grb info

A Handy Little Guide for GRB
by Kimi-Ka, 92 days ago

Ah yes, the joys of GRB. You've heard a lot about it from the other guildies, but you have not yet experienced it. Sooner or later you will find yourself in the position of being told to join our wonderful 1-hour guild raid, and I'll bet you'd find yourself lost. I know I was at first. If you're reading this after your first GRB I'm almost willing to bet you felt yourself a little lost at first, if not the entire time.

For those of you who have been to GRB and have suggestions to make, please tell me so I can add them, as well. This can only be as good as the contributions put forth.

So, here are some rules, guidelines, tips, and general info for GRB:

Just what is this "GRB" thing and what makes it so important?
First, let's note the things we can't have without GRB: Guild House (we gotta be rank 30 or better), Blacksmith (rank 14 or better), and Liquid Medicine Merchant (rank 6 or better). Why can't we have these without this one hour a week?

Because GRB (short for Guild Ranking Battle) determines the pecking order of the week. The points we get in that one hour of killing help us keep our rank, and our guild house, and the perks that come with it (assuming we retain certain ranks).

But there's more to it than "points" and "rank." This is one hour a week is the best time for guildies to hang out and kill together. It's a ton of fun, and a great way to get to know the other people who share the same Guild Name. Some of us talk on Vent (between the "kill 'em" and "OMG get this one off me!" you can hear "dex pick up the slack" and many other amusing quips).

When is GRB?
GRB is always on Saturdays, 1200 (noon) PST. If you would like to know what time it is in the Pacific Time Zone, check HERE.

Why do we do GRB?
For those who don't know, GRB determines our rank for the week. The better our rank, the better we can make our Guild House the more exciting things it has to offer, such as an upgraded Blacksmith, hard-to-get and reduced-price pots, and, so long as we kepe the guild house, free entry into GRB via Apulune.


Etin, the Guild House, and YOU!
During GRB we will likely be killing bosses for Etin. You can also gather Etin by collecting items in game and giving them to NPC quests. Etin helps us run our guild house (we need 2k Etin per week just to KEEP our Guild House, not including upgrades). If you get Etin at any time that you wish to contribute to the guild, drop it in the guild warehouse where an Officer will be able to gather it and put it in its proper place.

Also, if you wish to make a large contribution of Etin to the Guild House, Dex purchases Etin after GRB. Give him some money and he will buy some for you.

Am I the right level for GRB?
The area levels for GRB are as follows:
~1-15
~16-30
~31-60
As a rule, try to be the max level for the area you're in to avoid excessive squishiness. There are some exceptions but they are few and far between.
Also, be advised that we are trying to beef up our 30 GRB group, so if you are making a new toon don't plan on being in 15 too long.

What toon should I make?
We already have established tanks for the 15 and 30 GRB, but if you have one as backup that is fine. The following is a list of what is in high demand for our current setup, though we do not turn anyone away:

MAGES - Mages are excellent additions to any of our GRB groups for their massive magical AOE attacks.

BATTLE PRIESTS - Full INT priesties are GEMS in 30 GRB where all of the mobs are FIRE based. Also, our regular tanks usually do not need healing in 30 GRB, and there is usually one full WIS priest available for heals should they be necessary. Should the healing priest not be there, BPs can still cast AOP and Prayer, heal marginally, and res fallen teammates when necessary.

ARCHERS/RANGERS - These would be super effective in the further reaches of 30 GRB where the mobs use ranged attacks and are not easily killed by magic users.

Leveling your toon
So you've created a character for GRB and you need help. Feel free to peruse any of the character guides listed HERE for tips on builds. If you're still not sure, feel free to ask other guildies for advise.

Once you decide on your build it is time to level that baby up. If getting to lvl 30 in one week or less is daunting there may be guildies available to help so feel free to ask. Leveling is not guaranteed, however, so I recommend planning to be lvl 15 for your first week unless someone has made you their "project" for the week.

Why am I not getting experience for these kills?
Almost everyone who is new to GRB asks a question along the same lines at some point, so let me make it clear: THERE IS NO EXP GAIN FOR GRB KILLS. This is good because if you establish a GRB toon you probably won't want to level it out. Next question usually asked is: "Why do we do it, then?" to which I will kindly ask that you re-read the section "Why do we do GRB?" for the exact reason.

VENT is your friend
You may see references to Vent in guild chat from time to time. Vent (or Ventrillo by it's full name) is a program we use to talk to one another. Details on how to get it, how to get on, and so on can be found HERE. We usually have our highest Vent usage during GRB, and it makes it a bajillion times easier to communicate during the event, but more on that later. Even if you do not have a microphone for vent, you can still use it effectively with speakers or headphones to hear directions, suggestions, requests for help in real time. We recommend anyone that can run Vent during GRB do so.

Meet 30 min in advance
Prior to GRB we must gather, form the union, decide who is on what toon, do the happy GRB dance, and so on and so fort. Plan to be in the GUILD HOUSE 30 minutes in advance so we can prepare.

Getting to GRB
We meet in the guild house to reduce the amount of time exposed to laggy condition prior to GRB. When there is 5 minutes or less until the event starts we talk to the gate keeper Ian Castor and port to the GUILD MANAGERS OFFICE. From there, depending on your lag, you can either wait a safe distance from the portal until the hour, or, if you don't have too much lag, you can wait in the mob of people waiting IN the portal so you don't have to run once the portal is working.

Once there it is simple. Run to whichever zone accommodates your level, meet up with your group, and let the killing begin.

Let the tank tank, and other good battle advice
The biggest killer of people in GRB is attacking before the tank has a chance to taunt. This can lead to not only your character dying, but potentially others as well. So: DO NOT ATTACK UNTIL THE TANK TAUNTS. But how do you know? One of two ways: Those on vent will be told to "go" or "attack" by the tank personally. If you cannot use vent due to lag or other restrictions you should use those who have vent as a reference. Once they attack you can be assured the tank has said "go".

Along those same lines, try to avoid spells and abilities that steal aggro from the tank, which usually come in the form of Damage Over Time (DOT) attacks. Example: Mages should not use Fire Thorn as their continual attack combined with other spells that follow while the DOT is in effect may cause the mob to attack you instead.

If you are a mage, educate yourselves on the elemental attacks and use them effectively. The flow of elements goes like this earth>water>fire>air>earth. Attacking with the proper element can give an extra 20% to your attack, so choose wisely.

Be careful of respawning mobs. People who have been to several GRB days know that we backtrack and will kill mobs back and forth for the entire hour. Any time you cross a section of mobs that have been recently killed you run the risk of being there when they spawn. The best way to avoid pulling aggro is to either a) follow areas that will keep you safe from mobs, usually experienced mages and priests can lead you to these places or b) follow the tank at a safe distance and stand in the space where mobs have just been pulled. In either case you still must keep an eye out for spawning mobs, or those dropped by the tank while he/she pulls, but you will be considerably safer than if an entire group appears around you.

Try to not go AFK. We'll understand if it's an emergency, but if it is something simple like getting water it causes problems. If an emergency DOES come up, please double click on another player so you follow them, and let us know if you can (TIP: it is quicker and easier if you use Vent).

UMs and GRB
Always bring a res rune. ALWAYS. Yes, your team may be all or even mostly seasoned GRB vetrans, but that does not guarantee perfection. Someone critical could lag, lock up, or get dc, or someone could accidentally pull aggro and die at the right time and all hell can break loose in just a few short moments. Should you die without a res rune on a UM toon in the 15 or 30 zones NO ONE will be able to res you (that is a 31+ priest skill).

If you make a UM toon, but do not have a res rune, let us know. Oftentimes other guildies will have a spare they can loan or sell to you.