PVP: What should counter Archery?

As a player that spends most of his time in cloth armor, I find it very difficult to counter Archery in R13.

Most people in pvp will use archery as their primary ranged attack. Disable Shot will slow your opponent AND do a significant amount of ranged damage. If you're running way and you get hit in the back it will almost always crit.

If you're playing as a mage, you may only have 100 to 150 hit points (depending on what level you are). Most archery attacks will do about 1/3 of your total hit points. While I don't mind players having the ability to use ranged attacks to counter magic, these attacks do a lot more damage to me than I can do to anyone else with magic.

I'm not using Fire Arrow, Fire Ball, Death Decay or anything else for that much damage.

So I'm curious what people think should be the counter to archery. I really have no idea. It seems like the cover system will help some, but really I think there needs to be skills and spells that can be used to defend yourself against ranged melee attacks.

I'd like to see a Wind Wall in the Air School that makes incoming ranged melee attacks miss.

 

+1


what a bout a blindness spell, that lowers ranged accuracy. I guess that sounds like Wind Wall, but I think anything that temporarily lowers accuracy, maybe even exacerbates with distance

 

If your lucky and time it right gust counters fairly well or atleast me of all people was able to counter and kill gnomes who was archer/mage think it was about 5 out six times. And i think it would have helped me against Net if he wasnt over 10 lvls above me... but i dont know as i cant realy touch him even if he stands still.

 

I'd like to see blindness actually blind people. Again, there should be a counter for EVERYTHING so there's no way to make this over powered. But yeah, I really like the idea of "you can't hit what you can't see".

 

Shields.

But yea if you're talking about magic, any wall spells like the ones they already have. I suggested something like Wind Wall as a combo, but that would require a blade. A single spell would also have good use. In general, I'd like to see more air spells to Air magic and not just lightning spells.

 

Plus, anything that would force the archer into melee would be good at disabling them, that is if they make archery hard at close distance. And of course, Root, or other immobilization spells work as well on archers as on anyone else.

 

+1

As well as a shield spell. At top level a Mage should have some invulnerabilities spells to ordinary weapons as well.

 

Amen to that.

 

An effective wind wall spell should do it, but maybe it should make increased fire damage to the caster, too.

 

I like trade off like this....Hey I'm great against ranged melee attacks but horrible against earth spells.

I'd also like to see different ways to do the same thing. So that everyone doesn't have to take Air Magic so they don't get owned by Archery.

 

Maybe a mud wall alternative then xD, you could hide behind to avoid ranged attacks and cast something or recover a bit. The mud wall could be affected by water magic and then deal flood damage to near players.

 

I don't see how a wind wall would resist Sun magic or Death magic either.

 

Why it should protect against those types of magic? The question is about mages countering archery .

 

@Akro,

Exactly :> Just covering the bases.

Speaking of countering archery with magic, I wish I could find a certain scene from Time Bandits on YouTube.

 

I think it will be a little more balanced once they get the "cover" thing in - where you can use items in the game for cover.

 

You mean like these?

• Blind: Curse that reduces the attacks of targeted creature
• Blinding Armor: Attackers have % chance to have their attacks reduced by blinding flashes

You mean like these?

• Shield of Ice: Damage absorption + fire resistance
• Death Shield: Some % of damage from attacks against Death Shield become hit point transfers
• Chaos Shield: Increases defense but has % chance to also amplify damage
• Dig In: Roots Caster in exchange for huge increase in AC in radius around caster, radius increased 50% for each ally equipped with shield. Radius tripled if ally also casts Dig In
• Testudo: Slows Caster movement but grants increase in AC in radius around caster, radius increased 50% for each ally equipped with shield. Radius tripled if ally also casts Testudo

But yeah, we definitely need more defense/block type skills, be they physical or magical. While the above are generic, they can be applied to archery, especially Blinding Armor.

 

How about giving an archer a taste of his own with a reverse ranged attack spell?

 

Nice! I havent messed around with the sun magic school too much yet. Seems like those are skills a pure mage would have, a hybrid could not afford, but need. I will test these out against archers and report my finding.

 

Unfortunately, these skills aren't in the game yet. Much to the OP's point, I'm sure.

 

NOTHING should counter Archery. Let the Rangers roam wild!