One of the things that Wrath of the Lich King has given a lot of emphasis on is vehicle combat. Instead of simply acting as mounts, there are plenty of vehicles in the game that act as more than methods of transportation. The introduction of the Argent Tournament takes vehicle combat to a new level by introducing a jousting system. Instead of the usual practice of simply spamming the attack button of a mount, players are forced to strategize by juggling between offense and defense.
I’ve read feedback from here and there and know that the reaction has been mixed. Some players love the Argent Tournament while others hate it. Regardless of how you feel about it, it will be one of the focus points of patch 3.2, so I suggest you hone your jousting skills while you have the time. In this guide I’m going to tell you a few tips that will make it a little easier to do.
Let’s go through your mount’s abilities first.
Jousting 101
The key to winning jousts is to know how your mount’s skills work. Here they are, with a couple of pointers following below:
Thrust – A melee attack that inflicts 3250 damage.- Shield-Breaker – A ranged attack that inflicts 2000 damage and removes one layer of Defend from the opponent.
- Charge – A charging attack that inflicts 8500 damage and removes 1 layer of Defend from the opponent.
- Defend – Reduces damage taken by 30%. Strikes by Shield-Breaker or Charge remove 1 layer of Defend! Up to 3 layers of Defend may be stacked.
- Refresh Mount – Heals your mount. Can only be used out of combat.
- Duel – Challenge another combatant to a mounted duel!
With 8500 damage, Charge is your most powerful offensive skill. However, it only deals 850 damage if it hits a target with a full stack of Defend. Obviously, those stacks must be reduced prior to using Charge.
It’s very easy to tell how well-defended your target is. Take a look at the number and color of triangles circling him: green triangles means he has three stacks, yellow means 2, red means 1 and no triangles means he’s a sitting duck (or a mounted duck). Ideally, you should only use Charge when he has 1 stack or none. 2 is okay, but using it on 3 stacks is a big waste.
Before starting a fight, cast 3 stacks of Defend. Note that the NPC you’re challenging will always move to the center of the ring before starting the fight. You can exploit this by approaching him from behind so he won’t walk past you when he gets into position. Talk to him to issue the challenge. When he starts moving, hit Shield-Breaker followed by Charge. The distance should be enough to allow you to do this. Both skills are affected by the GCD so there’s going to be a slight delay but you should be able to pull it off.
You will dash past your target after charging him. Since you can’t strafe, you can make facing your opponent easier by jumping while turning. Spam Shield-Breaker as you approach your opponent and hit Charge again. If you can’t Charge, move close to your target and hit Thrust. Move away then try to Charge again. Repeat this until your opponent is down.
Thrust is a great way to damage your target while rebuilding your defenses. If you find yourself with one or no stack of Defend, stay close to your target. If possible occupy the same space so he won’t be able to Charge you. Spam Thrust while building Defend, then get ready to move away.
Regarding the NPCs themselves, I suggest that you challenge all of them to see how they fight.
- In my experience, the Orc and Dwarf champions are tougher than the rest.
- The Human, Blood Elf and Undead riders can provide a moderate challenge.
- The Tauren and Draenei champions have a tendency to play defensively (there must be something about those large mounts).
- It’s tough to see the Defend stacks of the Gnome rider.
- There’s nothing special about the Troll champion.
- The Night Elf rider is a cakewalk.
The fights are easier if you can react quickly. If you see your target going to the same direction that you are, head to the opposite. I know it sounds obvious, but personally when I start heading left, I have a tendency to stay there and just circle around to compensate. Don’t do that. Head to the right. The goal here is to create distance between the two of you so can use Shield-Breaker and/or Charge.
Feel free to leave your comments. Jousting can be fun, folks! We just need to do it properly.