Having attended dozens upon dozens of invasions ever since they first came out, I've learned what to do and when to do it. I once attempted to put this strategy in to work on an Ideal server, and it was probably one of the best I ever happened to partake in:
Before the Invasion
Firstly, an organization amongst everybody at the islands must be established. As Tue stated, organization and communication are extremely vital in any form of operation that involves teamwork. So, here's what we did:
- Each barricade voted and had themselves assigned a leader, who was, simply enough, the leader of that barricade. Voting helped calm and settle arguments between the leader selection process, as it helps choose the most popular leader, more than likely creating a sense of trust.
- The leaders of each barricade formed a crew, so that communication between each barricade was safely established. So, if one barricade needed help, they could ask the leader of a barricade in better condition to send over a few willing defenders.
- The leaders of each barricade handed out to each fighter a rank out of four - tank, DPS, heal bot, or reviver.
- Tank - The role of "tank" is used in a lot of MMO's that involve group work. This is the person who attracts the enemies to themselves, while the others hack away at them without getting hit endlessly. Typically, the tank uses a broadsword, so they can hit numerous enemies and use taunt, as well as have the most passive skills and health in use.
- DPS - Stands for "Damage Per Second." These are your standard fighters, who attack the enemies that the tanks draw in. Their job is to make your they deal out as much damage as possible in as little time as possible. Prefered techniques include Repeater Pistols with Max Silver Shot, Cutlass, or in some cases, Staffs. You'll want to refrain from having your DPS's hitting too many enemies at once, as they may draw them away from the tank.
- Heal Bot - The name explains the role. Heal bots are there solely to heal fighters, specifically the tank. This is a very important job, as losing a tank could lead to a very very very bad outcome. Heal Bots are usually chosen based on what kind of doll they have, how quick their skills/voodoo recharges, and how strong heal/cure is. Wind and Spirit Guard skills are a plus.
- Revivers - There to revive those fighters who died. They need to be on top of their job, as losing a fighter for more than a few moments can bring a drastic shift of pace. Also a very very very important job. They should have max tonics. Usually, the revivers are the lowest levels there.
If you have to make a ratio of how tanks to DPS's to Healers to Revivers should be, a safe bet would be 1:3:2:2.
During the Invasion
- Leaders are to keep the atmosphere at their barricade calmed and encouraging. One person with bad spirits can soon infect others, and when somebody doubts their actions, sure enough, the outcome will reflect that.
- Crew chat is to remain as open as possible. If the leaders are having idle chit-chat, a request for help may be lost in the mix.
- Leaders should try to keep their fighters focused on fighting. More talking = less attention to fight.
- Leaders SHOULD NOT leave their barricades at any time, for whatever reason. Even if you see another leader needs reviving, leave them be - their crew should handle it themselves.
- In the event your barricade becomes destroyed, tell your crew to retreat to the next barricade down the row. So, if your at the Beach Barricade on Port Royal, and it gets destroyed, fall back to the King's Run Barricade.
- Jolly Roger:
- When Jolly arrives, have all your troops head down to him. Ignore the barricades.
- Be sure to keep your set up, with the tanks distracting Jolly, DPS's attacking Jolly, and keeping Heal Bots and Revivers a safe distance away.
- Tanks should alternate using Brawl and Grave Shackles on Jolly to slow him down. These are often "aggro moves," so if a DPS uses it, Jolly might end up sending a bolt his way.
- Revivers should only go to revive somebody until after Jolly passes. That way, the reviver won't have to keep getting interrupted over and over again by Jolly's Grave Shackles, or Soul Storm.
If all goes well, your invasion should go pretty smoothly
