Standards  

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Standards (Guild Banners)

The first thing you need to do is identify what game this refers to. First, the terms banner and standard are interchangeable. We'll use the term Standard in this guide for easy reading!

Standard Window

The Standard window (located in the guild interface menu) is where the guild's standard is displayed. Standards are granted as a guild reward and are two handed items, used by Standard Bearers on the battlefield, to grant bonuses to the party. From this tab, guilds can view their Standard, edit their Heraldry, set the Standard post and modify Tactics for their Standard. The Heraldry Editor is accessed from this window.

Edit Heraldry Display

The Edit Heraldry display allows guilds to choose a unique Heraldry configuration that is displayed on their guild Standard. There is a fee for Heraldry reservation and it is granted as a guild reward, though the display of the Heraldry on the Standard is unlocked gradually through the guild rank progression. Heraldry customization options include a shape, base color, pattern, pattern color, emblem, and emblem color (there are 1-10 color variations per emblem).

Standard Bearer

The holder of a Standard on the battlefield is called a Standard Bearer. The Standard Bearer cannot use his or her personal abilities, tactics or morale abilities as long as he or she is holding the standard. A guild can attach trophies to the standards, trophies that can be gained from the guild's victories and achievements. The Standard works as a rallying point for the guild's characters. The Standard has a morale bonus given to the players in a PBAoE around the Standard.

Standard Abilities

The Standard gives special abilities to the Standard Bearer, based on the rank of the guild. The first the Standard Bearer receives is the ability to plant the Standard on the ground so he can fight alongside his allies. Other abilities include speed bonuses and the ability to swing the Standard to knock-back the enemies.

The Standard also has tactical components. The guild can choose different tactics builds for different occasions. There are up to three tactic slots for each Standard. In RvR, a player can capture the enemy standard by capturing a planted Standard. When a standard bearer is killed the standard he was carrying becomes planted at the point of his death.

A guild can own up to three standards. Tome unlocks and trophies are available for capturing the banners of enemy guilds.

At the lowest level you get the Recruit Standard (which has an automatic 25% run increase on it) and get one tactic slot. As the guild levels, more tactic slots will become available.

Standard Bearers

At level 5 you can unlock the option to have 2 standard bearers at a time. At level 15 two more become available.

Veteran Guild Members

All members of Veteran rank are allowed to assign and unassign themselves and others as Standard Bearers. Until guild level 18 there are only 2 bearers.

In the guild roster right click your name and select "Assign Standard Bearer". If the option is grayed out, there are already 2 standard bearers active. Obviously, this is only for level 5 guilds, at level 18 you get two more bearers.

Buying A Standard

Standards can be bought from several different merchants. The easiest way to find them is the siege merchant in each war camp. The current cost is 2 gold for each Standard.

What To Do With Standards

Standards give bonuses when equipped and planted. While planting is instant, unplanting takes 15 seconds and may be interrupted.

When equipped, the bearer cannot use any Skills, Abilities, Morale or Traits. The base standard gives a 25% speed buff to all group mates.

When planted, the flag continues to give the tactic buffs you have selected and a 25% increased morale gain instead of the run speed.

Losing A Standard

There are many ways to lose a Standard. First, if you leave the standard planted in a scenario when it ends, the Standard simply disappears.

It takes 10 seconds to pick up a Standard, longer if you are getting hit. If you're being hit the cast bar doesn't reset when storing, but it does do a knockback on the cast bar so, depending on how much you are getting, you could be looking at a very long time of not doing anything. So keep an eye on the time!

{Patch 1.0.3 - Reduced the interaction time required to deploy a guild standard}

Also, falling into lava (T3 Scenario anyone?) and dying will lose your Standard if you're carrying it when you go flying!

If the Standard Bearer dies or gets to far from his standard the standard may be stolen by enemy armies. However, if a realm mate recovers your standard it will be mailed to you! So always keep a lookout for available standards!

Stealing/Recovering Standards

Standards that are separated from their bearers when planted, either by death or distance, may be recovered.

  • If it's an enemy Standard you'll receive tome unlocks, standard scraps and Renown points.
  • If it's a realm mate's Standard it will be mailed to them!

If given the opportunity to recover a standard always take it!!!

Guild Heraldry

Heraldry is the emblem that you choose to visually represent your guild. The Heraldry can be placed upon cloaks, allowing you to proudly proclaim your guild affiliation. Heraldry is also displayed upon Standards.

Guild Tactics

Guild tactics are the same as each player's tactics choices, but these are used and shared through the guild Standards. Tactics are passive enhancements that help you fight the way YOU want to. Are you going to charge headlong into battle, or sneak around and plan a surprise attack?

There are 3 kinds of guild tactics: Offensive, Defensive and Statistic Enhancements. Each Standard may contain one of each type of Tactic.

While the Standards themselves provide a morale generation bonus for the party, additional area-wide bonuses can be applied to Standards through the use of Guild Tactics. Guild Tactics can be purchased using guild tactic points, which are earned as the guild reaches new guild ranks.

A guild must also unlock tactic slots on its Standards to be able to slot its Tactics onto them, with up to three tactic slots eventually becoming available (per Standard). This provides each Guild with a variety of ways to customize the bonuses on their Standards to best suit the needs and play styles of their Guild members.

Herald source information for Guild Tactics

Defensive

  • Weapon Deflection: Increases armor by a certain percentage (depending on level of tactic)
  • Blade Avoidance: Increases Parry Chance by a certain percentage (depending on level of tactic)

Stat Buffs

  • Enhanced Brawn: Increases Strength by a certain percentage (depending on level of tactic)
  • Enhanced Knowledge: Increases Intelligence by a certain percentage (depending on level of Tactic)

Offensive

  • Thornshield: Deals a number of damage back to the attacker when you're struck by a melee attack
  • Enhanced Vigor: Increases Actio Point regain rate by a certain percentage (depending on level of tactic)

Each basic guild tactic that is purchased by a guild may be upgraded to more significant versions of the tactic by spending additional Guild Tactics Points on the tactics line. Each guild tactic possesses a base version of the tactic and three upgraded versions that must purchased sequentially. (i.e.: purchasing the base version unlocks the ability to purchase version 2 of the tactic, purchasing version 2 unlocks the ability to purchase version 3, etc).

Your guild can purchase a total of 18 Tactics; however, you can only use up to 9 of them at any time (3 per Standard). No, you can't (at least not yet) change the Tactics that you have purchased; however, you can edit the Standard itself regarding which Tactics you are using. Once you save changes to a Standard it cannot be edited for 24 hours.

By guild rank 40 you will have 36 Tactic Points to spend. You can purchase up to 18 different Tactics and the remaining Tactic Points can be spent on higher ranks of the already purchased tactics, with 9 available tactics slots, 3 on each of the 3 standards. You end up with 9 tactics at max rank 3, which is 27 points. If you get 36 points you have room to screw up 9 times and still end up with the 9 tactics at rank 3 that you wanted.

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This page last modified 2008-10-15 08:37:51.