How to win at Warsong Gulch
by Michael Gray 
Jan 19th 2012 at 1:00PM
Warsong Gulch is one of the simpler Battlegrounds in terms of raw strategy. It's essentially Capture the Flag. Each team has a base, and a flag that sits in that base. Your team's goal is to grab the enemy's flag and return it to your base without losing your own flag. Do that, and you score. Score three times and you win.
When you pick up the flag, you can't mount or use certain effects without dropping the flag. Notably, druids and shaman can engage their travel forms while carrying the flag, making them speedy options for what's known as the flag carrier. (Speedy does not imply superior; we'll get into that later.) The longer the FC holds the flag, the more damage the FC will take from player attacks. When you kill an FC, the flag will temporarily sit on the ground, waiting for someone to pick it up. If the friendly team does so, the flag returns to base. If the enemy team does so, they now have a new FC.
There you go. Those are the basics.
How to kill or protect the flag carrier
From this basic description of how to play Warsong Gulch, it sounds like the flag carrier is a fairly important role. That's because it is. Most of the effort in Warsong Gulch comes down to trying to kill or protect the flag carrier.If you're protecting your flag carrier, you have a few guidelines to follow. If you can remove debuffs or heal the flag carrier, you want to do so. The entire enemy team is trying to kill this person; making sure the FC is healthy and hale goes a long way toward protecting him. Keep him clear of movement effects. When the enemy team swarms the FC, kill their healers if you can. If the enemy DPS is mowing your FC down too fast, you might need to use crowd control and other effects to stymie them.
If you're trying to kill the enemy flag carrier, start with movement reduction effects. Most permanent CC is broken when you do damage, and the whole point is to kill the FC. However, kill their healer first. If you don't kill the healer first, the FC will either receive heals and be nigh unkillable, or they'll plant the flag while you're trying to figure out what went wrong. Keep the movement reduction effects active on the FC so they can't get away, but do your best to kill that healer.
How to be the FC
If you are considering a career as the flag carrier in Warsong Gulch, you have a very difficult task ahead of you. Here's what you should keep in mind.
- Resilience You want as much resilience as you can get. No, tank gear doesn't count. No, being a druid doesn't automatically qualify you. If you're not sporting at least 25% damage reduction, then you don't have enough resilience. I have over 35% damage reduction, and I want more. You'll never, ever, ever have enough resilience as a flag carrier.
- Speed Speed is helpful, but it's useless if you get away from your protection. Yes, if you manage to sneak the flag all the way up the map, that's awesome. But when the enemy catches up with you, that speed is useless once they snare you. You need the protection of your team, and rocketing away from your healer is counterproductive.
- Self-reliance That being said, it's helpful if you can clear your own debuffs and keep yourself up long enough for a healer to get to you. There will be times seven enemies crawling up your healer's skirt, and nothing will save your life but getting out of town.
- Ability to kill This will sound a little crazy, but a flag carrier should be able to fight another player relatively one-on-one. If a rogue (it's always a rogue) surprises you by your lonesome, you need to be able to win that fight. If you can't, then you're better off supporting another FC. This is really just part of self-reliance, but it's important you understand that when you're FC, you're the quarterback.
- Good healing The difference between an OK flag carrier and an epic flag carrier rests solely in the hands of his healer. I run with a discipline priest whose amazing skills have carried us to many WSG victories. Work with your team quickly to find a good healer and marry them immediately; you're spending the rest of the match joined at the hip.
While every PvP match is different, here's the basic flow of what you can expect in most games.
- Gate opening When the gate opens, both teams will immediately rush en masse to the other flag. The people at the back of the zerg tend to hold back to engage the enemy team. Someone grabs the flag first, and then both zergs straightline back to their base. Conflict happens immediately.
- Sneaky flag grabbing Through the rest of the match, most flag grabs are accomplished when a small group of people (one to four, usually) sneak or slide into the flag room. You used to reliably be able to get the flag with only one person. Resilience or not, there's too much damage and CC in the game now for that to be a reality. Most flag grabbers are a pair.
- FC hiding If the flag grabbing team makes it back to their own base, they'll hide in a relatively defensible position. Most teams go to the roof (get to it through the tunnel) or the balcony overlooking the flag room. This gives you the ability to break line of sight and gives you room to get away if the enemy makes a good showing. Pets don't usually jump down from upper levels, at least not quickly.
If a game is running very close, the team in the lead often chooses to turtle up. This is a frustrating tactic, because it's really hard to grab the flag out from under a full team of players. But if they do turtle up, try to get your entire team to go into the flag room as a single zerg. It's your only hope.
In final analysis, Warsong Gulch is won or lost on the backs of the FC and the healers. Because of the small size of the groups, the importance placed on carrying the flag, and your ability to kill or defend an FC, healers can really make or break a game. In the words of the great masters, kill the healer.
Visit the WoW Rookie Guide for links to everything you need to get started as a new player, from how to control your character and camera angles when you're just starting out, to learning how to tank, getting up to speed for heroics and even how to win Tol Barad.Filed under: WoW Rookie
Reader Comments (Page 3 of 4)
Mawgren Jan 19th 2012 2:18PM
Thats funny everytime I play I end up wasting 30 minutes cause the team I'm on uses a different set of rules.
1)Please.... more fighting mid.
2) Zerg, by yourself, you can do it!
3) Never group up or assist the flag carrier.
4) Do not send heals to help offense get the flag back, EVER!
5) Everyone stay on D when the game is tied, especially when the other team just made last cap.
6) Sit as long as possible in graveyard once rezzed.
7) Flag carriers don't forget to mount up once you exit enemy base.
8) Focus on the flag carrier, that healer won't be able to keep up with your amazing dps.
9) Always attack what's been CC'd. Sheeped, sapped, hexed, you name it, that is your focus!
10) Do NOT protect your healers, but please yell over /bg "Can we get some REAL healz in heres!"
warcracknerd Jan 19th 2012 2:24PM
These days, whenever wsg or tp pops up in the random bg queue, more often than not I'll just /afk. I'd rather take the 15 min penalty than sit there for what more often than not ends up being a 25 minute turtle. I've done my time having hit exalted back when the matches were 3 hours long. Catch the flag bgs are now the bane of my pvp existance.
clundgren Jan 19th 2012 3:23PM
"...a 25 minute turtle."
Heh. Kids these days.
VSUReaper Jan 19th 2012 2:47PM
As an arms warrior, what I do when I go into the BG's, WSG especially, is take it easy during the zerg and wait for a healer to pop his head up.
Once I identify who the 2-3 healers are, I just tail them for the rest of the game. By myself, I will never be able to kill a healer, but I can put enough pressure on them to make life difficult.
On a few occasions, I have even been whispered after a bg by a healer that I was particularly annoying. :D
clundgren Jan 19th 2012 2:49PM
Good guide, but the big problem with random BGs is, of course, that the compositions will be wildly skewed, which makes any general guide problematic.
The most important thing you can do is at the start of a WSG, before the gates open. Go through the list of enemy names -- class and spec is indicated. Identify the healers and announce them, in all caps, to your side: "Their healers are HOLYPRIEST and RESTOLOL. Kill them first, always." You will be amazed what a difference this can make; there are always players who don't really know what is going on, and will seize on whatever direction they are given.
Secondly, the number of heals on each side will vary wildly, and so should your tactics. You have no healers? Stick together and try to zerge them down; if you get spread out you won't be able to bring their healers down fast enough. You have more healers? Keep one with the FC and one with the offence, and make two teams.
Finally, the power-ups are always the same for each location. Learn where the berserkers, heals, and speed boosts are located, and use them. I always start the match off with a berserker power-up, because most players don't even think to look for them.
Khirsah Jan 19th 2012 3:11PM
"there will always be players...who will sieze on whatever direction they are given."
This should be one of game loading screen "tips". It can not be emphasized enough, and holds true in every bg, raid, and dungeon.
If you have a winning strategy, share it with the group. If someone is doing the wrong thing, rather than telling them how much they suck, assume it is their first time and offer some tips.
Like Clundgren said, many players are just waiting for someone to tell them where to go and what to do. That advice might range from "kill the healer" to "rezzers go on offense" to "group up at the bottom of the tunnel and we'll all go in together."
If you are not saying those things, you can't be mad when they don't happen.
Well done on all points, Clundgren.
Berna Jan 20th 2012 7:00AM
"[T]here are always players who don't really know what is going on, and will seize on whatever direction they are given."
Me, for one. I'm only just getting started in PvP, so I'm always glad when someone seems to know what they are doing. ^^
WoWie Zowie Jan 19th 2012 3:09PM
One small bit to take on, and a specific scenario:
say your offense team simply cannot get that flag carrier down because he has heals galore.
He caps, your team complains about the imbalance of healers, etc.
My advice is, CC those healers, slow them, do whatever it takes to prevent them from getting far. You don't have to kill them. When that flag spawns you can run it out of there like a jackrabbit and back to your base to cap before the other team is even able to mobilize out of their base. If you can't burn through their heals, don't try to. Just leave them in the dust.
This has worked out for me on multiple occasions, it keeps the enemy flag carrier away from healers and capitalizes on their lack of dps (since they traded dps for healers).
The way around this, of course, is to split up heals. But then that just makes their flag carrier more vulnerable doesn't it =)
Also, do not underestimate a mage as a flag carrier. I, personally, get an occasional jibe from people who would prefer a prot-somethingorother take the flag instead. But we mages are extremely slippery and what we lack in armor we make up for in cc and blinks.
Pyromelter Jan 19th 2012 8:24PM
A frost mage can basically be a tank in PvP due to all the shields and damage mitigation. Blow a speed pot, get the speed power up, blink like crazy, plus mages can decurse themselves... oh and they can do a full cleanse with an iceblock macro.
/cancelaura Ice Block
/cast Ice Block
double tap that macro, make sure blink is off cooldown, then blink away from all those melee who you just left in the dust. Pure win.
WoWie Zowie Jan 20th 2012 9:09AM
better not try that if you are the flag carrier though
John Jan 19th 2012 3:12PM
This fairly explains how to do WSG in a basic manner. Definitely helpful.
I haven't PvP'd at level cap in a long time. The last time I did dedicated PvP was in Burning Crusade. in WotLK I did some pvp here and there, but as the patches went on, I did less and less.
I currently have myself a level 70(71? I forget /altoholic) survival hunter, rocking PvE heirlooms (and pvp shoulders/daggers) and very basic enchants. I've leveled him up mostly through PvP, and as a result, also have all possible level 70 PvP gear. Originally designed to be a twink killer, I ironically have almost become a twink myself...
That aside, I think it would be helpful to explain the possible pathways that a flag carrier can take on the way to their base.
Tunnel: This is commonly used by those who prefer speed over defense, and by pre-mount levels (nowadays, 10-19)--going straight down the middle. The benefit is that there is a 100% movement speed buff halfway down the tunnel. If you're a druid/shaman/rogue, or anyone with a speed increasing buff, this is generally where you would go. The downside to it is that it's one of the closer options to the enemy GY, meaning they'll be right on your tail if you time your escape poorly.
GY: Rarely do people take this path, mainly because it has no apparent benefits other than killing yourself due to bad timing on the enemy respawn. Perhaps the one benefit it does have is that, if you're lucky, you have a straight shot to your ramp, no funky turns or getting caught in corners.
Ramp: This is my personal favorite after people get mounts. The benefit is that it's farthest from the enemy graveyard, and rarely do the enemy flag carriers go up the ramp. Chances are you'll likely get 1 or 2 pursuers about halfway through the run, unless they really want you dead before securing their own flag carrier. Additionally, you are headed straight for your own GY. If you need backup, it's right ahead of you if you can run. Only downside is that if there's GY campers, or people come at you from the right angles, you could find yourself in a tight situation, stuck in a corner. But, like the tunnel path, if you can just get your way into your side's tunnel, there's a nice speed boost likely waiting for you to get you safely to a defensive position, or over to your flag to cap it.
That's my short summary of everything. Just remember, tunnel will give you a speed boost, the other options won't, despite having their own benefits and downsides. Tunnel isn't always the best option. Consider your paths!
Possum Jan 20th 2012 5:16AM
In my battlegroup it's actually somewhat common for Alliance to go GY.
Pazazu Jan 19th 2012 3:38PM
WSG is my favorite BG and I've played it a lot since vanilla, but I do not get why people think hiding on the roof is the best strategy for the FC. Sure, it FEELS secluded, but a quick check of the map will tell the enemy you're there. In all my years of running flags, I've never found a better strategy than simply parking myself on the capture point. The way the walls are shaped makes it quite easy to break LoS, but more importantly, any gains in survivability that the roof might offer are more than offset by the advantage of standing on the capture point. Namely that when your flag is returned you score, with no opportunity for someone to re-grab your flag out from under you and make a break for it.
ahsanali Jan 19th 2012 4:21PM
If the enemy FC is about to die then I run straight to our flag. Otherwise the roof is better because:
1) access to it is via an exposed ramp; your todos escort can put a dent in an attack on you before it even reaches you.
2) if you have knock back/mc support the roof is far more defensible.
3) after the efc is killed there are a few seconds before your flag reappears in your base and that is enough time to jump down from the roof.
Staying in the flag room used to make more sense when rezzers could run right back in there from the GY. With the change to the GY height it is now a less desirable spot.
Pyromelter Jan 19th 2012 8:12PM
the other advantage is that it's easier to run away from enemies from the roof than the flag room. If you are in the flag room, you have no where to go, but if you are up top, and the enemy chases you up there, you can drop down and then exit towards your graveyard, or even back up to the top again, and get out of LoS of the enemy players. That is a much more difficult thing to do if enemy players are pouring in from the tunnels.
Possum Jan 20th 2012 5:19AM
There is one entryway to the roof. There are four to the FR. That is one thing that stands out to me.
pr0gr4m Jan 19th 2012 5:56PM
Roof Discombobulation Strategy is great for those times when your O can't break their D. However, it requires a bit of communication/coordination.
When you've determined that you aren't going to be able to return your flag, have someone park themselves in position in the enemy flag room to pick up the flag...because you are going to drop it. When you drop it, the EFC is gonna make a beeline off the roof to try and cap. Here you need a DK, Mage, Druid or anyone with some sort of movement impairing ability to catch the EFC.
Your guy picks up the returned flag and now you may have the EFC out of position where you can burn him.
It's a dicey move but it's glorious when you can pull it off. I've been doing this since back in my Tribes days and it rocks.
Blayze Jan 20th 2012 5:48AM
Tribes ruled. :) Ascend might turn out great, try it out.
My Team Aerial Combat days make me long for the potential the jetpack and aircraft gave in PvP...
loli.gigis Jan 19th 2012 6:28PM
My favorite thing to do as a hpally is pvp and be the flag carrier. Not only do I have awesome self healing but I have the ability to get out of snares and such. Usually what we do is zerg the other team while I sneak past unnoticed, grab the flag and run back to our room quickly. This works most of the time too.
By the way don't be the d-bag that follows the flag carrier begging to be given it. I had that in Eye of the Storm last night and I wanted to kill him. I was on my mage and our side was effectively keeping the alliance busy in a big fight while about 5 of us kept the bases capped and were running the flag. I told him to stop being a d-bag and wait for the next one but he didn't want to listen and ended up not getting to carry a flag at all because he was too wrapped up in getting to carry that specific one.
Clinto Jan 19th 2012 7:43PM
What part of just fight on the Flags, is sooo hard to figure out.?