-damageing ae effect like ae mezz / ae root or ae debuff

- a nice big camp with fast spawming mobs, grey for the high lvl but purple for the char/chars u want to lvl.

- high quality trebuchete, the higher the mobs u want to attack the higher the quality u need, max lvl mobs should be no higher then 35 - 38


What u do is:
+Buy or let a crafter make u the trebuchete parts, u'll need atleast 2 ppl to carry the parts + ammo.
+The high lvl pulls some mobs with a nice ae effect so he gets aggro.
+the low lvl char shoots the trebuchete, all mobs should die in one hit


This will give u a couple of bubbles of exp a shot on low lvl, since u'll hit your exp cap on about 10 mobs at the same time. It's possible to become something like lvl 25 in a day.

 

[old.Iunliten]

Originally posted by Bedroc the Hero
Ahhh nice! Thanks! Does champs in hib have aoe debuff? which classes have it?

For hibernia:
Some eldritches and some enchanters.
Depend on how they are specced, ask them first.

Iunliten got it for sure, if you wanna test it sometime altough I am only 38. PM if you wanna set a date

 

[deadparrot]

A trebuchet will do 1000 dmg to lvl 20 mobs going to 200 dmg for lvl 50 stuff.

 

[-Wedge-]

I tried this on some mobs, (fellwoods in Sauvage), worked like a charm... (Those where about 20, and indeed 1000 damage on all the mobs, probably capped)

Anybody know how well this works on level 30 mobs? And anyone have a good spot in Albion where this would work?

We where thinking about Dunters, but they even damage a level 50 (and damage == no xp for the lowbie for that mob)...

Then again, we havent got many chars that need leveling atm...

My 'experiment' totally screwed up because I was doing it on my own with 2 PC's, but the puller didnt have woodworking to repair the trebuchet and neither did my low level... So I ended up logging between the puller & the repair char... But did this too slow, so trebuchet decayed after 2 or 3 shots...

Also do not forget, you need A trade skill (at 1 is enough) to even control a siege weapon... (I forgot this myself )

 

[old.Tohtori]

For classes in midgard, atleast a SM has an area depuff, dex i believe, and that might work like a charm. Unless the monsters bash the hell out of the lil and weak SM

[edit] Work like a charm DOES NOT mean that it works like a charm, just means it should bloody well work

 

[sendar]

trebs

from what i have done with em... their only really any good against lvl 25 mobs and under.
anything over that u just hurt em... and they dont like that hehehe the AE area is very large and u will get a lot of angry mobs after the 1 guy controlling it.

Good for lvling lowish lvl peeps. But not really much use for high-lvlers. unless u build a few of them... and fire at same time. Trebs are the biggest and most expencive siege weapons tho... a pain to carry and very very heavy. Dont forget the ammo too! unstackable and 5lbs each :/ Also can only buy ammo (cant craft) in benowyc (or other relams siege keep)... so if u run out of ammo... u have a hel-of-a long way to run to get more (correct me if im wrong).

What would be fun though would be multiple ballistae (the high lvl one, palintone I think) against the dragon or other high-lvl mob.... hmmmmmmmmmmm wana organise that for the next raid? I can bring one What u think?

 

[Gef]

Re: trebs

Originally posted by sendar
What would be fun though would be multiple ballistae (the high lvl one, palintone I think) against the dragon or other high-lvl mob.... hmmmmmmmmmmm wana organise that for the next raid? I can bring one What u think?

Oy that was my idea!

Anyone reckon getting a few of them and trying to nuke the tanglers is a good idea? They are what .. lvl 45ish?

 

[sendar]

palintone

palintones are not AE damage... they hit a specific target only.
12 gobs comming at you will swarm the operator and he wont last long.

Palintones have MASSIVE range, hit for 300 dam I hear and shoot every 8 secs. Used for single targets EG other siege equipment or single large mobs.

Im yet to play with one aimed at mobs... I think ill try as experiment soon to see what damage I get with mobs. (mobs and rvr have different damage systems it seems, notice how u do 70 dam to a lvl 50 mob, but 500 dam to a lvl 50 enemy? anyone know why this is?)

 

[Gef]

Nah I mean try a catapult on the tanglers .. high level ones .. about 3

 

[sendar]

hmmmm

3 trebs (the highest lvl cata) on tanglers.... I recon about 500 dam to each one....
wonder howmany hp's they have

cost alot tho just for a lil levling... may as well us ethe 3 grps of 8 used to carry em to hit the tanglers normally hehehehehe (trebs are about 80g each then + ammo) Although would not be half as fun.

 

[Bodzilla]

pygmys have about 750hp...the same damage that a treb does to them

 

[Gef]

Originally posted by Bodzilla
pygmys have about 750hp...the same damage that a treb does to them

You tested that theory? .. If so you could get some uber xp by just chain nuking the whole camp. Would need a full group to mop up the straglers .. gotta be worth a try tho

 

[-Wedge-]

Goblins have about 700-800HP, but a Trebuchet (highest level catapult) does not do 700 damage on level 44's, you'll do about 200 damage on them... Or at least thats what I read (would be a bit expensive to try out, imho )... You'll need about 3-4 of them and need a theurgist to do pet pulls AND fire at the same time, the firing time is about 30 seconds for a trebuchet...

Would allow leveling of any non-wizard class up to level 44... Dont think it'll work though...

Arent there any 'low-level' goblins?
(e.g. something that spawns so freaking fast)

 

[1Jesta]

Our guild tried this about a month ago.
L50 NS pulling dampwood mites near innis, then all of us in a grp with our ickle alts catapulted them.

They a) didnt die in 1 shot
b) we got really crap exp
c) when they didnt die, they came after us and wiped us out

hehe , was fun tho.

If it does work since patch, we shall give it another go, but like I sais, a month ago we did it exactly by the book and it didnt work.

 

[case-rigantis]

this sounds like loads of fun anyhoo...give me shout if you need a hand carrying or paying for parts i`d love to see this in action at tanglers even if we do die really fast

 

[-Wedge-]

Make sure that what ever the puller is pulling does not damage the puller...

If the puller gets damaged, that mob gives crap XP... The mob has to die in 1 blow... Or it'll whipe the catapulters...

But if both are ok (e.g. doesnt damage the puller and dies in 1 blow), then it can be both fun and good XP...