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Pirates Helping Pirates, (PHP)

AuthorMessage
Petty Officer
Sep 24, 2013
97
I posted this somewhere else earlier but it's a great tip to be known here as well. This is a tip for players that want to quickly finish battles and dungeons and generally want to max faster. I pretty much do this for all my battles unless a quest requires me to defeat a specific number of enemies or collect items from them.

The strategy is pretty simple, every time there is a battle only one pirate will join or commence the fight and the other will either wait or port to skull island if the fight will drag both of us into it. The second pirate will join the battle usually a minute later when we start to select attacks for the second turn. This pirate will join without his or her companions and may add only one or two enemies at most to the battle upon coming in. Ultimately, this reduces the number of enemies we have to fight, which in turn reduces the fighting animations (these take up way to much time in my opinion). This strategy also works great for farming gear since most bosses only drop 1 gold chest.

Dread Pirate
Jun 17, 2013
2743
SlightlyMadWizard on Jan 18, 2014 wrote:
On my machine, Ctrl-r (for run) also seems to open the chat window where I can type something. I have to close this by hitting 'enter' and then it works fine. When I can type something in the chat window, I can't direct my character so all he does is run straight ahead till he runs into something. So I have to close the chat window before I can direct my running character correctly.

Ctrl-m to change realms works fine on my computer.

I'll have to try Ctrl-N. It sounds like a neat short cut.

A few other shortcuts that I use most of the time:

Pressing 'u' by itself opens the Companion Management window. Pressing 'n' by itself switches on and off the display showing which direction a map location is in (the current map that you are on). Pressing 'b' by itself opens up the Backpack window. Pressing 'e' by itself opens up the Ship Management window. Pressing 'c' by itself opens the Character Management window. Pressing 'm' by itself opens and closes the map showing what map you are on and your location.

Pressing the number (not mentioned in shortcuts, but in ship combat in Player's Guide):
1 - activates the first button in the right hand corner for your ship's powers.
2 - activates the second button in the right hand corner for your ship's powers.
3 - activates the third button in the right hand corner for your ship's powers.

4 - activates the fourth button in the right hand corner for your ship's powers.

I have found that, if I position my fingers correctly, I can use my ship's powers faster as long as I don't forget which finger is over which key. LOL.

As you said, everyone should check out what the shortcuts do. At least some of them are very worthwhile.
Nice addition to the shortcut tips. I'll have to check the Ctrl-R and Ctrl-M on my desktop as well. I did notice that Ctrl-R with the chat window open does cause my pirate to just barrel ahead in a straight line- and like you stated once chat window is closed, it does operate normal. For some reason the Ctrl-M didn't work on my laptop but I have to check it on the desktop as well.

Thank you for the info on the ship battle/powers keyboard shortcuts, you know for some reason I never checked out the ship combat in the Player's Guide- just always used point and click. I will surely have to check it out in the guide and give it a shot and it is good to know. For everyone else here's a link to the ship combat shortcuts.

The other shortcuts you mentioned are great shortcuts as well and ones that are very, very useful.
Thanks again for the added info.

Dread Pirate
Jun 17, 2013
2743
POWER/GEAR TIP

This is less of a tip and more just a little reminder.

Make sure to check your power listing on the My Powers Screen after unequipping a piece of gear with a power card attached to try on a new piece of gear of the same type- that is if you decide to go back to the original piece your pirate was wearing. Once you try on that new piece of gear, the power is dropped from your pirate's power list. If, even after a few seconds, you decide to re-equip the original piece of gear the power will be placed back at the end of the list.

It is easy to forget in those couple of seconds to move the power back up to where you had it originally. I have been guilty of forgetting to move a power back up after trying on something and then deciding I am not crazy about it. I often end up falsely accusing the game of sinister acts aimed to derail my pirate- or have just thought it was a bug. So if you are doing a little trying on of gear, double check to see that all your powers are in their proper order.

Pirate Overlord
Mar 10, 2009
6204
ValkoorTheVictorio... on Jan 19, 2014 wrote:
Nice addition to the shortcut tips. I'll have to check the Ctrl-R and Ctrl-M on my desktop as well. I did notice that Ctrl-R with the chat window open does cause my pirate to just barrel ahead in a straight line- and like you stated once chat window is closed, it does operate normal. For some reason the Ctrl-M didn't work on my laptop but I have to check it on the desktop as well.

Thank you for the info on the ship battle/powers keyboard shortcuts, you know for some reason I never checked out the ship combat in the Player's Guide- just always used point and click. I will surely have to check it out in the guide and give it a shot and it is good to know. For everyone else here's a link to the ship combat shortcuts.

The other shortcuts you mentioned are great shortcuts as well and ones that are very, very useful.
Thanks again for the added info.
Control M worked from my laptop so maybe there is some quirky thing blocking it. Nice tip, I love that one now and will use it a LOT when bouncing through realms trying to find that furstunkin Marleybone Turret lol.

Pirate Overlord
Mar 10, 2009
6204
ValkoorTheVictorio... on Jan 19, 2014 wrote:
POWER/GEAR TIP

This is less of a tip and more just a little reminder.

Make sure to check your power listing on the My Powers Screen after unequipping a piece of gear with a power card attached to try on a new piece of gear of the same type- that is if you decide to go back to the original piece your pirate was wearing. Once you try on that new piece of gear, the power is dropped from your pirate's power list. If, even after a few seconds, you decide to re-equip the original piece of gear the power will be placed back at the end of the list.

It is easy to forget in those couple of seconds to move the power back up to where you had it originally. I have been guilty of forgetting to move a power back up after trying on something and then deciding I am not crazy about it. I often end up falsely accusing the game of sinister acts aimed to derail my pirate- or have just thought it was a bug. So if you are doing a little trying on of gear, double check to see that all your powers are in their proper order.
Oh I totally agree with this one and I have made the same mistake. We must always remember to not falsely slander the Murphy's Law of the Power Cards Dealer. When accused of sinister deeds or being pest infested it can retaliate with only giving you stuff you never use. Well that is what I heard from my friend's boyfriend's brother's classmate's cousin that said they read it on a blog that if you liked it it would send you a card pack an hour for life.

Petty Officer
Sep 24, 2013
97
Petty Officer
Sep 24, 2013
97
This is a tip for any pirate that doesn't want to wait a minute before changing realms or teleporting to a friend after fleeing to a life fountain. Simply, press Esc on your keyboard, go back to the pirate select screen, and then come back on your pirate and voila you don't have to wait anymore!

I've been farming Captains Pluton and Spartacos all day today by realm hopping so this tip is extremely helpful with that in mind. As well, if you use any of your ship's powers (i.e. heal/wheel) before changing realms, when you get to the new one, you won't have to wait X amount of seconds before using it again. The log out trick mentioned above also works great if you're stuck on a friend's ship and want to unbottle your own but can't because they're already fighting the enemy ships.

Lastly, here's an excellent guide on for all the best gear you can get for your ships and the bosses who drop them. The bosses in Aquila are each near a stormgate whirlpool (not the one we come out of from Monquista) with Sparatcos near the left one and Pluton near the right. In Marleybone, Captain Brocks is behind Rooke's Vortex and the Armanda Assault Station is behind Beachhead. Hopefully, my general locations help somewhat because when I first read the guide I had no idea where the bosses were, link below.

http://www.pirate101central.com/forums/showthread.php?33913-Illustrated-Guide-to-Equipping-Your-Eagle-Ship

Dread Pirate
Jun 17, 2013
2743
Wicked Victor Arms... on Jan 20, 2014 wrote:
This is a tip for any pirate that doesn't want to wait a minute before changing realms or teleporting to a friend after fleeing to a life fountain. Simply, press Esc on your keyboard, go back to the pirate select screen, and then come back on your pirate and voila you don't have to wait anymore!

I've been farming Captains Pluton and Spartacos all day today by realm hopping so this tip is extremely helpful with that in mind. As well, if you use any of your ship's powers (i.e. heal/wheel) before changing realms, when you get to the new one, you won't have to wait X amount of seconds before using it again. The log out trick mentioned above also works great if you're stuck on a friend's ship and want to unbottle your own but can't because they're already fighting the enemy ships.

Lastly, here's an excellent guide on for all the best gear you can get for your ships and the bosses who drop them. The bosses in Aquila are each near a stormgate whirlpool (not the one we come out of from Monquista) with Sparatcos near the left one and Pluton near the right. In Marleybone, Captain Brocks is behind Rooke's Vortex and the Armanda Assault Station is behind Beachhead. Hopefully, my general locations help somewhat because when I first read the guide I had no idea where the bosses were, link below.

http://www.pirate101central.com/forums/showthread.php?33913-Illustrated-Guide-to-Equipping-Your-Eagle-Ship
Thanks for the tips Victor. Excellent ones once again. The log out trick is pretty nifty and one that I have used on occasion- it is also a great one to use if you like to farm treasure chest circuits for gold- (By the way thanks to a certain someone for that tip- keep roaring). Although a bit boring, in certain places (like Ithaca) it can be one of the fastest way to accumulate mass amounts of gold. Perfect for purchasing training tomes. Just farm the circuit of chests, change realms, ESC, and hop back in the Spiral. Several thousand pieces of gold in just a couple of minutes. Just keep rinsing and repeating.

Also thank you for including the link on central for the ship gear and the info on the ship bosses. As you stated they are fantastic for farming for ship gear. And I am sure most everyone is aware, but just in case some aren't, in order to get the great ship gear drops you must sink the ship and not board or get boarded. Although they also have some pretty good gear for your pirate as well.

I have to spend more time on central to find some more of those great tips and guides. I have seen a few and want to put some more links on here for them. Time is rather tight these days but that is why I am glad someone such as yourself is providing such great insight and links to guides from over on central.

Again we appreciate your input and tips.

Dread Pirate
Jun 17, 2013
2743
Chrissy Th'Blesser on Jan 19, 2014 wrote:
Oh I totally agree with this one and I have made the same mistake. We must always remember to not falsely slander the Murphy's Law of the Power Cards Dealer. When accused of sinister deeds or being pest infested it can retaliate with only giving you stuff you never use. Well that is what I heard from my friend's boyfriend's brother's classmate's cousin that said they read it on a blog that if you liked it it would send you a card pack an hour for life.
Talk about hearing in through the grapevine, wow. That would totally explain why sometimes I get nothing but useless gear- I clearly have upset the Power Cards Dealer with false accusations.

Also, I was able to figure out why Ctrl-M wasn't working on the laptop and took care of it. All of the shortcuts do work on my desktop after testing yesterday so all is well in shortcut land.

Captain
Oct 26, 2012
524
The extensive Encylopeida of pirating, volume 66, chapter 32 Section 17-B: The horrible Hydra

The hydra is a foe that you face, it is a dreaded beast. Kill one of its many heads and two more appear, taking its place. Here is a book I found in Valencia's library, giving nice tips for the hydra.

EBON HEAD TIP:
In order to defeat this instance, players must defeat one black head, known as EBON to win. Most players usually charge with full force against this head. DONT do that. This head vanishes when it's health bar drops every 25% (based on observation). Have around two companions attack every time the head pops up. It should vanish after that. The other companions should attack the other foes.

THE BIG HEADS TIP:
Aside from EBON, there are 3 other dangerous heads, with over 2000 health. Kill them one by one. They are a strong force together! and probably the hardest part of the dungeon. Focus on one head at a time, DO NOT attack the lesser health heads until these big boys are defeated.

MASS ATTACK TIP:
Kill the little heads quicker with AoE attacks. Save these for the little heads. An epic hit can send many flying! I recommend using shooty/stabby or another combo of shooty weapons. AoE spells such as hurricane round, barrages, and mojo storms will send these heads flying!

TRAPPED TIP:
This is probably the most sneakiest part of the dungeon. Everytime you try to reach the EBON head, you are surrounded by so many heads that you can't move. I recommend you have your pirate on an empty zone, away from the chaos. When the EBON pops his head up, you are free to move and attack him without other heads as obstacles.

Hope dis helps. And as a request for KI, can we have a better reward! It is such a hard fight, and one treasure chest is not worthy.

Lieutenant
Jun 23, 2012
165
General Game Advice
While I hate to be the bearer of bad news, I must say that among our Pirate101 community there are a few rude players. Now, some people get upset when they get insulted by said people. However, there's a simple solution to trying to get rid of them.

I'd like to remind people that if someone uses creative ways to get around the chat filter, they can be reported. If this goes on, you can click the handy dandy ignore button and their chat will no longer show up in your chat log or in chat balloons around you. If even this doesn't work, you can still get rid of them by switching realms.

I hope that this leads to a more pleasant gameplay experience for everyone. Just remember, don't let anyone's words get to you. Be the better (wo)man and just ignore them and their words.

Dread Pirate
Jun 17, 2013
2743
Golden Guardian on Jan 21, 2014 wrote:
The extensive Encylopeida of pirating, volume 66, chapter 32 Section 17-B: The horrible Hydra

The hydra is a foe that you face, it is a dreaded beast. Kill one of its many heads and two more appear, taking its place. Here is a book I found in Valencia's library, giving nice tips for the hydra.

EBON HEAD TIP:
In order to defeat this instance, players must defeat one black head, known as EBON to win. Most players usually charge with full force against this head. DONT do that. This head vanishes when it's health bar drops every 25% (based on observation). Have around two companions attack every time the head pops up. It should vanish after that. The other companions should attack the other foes.

THE BIG HEADS TIP:
Aside from EBON, there are 3 other dangerous heads, with over 2000 health. Kill them one by one. They are a strong force together! and probably the hardest part of the dungeon. Focus on one head at a time, DO NOT attack the lesser health heads until these big boys are defeated.

MASS ATTACK TIP:
Kill the little heads quicker with AoE attacks. Save these for the little heads. An epic hit can send many flying! I recommend using shooty/stabby or another combo of shooty weapons. AoE spells such as hurricane round, barrages, and mojo storms will send these heads flying!

TRAPPED TIP:
This is probably the most sneakiest part of the dungeon. Everytime you try to reach the EBON head, you are surrounded by so many heads that you can't move. I recommend you have your pirate on an empty zone, away from the chaos. When the EBON pops his head up, you are free to move and attack him without other heads as obstacles.

Hope dis helps. And as a request for KI, can we have a better reward! It is such a hard fight, and one treasure chest is not worthy.
Great tips on how to defeat the Hydra, Golden Guardian

I have not progressed that far in the main quest storyline but I have helped several others out with fighting the Horrendous Hydra. These are all fabulous tips and when I go in solo (which should be very soon), I will be sure to implement these strategies. I enjoy your tips on specific boss battles, as they are always very thorough and detailed.

Thank you again for all the wise and stellar input and keep it coming.

Dread Pirate
Jun 17, 2013
2743
Scarlet Freeman on Jan 21, 2014 wrote:
General Game Advice
While I hate to be the bearer of bad news, I must say that among our Pirate101 community there are a few rude players. Now, some people get upset when they get insulted by said people. However, there's a simple solution to trying to get rid of them.

I'd like to remind people that if someone uses creative ways to get around the chat filter, they can be reported. If this goes on, you can click the handy dandy ignore button and their chat will no longer show up in your chat log or in chat balloons around you. If even this doesn't work, you can still get rid of them by switching realms.

I hope that this leads to a more pleasant gameplay experience for everyone. Just remember, don't let anyone's words get to you. Be the better (wo)man and just ignore them and their words.
Thank you, Scarlet- you are so right. Unfortunately there are some rude pirates out there that try to find ways to 'trick' the chat system and can just be plain rude in general. And like you said, inappropriate chat- even if done in a creative manor, is a reportable violation to the codes of conduct for the game.

To all out there, don't be afraid to report someone for a clear and blatant violation of the rules. They were put in place for a reason and being that there are many young children (who still know how to read) playing Pirate101, it is inappropriate and unacceptable to expose them to certain words, phrases and text chats. These players are taking advantage of the way the game and chatting system was supposed to work and they should be reported. Just don't report anyone for anything that is not an actual violation, because repeatedly doing so can also lead to issues for yourself.

Scarlet, you are wise to advise to report, ignore, leave the area and don't let the rude people hurt your feelings or get to you. The actions of these people can't actually hurt you unless you allow them to. Just stay strong and positive, keep having fun in the Spiral and don't give them the satisfaction of ruining your Pirate101 experience. There are way more pleasant and friendly pirates out there than the handful of rude ones. So enjoy their in game friendships to the fullest.

Thank you, again Scarlet for the great advice.

Dread Pirate
Jun 17, 2013
2743
This is a link to the Pirate101 site Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page that has some great information on the following and more:

  • Pirate101 Game Questions- Info on how to play, chatting, realms, general account info and more.
  • Pirate101 Billing Questions- Info on costs of playing, Crowns, redeeming cards or codes and membership and more.
  • Pirate101 Technical Questions- Info on forgotten passwords/usernames, parental controls, system requirements, error messages and more.
  • Sanction Questions- Info about being muted, reporting players or getting reported yourself, and what offenses are considered reportable and non reportable.
  • Pirate101 and Wizard101- Info about having accounts for both games and what options are or are not available in regards to both games.

Lieutenant
Jun 23, 2012
165
ValkoorTheVictorio... on Jan 22, 2014 wrote:
Thank you, Scarlet- you are so right. Unfortunately there are some rude pirates out there that try to find ways to 'trick' the chat system and can just be plain rude in general. And like you said, inappropriate chat- even if done in a creative manor, is a reportable violation to the codes of conduct for the game.

To all out there, don't be afraid to report someone for a clear and blatant violation of the rules. They were put in place for a reason and being that there are many young children (who still know how to read) playing Pirate101, it is inappropriate and unacceptable to expose them to certain words, phrases and text chats. These players are taking advantage of the way the game and chatting system was supposed to work and they should be reported. Just don't report anyone for anything that is not an actual violation, because repeatedly doing so can also lead to issues for yourself.

Scarlet, you are wise to advise to report, ignore, leave the area and don't let the rude people hurt your feelings or get to you. The actions of these people can't actually hurt you unless you allow them to. Just stay strong and positive, keep having fun in the Spiral and don't give them the satisfaction of ruining your Pirate101 experience. There are way more pleasant and friendly pirates out there than the handful of rude ones. So enjoy their in game friendships to the fullest.

Thank you, again Scarlet for the great advice.
Thanks.

I thought I'd put that in there after encountering some (very) unpleasant wizards in Wizard101. I was questing with a partner and they were on the sidelines of our battle. As soon as I began casting a Tempest to make way for my friend's killing spell, they joined, bringing in two more enemies. Luckily, I fizzled, but my friend didn't. He didn't kill the enemies, but this made the battle drag out quite a bit longer as I took a while to set up for a killing Tempest.

During the set up my friend said something along the lines of "Come on, dude." (Which may have been the cause of what was about to happen. I think he might have to shoulder some of the blame for it, and, I admit, I myself might have given my suggestion to switch realms in whisper chat instead of regular chat, but I do not think the fault lies entirely with us.) I then suggested that we switch realms after the battle was finished. Lo and behold, a few seconds later I was greeted with the report notification to which I had done nothing to earn.

That experience made me want to remind people not to let others get under their skins. Stuff like that happens and you just have to walk on and stay strong.

With that I'd like to add a friendly reminder to players. Please remember to ask before joining battles and to be polite and courteous if your offer is accepted or declined. If it is declined, don't be mad or sad. The person may want to solo things or they may be waiting on other people to port to them. Heck, they may just want me-time. If they accept the offer, try to help the person out. They may need healing or buffs when you join and if you did give them some I doubt that they would be angry about it. If they don't then use both of your powers of awesomeness combined to take down the enemies and save the day! You might make a new friend.

Pirate Overlord
Mar 10, 2009
6204
Golden Guardian on Jan 21, 2014 wrote:
The extensive Encylopeida of pirating, volume 66, chapter 32 Section 17-B: The horrible Hydra

The hydra is a foe that you face, it is a dreaded beast. Kill one of its many heads and two more appear, taking its place. Here is a book I found in Valencia's library, giving nice tips for the hydra.

EBON HEAD TIP:
In order to defeat this instance, players must defeat one black head, known as EBON to win. Most players usually charge with full force against this head. DONT do that. This head vanishes when it's health bar drops every 25% (based on observation). Have around two companions attack every time the head pops up. It should vanish after that. The other companions should attack the other foes.

THE BIG HEADS TIP:
Aside from EBON, there are 3 other dangerous heads, with over 2000 health. Kill them one by one. They are a strong force together! and probably the hardest part of the dungeon. Focus on one head at a time, DO NOT attack the lesser health heads until these big boys are defeated.

MASS ATTACK TIP:
Kill the little heads quicker with AoE attacks. Save these for the little heads. An epic hit can send many flying! I recommend using shooty/stabby or another combo of shooty weapons. AoE spells such as hurricane round, barrages, and mojo storms will send these heads flying!

TRAPPED TIP:
This is probably the most sneakiest part of the dungeon. Everytime you try to reach the EBON head, you are surrounded by so many heads that you can't move. I recommend you have your pirate on an empty zone, away from the chaos. When the EBON pops his head up, you are free to move and attack him without other heads as obstacles.

Hope dis helps. And as a request for KI, can we have a better reward! It is such a hard fight, and one treasure chest is not worthy.
Really wonderful tips here and masterfully organized. I really feel armed up and ready to go with this one, just like I am now totally comfortable with Scylla and Satyrs, thanks to all the wonderful tips I have read here. Well ok some of it is from my own experience but I got the confidence to try them and thus learn things from my mentors right here on the boards.
By the way, Any chance I can get a copy of that wonderful encyclopedia?

Pirate Overlord
Mar 10, 2009
6204
ValkoorTheVictorio... on Jan 22, 2014 wrote:
This is a link to the Pirate101 site Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page that has some great information on the following and more:

  • Pirate101 Game Questions- Info on how to play, chatting, realms, general account info and more.
  • Pirate101 Billing Questions- Info on costs of playing, Crowns, redeeming cards or codes and membership and more.
  • Pirate101 Technical Questions- Info on forgotten passwords/usernames, parental controls, system requirements, error messages and more.
  • Sanction Questions- Info about being muted, reporting players or getting reported yourself, and what offenses are considered reportable and non reportable.
  • Pirate101 and Wizard101- Info about having accounts for both games and what options are or are not available in regards to both games.
Nicely said and formatted.

Captain
Oct 26, 2012
524
ValkoorTheVictorio... on Jan 21, 2014 wrote:
Great tips on how to defeat the Hydra, Golden Guardian

I have not progressed that far in the main quest storyline but I have helped several others out with fighting the Horrendous Hydra. These are all fabulous tips and when I go in solo (which should be very soon), I will be sure to implement these strategies. I enjoy your tips on specific boss battles, as they are always very thorough and detailed.

Thank you again for all the wise and stellar input and keep it coming.
Here is a great tip especially for buccaneers like you. Wear clothes that give you A LOT of armor. Those little heads only do 150-200 damage at critical, but at times they have been lower than 3 for me. Wear armor, and you will absorb and resist anything. This is a great fight with buccaneers!

Dread Pirate
Jun 17, 2013
2743
Golden Guardian on Jan 23, 2014 wrote:
Here is a great tip especially for buccaneers like you. Wear clothes that give you A LOT of armor. Those little heads only do 150-200 damage at critical, but at times they have been lower than 3 for me. Wear armor, and you will absorb and resist anything. This is a great fight with buccaneers!
Thanks for the tip, I should be in luck then. Right now my buccaneer has a set of gear loaded with damage, health and armor and a few high damaging swashbuckler powers. Quite frankly, I don't see why buccaneers get such a bad rap, at least as far as the storyline goes (I know PvP is a different story). I'd probably get destroyed in PvP, but good news for me is that I'm not really into it anyway, so I equip my pirate to easily handle the main storyline battles and enemies.

I think as a buccaneer my max has only been defeated 2 times in battle in the whole game- and both of those times were early in Cool Ranch and that's soloing everything. Actually I have been defeated a couple other times but it was because I walked away from the computer while in battle and forgot to take a couple of turns due to being preoccupied. From midway through CR to all the way through Aquila I don't think that my pirate has even dropped to yellow health or lost a companion more than a couple times.

But I hear that Hydra can be tough solo, so we shall see. With your great tips I should be OK though, so thanks again for the advice.

Admiral
Jul 27, 2012
1196
Golden Guardian gave a good tip regarding Zeena, and I believe I have another one. If you have her in a battle facing musketeers or witchdoctors, adversaries that are likely to stay in place as they attack you, have her shoot her 'rain of fire' into the area they have moved into (or you expect will do so). You don't have to target any of the adversaries, just leave a seriously trapped area that will damage anyone who is standing next to a square of flame.

You need to be careful, of course, as this fire will damage you and your allies as well, so plot how your buccaneers and swashbucklers are going to move into the area to fight your foes as you set Zeena's fire traps.

Virtuous Anne Radcliffe

Pirate Overlord
Mar 10, 2009
6204
Scarlet Freeman on Jan 22, 2014 wrote:
Thanks.

I thought I'd put that in there after encountering some (very) unpleasant wizards in Wizard101. I was questing with a partner and they were on the sidelines of our battle. As soon as I began casting a Tempest to make way for my friend's killing spell, they joined, bringing in two more enemies. Luckily, I fizzled, but my friend didn't. He didn't kill the enemies, but this made the battle drag out quite a bit longer as I took a while to set up for a killing Tempest.

During the set up my friend said something along the lines of "Come on, dude." (Which may have been the cause of what was about to happen. I think he might have to shoulder some of the blame for it, and, I admit, I myself might have given my suggestion to switch realms in whisper chat instead of regular chat, but I do not think the fault lies entirely with us.) I then suggested that we switch realms after the battle was finished. Lo and behold, a few seconds later I was greeted with the report notification to which I had done nothing to earn.

That experience made me want to remind people not to let others get under their skins. Stuff like that happens and you just have to walk on and stay strong.

With that I'd like to add a friendly reminder to players. Please remember to ask before joining battles and to be polite and courteous if your offer is accepted or declined. If it is declined, don't be mad or sad. The person may want to solo things or they may be waiting on other people to port to them. Heck, they may just want me-time. If they accept the offer, try to help the person out. They may need healing or buffs when you join and if you did give them some I doubt that they would be angry about it. If they don't then use both of your powers of awesomeness combined to take down the enemies and save the day! You might make a new friend.
It doesn't look like you did anything wrong. There is nothing wrong with wanting to get away from rude players. Don't worry about that report. It is a classic example of a false report. If anyone got into trouble, they did for doing a report out of spite. Neither of you did any wrong. They were the rude ones. Unfortunately rudeness isn't reportable, but since they submitted a false report, they told on themselves.

Dread Pirate
Jun 17, 2013
2743
Scarlet Freeman on Jan 22, 2014 wrote:
Thanks.

I thought I'd put that in there after encountering some (very) unpleasant wizards in Wizard101. I was questing with a partner and they were on the sidelines of our battle. As soon as I began casting a Tempest to make way for my friend's killing spell, they joined, bringing in two more enemies. Luckily, I fizzled, but my friend didn't. He didn't kill the enemies, but this made the battle drag out quite a bit longer as I took a while to set up for a killing Tempest.

During the set up my friend said something along the lines of "Come on, dude." (Which may have been the cause of what was about to happen. I think he might have to shoulder some of the blame for it, and, I admit, I myself might have given my suggestion to switch realms in whisper chat instead of regular chat, but I do not think the fault lies entirely with us.) I then suggested that we switch realms after the battle was finished. Lo and behold, a few seconds later I was greeted with the report notification to which I had done nothing to earn.

That experience made me want to remind people not to let others get under their skins. Stuff like that happens and you just have to walk on and stay strong.

With that I'd like to add a friendly reminder to players. Please remember to ask before joining battles and to be polite and courteous if your offer is accepted or declined. If it is declined, don't be mad or sad. The person may want to solo things or they may be waiting on other people to port to them. Heck, they may just want me-time. If they accept the offer, try to help the person out. They may need healing or buffs when you join and if you did give them some I doubt that they would be angry about it. If they don't then use both of your powers of awesomeness combined to take down the enemies and save the day! You might make a new friend.
Good advice Scarlet. Asking to join battles is just as important in terms of being polite and considerate of other pirates. Like you said, many time players want to go through the game questing and battling by themselves. I actually have spent probably 95% of my pirate's time, questing and doing the main storyline, solo. The other times are when someone joined in with me without asking. I have spent several months helping others but when it comes to my own pirate I prefer to solo- at least with my first pirate.

Many times I see a high level just swoop in and destroy a ship or join battle, reek havoc and then split- all without asking if the person they are joining even needs or wants help. Sometimes it is almost as if the max character is thinking I am a high level so I can do whatever I want. Or it seems as if they just assume that the other person needs help. But I have also had numerous lower levels teleport to me while I am in battle without asking, so it is a various level issue. I always try to ask a pirate if they need or want help before I join in. Sometimes they don't respond but I still just stick around watching for a few minutes to make sure they are ok. If still no response then I send a chat of 'good luck' or 'have fun' and then go about my business.

Only a couple of times I have joined when there was no response and this was only because I clicked on their pirate and saw that they were dangerously low on health and I wanted to heal them and help with the battle. Even then, it is still a bit rude of me to just jump in but there are times that the other pirate only has menu chat, and I am afraid they weren't able to see my chat asking if they needed help- so if I think this may indeed be the case I give them a hand.

As you noted, it is much more polite and courteous to at least ask first if they need help and then wait for a response. Great advice once again Scarlet.

Pirate Overlord
Mar 10, 2009
6204
ValkoorTheVictorio... on Jan 23, 2014 wrote:
Thanks for the tip, I should be in luck then. Right now my buccaneer has a set of gear loaded with damage, health and armor and a few high damaging swashbuckler powers. Quite frankly, I don't see why buccaneers get such a bad rap, at least as far as the storyline goes (I know PvP is a different story). I'd probably get destroyed in PvP, but good news for me is that I'm not really into it anyway, so I equip my pirate to easily handle the main storyline battles and enemies.

I think as a buccaneer my max has only been defeated 2 times in battle in the whole game- and both of those times were early in Cool Ranch and that's soloing everything. Actually I have been defeated a couple other times but it was because I walked away from the computer while in battle and forgot to take a couple of turns due to being preoccupied. From midway through CR to all the way through Aquila I don't think that my pirate has even dropped to yellow health or lost a companion more than a couple times.

But I hear that Hydra can be tough solo, so we shall see. With your great tips I should be OK though, so thanks again for the advice.
Just be careful about how easy you say things were for you, *In conspiratorial whisper* after all we don't want to give Ratbeard any ideas that the game is way too easy, now do we? *Tongue planted firmly in cheek*

Dread Pirate
Jun 17, 2013
2743
Anne Radcliffe on Jan 23, 2014 wrote:
Golden Guardian gave a good tip regarding Zeena, and I believe I have another one. If you have her in a battle facing musketeers or witchdoctors, adversaries that are likely to stay in place as they attack you, have her shoot her 'rain of fire' into the area they have moved into (or you expect will do so). You don't have to target any of the adversaries, just leave a seriously trapped area that will damage anyone who is standing next to a square of flame.

You need to be careful, of course, as this fire will damage you and your allies as well, so plot how your buccaneers and swashbucklers are going to move into the area to fight your foes as you set Zeena's fire traps.

Virtuous Anne Radcliffe
Thank you Anne, definitely a great tip.

Nice to have a fresh face on the thread, posting some really good advice. Zeena is a must have companion against those kind of enemies as they will just stay trapped and take on lots of extra damage in the process. Your tip on being careful of where to place your melee crew and picking a proper route to engage the trapped enemies, is also a great one.

Thanks again for the input and great tip. And please keep the tips coming!

Petty Officer
Sep 24, 2013
97
Here's another good guide explaining how Pirate101 attacks are calculated.