PVK STRATEGY GUIDE (version 1.0)

A Guide to Pirates, Vikings and Knights Beta 2.1,
A modification for Half-Life, by Valve and Sierra Studios

Written and Compiled by - The Hyper Duck
Email Address - american_mcge69@yahoo.com

Special Thanks To:

-The PVKTEAM for creating PVK in the first place
-The staff of http://www.pvkmod.org for keeping the PVK community going
-[99% Vol.]MahaTmA GhAndi for providing several strategies
-Blue Chicken for editing this long LONG strategy guide (added by Blue Chicken) :-D
-The PVK:MM Team for promising to deliver what looks like a superb successor to PVK

I. Introduction
A- About the strategy
II. General Strategies
A- About General Strategies
B- Dodging
C- Aiming - Where to aim
D- Dealing with Heavy Knights
E- Watch their health
F- Stick together
*NOTE - These character profiles are very in depth*
III. Pirates
A- Pirate Captain
B- Sniper Pirate
C- Skirmish Pirate
IV. Vikings
A- Axe Viking
B- Spear Viking
C- Berserker Viking
V. Knights
A- Man-At-Arms
B- Heavy Knight
C- Bowman
VI. Legal Crap
A- Contact
B- Want to link this?


I. *INTRODUCTION*

A - Arrr!
Welcome to the world of PVK! I compiled this guide because, currently, there are no other extensive guides to PVK anywhere out there - until now, obviously. There's been many new people trying out PVK recently, so hopefully they will find this document helpful! It contains countless strategies for the mod, all of which have been tested by the author, and found to be quite effective. So whether you're new or you've been playing god-only-knows-how long, there's sure to be some new things in here to learn.
Please note, this guide is NOT complete. I've tried to make it as thorough as possible, but I'm still human, and there's bound to be mistakes here or there. Also, there's undoubtedly many strategies that I don't know about (or haven't mentioned). If you've got something you think I might be able to use, send it to me at american_mcge69@yahoo.com . Likewise, you can send questions, concerns, or notify me of mistakes at the same address.

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II. *GENERAL STRATEGIES*

A- To be quite honest, there aren't a whole lot of general strategies for PVK. Since the classes are all so different, it's very difficult to apply one strategy to every group in the game. Regardless, there are a few things that you should ALWAYS keep in mind, no matter what class you are or who you're dealing with. If you need strategies for a specific class, look in the class-specific sections.

B---What the hell is he doing?-- [strategy by [99% Vol.]MahaTmA GhAndi]
Try to be creative when selecting ways of attacking your enemy: zig-zag, jump, duck and walk in one big muddle. This is especially effective against archers and to some extent sniper pirates, since they'll never know what to do next.

Author's Comments: Unpredictability, indeed, is one of the most important things to keep in mind when playing PVK, but especially when you're one of the faster classes. By moving around randomly, and bouncing, you'll be MUCH harder to hit with ranged weaponry. This is by far the best way to avoid ranged fire as a pirate or other fast class.

---Patterns: They ain't just for quilting anymore-- [strategy by [99% Vol.]MahaTmA GhAndi]

Learn quickly to see patterns in your enemies movement, as these might reveal his next move.

Author's Comments: This ties in with the previous strategy. If your enemy is being predictable by following a certain pattern of attack, take advantage of it and hit them when they move into a vulnerable position. This is especially important when facing heavy, slow opponents, such as Heavy Knights and Axe Vikings. Look for openings between sword/axe swings, then run in quickly, hit them, and back out of range before they can retaliate.

C---Linearity Ahoy-- [strategy by [99% Vol.]MahaTmA GhAndi]

Unless your enemy is coming straight for you, don't hit their model, hit where they are going to be in one tenth of a second. This is due to PVK not having lag compensation.
Author's Comments: Lag is especially important in PVK, perhaps more-so than in mods that focus on ranged fighting. Since there is no lag compensation, you can literally follow someone, repeatedly swinging at their back, but never actually hit them. Even more importantly, ranged weaponry is a lot trickier than in other mods - especially the non-hit scan weapons such as bows and javelins. Aim where your opponent WILL be, not where he is when you throw.

D---Clash of the Titans-- [strategy by [99% vol.]MahaTmA GhAndi]

Never, EVER charge directly into a HKs sword, he will kill you in an instant, instead, try to get behind him and leap away after 1 to 2 hits. He will be confused and you will have a greater chance of surviving.

Author's Comments: There are certain classes in this game that people really don't like taking on. The Heavy Knight is the most obvious example, and Ghandi has outlined the most effective strategy for dealing with them as any class. Other classes, such as the Viking - Spear man and Berserker are also quite difficult to deal with in a one-on-one situation. See the class-specific sections for details on how to deal with certain classes.

E---Health Pop-Ups-- [strategy by [99% vol.]MahaTmA GhAndi]

One of the most handy features in PVK is the health status reports that pop-up in the center of your screen when your crosshair is centered on another player. These things are EXTREMELY invaluable to you. Take note of your opponent's health before attacking them. Are they healthy? You might want to try a powerful weapon, or a ranged one. Are they nearing death? If so, take out a quick weapon that sacrifices power for speed. If you can learn to use health pop-ups to your advantage, you will instantly become a much more effective PVKer.

F---There's no "I" in Team--

Many players are tempted to run off alone and do their own thing as soon as they start. This isn't always a good idea, especially if you're dealing with a well-organized or skilled opponent. Stick with your teammates - you'll be exponentially more effective. Having even just one partner doubles your chances of coming out victorious. Try out combinations of classes to see how they fare in defensive and offensive situations.

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III. PIRATES

A- PIRATE CAPTAIN

Speed - Fast
Max HP - 100
Weapons - Cutlass, Blunderbust, Parrot & Hook
Offense/Defense - Both, although best at offense

--General Information--
The Pirate Captain is arguably the most difficult of the pirate classes to use. But few things can stop a skilled Captain. Like the other pirate classes, his speed gives him a major advantage over the other teams. His high speed lets him escape pursuing foes with relative ease, and believe me, you will need to escape frequently. The Captain also has an unfortunate impairment in his jump height. He can't jump as high as most other classes (I assume having a pegleg would hinder jumping somewhat), so you may find yourself having trouble getting up into places that are easily reachable to other characters.

GENERAL STRATEGIES

* /run coward.exe The Captain isn't a tank. He's more powerful than the other pirates, but by no means will you be able to take on a bunch of heavy knights or berserkers and hope to survive, unless you REALLY know what you're doing. If you notice yourself running low on health, don't be ashamed to run off and grab some food. Remember, you're quick, so it shouldn't be too hard to escape.

* Boing
As with most other quick classes, it's a good idea to jump, weave, and just move erratically to avoid ranged attacks. Bouncing around may make you look like an idiot, but it makes it exponentially harder for anyone to get a bead on you. Also, by constantly jumping, you will gain a marginal amount of speed, in addition to being hard to target.

* The Fire Ant Tactic Pirates work best in groups. Stay with your team, and swarm powerful enemies like a colony of fire ants. Not even the best heavy knight can hope to stand up to 4 pirates hacking away at their armor with cutlasses. This is especially true of the Captain and Skirmisher.

WEAPON STRATEGIES

BLUNDERBUST Damage - Depends on range. Very high at point blank range, very low at anything beyond 20 feet. Maximum Ammunition - 50 rounds

The Blunderbust is the most powerful tool in the Captain's arsenal. Unfortunately, it's also the trickiest to use. The Blunderbust functions like a shotgun. It's ridiculously powerful at close range - it'll turn almost anyone into a smear with one good shot, and even if it doesn't kill them outright it'll leave them knocking on death's door. But as distance increases, power decreases considerably. Don't waste ammo firing at people from 10 feet away, it's really not worth the effort. An exception to this is if someone is visibly in the "Near Death" health range - even a blast from 30 feet away can flatten them if you're lucky.

A major mistake people make with the blunderbust is to use it while sidestepping. This is a big no-no: it's much, much harder to hit anything while you're moving side to side. If you're lucky you might graze them, but chances are you'll miss completely. Try to line up your shot to the best of your ability. Lure them into a straight-out rush at you, and give them a face full of buckshot. This is especially useful against Spear Vikings that foolishly decide to charge at you. When they get close, let loose a hail of gunpowder right in their face.

Reloading the blunderbust is a chore, like many of the ranged weapons in PVK. It takes a good 3 or 4 seconds to reload, and while reloading you cannot move at all. 3 seconds is more than enough time for someone to turn you into a red stain on the grass. For this reason, it is ESSENTIAL that you find a secluded area to stuff your barrel in. Don't reload your gun unless you're absolutely sure that there is no one who can reach you before you finish, or hit you at long range while you're immobile. If you do notice someone coming at you or lining up a shot, don't hesitate to switch weapons and beat feet to safer ground.

CUTLASS
Damage - Medium
Maximum Ammunition - No ammo needed

The Cutlass is the Captain's fallback melee weapon. It's not impressively strong, but it is quick and fully capable of taking down even powerful enemies.

You should have this weapon out most of the time. Since the blunderbust is often in need of reloading, and the parrot is hardly a reliable weapon, the cutlass will be your best friend. The cutlass can attack rapidly, and can easily land several hits per second. It is THE best weapon to use against classes with no truly effective close-range weapon, such as Bowmen. It's also great for finishing off people that you've managed to weaken with a blunderbust shot.

Remember though, the cutlass isn't some sort of uber weapon. It's a fallback weapon, and you should not attack anyone with full health, especially if they are one of the heavy classes (berserker, heavy knight). Running into an enemy spawn swinging this thing around like an idiot will result in a rather hasty death. Use it to finish off weakened enemies, or against poorly armored opponents such as Archers. And never, NEVER use this against a Spear Viking who is sober. Unless you're really good and the Spear Viking is incredibly incompetent, he will jab you to death before you can let out a profanity.

This weapon is just not suited to dealing with Spear Vikings, due to its poor reach and the spear's contrasting long reach. If you do want to try your luck against one, suddenly duck when you get near the spearman and castrate the sucker.

The cutlass is most effective when you're in a group of allies. Skirmishers are your best friends - stick together. You're both very quick classes, and you can easily swarm anyone foolish enough to attack if you're in a group of 3, or even 2. Simply run circles around the enemy with your ally, beating the poor sap to a pulp with your blades. Rinse and repeat.

If you're using the cutlass, treat your enemy like a bull in a Spanish bullfight. That is, get him to run at you (or you can run at him), and then dodge his attacks while giving him a good whack with your sword. Here's how:

1) Run at the enemy. Or, have him run at you.
2) When you get close to him (or he gets close to you), duck and whack him once.
3) Get behind him and whack him some more before he can react.

The ducking serves as a dodging mechanism. This is a VERY effective method of attack, often working well even on Spear Vikings if you're quick enough. Be sure to use it every chance you can, because I've found it to be very useful, considering how easy it is to do.

PARROT AND HOOK
Damage - Low (Parrot), Low (Hook)
Maximum Ammunition - 1 Parrot, No ammo needed for hook

The parrot is often overlooked as a "goof-around" weapon with little use other than to irritate opponents. This is a myth, plain and simple. The parrot, though weak, is incredibly effective in certain situations.

The first mistake people make with the parrot is to just whip the thing out and direct it at the first enemy they see, regardless of the enemy's condition. This simply will not work. Unless the target is completely oblivious to your presence, the poor bird will probably not get much more than two hits in before exploding into a mess of red goo. Let me reiterate - DO NOT USE THE PARROT AGAINST PEOPLE WITH HEALTH ABOVE THE "Badly Injured" RANGE. The parrot simply will not be able to do enough damage before getting whacked.

The parrot is only effective when paired with another weapon, especially the blunderbust. Let off a blunderbust shot in someone's face. If it doesn't kill them, it will leave them with around 10 HP. Chances are they'll try to escape at this point. Take out your parrot, and sick the rabid bird onto the hapless enemy. The parrot might not survive, but all it will need to do is get in a few hits to take down your target for good. Remember, you can call back your parrot if he's missed the target.

Another strategy is to let out the parrot to distract your opponent. While he's busy trying to whack the crackers out of Polly, you can jab your blunderbust right into his spine and give him a great big cup of extreme pain. Note that this idea, though effective, often results in your parrot's rapid death.

Another myth about the parrot is that you cannot get another one once Polly has gone to the big pirate ship in the sky. If you leave your active weapon as the parrot (although you'll only have the hook), then a new parrot will come back to you in 15 to 20 seconds. Please note that you do NOT have to clamp down on the primary fire button with some sort of vice-grip for the parrot to return to you. You only need to press it ONCE, when the 15 second time limit has gone by.

And then there's the hook. What can I say? It's a hook. It's not strong, but it is quick. The hook makes a nice match with the parrot, because like your feathered friend, it's only effective against badly damaged opponents. If you manage to weaken someone enough, don't be afraid to take out your hook and give them a good...uh...hooking. The parrot can take a while to find and lock on to your target, while the hook can be used immediately. The cutlass is probably a better choice than the hook, though.

HOW TO DEAL WITH PIRATE CAPTAINS

-Axe Viking vs. Pirate Captain- You're a lot slower than the Cap'n, so you'll need to be wary. If his blunderbust is loaded, take out your shield, and go into a defensive position. This is your absolute best defense against the blunderbust. You can try to avoid its blast by jumping, but since Axe Vikings are slow, you'll get hit anyway if the Captain knows what he's doing. Once his gun is unloaded, use your sword to beat him to death. If the Captain comes running at you with his cutlass swinging, use your big axe's secondary swing to hit a home run.

-Spear Viking vs. Pirate Captain- This is easy. The only thing the captain has that has much hope of touching you is the blunderbust. You can try to dodge it by jumping or zig-zagging, or just take out your shield and try to cushion the blast. Once his blunderbust is empty, he's no threat at all. Use your spear to jab the crud out of him when he tries to attack you with his cutlass. If he flees, use your charge to flatten him from behind. Also, if you're lucky enough to see a Captain reloading his musket, take out your javelin and air mail him a present.

-Berserker vs. Pirate Captain- This can be a little tough, especially if you're weak from using the berserk command. If you're dealing with a lone Captain, don't bother berserking. To dodge his blunderbust, you'll need to jump, duck, and zig-zag, because you don't have a shield to block it. Your high HP should save you from getting hurt too bad by it, though. Once he's emptied his gun, use your dual axes to hack the crud out of him. If he flees, you might have to berserk to catch up to him.

-Man-at-Arms vs. Pirate Captain- Dodging the blunderbust can be tough, because Men-at-Arms aren't that fast. Jump around a lot to throw his aim off. You'll probably get grazed by his shot, but you'll hopefully survive. For cutlass- happy Captains, use your mace to bash their skull in. Also, if you see a Captain reloading his gun, use your crossbow to pick him off at a distance.

-Heavy Knight vs. Pirate Captain- The only weapon he has that can hope to hurt you at all is the blunderbust. If you're healthy, take out your shield and go into the defensive stance to partially block his shot. After that, take out your two-handed sword and use the secondary swing to kill him. If a Captain is stupid enough to run at you with only his cutlass, use the secondary swing to knock some sense into him.

-Bowman vs. Pirate Captain- Keep your distance for as long as possible and try to hit him with your bow. Remember, his weapons are useless until he gets fairly close to you. If he sends his parrot after you, switch to the short sword and whack it. Your speed should make it fairly easy to avoid his blunderbust blast if he gets in close. If he DOES get in your face, all you can do is take out your short sword and have a sword duel with him. There's really no trick to sword fights with the Captain - just try to beat him in before he beats you in.

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B- SNIPER PIRATE

Speed - Fast
Max HP - 100
Weapons - Marksman's Musket, Flintlock, Dagger
Offense/Defense - Excels at defense, but makes good offensive support

--General Information--

The Sniper Pirate is the lone wolf of the Pirate team. While the Skirmisher and Captain work best in groups, the Sniper Pirate is fully capable of going off on his own and doing considerable damage. He's quick, and he has the most accurate, powerful ranged weapon in the game. There's a few things you'll need if you want to be a good sniper though. First, you'll need a good connection. It doesn't matter how good you are if your ping is 500. To be very effective, you'll need a ping of at the very most 170, although lower is much better. The second thing you'll need is good aim. Unfortunately, I can't give you either of these things.

GENERAL STRATEGIES

* "Reload Faster, Damn You!" The musket takes FOREVER to reload. It's a great weapon, but it just takes a very, very long time to re-arm. Nearly 3 times as long as the Captain's blunderbust, actually. You HAVE to find a good place to hide and reload your musket. If you stand out in the middle of an open field while reloading like an idiot, then don't be surprised if an archer spots you and plants an arrow in your forehead. This is the only time where a Sniper Pirate truly needs his team members. If you can get even one ally to distract anyone who might attack you, it really is quite helpful.

* Cowardice Ahoy! The Sniper Pirate is, without contest, the WORST melee fighter in the entire game. His only melee weapon is basically a glorified letter opener. If your musket and pistols have empty chambers, you shouldn't hesitate to flee the scene. The dagger, although effective against severely weakened foes, is worthless against anyone who knows what they're doing. He who fights and runs away, lives to fight another day!

* Crow's Nest Campers, as a general rule, are drawn to sniper-type classes. For you campers out there, find a good place to plant yourself. Roofs are the best sniper nests, but pretty much any area where you get a good view of a large region will do. Areas that give you a height advantage are also a great place to set up the old RV. As a rule of thumb, find a place that people frequently pass, but don't immediately think to check when they go by.

WEAPON STRATEGIES

MARKSMAN'S MUSKET
Damage - Very High
Maximum Ammunition - 50 rounds

The musket, or "sniper rifle" as it is often called, is THE most accurate weapon in the game. It packs a ridiculous punch, generally smearing even Heavy Knights with one shot. Unfortunately, you'll need good aim if you want to hit people with any sort of frequency.

First off, the musket is powerful. REALLY powerful. I'm talking "Jesus tapdancing Christ that hurt" powerful. If you hit someone above the belt, they're almost definitely dead. And if they're not, they're extremely close to being so. But you need to line up your shots right, because chances are you're not going to be able to get a second shot off before they notice you and knock you off your perch. Remember, the musket is a hitscan weapon. This means that as soon as the trigger is fired, anything in the crosshair is going to be a red splat. You don't need to lead your shots as you would with one of the arrow-firing weapons. Also, gravity is not a factor with the musket.

Now that you know a bit about the musket, it's time to put that knowledge to use. Don't fire at people moving erratically, you will almost certainly miss. Save your ammo for people moving perpendicular to the end of your barrel, or for people stupid enough to run right at you. For the love of God, remember to ready your gun (by pressing secondary fire) before you shoot at something.

The musket is very inaccurate when it isn't readied. But it isn't completely useless. If someone's right in your face and you don't have time to switch to your pistol, just empty the barrel into their jugular. If you're lucky you'll cream them, or at the very least distract them.

Reloading this thing is a pain in the ass, quite frankly. As mentioned before, it takes a very long time to reload. You need to find a secluded area, or failing that, an area where there's enough stuff going on to keep anyone who might attack you busy.

FLINTLOCK Damage - Medium to High, depending on where you hit Maximum Ammunition - 24 rounds

The flintlock, contrasting with the musket, is very inaccurate. It's pretty much useless at anything beyond 10 feet, and if you do hit anything beyond that range, luck is probably the major factor at work. It is actually quite strong, especially if you manage to plonk a shot into someone's head. The main problem is using it correctly. Because if you don't use it right, you'll never hit anything.

Primarily, remember that the flintlock is a back-up weapon and should really only be used if your musket needs to be reloaded. Unlike the other firearms, you can get off 6 shots before you need to reload, and you can also walk around while reloading. The accuracy of the flintlock does not seem to be affected by moving or jumping, so feel free to backpedal or bounce around like a rabbit when using it.

Next, people moving side-to-side are VERY hard to hit with the flintlock. Wait until they stop zig-zagging if you want to have a reasonable chance at hitting them. If they don't stop, keep backpedalling and lure them through a narrow doorway or hall where they'll be easy pickin's. Remember, as soon as you fire a musket shot, this should be the first weapon you take out (unless you're camping up on a roof somewhere). Also, remember that as a Sniper Pirate, you're pretty much faster than every other class. This means you can safely backpedal and let them follow you around with little chance of them hitting you with a melee blow.

Fully reloading the flintlock takes a long time, but you can move while doing so. This means you don't need to run off and find a hidey-hole to reload in. You can just as easily stay where you are and run around to dodge enemy attacks.

DAGGER
Damage - Low
Maximum Ammunition - No ammo needed

The dagger, or "butter knife" as it is often referred to, is really a rather pathetic weapon. Of course, it's supposed to be. But honestly, you just shouldn't use this unless you absolutely have to. It's quick, I'll grant it that, but it is completely useless against foes with full health. The dagger is, however, surprisingly helpful in some situations.

The musket and flintlocks are both good weapons, but they have drawbacks. The musket can only be used once before requiring a very long reload phase, and the flintlocks are horridly inaccurate. The dagger, on the other hand, doesn't need to be reloaded, and is 100% accurate.

So when is it useful? Let's say you hit someone with a musket shot, and they're left hanging with a few HP. If they're fairly close to you, whip out the dagger and give them a good poking. Keep in mind that if you're dealing with a class such as a Spear Viking or Heavy Knight, with powerful long-reach melee weapons, there's still a good chance of you getting caked onto the pavement. This is why the dagger works best against classes such as Axe Vikings, who really have no fast melee weapons.

And for God's sake, don't run at anyone with this thing out if they aren't severely battered. Unless you're just doing it for laughs or something. If you DO manage to kill a heavy knight or berserker at full health with this thing, you deserve a medal.

HOW TO DEAL WITH SNIPER PIRATES

-Axe Viking vs. Sniper Pirate- The sniper is one of your most dangerous opponents. If you're far away from him, and you see him aiming at you, either get out of his view, or take out your shield and defend. You'll be easy to hit, but you won't get creamed. Alternatively, you can huck a few throwing axes at him to distract him or get him to back down. Up close and personal, watch out for his flintlock - a few good hits and you're gone. Use your throwing axes - snipers are fast, and you probably won't catch them with your melee weapons. It's unlikely that the sniper will run at you with his dagger, but if he does, use one of your melee weapons to clean his clock.

-Spear Viking vs. Sniper Pirate- This isn't too tough. The spear is an anti-pirate weapon, so get in close and use it to jab him to death. The spear's high range should make up for the fact that he's faster than you. On the other hand, if he's far away from you, you're in a rather tricky position. You might be tempted to hit him with your javelin, but I recommend against this. Remember that when using the javelin, you can only run forward or backward. This makes you really easy to hit with a sniper rifle. Instead, you should jump around and zig-zag to try and dodge the musket. Of course, if you spot a sniper reloading, toss a javelin his way to weaken him up.

-Berserker vs. Sniper Pirate- I wouldn't bother berserking unless you're dealing with a group of pirates. Your only defense against the sniper musket is to act erratically to avoid the shot. When you close the distance between him and yourself, you'll probably have trouble hitting him (due to your slow speed and all). Jump to avoid his flintlock shots, and use your axes to hit him. If he's backpedalling and you can't seem to catch him, use your berserk as a last resort to snag the bugger.

-Man-at-Arms vs. Sniper Pirate- Crossbow! A sniper who is reloading, or aiming at something is basically immobile. If he hasn't seen you, then use your crossbow to pick him off at a distance. In melee fights, jump to avoid his flintlock or musket, and use your flail to whack him good. Chances he'll be trying to run from you, so the flail is your best choice here. If he comes at you with the dagger, use whatever melee weapon you want to knock some sense into him.

-Heavy Knight vs. Sniper Pirate- Ack! The Heavy Knight's most dangerous opponent on the pirate team is the sniper. Since you're so slow, don't even bother trying to jump around and avoid his fire. Instead, take out the shield and crouch. If you are at full health, you'll probably survive with about 60 HP to spare. It's very hard to get in close to a sniper, because of your slow speed. Use your two-handed sword's secondary swing to swat him at any opportunity. If he runs away, you should probably forget about him - you won't catch up.

-Bowman vs. Sniper Pirate- This it the battle of the ranged weapon kings. Whatever you do, don't start charging your arrow while he's aiming at you. By powering up your arrow, you'll move slowly and be a lot easier to hit. Instead, jump around to dodge the musket shot, and then pick him off with arrows. If you're close enough, you can also use your short sword - he doesn't have any melee weapons that can stand up to it.

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C- SKIRMISH PIRATE

Speed - Very Fast
Max HP - 100
Weapons - Powder Keg, Flintlock, Cutlass
Offense/Defense - Offense

--General Information--

The Skirmisher is often called a newbie class, for little reason other than the fact that he has a powder keg. Granted, the powder keg can be lame at times, but that is the fault of the player. The Skirmisher is the fastest class in the game. Fast enough that he can easily run circles around anyone else, and can escape quite quickly if the battle isn't leaning to his side. As with the Captain, Skirmishers work best in groups. However, this is more true for Skirmishers than any other class in the game.

GENERAL STRATEGIES

* Safety in Numbers The Skirmish Pirate is not the kind of class you should pick if you like to run off and do your own thing. Skirmishers are most effective in groups of 2 or 3. It's not entirely impossible to be a lone Skirmisher and do fairly well, but they just do better in groups. If you run across a group of Knights or Vikings when you're alone, there's not much you can do except run (if you don't have your powder keg...). If you're in a group, you can work together with your allies to take down the big guys (heavy knights, berserkers) first, and then pick apart the riff-raff.

* "Kegger!" A kegger is someone who takes out the powder keg as soon as they spawn, and blows the first thing they see into bite-size kibbles. This is not something you want to be. People will hate you. Not only that, the smarter people will eventually figure out how to hide from your blasts, causing you to waste your keg or worse yet, blow yourself up entirely. To prevent this, save your keg for when it really is useful. For instance, if you see a big group of knights or vikings having a brawl, light the fuse and greet them all with some fireworks. Remember, a keg is pretty much wasted if you don't blow up at least two people.

* "With a glass of water on the side for dippin'..." Don't be predictable. What this means is, don't run in a straight line directly at your enemies. This might seem obvious, but it's especially true with Skirmishers. First off, your low armor and health will result in death if you ignore this strategy. Use your speed to your advantage. Jump, weave, duck, suddenly reverse direction, just do stuff that people wouldn't expect. This will make you much harder to target, and allow you to get close enough to the bewildered opponent to clock him in the head with your cutlass.

WEAPON STRATEGIES

POWDER KEG Damage - Depends on distance from blast. Universally lethal at the detonation point, relatively low at 20 feet away. Maximum Ammunition - 1 keg per spawn. Once you use it, you can't get another one back until you are killed.

The powder keg is one of the most controversial weapons in PVK. It has ridiculous power, capable of taking out entire hordes of enemies with one well-placed toss. However, you only get one of these for every death, so you need to use it right. Regardless, many people dismiss it as a lamer weapon. While it does have the capacity to be a very lame tool, it also has the capacity to be a legitimate weapon.

First of all, you need to find the right time to use it. Many people act like suicide bombers on a caffeine high and blow up the first thing that moves, often disembowling themselves in the process. This is the WRONG way to use the powder keg. Here are two scenarios. Read them both, and come to your own conclusion as to which is the most effective method.

Scenario A
Mr. Skirmish Pirate is going for a walk and he sees a lone archer in the distance. Having had a very large cup of coffee that morning, Mr. Skirmisher catches up to the archer and takes out his powder keg. Seeing the imminent danger, the archer tries to run but can't escape. Mr. Skirmisher lights the fuse and they both get turned into a shower of miscellaneous body parts and fluids.

Scenario B
Mr. Skirmish Pirate is going for a walk and he sees a lone archer in the distance. Being a sneaky bastard, Mr. Skirmisher follows the archer for a while until the archer comes upon a large gathering of Vikings and Knights beating the crud out of each other. The archer joins in the brawl. Meanwhile, Mr. Skirmisher lights his keg in the distance, and then throws it at the brawl. Everyone explodes, while Mr. Skirmisher pulls out his umbrella to protect himself from the sudden red-colored rain.

Now then, which scenario put the keg to better use? I'll give you a hint - it's not A.

As the two scenarios outlined, the keg is best at cleaning house, not at one-on-one combat. Think of it like the MIRV grenades in TFC - it's a waste to use it on one person. Instead, save it for when you see a large group of people who are too busy hacking at each other to notice you. Happy New Years!

Suicide kegging is another issue that comes up. Suicide kegging is when you blow yourself up, and try to take down as many people as possible. By doing this, you'll have pretty much a constant supply of kegs, although your score will suffer. Please avoid suicide kegging. Do it for the starving Ethiopian children. It's lame and has little purpose other than to irritate the rest of the people playing with you.

FLINTLOCK Damage - Medium to High, depending on where you hit Maximum Ammunition - 24 rounds

The Flintlock is the only ranged weapon in the Skirmisher's arsenal, excluding the keg of course. It functions exactly the same as the Sniper's flintlock, but due to differences in the Skirmisher's style of play, it should be used differently.

It's still horribly inaccurate. But whereas the Sniper is best using the flintlock defensively, the Skirmisher should use the flintlock offensively. This means that backpedalling while firing isn't as necessary as it is for a sniper. Instead, run right up to the target, pull the trigger in his face, and then retreat when the poor sap realizes what's going on. Rinse and repeat. This makes the flintlock extremely effective.

As with the sniper, don't fire at people bouncing around or moving from side to side. The odds of you hitting them are simply not that good. Instead, use the flintlock against slower classes (heavy knights, axe vikings), and save the cutlass for faster targets.

Reloading the flintlocks is the same as with the sniper. It takes a while to reload, but you can move while doing so. Use your mobility to your advantage, and bounce around to avoid enemy attacks. Chances are, even skilled archers won't be able to hit you if you're unpredictable enough.

CUTLASS
Damage - Medium
Maximum Ammunition - No ammo needed

Unlike the Captain, the cutlass is the Skirmisher's PRIMARY weapon. This means that you should have it out most of the time. Since you're faster than the Captain, and can jump higher, you should have no trouble running circles around your target and pummelling the organ juices out of them.

The cutlass is quick. Easily the quickest weapon available to the Skirmisher. It's not too strong, but the fact that it's quick means you can take down even strong enemies in a few seconds. That having been said, use the cutlass' speed and your speed together to your best advantage. Here is one of the most effective ways to use the cutlass, outlined into steps:

1) Get up close to your enemy. Use your speed to your advantage, and bounce/zig-zag/act unpredictably to get close enough to hit them with your cutlass.
2) Run circles around them while swinging the cutlass. If you're dealing with a heavy knight or a spear viking this might be hard to do, but if you're fast enough, not even the best opponent will be able to target you properly. A good 4 or 5 whacks should take down most targets.

A feature of the Skirmisher's cutlass that is absent for the Captain is the ability to lunge. By pressing secondary fire, you will leap a short distance in the direction you're facing, essentially lunging with your sword. A successful lunge attack does more damage than a regular hit, but it's also a lot harder to hit anything with a lunge since you need to time it perfectly. PVK doesn't have a very large margin of error for detecting successful lunge connections.

The lunge should only be used in certain situations. Most importantly, DON'T USE THE LUNGE TO AVOID RANGED FIRE. It might seem like a quick way to dodge that arrow or javelin, but it often gets you into more trouble than it's worth. When you lunge, you are forced in one direction, making your path very easy to predict for anyone targetting you. All the attacker has to do is aim where you'll be at the end of the lunge to hit you. In fact, it's probably a good idea to not use the lunge on anyone with a ranged weapon out.

Instead, save the lunge for dealing with slower enemies. It works especially well on axe vikings or heavy knights, since their weapons are slow and can be avoided relatively easily. The extra damage dealt by a lunge may also mean the difference between surviving a fight and getting impaled.

HOW TO DEAL WITH SKIRMISH PIRATES

-Axe Viking vs. Skirmish Pirate- For God's sake, watch out for kegs. If he takes out his keg, find some cover before it goes off. If you find yourself unable to find any place to avoid the blast, get as far away as you can and take out your shield. It will protect you somewhat from the explosion, but if you're really close you'll still get blasted. In melee fights, use your big axe's secondary swing to whack him when he comes in to get you with the cutlass. Throwing axes also work nicely if the skirmisher is trying to keep his distance from you.

-Spear Viking vs. Skirmish Pirate- Easy. Once again, avoid the keg. Take cover, or failing that, get far away and cushion the damage with your shield. Up close, use the spear's superior range to fix the skirmisher's little red wagon. Be careful, the skirmisher is fast and might take you by surprise. Use your charge to catch up to him if he tries to retreat.

-Berserker vs. Skirmish Pirate- Your HP will let you survive a keg blast if you're a reasonable distance from it. If you DO see a skirmisher take out his keg, go into berserk mode and kill him before he can drop it. Use your dual axes to kill him quickly. When dealing with a kegless skirmisher, don't bother berserking. Instead, use your dual axes to hit him. Be sure to avoid his lunges - a good skirmisher can use it to attack Berserkers completely unscathed. Whenever he gets close enough, whack him with the axes.

-Man-at-Arms vs. Skirmish Pirate- This can be a little tricky. If he takes out his keg, find cover, or get as far away as possible. Remember, you don't have a shield to cushion the blast. If he comes at you with his cutlass, take out your mace and bash his brains in. The flail can work, but due to the slow "winding up" process, the mace is easier when dealing with this quick foe. Don't bother trying to hit him with your crossbow unless you've got an easy shot at him.

-Heavy Knight vs. Skirmish Pirate- A good heavy knight can take down entire crowds of skirmish pirates, assuming they don't all keg. Of course, they probably will. As a heavy knight, learn to fear kegs. You're too slow have much hope of finding cover, so your best defense is the shield. Once his keg is gone, use your sword's secondary swing to keep him at bay. You can hold back entire droves of skirmishers with your two-handed sword, so put it to use.

-Bowman vs. Skirmish Pirate- This is tough. The skirmisher is fast, and can easily dodge your bow/crossbow if he knows what he's doing. It might be a good idea to drop your ranged weapons entirely and try your luck with the short sword. If you think you're good enough, try to use your bow to weaken him somewhat before you go in with the sword. As for kegs, you're pretty quick, so it shouldn't be too hard to find cover.

IV---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
VIKINGS

A- AXE VIKING

Speed - Slow
Max HP - 125
Weapons - Big Axe, Throwing Axes, Sword & Shield Offense/Defense - Pretty much the same at both

--GENERAL INFORMATION--

The Axe Viking is the most well-rounded Viking class. He excels neither at defense nor offense. He has decent ranged weaponry and powerful melee capabilities as well. However, the axe viking is a class that takes a lot of getting used to. His primary melee weapon is very slow, although devastating. His ranged weapons are also particularly tricky to use. The axe viking also is the most vulnerable of the viking classes. Unlike the berserker and spear viking, he has no weapon where he can merely hold down attack and move into things to kill opponents. He is also the slowest viking class overall, making him poor at dealing with snipers or archers. On the plus side, a good axe viking can take down entire hordes of foes if he plays his cards right.

GENERAL STRATEGIES

* "Scharfschutze!" The Axe Viking is not suited to dealing with ranged fighters. It's just a fact of life. He's slow and his ranged weapons are difficult to use (and not terribly strong, either). These two things mix together to make a class that just sucks against archers and the like. There are a few things you can do to deal with long-range opponents, though. If you're dealing with Knights, you can use your shield to try and block arrows, although this doesn't always work well. Pirates on the other hand, are a bit tougher. Shields don't block gunfire entirely. Your only hope against a skilled sniper is to jump around a lot and try to knock his aim off with your throwing axes. Or, you can take your chances with the shield and just crouch into the fetal position with it deployed. You'll take some damage, but you should survive unless you're close to death.

* Swing Wisely The Axe Viking's weapons are very specialized. For instance, the Big Axe's secondary fire is great against quick foes such as pirates, but hard to use against heavy knights. On the other hand, the primary fire of the big axe is very difficult to use when dealing with pirates and great when taking on heavy knights. Pick your attack method wisely. In some cases, the big axe just might not be a good choice entirely. Don't forget about your sword!

* Melee or Bust The Axe Viking, though well-rounded, is best at fighting when he's right up in an opponent's face. Few things can take a hit from the big axe and hope to live with much more than few HP. If someone seems to persist in keeping the battle at range, it might be a good idea to leave and find something more productive to do rather than get lured into a vulnerable position. Stick to what you can do best.

WEAPON STRATEGIES

BIG AXE
Damage - Very High
Maximum Ammunition - No ammo needed

The Big Axe is one of the trickiest weapons in the entire game to use. Timing is absolutely crucial with the big axe. It's slow, and you don't always get very many chances to swing it. So you need to make as many blows connect as possible. PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE. It's the only way you'll get to be able to use the big axe with any efficiency.

You can swing the Big Axe in two ways. By pressing primary fire, you'll swing the axe in a huge, slow, downward chop that will eviscerate practically anything. The secondary fire, on the other hand, is a side-to-side swing. It's not as strong, but it's faster. Also, you cannot move while swinging to the side.

Each attack method has a time and a place where it should be used. Many people just press primary fire and completely forget about the secondary swing. This is a huge mistake, and will severely hamper your ability to use the Big Axe. Instead, analyze your opponent before you swing. Is he quick? Is he slow and heavy? How much health does he have? All of these things should be considered before you swing.

If you're dealing with a speed demon, such as a pirate or even an archer, the secondary swing is your best chance. Fast opponents can easily dodge your primary swing due to its slow rate of fire. The secondary swing, on the other hand, is quick. Lure the opponent into coming up to your face, and then slash him right in the jugular. If it doesn't kill them outright, they will be quite shaken and probably be close to death.

On the other hand, you might be facing a heavy knight or man-at-arms. These two classes are relatively slow, and aren't that good at dodging enemy fire. This is when you'll want to put your primary fire to use. Since you're about the same speed as them, you shouldn't have much trouble connecting the axe head with them. The downward chop is quite powerful, and will likely finish them off with one hit.

Opponent health is the other thing to consider. If they're healthy, don't hesitate to give them a good downward swing to weaken or take them down completely. If they're near death, try the secondary swing. Or you can even just take out your throwing axes and finish them off that way. One thing to watch out for with the secondary swing, however, is the way that you become planted to the ground as soon as you swing. This immobility makes you vulnerable for the second that it takes to swing the axe. Try to avoid using this against pirates with loaded muskets, or archers with readied arrows.

THROWING AXES
Damage - Medium
Maximum Ammunition - 8 Axes

The throwing axe is the only ranged weapon available to the Axe Viking. They're fairly difficult to use, but once you learn how to get them right they're quite handy. Throwing Axes are pretty strong, but it may take up to 4 or 5 of them to take down strong opponents. Axes that don't hit entities (which includes players, doors, and treasure chests, among others) remain stuck in the surface they hit and can be picked up for reuse. The longer you hold down the attack button, the farther the axe will be thrown.

Now you need to know how to use the throwing axes. Unlike the pirate's ranged weaponry, the throwing axes are affected by gravity. This means that the projectile will, without fail, eventually hit the ground (if it doesn't hit a wall or other obstacle). To correct this, you should throw the axes ABOVE your target. This is most important when dealing with distant foes. For instance, if you see a sniper taking aim at you 20 feet away, hold down fire and aim an inch or so above their head. This way, the axe will arch up, and come back down to connect with the target. Remember that you don't need to correct for gravity if someone is right in your face. As with all non-hitscan weapons, it's important to lead your shots with the axes as well. All this means is that you should aim where your opponent will be when the axe reaches, not where they are when you throw.

There are certain situations where it is best to use the throwing axes. One of the most effective ways is to use them against retreating weakened foes. Since the Axe Viking is slow, he probably won't be able to catch up to anyone fleeing the battle. If someone chickens out and starts to rout, whip out your throwing axes and toss one at them. If they're weak enough, this will probably be enough to put their face in the dirt.

On the other hand, throwing axes are also a great way to soften someone up before you go in for the kill. Throw a few axes at someone to knock them around a bit, then go in with your sword or big axe to finish them off. The 30 or so HP that a throwing axe will take away from an opponent can mean the difference between a victory or a loss.

Also, throwing axes are a great deterrant weapon. If someone sees an axe flying at them, the only thing going on in their head is "Get me the hell out of the way of that axe". If they have any brain at all, they'll move out of the way. This is most true of pirates, who really can't afford to take very many hits. Throwing axes are easy to dodge, but they're distracting and can shake someone's aim up enough to make them miss you.

SWORD & SHIELD
Damage - Medium, Medium High with shield deployed
Maximum Ammunition - No ammo needed

The sword is the neglected weapon. Many players completely forget that it exists. However, it fills in a critical weapon role for the Axe Viking that he would otherwise lack - it's a fairly strong, relatively quick weapon that can be used in a pinch. The big axe is great, but let's face it - it's slow. The sword is the only weapon in the axe viking's armory that has a decent rate of fire.

Now then, when should you use the sword? There really is no clear-cut answer to this. The big axe is good at dealing with tough enemies due to its powerful nature. The sword is not good at taking on powerful foes at all. The sword is much better suited to dealing with low-middle strength enemies, such as pirates and men-at-arms. Its contrasting low power tends to make it rather ineffective against heavily armored opponents.

The sword, is, however, your only reliable back-up weapon. You'll eventually run out of throwing axes, and you'll often miss with the big axe. The sword fills in the role of the throwing axes as a "finish off the battered guy" weapon. Of course, it's not ranged like the axes are, so you'll need to get right up into someone's face to finish them off. If you see someone in the "Badly Injured" health range or lower, it's probably in your best interests to use the sword rather than take your chances with the big axe.

One thing I haven't mentioned yet is the shield. The shield can be activated by pressing secondary fire. When the shield is up, it will block all attacks that hit it, except for gunpowder weapons. It WILL cushion the damage dealt by gunpowder weapons, but does not block it completely. To use the shield to its full effectiveness, you will need to crouch with it up. This minimizes the areas where a lucky shot could make it past your shield.

When do you use the shield? Many people like to use it in sword fights. This can work, but due to the poor hit detection in PVK it's not very reliable. Instead, the shield should be your NUMBER ONE archer and sniper defense. If you crouch, and gradually move towards your target with your shield up, they can literally do practically nothing to get past it. Chances are they will eventually give up or run away, at which point you can put down the shield and pursue. Be careful that someone doesn't sneak up behind you and amputate your spine while you're advancing, however. Also, remember that you move slower when your shield is up.

Also, remember that you can use the sword while the shield is deployed. But for the split second that you swing your sword, the shield will be ineffective. For this reason, you should avoid swinging your sword with your shield up if someone is prepared to hit you in this split second. This is especially important when dealing with snipers and archers, as a hit from them will severely weaken, if not kill you.

HOW TO DEAL WITH AXE VIKINGS

-Pirate Captain vs. Axe Viking- Most importantly, keep your distance. His big axe will cream you easily, so don't get in his face unless you absolutely have to. He's slow, so it shouldn't be too hard to hit him with your blunderbust. Jab the barrel right up into his gut between big axe swings and send him to the intensive care unit. If that doesn't finish him off, use your cutlass to get in between swings. You should be able to start a pattern - he swings his big axe and misses, you move in and whack him, then retreat. Repeat process. Throwing axes are pretty easy to dodge - just sidestep.

-Sniper Pirate vs. Axe Viking- Once again, stay far away. He shouldn't be too hard to hit with the musket. If you hit him and he survives, go in with your dagger to finish him off. If you miss him with the musket completely, your job gets a bit harder. Take out your flintlock and get fairly close to him, but still far enough away that you can dodge his big axe with relative ease. Give him two or three hits with the flintlock. If he isn't completely dead, go in with your dagger to finish him off. NEVER ATTACK A HEALTHY AXE VIKING WITH YOUR DAGGER. Watch out for throwing axes, especially if you're reloading.

-Skirmish Pirate vs. Axe Viking- This is pretty easy, actually. Your high speed makes it very easy to dodge the big axe and throwing axes. Between big axe swings, get in his face with your flintlock or cutlass, and hit him once or twice. Repeat the process until he's dead. You can also easily run circles around him, beating him in with your cutlass. Just watch out for the big axe, because a good hit from it will easily kill you.

-Man-at-Arms vs. Axe Viking- This is quite easy, if you're quick. What you need to do here is look for openings between big axe swings, and then go in and whack him with your mace or flail. Backpedal with your flail winding up, and wait for him to try a downward chop with the big axe. After he's swung, get in and let the flail loose in his face. He'll probably die, or at least by quite injured. The crossbow also works well, because the Axe Viking is too slow to dodge arrows effectively. Watch out for throwing axes - you're no speed demon yourself, so they can be hard to sidestep.

-Heavy Knight vs. Axe Viking- The big axe is pretty much the only melee weapon in the game that comes anywhere near matching the two- handed sword's power, so watch out for it. Since you're so slow, it's really hard to avoid his axe. Duck a lot, and try to lure him into running at you so that you can connect with your sword. Use your downward swing - if it doesn't kill him, it'll leave him very close to death, at which point you can finish him with your secondary swing. I don't recommend using the flail or regular sword on Axe Vikings - the big axe is quite dangerous, and you should pull out all the stops to finish him before he can use it.

-Bowman vs. Axe Viking- Easy, easy, easy. Just keep your distance, and there's not much he can do to you. Use one of your bows to hit him from a distance. Axe Vikings are slow, so he probably won't be able to dodge your shots very well. If he's smart enough to use his shield to block your arrows, it gets a little trickier. Try to look for openings when he swings or stands up, and hit him then. If you can't seem to hit him, take out your short sword and go in. He'll probably switch weapons, at which point you can quickly go to the crossbow and blow him a third airhole.

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SPEAR VIKING

Speed - Medium
Max HP - 115
Weapons - Spear, Javelins, Sword & Shield
Offense/Defense - Awesome at defense, good at offense

--General Information--

The Spear Viking is the easiest Viking class to use and do well with. But it isn't a newbie class by any stretch of the imagination. He has the strongest ranged weapon in the Viking arsenal, and is also the fastest Viking class (under regular circumstances). Of course, he's not all that fast compared to the pirates. Dealing with enemy Spear Vikings is one of the most frustrating experiences in PVK. They can simply hold down attack with their spear out, and you really can't hope to get near them with any sort of melee weapon without taking damage. But when YOU'RE that Spear Viking, it's a completely different situation, ain't it?

GENERAL STRATEGIES

* Attack1 + Forward = Dead Only a few classes in PVK have weapons that can be used constantly by merely pressing primary fire. Luckily, the Spear Viking is one of them. This means you can essentially hold down the left button on your mouse and move into things to obtain kills. I personally don't like doing this due to the fact that it is ridiculously easy, but if you're facing particularly skilled opponents, don't hesitate to start jabbing that spear out at a constant tempo. But remember, you'll need to find other ways to use the spear if you want to be truly effective with it.

* Iron Maiden Spear Vikings are INVINCIBLE when in large groups. I'm not even joking here. Nothing short of a keg, or a horde of heavy knights can stop 3 Spear Vikings working together. Pair up with one or two other spearmen, or even a berserker. A small squad of spearmen and berserkers are one of the most effective raiding units in PVK. The spearmen can distract and impale any guards, while the berserkers use their berserk ability to make off with treasure chests quickly in the confusion.

* Narrow Corridors Are Your Friend Normally, narrow corridors are places to be avoided. But in the case of the Spear Viking, they're one of the best places to be. By pressing secondary fire with your spear out, you will rapidly run in the direction you're facing, and shish-kebab anything in front of you. Since narrow halls provide little in the way of maneuvering, there's not much anyone unlucky enough to be stuck in one with you can do to get away. One thing to watch out for is snipers or crossbow-users, who can easily hit you in these situations.

WEAPON STRATEGIES
SPEAR
Damage - Medium
Maximum Ammunition - No ammo needed

The spear is your leader. Bow down to the spear. Why, you ask? It's the easiest weapon in the Viking inventory to use, of course! Not only that, it's also strong, and pretty damn quick. Add to this a useful secondary fire ability, and you've got one great weapon. As mentioned earlier, the most obvious way to use the spear is to hold down attack and move into things. This works for a while, but if you want to be really good with it, you'll need to beef up your strategy.

First off, the spear is the second-best defensive weapon in the game. The only weapon that passes it in this category is the two-handed sword. It doesn't look that impressive, but by holding down attack and moving around a bit, there's not much any melee fighters can hope to do to you. The spear leaves very little opening to attack due to its high rate of fire and powerful nature. People hesitate to get near someone jabbing their spear. I know I do. This makes the Spear Viking the best defense class for the Vikings. Plant a Spear Viking in your treasure chest scoring zone, and you'll keep out the common thieves. Plant two of them in there, and not even an all-out invasion can hope to make off with much more than one chest.

That doesn't mean that as a Spear Viking, you're stuck on sentry duty. The spear is also a great offensive weapon. It's strong, and timing isn't nearly as essential as with the big axe or the hammer. To make the best use of the spear, however, you'll need to time your shots at least somewhat. Remember, the spear has the LONGEST REACH of any melee weapon in the entire game. If your opponent seems to be moving in, crouch and give him a poke right in the genitalia. If he's smart he'll back off, but just in case, the crouch acts as a back-up dodging maneuever.

Now, about that secondary ability. By pressing secondary fire with your spear out, you'll run in whatever direction you're facing for about 4 seconds, and impale anything in front of you. When the charge ends (which can be due to either the charge time expiring, or due to you hitting something besides a player), you will be stuck in "tired mode" for about 5 seconds. While in tired mode, you'll move slower, and cannot attack. This is a very vulnerable condition to be in, so make sure that you don't use the charge unless you think you can completely finish someone off.

The charge, though strong, also leaves you very vulnerable. During the actual charge, your path is fairly easy to predict, since you always run in whatever way you're facing. This makes it undesirable for use against archers, snipers, or pirate captains who can easily line up a shot on you. After the charge, while in tired mode, you will literally become a magnet that attracts anyone that isn't a Viking. People love to take advantage of this vulnerability. Your only hope is to crouch, jump, and do your best to avoid enemy attacks until your stamina is restored. Even more effective than dodging is to simply finish your enemies off while the charge is still going. This is best accomplished in areas where people can't maneuver much, such as bridges, ramps, or narrow halls.

One major mistake people will make while in tired mode is to hold down primary fire, so that as soon as you recover, you can attack. DO NOT DO THIS. If you attack as soon as you get out of tired mode, you will CONTINUE moving slowly, and will not be able to change weapons. This is an assumed bug, but it might have been intentional by the programmers. In any case, it is best to wait until you have visibly regained your speed before attacking again.

JAVELIN
Damage - High
Maximum Ammunition - 2 Javelins

The javelin is my favorite ranged weapon. It's pretty easy to use, and it packs quite a wallop. The javelin has two modes - readied, and unreadied. While unreadied, the javelin cannot be thrown, and is held at a position perpendicular to the ground. While readied, the javelin is held parallel to the ground, you'll also move MUCH faster when it is readied. You can only throw the javelin when it is readied. You cannot sidestep while the javelin is readied. Like the throwing axes, javelins that are thrown and do not hit objects such as doors, players, or chests can be picked up and used again.

As with the axes, gravity is the most important factor to remember when getting ready to throw. Once again, you'll need to aim above your target if it is standing far away from you. However, a new factor to consider is brought in with the javelins. If you are running forward when you throw the javelin, it will go considerably farther, but will not arc as high. If you are running backwards when you throw it, it will not go nearly as far. Finally, remember to throw where your target will be when the projectile connects, not where they are when you throw it.

Now that you're familiar with the physics of the javelin, let's try them out. They're actually rather easy to get used to. They do considerable damage, although a single javelin will rarely kill an opponent with full health. It will takes about 2 javelin hits to kill an opponent. Which is convenient, because that's exactly how many you can carry. Another important thing to remember is to aim at your opponent's head. Javelin headshots are universally lethal, and getting one is largely determined by luck. By aiming at the head, however, you increase your chances of downing your opponent quickly. Remember, a pointed stick in your brain does more damage than a pointed stick in your stomach. Although, I guess they both do a lot of damage. Moving along...

Javelins are one of the heaviest ranged weapons in the game. This means that, when you hit someone with one, they're going to get knocked around a bit. It'll rattle their bones, but it'll also rattle their position. If someone is standing next to a ledge, a javelin may be just what the doctor ordered to knock them off. If they're standing above lava, or a particularly high ledge, you won't get kill credit. But you'll get the satisfaction of watching them fall 400 feet and splat like a rotten tomato, or watch them boil for a second or two. You can also use the javelin's force to knock the aim of snipers and archers off, so that you can get in close and beat them to a pulp.

SWORD & SHIELD
Damage - Medium, Medium to High with shield deployed
Maximum Ammunition - No ammo needed

The Spear Viking also gets the same sword and shield that the Axe Viking is equipped with. It's also overlooked by spearmen, perhaps even moreso than with axers. The sword itself is relatively useless for the spearman. Let's be honest, everything the sword does, the spear does better. However, the shield on the other hand, is quite handy.

Let's examine the sword, first of all. It's about the same speed as the spear, and there's not much difference in strength either. But the spear has a MUCH longer range. This is where the sword's usefulness falls to the floor. For all practical purposes, you shouldn't ever really need to use the sword as a spearman. I suppose if you get bored of the spear, then this weapon might provide a change of pace.

Now let's take a look at the shield. The spearman himself, though fast compared to the other Vikings, is not very good at avoiding ranged fire. It will take a while to close the gap between a bowman or sniper. To increase your defense, put up your shield, crouch, and advance. This "turtle" tactic can block arrows entirely, and cushion damage dealt by gunpowder weapons considerably. Continue moving in until you're within striking range.

This is where the sword comes in. It's not a good idea to let down your defenses, especially if you're dealing with a bowman, who can ready arrows in a matter of seconds. As a safeguard, it's a good idea to keep your sword & shield out when dealing with bowmen, so that you can quickly raise your shield to block arrows. The sword provides a quick way to attack your opponent when you see an opening to take advantage of.

HOW TO DEAL WITH SPEAR VIKINGS

-Pirate Captain vs. Spear Viking- Pirates don't do well against spearmen, but out of all the classes, the captain probably fares the worst against them. Your best chance is the blunderbust - try to kill him with it outright, or at least substantially weaken him. If you miss him completely, you're probably better off trying to lose him than you are taking your chances with the cutlass. Make sure you don't go after a spearman with your cutlass UNLESS they are severely weakened, or if they have their back to you. There's really no way to dodge their spear, and a well-thrown javelin will put you in Davy Jones' Locker. If you're not very healthy, it's probably a good idea to flee the scene.

-Sniper Pirate vs. Spear Viking- If you're a good shot with the musket, this isn't that tough. Spearmen tend to run in straight lines more than other classes. If you see one with his javelin readied, or one using his charge ability, they'll be pretty easy to hit. Line up your shot and give them a one way ticket to the ER. If you miss, or are facing one with an unloaded musket, you'll need to use your flintlock to weaken them as much as possible. If both your musket and flintlock fail to kill the brute, then you might want to consider taking a coffee break somewhere else. The dagger is worthless against spearmen - don't even try unless they're horribly damaged. While you're reloading your musket, be sure to watch out for javelins.

-Skirmish Pirate vs. Spear Viking- You're ridiculously fast, so as long as you keep your distance you shouldn't have TOO much trouble. Use your flintlocks to do as much damage as possible, and then go in with your cutlass. You might get hit once or twice with the spear, but if you're quick then you'll kill him before he gets you. Avoid running in a straight line - you're quick, but moving in a predictable fashion makes you easy to hit with javelins. Try to avoid attacking a healthy spearman with just your cutlass. You might still be able to take him down before he can get you if you're healthy, but it's rather dangerous.

-Man-at-Arms vs. Spear Viking- This is pretty hard. Use your crossbow first - if they have their javelin out or are charging, then they should be pretty easy to hit. If the crossbow doesn't work, try the mace. The flail is a little harder to use, and skilled spearmen aren't the kind of guys you want to screw around with. It'll take about 3 mace hits to kill a healthy spearman. Be really careful - the spear is strong and has

long range, so you might have trouble trying to hit him. If he starts backpedalling and repeatedly jabbing his spear, don't follow him. You need to get him to come to you, and whack him with the mace when you see an opening. You're slow, so you probably won't be able to dodge the spear too well.

-Heavy Knight vs. Spear Viking- Spearmen are pretty good against Heavy Knights, but if you know what you're doing it isn't that hard. Watch out for javelins - you probably won't die if you get hit by one, but you'll get damaged pretty bad, making you a lot easier to finish off. If it's obvious that he's going to use the javelin, get out your shield and try to block it. This is more effective than just trying to jump out of the way, since you're so slow. When facing a spearman in a melee fight, the two-handed sword is the way to go. The primary swing will take down a spearman in one hit, but it can be pretty hard to connect with him. I recommend the secondary swing because it's easier to use.

-Bowman vs. Spear Viking- This can get challenging, especially if you're not a good marksman. Watch out for javelins - you're fast enough to sidestep them easily, but remember that you're vulnerable when your bow is taut or when you're reloading. Remember to KEEP YOUR DISTANCE. The short sword isn't that great against weak spearmen, and it's worthless against healthy ones. Your best chance is the crossbow - try to line up a shot on the target. If that doesn't work, you'll need to use your bow. If the spearman gets within striking range, start running away until you're a healthy distance from him, and then resume attacking.

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C- BERSERKER VIKING

Speed - Slow (Fast while in berserk mode)
Max HP - 150
Weapons - Stone Hammer, Dual Axes
Offense/Defense - Offense

--General Information--

The Berserker is the tank of the Viking team. He has more health than any other class in the entire game. And with his ability to berserk, he can also become very fast. The Berserker should be the first person into battle when you're conducting raids. His weapons are powerful, and relatively easy to get used to. Where his real power lies, however, is his ability to berserk. While berserking, you will gradually lose HP. But you'll move much faster, and your weapons will do even more damage. The Berserker is one of only two classes in the game that lack any sort of ranged weapon. This is the class to pick if you have anger management problems - it's great stress relief to explode someone with a big hammer, or pick apart entire crowds with two lightning-fast hatchets.

GENERAL STRATEGIES

* "Urge to kill rising..." The most unique thing about the Beserker is, of course, his berserk ability. You can berserk at any time by pressing secondary fire, regardless of which weapon you have out. While berserked, your screen will turn red, you will move faster, and your weapons become stronger. On the down side, you will gradually lose HP. You will need to determine when it is a good time to use the berserk ability, however. If you spot one guy running around up ahead, it might be a good idea to pass up a berserking fit. On the other hand, if you see a bunch of Vikings brawling with a group of enemies, it might be a good idea to go into psycho mode and help your allies out.

* All You Can Eat Buffet If you're going to be a Berserker, you're going to need a big stomach. All that berserking will drain your health quick, not to mention that the class has a high max HP to begin with. You'll want to make regular stops at food spawn locations, because you're going to be eating a lot of food if you want to keep your health up. Try to gobble up as much food as humanly possible, to prevent enemies from obtaining any of it. Also, avoid eating food while berserking, because your health will just continue draining.

* Oh my God! The pain is exclusive! Few classes have the capability for mass ass-kicking, but the Berserker is one. His high speed and strength while berserked make him into a one-man killing machine. While berserked, go completely insane. Run directly at anything that isn't a Viking and hack it to bits. Throw away all regard you have for your own personal safety. You'll find yourself getting killed more often than if you play conservatively, but you'll also find yourself getting a lot more kills, and indirectly helping your team out. While half of the enemy team is busy fending off your PMS rampages, the rest of your team can focus on making off with chests, holding onto territory, pillaging, etc...

* Riot Zones There are certain areas in EVERY map where, without fail, large groups of opponents will gather to beat the living daylights out of each other. Examples of these areas include the area outside the lighthouse on pvk_lighthouse, the Knight spawn area in pvk_desertruin, and the area around the lava on pvk_pinegrove. As a berserker, make regular stops at these areas with your dual axes to clean house a bit. Remember to berserk if you're dealing with a particularly large group.

WEAPON STRATEGIES

STONE HAMMER
Damage - Medium to High, High to Very High when berserked
Maximum Ammunition - No ammo needed

The hammer is one of two weapons that the Berserker wields. It's also the hardest of these two to use correctly. It's pretty strong, and has the capability to do a three-hit combo that will KO anything. Two hits is enough to finish off most opponents, though. While berserked, the hammer becomes a truly fearsome weapon, although it's still rather difficult to use.

First of all, it's not always a good idea to berserk with the hammer. The hammer is your one-on-one combat weapon, making berserking rarely necessary. Due to its (relatively) slow nature, it's not terribly effective for crowd control, as the dual axes are. However, it IS fast enough to be very useful in a "mano E mano" situation. One of the most useful ways to use the hammer is as follows:

1) Get ready. Fake out your opponent and avoid his swings or shots.
2) Wait for an opening in the opponent's defenses. If you're dealing with a heavy knight, for example, a good time would be between his two-handed sword swings.
3) Get right up in the guy's face and ring his bell once or twice. Back off when he retaliates.

If you're berserked, this method is especially easy because of how quickly you can accomplish it. Of course, if you're berserked, you probably won't need to be as methodical. If this is the case, run at the target like a madman, and crack the sucker's head like a pinata. Two blows is more than enough to finish off pretty well anyone.

The hammer, though strong, is not that great against fast opponents. Pirates, for example, can dodge the hammer with relative ease. To counteract their speed, you will need to work on timing. Don't run around repeatedly pressing primary fire. You're much more likely to connect if you take the effort to time your shots, even when berserked. Remember, one hit is often enough to clean their clock. After a successful hammer connection, it's a good idea to take out your dual axes and finish them off.

DUAL AXES
Damage - Low, Medium when berserked
Maximum Ammunition - No ammo needed

The dual axes are much easier to use than the hammer. They don't look as powerful as the hammer, but they have, in fact, a much higher capability for destruction than the hammer. They're extremely fast - you can make about 5 hits per second. These are the riot stoppers - when you're berserked with these things out, you can mop up entire crowds of enemies.

There is one group that should ALWAYS be dealt with through the dual axes - pirates. Pirates are quick, and the hammer just isn't fast enough to be very effective against them. Whereas you would have to carefully time swings with the hammer, you can just hold down attack and move into the little buggers with the dual axes. It shouldn't take more than a few hits to turn pirates into grog-soaked corpses with these. I will outline two methods of using the dual axes. Both are very effective.

1) Dual Axes vs. Single Opponents Don't bother berserking. If you've only got one opponent, then you'll probably flatten them faster if you berserk - but once they're dead, you'll be stuck with your health draining and no way to put the rest of the berserk to use. If you're feeling defensive, just hold down attack and dodge around a bit. They'll hesitate to come near you, unless they have ranged weapons. If they DO try to get near you, go aggressive and pummel their head like a punching bag. The axes are fast enough that they probably won't get in any more than one hit before you tear them a new piehole. On the other hand, if you're feeling offensive, chase after them. Eventually they'll slip up (get stuck on an obstacle, turn around and try to attack to get you off their back, etc.) and you can pound them around a bit. If someone escapes, you should probably forget about them, rather than going into berserk mode and catching up. Unless of course they're stealing a chest, in which case you should do whatever you can to stop them.

2) Dual Axes as Riot Control Devices "Riots", or large gatherings of opponents, are common on every map. You'll need to find WHERE they are common on your own though. For instance, the Knight base on pvk_island is almost always full of people. You'll need to find one of these brawls, go into berserk mode, and run into the fray. Your high HP should keep you relatively safe, unless you get hit by a stray arrow or a two-handed sword blow or something. Once you're in the fray, start swinging the axes and hack apart anything that moves. I've seen berserked folks completely clean house with only their dual axes.

Dual axes also serve another purpose that the hammer doesn't fill very well. They're great at finishing off weakened opponents. For instance, say you whack someone with the hammer and you're having trouble getting another hit in. Switch to the axes and toss their salad around a bit. The axes are a lot easier to hit people with, due to their high speed.

HOW TO DEAL WITH BERSERKERS

-Pirate Captain vs. Berserker- This isn't too hard, if he isn't berserked. His slow speed makes him pretty easy to hit with the blunderbust, although it's unlikely you'll kill a healthy one with it (he has 150 HP, remember). Use the blunderbust to weaken him as much as possible, and then go in with your cutlass. Run at the guy (or wait for him to run at you), and then duck to avoid his swings and hit him in the groin a few times. Quickly get out of his range before he realizes what's happening to his genitalia and retargets you. Berserked fellows are harder to deal with. Remember that they lose health when berserked - use this to your advantage. You can avoid him fairly easily until the berserk rage runs out, at which point he'll be easier to hit with the blunderbust or cutlass. Get him to tire himself out, and then pick him apart like a hyena.

-Sniper Pirate vs. Berserker- The Berserker is one of the only classes that can take a musket shot and have a good chance of surviving. Of course, they'll only survive with a few HP, but whatever. If he's unberserked, do your best to line up a shot on him. If you hit him, great. If you miss, that's not so great. You can take your chances with the flintlock, but if that doesn't work you should consider finding safer ground. Don't bother with the dagger unless they're visibly in the "Near Death" range. A berserked Berserker is another deal entirely. Don't try to use your musket unless they're running straight at you and you can easily hit them. Keep your distance and use the flintlock to damage him as much as possible. Alternatively, you can dodge him by ducking, jumping, and reversing direction suddenly until his berserk runs out, at which point you can resume peeling away at him with your pistol or dagger. Don't be afraid to run away if it's pretty obvious that you're not getting anywhere, though.

-Skirmish Pirate vs. Berserker- This is surprisingly easy, especially against unberserked folks. You can use the flintlock if you want, but I usually just go right in the with the cutlass. Try to hit him with a lunge to start the brawl off, and then hack away at him while dodging his attacks. If he's using the hammer it's pretty easy to duck or sneak in between swings. If he's got the dual axes, use the "bull tactic" - run at him, duck, hit, and continue past. If you're quick you won't even get touched. Berserked opponents aren't really that tough, either. They're faster, but you can still use the bull tactic to take them down relatively easily. If you're too beaten to take him on, you can run away pretty easily. Backpedal with your flintlock firing to deter him from pursuing you.

-Man-at-Arms vs. Berserker- If there was ever an opponent to use the crossbow against, it's the Berserker. Their high HP will likely save them from immediate annihilation, but they'll be SEVERELY weakened by a successful crossbow hit. If a Berserker is running at you, take out the crossbow and do your best to hit him. If you hit, use your mace to finish him off. Otherwise, stick with the flail. Unberserked opponents are relatively easy to defeat - keep your distance by backpedalling. Wind up your flail, and let it slam into his face. Berserked foes are a little tougher. Their high speed and increased power makes it risky to try and time flail hits on them. I'd stick with the mace in these cases, since it's easier to use and does more than enough damage to kill a berserked fellow in a few hits.

-Heavy Knight vs. Berserker- The Berserker is slow and has high HP. The two-handed sword's primary swing is ideal for dealing with them. If he's unberserked, a single blow from the primary swing probably won't do him in completely - finish the job with a secondary swing. The flail also works nicely against Berserkers - get him to follow you, while you backpedal and wind up your flail. Then, let it go in his face. Berserked foes aren't that tough, either. A primary swing from the two-handed sword will probably do the job nicely. If the Berserker is visibly weak, use your secondary swing to mow him over quickly. A berserked foe often throws away regards for his own safety and won't try to dodge it, anyway.

-Bowman vs. Berserker- Berserkers have absolutely no way of touching you - IF you can keep your distance. This isn't always easy, especially if he decides to berserk. Do your best to hit him with an arrow before he closes the gap between him and you. If you hit him, great - use the bull tactic with the short sword to finish him off. It'll probably still take 3 or 4 hits to kill him because of his ridiculous HP, but it's still safer than trying to plant another arrow. If you miss him completely, you're in some hot water. If you don't have time to take another shot, get the hell out of there. You can take your chances with the short sword, but unless the Berserker is completely inept, he'll probably crack your head like a walnut before you can kill him. Try to lose him, or at least regain some distance so that you can take another crack at him with the arrow.

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KNIGHTS

A- MAN-AT-ARMS

Speed - Medium
Max HP - 115
Weapons - Flail, Crossbow, Mace
Offense/Defense - Both

--General Information--
The Man-at-Arms is the most well-rounded class on the Knight team. While the Bowman excels at ranged attack, and the Heavy Knight is the king of melee, the Man-At-Arms has both good ranged and melee weaponry. Think of him as the 'jack-of-all-trades' for the Knights. He's not that fast, but he can take a fair bit of damage before giving up the ghost. This, combined with his multitude of weapons that are useful in many situations, mean that he can do equally well as an offensive class or a defender. Like all Knights, the Man-at-Arms works best when paired up with allies.

GENERAL STRATEGIES

* Soften 'em Up (Strategy by [99% Vol.]MahaTmA GhAndi) Soften up your opponents before you go in to kill them. The only ranged weapon you have is very powerful, and will actually probably kill the target outright rather than weaken them. But you should always take the effort to fire a crossbow shot at anyone approaching you, if you have time. If you're lucky, you'll peg them and watch them fly 20 feet and smack onto the pavement. If you miss, or it doesn't kill them completely, you'll have to go in with your flail or mace to take them out.

* Man of Many Arms
As a Man-at-Arms, there's lots of options open to you. If you're feeling lazy you can plant yourself in front your treasury and stop thieves from getting in - the flail is an excellent defensive weapon. Of course, if you'd rather go off hunting, that's easy too. Examine your team's situation and see what you need more of. If you notice that the other teams seem to be scoring a lot of points, it might be a good idea to go out and steal some chests, or hold onto the territory for a bit. On the other hand, if your team seems to be in a winning position, you can assist them in maintaining it by playing guard dog. The Man-at-Arms' versatility is where his value to the team lies.

WEAPON STRATEGIES

FLAIL
Damage - Depends on how long the attack button has been held down. Low if it is just tapped, High if it has been held down for 5 seconds or so.
Maximum Ammunition - No ammo needed

NOTE: The flail, for the purposes of the guide, is the spiked ball attached to the end of a chain. I'm aware that this is not how the game recognizes it, but I don't really care. It's a flail, case closed.

The flail is the more difficult of the Man-at-Arms' two melee weapons to use, but it's considerably more effective than the mace when used properly. First off, the flail doesn't work like ANY of the other melee weapons in the game. By holding down attack, you will begin "winding up" the flail for a swing. When you let go, the flail is whipped out, cracking anyone who might be unfortunate enough to be standing there. The damage dealt is directly related to how long you have been holding down the attack button.

The flail is particularly hard to time with hits because of the way it works. Rather than pressing a button, you have to release one to make it "fire". You'll need to practice a lot to be able to time your releases well. If someone is coming near you, release. It takes a split second for the weapon to leave the "winding up" animation and enter the "swing" animation. This delay makes it especially hard to time everything right.

Whenever you have the flail out, you should be holding down primary attack to wind it up. This way, if you run into someone, you're ready to go and don't need to dawdle around waiting for the thing to power up enough to be useful. Remember to aim for the HEAD when you release. It's not that difficult to aim an inch up and clock them in the noggin, and the benefits are quite noticeable. A fully wound up blow from the flail to the head generally gibs anyone, except for perhaps a healthy viking.

One of the most effective and simple ways to use the flail is defensively. What this means is, you need to lure the opponent into a straight-out chase after you. Turn around and backpedal, while still winding up your flail. If he gets close enough, give him a good spanking with it to knock him back a few feet. If you're dealing with a class that can't catch up to you (axe viking), quickly move into him, release, duck, and sneak behind him. The hit will shake him up, and the duck/sneak will throw him off.

The flail has a ridiculous capacity for knocking people around. When you hit someone with a wound-up flail, they'll go FLYING if they happen to be airborne or standing on a ledge. This is especially true for anyone crouching in either of the aforementioned situations. If you're lucky enough to find someone going for a tight-rope walk on a high ledge, try to knock them off with the flail. To get the most air out of someone, you'll need to crouch and give them an upward blow to the groin. Depending on the class you're dealing with, or if they happen to be jumping at the time, they will fly anywhere from a foot (which will ruffle their feathers a bit) or thirty feet (which will probably result in a satisfying splat).

Especially vulnerable to the flail are vikings, and axe vikings in particular. The big axe is slow, and it's quite easy to avoid its swings. To deal with axe vikings quickly, wait for them to take out their big axe and make a downward swing at you. Avoid the swing, then get in his face and let it loose while he recovers from his swing. Retreat before he can get in a sideways swing on you.

There's only one time you should use the flail without winding up, and that's when you're dealing with a particularly weakened enemy. It's quicker to use a wimpy flail swing on a weak person than to go through the hassle of switching the mace and bashing them in. Even on very weak opponents, however, it will still probably take two wimp-swings to finish them off. Of course, you can get off about two wimp-swings every one and a half seconds, so that's not too bad.

CROSSBOW
Damage - Very High
Maximum Ammunition - 25 bolts

The crossbow is the Man-at-Arms' only ranged weapon. It packs a tremendous punch, killing nearly any target with a single shot above the belt. Unfortunately it can be hard to aim, and it takes a while to reload. You can't move while reloading, which puts you in a vulnerable position when you do so. You'll start with more rounds for this thing than you'll probably ever be able to use, so don't worry too much about running out of ammunition.

As with most ranged weapons, ping is a concern when using the crossbow. If your ping is very high, you'll need to compensate by leading your shots more. You should always lead your shots (ie: shoot where your enemy WILL be, not where he is when you fire), but this is especially important with the crossbow. Mainly because, the crossbow takes a while to reload, and you probably won't get another shot in. Consider the crossbow a mix of the sniper rifle, blunderbust, and javelin. It has high power like the sniper rifle, but takes about as long to reload as the blunderbust. Also, its projectiles are affected by gravity, like the javelins are. Also, it's not hitscan, as the gunpowder weapons are. Finally, it also needs to be aimed (by pressing secondary fire) to maintain any sort of accuracy.

First of all, since the crossbow is kind of hard to aim, always try to lure your opponents into vulnerable positions. Doorways are excellent places, as are narrow hallways or paths. Get your pursuer to follow you into one of these spots. Then quickly do an about-face, ready the crossbow, and plant a bolt right in their chest when they enter.

The crossbow is a bit harder to use in a wide-open field situation. Your opponents, if they're smart, will probably not run directly at you if they notice you have a crossbow out. Instead, they'll likely jump around a lot and zig-zag to throw your aim off. If they start doing this, it might be a good idea to take out a melee weapon and use that rather than risk your chances with the crossbow. If you spot someone moving at a 90 degree angle from the nose of your crossbow, fire a shot at where you think they'll be when the arrow reaches. If you're lucky you'll hit them, but you'll definitely at least get their attention.

More than ANY other ranged weapon, the crossbow has the ability to knock people around. This is actually rather odd, since it's just an arrow. But still, the awkward physics of PVK can work to your advantage. First of all, crouching players fly farther when they get hit. If you hit a crouching player in the arse with a crossbow bolt, they'll get a first-class ticket to the other end of the room. Use the ridiculous force behind your shots to knock people's aim off, or just plain nudge them around.

Reloading the crossbow, as with the gunpowder weapons, is a pain. It takes about 3 seconds to reload, during which time you can't move at all. This provides the perfect opportunity for someone to run up and decapitate you, or turn you into a streak of red from 100 yards away. To avoid this, run off like a good little knight and find a secluded area to reload. Small rooms and dark corners are your best choices. In general, find a place where walls prevent anyone from easily getting to or targetting you. If someone DOES get in your face, or you spot a sniper taking aim, quickly switch weapons and tear them a new one - or just leave, if they're really far away.

MACE
Damage - High
Maximum Ammunition - No ammo needed

NOTE: The mace, for the purposes of the guide, is the spiked ball attached to the end of a handle. I'm aware that this is not how the game recognizes it, but I don't really care. It's a mace.

The mace is the fastest weapon in the Man-at-Arms' armory, being able to get off about 2 or 3 hits per second. It also deals a massive punch, disemboweling most weaker classes in 2 hits. It is definitely the easier to use of the two melee weapons a Man-at-Arms is provided with. This doesn't mean you should always use it, because the flail does indeed have a higher capacity for destruction than the mace. There are some times when the mace is simply a better choice than the flail, however.

The flail's range is superior to the mace's. Let's just get that straight right now - the mace won't hit anything unless you're right up next to it. This isn't the thing to use if you're chasing someone faster than you. Unlike with the flail, you don't really need to aim at the head for extra damage. In fact, it's probably in your best interest to DUCK when you get near someone, to avoid counterattacks for a second while you get a hit or two in. For instance, let's say you're facing a Spear Viking.

1) He's probably got his spear out and is repeatedly jabbing it out. Get ready to go in by dodging around.
2) Run in suddenly, and duck when you're within the spear's range. If you're lucky you'll avoid a hit entirely, but you might still get hit anyway.
3) Give him a whack in the groin. Quickly jump away if you got hit in the previous step. If you didn't get hit, then circle around him and beat him in a few more times.

This is similar to the way one might use the cutlass. Well, they pretty much function the same way, so it's really not all that surprising. The mace, however, is stronger than the cutlass. But who should you use the mace against, and who should you use the flail against? The answer to this is really nothing more than a matter of taste. I find the mace to be most effective against pirates (since they're quick, and the mace is reasonably fast) and the flail to be better suited to vikings (since they're slow and strong, and the flail's characteristics give you the advantage here). All it really comes down to is which weapon you feel like using, since they pretty much fill the same purpose.

The mace, however, is better at finishing people off than the flail. One whack is probably enough to finish off anyone in the "Badly Injured" or lower health range, whereas it can take two or three half-assed flail swings to finish off someone in that area. If you manage to whack someone good with the flail, but they still survive, it's a good idea to take out the mace and finish them off, especially if you're dealing with a pirate.

HOW TO DEAL WITH MEN-AT-ARMS

-Pirate Captain vs. Man-at-Arms- This can be easy or hard, depending on which weapon the Man-at-Arms is using. You shouldn't have too much trouble avoiding the crossbow - just jump, crouch, and move erratically. Avoid moving in a straight line if he's aiming at you. Once you get in close, you'll need to avoid his melee weapon - which is either a flail or mace. The flail isn't that hard to dodge - since you're quick, he'll probably have a bit of trouble hitting you with it. To avoid it, get in, hit, and get out quick. If you're fast, he won't be able to touch you. The mace is a bit trickier. It's quicker than the flail, so avoiding it is nearly impossible. Two good mace hits will do you in, so you have to keep your distance. Do as much damage as possible with the blunderbust, and then go in with your cutlass - USE THE BULL TACTIC. If he's really weak, send out Polly to finish the job.

-Sniper Pirate vs. Man-at-Arms- This can get hairy if you're not that good with the musket. You have no melee weapons capable of taking on the Man-at-Arms with, so you'll have to use your gunpowder weapons here. The musket is obviously the best choice, and since the Man-at-Arms isn't really a speed demon, it shouldn't be too terribly hard to hit him. I find it easiest to wait until he sees you and takes out his crossbow. Once he takes aim, hit him quick before he fires. If he does fire, sidestep before you eat the arrow. If the musket doesn't work, you'll have to use your flintlocks. Keep far enough away to avoid his melee weapons, but close enough in to make the flintlock somewhat accurate. If you can get him into the "Badly Injured" range, he's probably weak enough for you to go in with the dagger and finish him off.

-Skirmish Pirate vs. Man-at-Arms- Use your flintlock first. If you can hit him even once with it, then he'll be a lot easier to finish with the cutlass. Watch out for the crossbow - you're quick, so you should be able to dodge it pretty easily. Of course, if you're moving in a predictable path (dead ahead) then speed is irrelevant: remember to jump around and reverse directions suddenly to throw his aim off. When you get up close, the main weapon you need to look out for is the mace. The flail, though powerful, requires a wind-up to be of any practical use, so you should have time to dodge it. The mace, on the other hand, is plenty strong, and can be used right away. Try not to use the lunge here - it makes your motion very easy to predict, leaving you easy pickings for a flail whack. Instead, try to run circles around him and pound him in with your cutlass.

-Axe Viking vs. Man-at-Arms- This is REALLY tough, especially if the Man-at-Arms knows what he's doing. When you meet a Man-at-Arms, take out your sword & shield and get ready to block his crossbow. He might fire a shot at you anyway, but chances are he'll switch to a melee weapon and try to get in close. At this point, you should switch to the big axe and knock him back with a secondary swing. DON'T USE THE PRIMARY SWING IN A ONE-ON-ONE FIGHT. It leaves massive openings between swings, making you ridiculously easy to hit with a flail blow. Lure the opponent to coming in close to you, and then hit him back with a secondary big axe swing before he can react. This should weaken him considerably - take out your sword or throwing axes to finish him off.

-Spear Viking vs. Man-at-Arms- Fairly easy battle here. Most importantly, look out for the crossbow - take out your shield and crouch to block shots from it. For God's sake, don't charge at a Man-at-Arms with a loaded crossbow, or one winding up his flail for that matter. Try to draw him into a melee fight, because there you'll have the advantage. Before moving in, however, try to hit him with a javelin. If you hit him, chances are it'll only take one or two spear jabs to finish him off, making the job a lot safer. Once in close, it shouldn't be very hard to avoid the flail or mace - the spear outranges them both by a considerable margin. Lure him into following you, and backpedal with the spear jabbing out. He won't be able to touch you.

-Berserker vs. Man-at-Arms- None of your weapons are particularly helpful against Men-at-Arms, so it's all skill here. I recommend the hammer, because of its high power and ability to knock people back a bit. Remember to watch out for that crossbow - a hit probably won't kill you, but it'll make you a lot easier to finish off. Don't bother berserking. Instead, go in with your hammer and ring his bell, then quickly back off before he can hit you with the mace or flail. If you're more of a dual axe fan, then all you really need to do is get in his face and hack him to bits before he can kill you. This is easier, but it also results in you getting heavily damaged.

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B- HEAVY KNIGHT

Speed - Very Slow
Max HP - 125
Weapons - Two-Handed Sword, Flail, Sword & Shield
Offense/Defense - Defense

--General Information--

You are a heavy knight. You are the most immediately dangerous class in the entire game. Other people cower in fear when they see you. Your two-handed sword has the capability to finish off any class with one fell swoop, and your ridiculous HP and armor protect you from anything short of a keg. This is definitely the class you'll want to use if you're just starting out in PVK. The combination of powerful weapons and high defensive capabilities create a class that is fairly easy for new players to use. His slow speed leaves him vulnerable to all ranged attack, and his lack of ranged weapons further amplify this weakness. Before I start, let's get one thing straight - the heavy knight is not a newbie class. There are no newbie classes. There are, however, newbies who use the heavy knight in a way that makes it seem like it is. An expert heavy knight has mastered all of his weapons, and puts them all to use. This means he does NOT neglect everything else in favor of the two-handed sword. Each weapon has its pros and cons in any situation. On the downside, the Heavy Knight cannot jump as high as the other Knights. Hell, it's a miracle he can jump at all with that armor.

GENERAL STRATEGIES

* HALT! Who Goes There? The heavy knight is the best defender in the game. You can plant one anywhere that you don't want the other teams to go, and chances are no one's getting past. This is especially convenient, because Knights are almost always the defending team on booty maps. Treat the heavy knight like a miniature watch tower. Pick a spot you think needs defending - your treasure chest areas are the most obvious spots, but choke points are also good places to camp. Remember that you're more valuable to your team defending an area than you are attacking.

* ARROWED! As a heavy knight, your most dangerous foe is none other than the sniper pirate. His musket, which is extremely accurate and very powerful, along with the fact that he's kind of hard to catch, mean that you should keep an eye out for snipers. This is why I recommend pairing up with an archer or man-at- arms - their ranged weaponry can distract snipers while you close the gap. If you're on your own and come across a sniper taking aim at you, take out your shield and crouch. You'll be an easy target, but chances are you won't get killed from the hit - the shield cushions gunpowder damage considerably. This will give you the opportunity to get up close and beat the sucker like a red-headed stepchild. When dealing with throwing axes or javelins, it's also a good idea to take out your shield and block the projectiles, rather than try to dodge them.

* The best defense is a good offense...or something While you should usually focus on defense, there are times when it may be better to go aggressive. If your team seems to be winning indefinitely, it gives you the perfect opportunity to run off to the pirate or viking bases and wreak havoc. Let's face it - guard duty can get boring, especially when your opponents are busy beating each other up instead of trying to attack. Sometimes, you can be of more help distracting half the enemy team inside their own base than you are watching paint peel inside your treasury.

WEAPON STRATEGIES

TWO-HANDED SWORD
Damage - Very High (Primary Swing) High (Secondary Swing)
Maximum Ammunition - No ammo needed

This thing is the main reason that heavy knights are often avoided by players that aren't in the mood to get their asses kicked. It's also one of the reasons that the heavy knight makes an excellent class for new players to get used to the game with. The two-handed sword does more damage per swing than any other melee weapon in the entire game, even more than the big axe. The primary swing is where you would think most of the power lies, but the secondary swing is actually where the weapon's true power is.

Let's look at the primary swing first. This one deals the most damage per swing, often killing even folks with full health in one blow. Despite this, it is the more difficult of the two swings to use. The swing is quite slow, it takes a little more than a second to complete the swing. This means that there is a large period where people can get in your face and slap you up while you're recovering from a swing. It's rather difficult to avoid this, but the easiest way is to use your secondary swing as soon as the primary swing finishes. This will make the opening between swings of minimal length, and if anyone tries to sneak in, they'll probably get smacked upside the head by the secondary swing.

The primary swing is useful against practically any foe you'll ever face. It's best in large groups of people, since it takes care of people quick and painlessly (well, for you). It's the swing of choice when you're dealing with vikings, due to their low speed and poor ability to dodge. It will work well against the pirates too, but you'll need to time your swings more carefully. I find the secondary swing to be much better suited to dealing with pirates, however.

Now let's examine the secondary swing. It's faster, allowing you to get off about two hits in the same amount of time it would take to make one hit with the primary swing. It's also pretty strong, usually requiring no more than 3 hits to take down someone at full health. It has considerable reach, although I'm not sure if it reaches any further than the primary swing. The secondary swing, fills a purpose similar to the big axe's secondary swing - for dealing with puny foes, or severely weakened ones. However, it has one massive advantage over the big axe's secondary: you can move around while using it. Essentially, you can repeatedly press secondary swing to become a walking death machine. No one can hope to get in and do any actual damage to you without getting creamed themselves.

For finishing off weakened enemies, the secondary swing is the weapon of choice. One sideways smack will pretty much kill anyone who has been injured substantially. As for strategies, there really aren't many strategies for the two-handed sword. I recommend jumping while using it, as this makes you a bit harder to hit, and also harder to dodge your swings. Remember that you move slower when the two-handed sword is out, so don't keep it out all the time - especially when you're trying to get to one place in particular.

FLAIL
Damage - Depends on how long the attack button has been held down. Low if it is just tapped, High if it has been held down for 5 seconds or so.
Maximum Ammunition - No ammo needed

The flail is definitely the hardest of all of the heavy knight's weapons to use. Quite frankly, its usefulness is rather limited for the heavy knight. Obviously, the two-handed sword has a larger capacity for destruction, which often leads many players to forget about this weapon entirely and stick with the swords. I'll admit that the flail isn't particularly helpful for the heavy knight, but there are times when you might want to use it.

First off, the flail functions the same way as it does with the Man-at-Arms. By holding down attack, you will begin "winding-up" the swing. When you release the attack button, the flail will swing out and cream anything it hits. The longer you hold down attack, the more damage will be dealt. You will need to time your releases properly so that they connect with the target. Remember, the flail has better range than most melee weapons, so you don't need to be terribly close to someone to clock them. Also, recall that there's a slight delay where the weapon leaves the "winding up" animation and goes into the "swing" sequence.

Remember that the flail is a secondary weapon for heavy knights, unlike the a primary weapon as it is for Men-at-Arms. I can only think of one reason why you would want to use this weapon instead of the two-handed sword - you move faster with this weapon out. The two-handed sword is...well, handy, but its obnoxious size hinders your movement. With the flail out you move faster, which can be very helpful when you're chasing someone. The flail's long range, combined with your slightly upped speed, makes this into the chase weapon of choice for heavy knights. However, remember that you have to wind it up for it to do any sort of real damage to someone.

While the two-handed sword is a lot better at defense (secondary swing + jump = invincible), you might at some point be inclined to use the flail for defensive purposes. Remember to backpedal, with them chasing you. Then when you see an opening between swings, move in and shatter their valuable face. Few classes can survive a fully-wound up flail shot to the head with anything more than a few HP. If it doesn't kill them entirely, let off a few wimpy swings (just click, rather than holding it down) to finish them off.

The flail is an excellent weapon to use against vikings. Of course, the two-handed sword is too, but using that all the time gets boring. When dealing with Axe Vikings, get in between big axe swings and give them a good spanking. Berserkers and Spear Vikings are tougher because their weapons don't have big gaps between swings like the big axe does. You'll need to rush up to them, duck, and give them a blow in the groin. Berserked Berserkers are actually fairly easy to avoid. Treat them like bulls, and duck down or jump out of the way to dodge them, and at the same time letting the flail go on them. Toro!

SWORD & SHIELD
Damage - Medium, Medium to High with the shield deployed
Maximum Ammunition - No ammo needed

The last weapon in the heavy knight's arsenal is the ever-reliable sword and shield. It functions exactly the same as the Viking sword/shield combo, except that the weapon skin is different. The sword provides a handy and quick alternative to the two-handed sword, while the shield provides something that the heavy knight DESPERATELY needs - defense against ranged weaponry. Press secondary fire to raise/lower the shield.

You're a heavy knight. You've got a big honkin' sword that can kill pretty much anyone in one hit. So why in God's name would you want to use this puny sword when you can use the big one? Well, first of all, you move faster with this sword out than you do with the two-handed sword. That in itself makes the sword worth using. Even more importantly, though, is that you can use the shield with this sword. The sword is also fairly quick, which makes it fairly effective against pirates or weakened foes.

The only realistic reason you'd ever NEED to use this weapon is for the shield. As a heavy knight, you are lucky, in that you never need to worry about avoiding arrows (since the only arrow-using classes are on your team). However, you DO need to worry about javelins, axes, and most importantly, muskets. The shield will completely block axes and javelins, and substantially cushion damage from gunpowder weapons. For this reason, it is a VERY GOOD idea to take the sword out and raise your shield out when dealing with snipers/captains with loaded muskets. Even at point blank range, if you have your shield up and are fairly healthy, it is unlikely that a blunderbust/sniper musket will kill you. It might leave you hanging with less than 30 HP though, but you should still be able to take out your two-handed sword and finish them off.

Javelins are very hard to dodge as a heavy knight. Your only realistic defense against a Spear Viking with a good arm is your shield. If you see a spearman running at you, take out your shield and crouch. Unfortunately, the hit detection with javelins is rather poor, so you might get hit anyway. But taking out your shield gives you a better chance of avoiding damage than just trying to jump out of the way would. As a bonus, javelins/axes that are blocked by your shield are gone - that means, you don't need to worry about their tossers picking them up and trying again.

HOW TO DEAL WITH HEAVY KNIGHTS

-Pirate Captain vs. Heavy Knight- Ack. A Heavy Knight is a Captain's worst nightmare. Your blunderbust is helpful, but it's unlikely that you'll be able to do much damage to a heavy knight with it, unless you manage to get a real clean hit on him. Whatever you do, get as much damage out of the blunderbust as you can, because going in against a healthy Heavy Knight with your cutlass is suicide. If you miss, or just graze him with the blunderbust, it might be a good idea to put a lot of distance between yourself and him, and take the time to reload and try again. It's tiresome, but it'll be helpful in the long run. Once he's in the "Badly Injured" range, it's safe to go in with your cutlass. Use the "bull tactic" outlined above to finish him off, and do your best to avoid the two-handed sword.

-Sniper Pirate vs. Heavy Knight- What this all comes down to is how well you can aim the musket. The Heavy Knight is really slow, so if you're at least PARTIALLY competent with the sniper musket, then you really shouldn't have all that much trouble hitting him with it. Make SURE you line up your shot - try to avoid shooting at him if he's moving perpendicular to the direction you're facing. This is because, if you DO miss, you're probably screwed unless you can escape. The flintlock is fairly strong, but it's not very reliable. Whatever you do, KEEP YOUR DISTANCE. Do as much damage as you can at range, and don't go in with your flintlock or dagger unless you absolutely have to. Watch out for his two-handed sword's secondary swing, it'll cream you in two blows easily.

-Skirmish Pirate vs. Heavy Knight- This can get hard. What you need to do here is take advantage of your speed - between the Heavy Knight and Skirmish Pirate, there is a larger speed gap than there is between any other two classes in the game. You can EASILY avoid his two-handed sword's primary swing, unless you walk into it or something. What you need to watch out for is the secondary swing. Keep JUST out of range of his swing, and peck at him with the flintlock. Once you've hit him twice or even just once, lunge at him (between his swings, obviously). If that doesn't kill him, circle him a few times and beat on him with the cutlass. The bull tactic also works nicely, but since the Heavy Knight's swing is pretty easy to avoid, you don't really need to use it.

-Axe Viking vs. Heavy Knight- First off, use ALL your throwing axes on this guy. He can't dodge them with any reliability, and it's unlikely he'll bother trying to block a throwing axe with his shield. Hit him 2 to 4 times with a throwing axe, and he's easy pickings. Go in with your sword to finish him off easily. If you don't have the luxury of throwing axes, things are a bit more complicated. His two-handed sword is quite painful - and you're not really fast enough to dodge it well. I recommend waiting for him to use his primary swing, and then getting in with your big axe or sword and slapping him around a bit. Then, quickly back off before he can get a hit in. The primary swing of the big axe works wonders here, if you can manage to lure him into it.

-Spear Viking vs. Heavy Knight- Spearmen are the Viking team's anti-Heavy Knight. The spear outranges the two-handed sword by a fair margin, making it relatively easy to deal with them compared to other classes. Before you go in, do as much damage with your javelins as you can. Heavy Knights are horrible at dodging projectiles, so toss one their way to soften them up before you take them on up close. If for some reason you miss, you can probably pick it back up and try again, anyway. After that, get in with your spear to finish him off. Remember to use your weapon's range to your advantage - you don't need to get REALLY close to him (and you shouldn't, that sword HURTS), just close enough to hit him.

-Berserker vs. Heavy Knight- As a Berserker it's VERY hard to avoid the two-handed sword - especially its secondary swing. As such, a battle between a Heavy Knight and Berserker often results in nothing more than a "beat on each other until someone dies" affair. If you like the dual axes, this is pretty much your only strategy - get in his face and dent him in the head until he falls over. Avoiding secondary swings is pretty much too difficult to avoid, so don't even try. Primary swings, on the other hand, NEED to be avoided. You've got a lot of HP, but not THAT much. If you're a hammer person, strategy comes back into play. Get in his face between two-handed sword swings, whack him once, and then back off. Repeat a few more times to kill the knight easily and relatively safely.

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C- BOWMAN

Speed - Fast
Max HP - 100
Weapons - Bow & Arrow, Crossbow, Short Sword
Offense/Defense - Offense

--General Information--

The fastest Knight class is the Bowman. He's armed with some of the best ranged weaponry in the game - unfortunately, all of which takes substantial skill to use effectively. He's quite poor at melee fighting, and has low defense. As a bowman, you'll need to maintain distance between your target and yourself, because there's just no way you can hope to stand up to most other classes in melee combat. Remember that the Bowman is an offensive class, so you'll be leading the attack on enemy areas with ranged fire to soften up the defenses. In my opinion, the archer takes more skill to use well than any other class in the game.

AUTHOR'S NOTE By the way, I'll be quite honest here - I'm not a good bowman. I don't consider myself horrible, but it is probably my worst class. If you're really serious about becoming a good bowman, I suggest visiting the forums at http://www.pvkmod.org and inquiring there. There are a number of folks there who know a lot more about being a good archer than I do, and can help you out more than I ever could.

GENERAL STRATEGIES

* Anti-Magnet If you're at all familiar with basic science, you'll know that opposite magnets attract, and similar magnets repel. As a bowman, throw this knowledge out the window. That is to say, to you, opposites repel, and similar attracts. By similar, I mean your teammates, and by opposite, I mean enemies. By staying near your teammates, you will be assured assistance if someone manages to get up close to you - because let's face it, archers just aren't that good at melee fighting. Also, by keeping your friends close, you can assist them in dealing with ranged opponents that they are incapable of harming all by themselves. An archer and a heavy knight is one of the most lethal pairs in the game.

* Bottleneck Unless you're a really good archer (and believe me, there aren't many out there), you'll probably find fighting in wide open areas quite difficult. With a large space for your target to bounce and dodge around in, it can be extremely tough to get a bead on your enemy. To minimize their maneuverability, lure them into narrow areas. Hallways, ramps, tunnels, doorways, and bridges all work nicely. By taking away their ability to strafe, you essentially cripple their defenses by making their path much more predictable.

* Physics 101 Unlike the gunpowder weapons, both the crossbow and bow & arrow are not hitscan. This means that, in order to hit anything, you HAVE to lead your shots. While with the marksman's musket you can shoot where the target is, you'll need to shoot where the target WILL BE with these two weapons. Determining where they'll be when the arrow reaches them is the hardest part, obviously. Especially if they happen to be moving erratically. Also, the crossbow/bow & arrow are affected by gravity so you'll have to aim ABOVE the target if they're far away, rather than directly at them. If you don't, the arrow will fall helplessly at the target's feet.

WEAPON STRATEGIES

BOW & ARROW Damage - Depends on how long the attack button has been held down. Low if the button is tapped, Very High if it has been held down for 3 or 4 seconds.
Maximum Ammunition - 25 arrows

The bow, in my opinion, is the single hardest weapon to use in the entire game. Maybe it's just that I haven't practiced with it that much, but I miss things with this a lot more than I hit them. Like I said, this probably isn't the place to come if you're looking for expert advice on the bow. I can only provide you with what I know, which probably isn't that much. Remember that the bow is affected by gravity, and isn't hitscan. You'll need to align your shots properly to hit anything. Also, you need to hold down the attack button to "charge" the arrow, much like the flail. When you release the attack button, the arrow will fly out and pluck anything it happens to hit. The longer you've held down attack, the farther the arrow will go, and the more damage it will do to anyone it connects with.

Unlike the flail, however, you will move at a reduced speed while "charging" the bow. Considerably reduced. This means that you shouldn't begin charging the bow until you've seen someone to shoot it at, obviously. But when you DO see someone, you'll need to guesstimate how long you have to charge it for the arrow to hit home. All this aiming and predicting and guesstimating is what makes the bow hard to use, in my opinion. It can be quite difficult to get everything aligned right, especially when you've only got a few seconds to do it in.

The bow is your primary weapon. Unless your crossbow is unloaded or someone is right up in your face, you should probably have the bow out. If someone DOES get in your face, you're in a bit of a pickle. Assuming the attacker is not nearly dead, your short sword probably won't be that effective. So, you'll have to use your bow. Now then, how can you use your bow, while still maintaining your distance to avoid melee attacks? The answer to this is jumping.

Jumping while shooting a bow is in itself ridiculous, but PVK isn't really aimed at realism, so this can be ignored. If you see someone approaching you, turn around and high tail it. Then, begin stretching the bow and at the same time, jump forward. While in midair, and while still holding down attack, do an about face so that you can see your pursuer. When you think you've powered the bow up enough, let go and plunk the arrow in their face. This entire process needs to be done in a little more than a second.

If you're feeling tricky, you can pretty much use the aforementioned strategy to maintain your speed and distance for quite a while. By repeatedly bouncing forward while holding down attack, you will not slow down very much, and still keep moving at about the same speed because of your air velocity. Many people consider this a physics exploit (myself included), but there aren't any rules against it, so knock yourself out. It's a very effective way of keeping your distance.

Aim for your opponent's chest. I can't stress this enough. If your opponent sees you, and isn't completely inept, he'll probably try jumping around to become more difficult to hit. If you're trying for his chest, you'll at least hit his feet for some damage. Don't shoot for people's legs - always aim high. If you shoot at someone's legs, and they jump, then you'll miss them completely. This is not good. Every shot you miss gives them all the more opportunity to get in your face and eviscerate you.

CROSSBOW
Damage - Very High
Maximum Ammuniton - 25 bolts

The crossbow is your most powerful weapon as an archer. It can fell practically any target in a single hit. It's also easier to use than the bow. So why would you ever want to use the bow instead of this? Well, obviously, there's the fact that the crossbow needs reloading after every shot. While reloading, you can't move, making you quite vulnerable. But really, unless it needs to be reloaded, I'm not sure why you wouldn't want to use the crossbow.

The main advantage that the crossbow has over the bow, besides the fact that it's stronger, is that you don't need to 'charge' shots like you do with the bow. Instead, you have to wait through a tedious reload process that takes 2 or 3 seconds. But after that, the crossbow is ready to go at a moment's notice, no priming of shots necessary. This makes the crossbow an excellent 'reflex' weapon, because you can fire off a shot that will do considerable damage at a moment's notice. Just aim it, and then fire.

As with all non-gunpowder ranged weapons, the crossbow isn't hitscan. And, yes, it's affected by gravity. Hooray! It's still easier to aim than the bow, though. If someone is right in your face, take out the crossbow and let it rip right into their gut. You don't even need to aim if they're REALLY close. Remember - reflex weapon. Remember that the best place to use the crossbow is in narrow areas, where you take away your target's ability to maneuver. Lure them into a doorway, turn around, and give them some oak to eat when they come a-knockin'. With no places to sidestep to, there's not much an opponent can do to avoid your shot.

Of course, luring them into thin halls isn't always an option. When you're dealing with someone out in the open, they will almost certainly be bouncing around and zig-zagging in an effort to avoid your shot. If this is the case, hitting them with the crossbow is quite difficult. And since it takes a while to reload, you probably won't get the chance to try with it again. Since you've got a backup weapon (bow), it's not as necessary to make every shot count as it is with the Man-at-Arms. But you'll still want to hit people as much as possible, obviously. To increase your chances of hitting someone who is actively dodging your aim, wait until they get close to you. When players get close to an archer, they often take on a false sense of security and forget about avoiding your fire. Once they've done this, let the arrow go to snap them back into reality.

Once again, reloading the crossbow is a slow and arduous journey. You're completely immobile while reloading it, so it's essential that you find a good place to hide and reload. Any area that isn't frequently traveled will do - dark corners, nooks, rooms that are off the beaten path. Of course, you can reload right where you are if you don't see anyone around. If someone does discover you, be sure to switch weapons and beat feet to safer havens. Be especially wary of snipers, because one shot from their musket can easily turn you into a red smear on the grass.

SHORT SWORD
Damage - Low
Maximum Ammuniton - No ammo needed

The short sword is the bowman's only melee weapon. This alone makes it invaluable to him. It's fast, but pretty weak. Don't bother trying to use this on healthy folk, because it just isn't strong enough to take them down quick. In the (unlikely) event that you find yourself with absolutely no arrows or bolts, the short sword will be the only weapon you have to defend yourself with. So it's a good idea to learn how to make the best of its poor power, because it's a very important tool.

The short sword works best when paired with another weapon - probably the bow. After you've landed a shot with the bow, your opponent probably isn't completely dead - although he's likely quite damaged from it. Instead of trying to land another shot, unsheath your trusty sword and clock the straggler a few times to finish him off. This is MUCH easier, faster, and less risky than attempting to hit them again with your bow (at least, if you're not some kind of archery god). Remember - the sword is weak, but reliable.

That having been said, is there any other times you should use the short sword? Yes. While using the short sword against a foe with full health is usually suicide, there are cases where you don't have many other options. The short sword is actually a fairly useful weapon against Pirates. It will only take about 4 blows to kill a pirate with full health. Since pirates are fast, they can easily get in your face, and it's not very easy to keep your distance to use your bow. In this case, it's a good idea to take out the sword and challenge the attacker to a sword duel, rather than taking your chances with arrows.

The most important thing to do when you're taking on someone with the short sword is to use your relatively high speed to your advantage. Slower foes, such as Axe Vikings and Berserkers can't keep up with you under normal circumstances. You can effectively make circles around the target, beating them in with your sword. He'll have trouble hitting you, especially if you crouch or reverse directions unexpectedly. Unpredictability is one of your best tools when you use this weapon, or any other weapons like it (cutlass).

HOW TO DEAL WITH BOWMEN

-Pirate Captain vs. Bowman- This is just an exercise of "how unpredictable can you be". Bounce, jump, zig-zag, and strafe to make youself as hard to hit as you humanly can. The bows are pretty hard to aim, so unless you're dealing with someone who's REALLY good (and there are a few out there), they won't be able to draw a bead on you. Get into blunderbust range and blow the guy a new airhole with it. If that doesn't kill him (even though it should), take out your parrot and let Polly finish the job. On that note, parrots are VERY helpful against bowmen. By sending your parrot out, you essentially force him to switch to the short sword to whack it, leaving him open to assault while he's distracted. If the battle isn't leaning in your favor, send out your parrot, then take out the cutlass and assist it in pecking away at the Bowman's health.

-Sniper Pirate vs. Bowman- Hitting bowmen with the musket isn't really that hard. Since they move very slowly when aiming the regular bow or crossbow, they're basically sitting ducks. One musket shot WILL kill a bowman, so that's really all you should need. If a bowman fires a shot at you while you're aiming or reloading, quickly switch weapons to move out of the way. If your musket is unloaded and you find yourself facing an archer, take out your flintlock and hit him once. Then you can get in with your dagger and open him up like an envelope.

-Skirmish Pirate vs. Bowman- Once again, put your dodging skills to use. You're the fastest class in the game, making it relatively easy to avoid arrow fire. Jump and move around unpredictably to avoid hi shots, then get in close and beat him to a pulp with your cutlass. Don't even bother with the flintlock here, he's not really worth it. Whatever you do, DON'T LUNGE. Lunging makes your path very easy to predict, and that's the last thing you want when dealing with a bowman. Instead, get in close and then pound the crud out of him with your regular cutlass swing.

-Axe Viking vs. Bowman- You're probably the easiest class to hit for a bowman. Don't even bother trying to dodge his shot by jumping or moving around - instead, take out your shield and crouch. Slowly advance towards him while crouching - he won't be able to touch you. This will force him to try and get close to you with his sword to circumvent your shield. At this point you can use your own sword (I don't recommend the big axe here, it's too slow) to retaliate and knock him back. If he takes out his bow again, go back into phalanx mode and resume the gradual advance tactic. The throwing axes are helpful at range, but you make an easy target for a bowman who knows what he's doing while using them.

-Spear Viking vs. Bowman- This isn't too tough. Once again, you're fairly easy to hit if the bowman knows what he's doing. You can try dodging if you want, but I still recommend using the aforementioned turtle tactic to block his fire and get in close. If that's not your style, you'll need another way to get in close. If you're going to throw a javelin at him, try to avoid running directly at him with it - it's tempting to do this, but it makes you really easy to hit. Instead, just throw the javelin in his general direction. You might miss, but if he's smart he'll drop what he's doing and move anyway, just in case. Once in close, use your spear to finish him off - two or three pokes will do it if he's at full health.

-Berserker vs. Bowman- Your slow speed makes it VERY hard to dodge his shots. If there's anyone else in the area, I recommend berserking to get in his face quick and finish him off with the dual axes. Then you can use the rest of the berserk to escape the area, or take on the rest of the foes. If he's all alone, it's not really worth berserking. Since you have no ranged weapons, any smart bowman will try to keep his distance from you at all costs - you won't be able to touch him, that way. What you need to do is chase him into an obstacle - walls work nicely - and then get a few hits in on him. You'll never be able to actually catch him without berserking, so getting him caught on stuff is the easiest way to get in swinging range. Also, remember that when he's priming his bow, his speed is greatly reduced. Try to get up close while he's doing this to get a few hits in.

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Copyright Thomas Whitlock 2003