RvR Rocks! The Defence of Mandred’s Hold
Posted by Nuke in Warhammer Age of Reckoning, gaming
Last night I had the most rewarding experience in Warhammer: Age of Reckoning (WAR) since I started playing the game when I participated in the defence of Mandred’s Hold in Ostland.
On the Bretonnia server, Destruction rules the roost for the most part. I play during Eastern Standard Time hours and the map is in Destruction’s control most of the time. Naturally I thought the night was going to be more rounds of RvR (Realm vs. Realm) scenario games— and more “Destruction kicking Order’s butt” on the Bretonnia server.
Map of Ostland
However, at some point, the forces of Order had swept from Troll Country, south into Ostland, taking all of the Battle Objects and both Stonetroll and Mandred’s Hold castle keeps.
It wouldn’t be long until the numerically superior Destruction forces would retaliate and soon, siege of Mandred’s Hold began. I linked up with redrobot in Ostland who was already participating in the defence of the keep.
It ended up being the best RvR experience I’ve had to date, and where the Witch Hunter character class really shone!
Boiling Oil Bath
A castle keep controlled by Order
In W:AR, taking a keep is a multi-stage affair. Attackers have to first get inside, which involves breaking down the main door. Then they must fight their way through defenders up to the second floor where the high level Keep Lord non-player character (NPC) is located. Once the Keep Lord falls, the keep can be captured.
Destruction forces had successfully battered down the door and managed to get to the second floor where the Keep Lord was, but Order put up a spirited defence and managed to hold them back, then push them out of the keep. It was after this that I decided to run back to the nearest war camp to purchase keep defences. Keeps have defence weapons “hard points” where you can mount things like cannons and boiling oil.
The highlight of the defence was when I loaded up the boiling oil cauldron atop the battlements and, with redrobot’s help, pushed it onto a group of Destruction players who were clustered around the keep’s entrance trying to fight their way past players defending it. The timing couldn’t have been more perfect!
I’ve never had so many Killing Blows (KBs) (a “coup de grace” accredited to the player) and player kills! The experience points and KB messages just kept on scrolling and scrolling… I wish I had taken a screen shot, or was recording video. It was glorious! 
The loss of so many of their number at one time disrupted Destruction’s momentum and this assault wave floundered, but the battle was far from over!
A keep’s doors, after a period of time, will be automatically repaired. The defenders of Mandred’s Hold managed to hold of the waves of Destruction players just long enough for the doors to be rebuilt. But Destruction stepped up their assault, brought in more players and lots of siege gear! And this is when the second highlight of the evening occurred and the Witch Hunters earned their keep!
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Tags: booby trap, keep defence, mandred's hold, realm vs realm, rvr, sabotage, siege, siege engine, witch hunter
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