Overview
New to the wonderful world of Battlerite.Take my hand and let me guide you.
Introduction
Guten Tag. So firstly, I’m quite new to the game (only have about 20hrs at the time of writing), I have never played the original Bloodline Champions, and I have limited experience with DoTA and LoL, so please take everything I say in the next few pages of advice with a pinch of salt.
That said, I am madly in love with this game, to the point of petitioning my government to legalize marriage between ♥♥♥♥ Sapiens and Interactive Art (unfortunately the ‘Endorse HomoArt Marriage’ petition has yet to gain any local traction) and after a few hours of play and introspection, I have compiled a few tips and tricks for the more discerning noob to this wonderful game.
(Please bear with me in terms of my format and style, this is my very first game guide that I’ve ever attempted)
So, although the body of content is quite long for this guide, the many hints included can be summarized under the following key elements – Middle, Mobility and Management – aka the 3Ms of Battling rite.
*Note: There are TLDRs at the end of each sub-section for those whose attention spans make them unable to sit through an entire reading of the Hungry Hungry Caterpillar in one go.
First M: Middle
The middle area of the arena is the most important area in the game. You want to stay in the that center. You and your buddy (or two buddies if you are into the whole menage e trios deal) ideally want to set up shop right there in Midtown – population: your team – and raise proud little middlelings of your own in the dead centre of any of the Battlerite maps.
As they say: “The posse that controls Midtown, controls the game”. Here’s why:
The Centre orb, (your town-hall orb in keeping with the previous analogy) is the big one that spawns every 25 secs, has to be destroyed, and grants everyone on the team, immediately (no matter where you are on the map), 20hp and 25 power. Destroy this every opportunity that you get for an obscene advantage and an almost guaranteed win.
HOWEVER, do not single-mindedly focus on the orb during intense battles in the middle; you lose more from sneaky enemies poking you while you focus fire the orb than you gain from destroying the orb itself.
The best advice is to control the middle and destroy the orb when you have an unobstructed opportunity to do so. There are also little side orbs, green and blue, that spawn around the main one (in various positions depending on the map) and that give you extra health and energy respectively.
TLDR: Stay in the middle to remain healthy and powerful
Another reason to stay in the middle is to force you and your more ‘Leroy Jenkins’ minded friends to stay together. You do not want to break apart as a team. Even if you can see your yellow-bellied opponent trying to escape to the outer rims of the map with only 1hp, do not chase him down. It is oh so tempting to go relieve that scared fool of his last vestiges of life and hope, but if you split from your team then it is more likely that you will get double teamed (and not the good kind) by the opposing team once you go solo.
Killing an enemy at a cost of lots of health (and pride) is less beneficial than if you stayed in the middle, gaining health and power from all those sweet orb drops, and waiting for the circle of incalculable doom to surround the enemy and force him to deal with your, now OP, team in the middle.
TLDR: Never get caught by yourself in a unsolicited gangbang
A last reason why it is good to stay together in the middle is that when your teammate(s) eventually do bite the literal bullet, you are able to easily access their death-power-orb-thingy aka the LateGameChangerTM. Depending on how much power your ally had when he died, he will drop he giant glowing golden orb, which only your team can pick up, and will give you 25/50/75/100 (1 – 4 charges) power upon pick up. This can swing the tide of the final 1v1 battle when you can launch two ultimates in quick succession.
Hint: Obviously don’t pick up the LateGameChangerTM if you already have full power… obviously.
TLDR: The LateGameChangerTM will soon be available at your nearest cemetery for the low, low, price of getting there the f*** on time
Second M: Mobility
Another big part of Battlerite is mobility. Because most of the characters’ abilities are skill based, being able to move in and out of situations are key. All characters have some sort of evasion and/or travel-large-distances-quickly abilities that need to be managed effectively to be successful. Here are a few tips:
At the beginning of the game I was always tempted to use my escape abilities whenever I could – to close ground as a melee, position myself better as ranged, etc. – but after a few games I learned that escape abilities are best left for when you most need them, which most often is to get out of a sticky situation. As you start to learn all the characters, you will start to notice their ability ‘tells’ (like Jade’s incredibly telegraphed snipe ability). Save your escape abilities and mobility options for when you see these are coming and you need to move quickly. Most ultimates can also be dodged if timed correctly – saving your poor little middlelings a lot of heartache from mamma/pappa not coming home for dinner that night.
And when you do escape, don’t use all your mobility options at once. Always make sure you have at least one still left for when you get cornered by another member of the opposing team.
Of course some characters, especially melee characters, need to quickly close the gaps between themselves and their prey, which brings us to the next point.
TLDR: If you want to break your middelings’ hearts then use all your mobility options at once
Most characters, especially ranged and support, should almost exclusively save their mobility options for escapes from hairy situations (unless your team health is at 98% and there is a lone fire midget at the brink of death, seemingly inputting actions via an intricate pulley system involving hamsters and only the finest of Stilton cheeses, with lag only reserved for underground Siberian bunkers – then, and only then should you use your escapes to pursue).
However, if you are melee (or a ranged/support lucky enough to be in the exact situation described above) then you should use your mobility options as often as possible to get closer to your enemy. You have to constantly make the choice for defensive or attacking use of mobility options, not just use them willy-nilly.
Of course, having also read this guide, your enemy will also be conserving his escapes for the most opportune moments, which brings us to the last mobility tip.
TLDR: Save escapes for when you need them most, or use them every opportunity you get – it depends.
A good enemy (therefore excluding laggy Siberians) will also be saving his escapes for exactly that moment when you think you are going to land the game winning ultimate.
That’s why you have to be aware of the mobility options that they have and when they use them.
All characters have at least one method of escape, whether it is turning invisible, a shield or a leap, and some have more. You should know who has what and then you should ideally wait until after you have seen them being executed. This is when you should strike with your most lethal of attacks.
Alternatively, some characters also have stun abilities, which when affected on an opponent, makes him unable to do anything. This is another good time to strike.
TLDR: Basically you have to live by the old Tibetan wisdom that goes: “He who is unable to move in a timely manner will be ill-equipped to evade the giant land shark that emerges from the depths”.
Third M: Management
The last part of ‘gitting gut’ at Battlerite is management. Note that although the word by itself is not immediately self-explanatory in the context of the game it does fit in nicely with the catchy 3M system.
Basically it comes down to managing the following few things during your games:
The battle rites that can be chosen at the start of each battle has a neat little indication of what aspect of your character each increases – mobility, control, attack, defense etc.. It is wise to communicate with your team before hand to establish what kind of role you each of you are going to play in the coming matches and to choose battle rites accordingly.
For a brief moment after each battle has started, you can also see what battle rites the other team has chosen. Take this knowledge into consideration when assembling your OP team and don’t be afraid to change tactics as the game progressives, especially if you are on the losing side.
TLDR: Good communication is a dying, but necessary, art
In my opinion it is better to focus your aggression towards the healer of the opposite team (and at the same time protect your own of course). Healers, if left unchecked, can heal their more aggressive team mates for nearly three times their initial starting health, making any battle against them a suicide mission – and no one wants to be squad on a suicide mission.
However, if a healer (or any opponent for that matter) is poop (as in as useful to any team sport as human excrement), then you should focus on whoever is left and mop up the pungent mess that is the healer afterwards.
TLDR: Poop should never be a priority (unless after a hot curry)
Communicate with your team as much as possible between rounds. Indicate what builds you are going for, what roles each team member should fulfill and who to target on the opposing team.
TLDR: *Refer to the first TLDR of the Management section
Firstly, those new to the game might be unaware of the interesting health system that Battlerite employs. There is your max health, which you start the game with, and then there is your ‘healable’ health. At certain levels of damage received your healable health limit becomes increasingly lower than your max health (indicated by the difference between the dark green part of your health bar and the phased out part at the end). The healable health part indicates what the limit to the benefits of healing form other characters on your team are, it can never go past the healable health limit.
However, the health orbs that are littered around the center of the map, like carelessly discarded radioactive gumballs, can in fact increase your healable health limit back to the initial max health range. Be aware of this. Also be aware of your health and your power at all times. Speaking of power levels…
TLDR: Always be aware of your health and energy levels. And be on the lookout for radioactive gumballs.
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Your actual power level ranges between 0 and 9000 (but not beyond that as some have previously speculated), but in game terms it has been split it between four easily distinguishable power bars that light up as you land more and more skill shots or get orbs.
With four power bars you can launch your ultimate attack, which is as epic as the name implies. However, ultimates are very risky, because you are using all your power for an attack that can usually be easily avoided if you have not made sure that it is inescapable beforehand.
In my opinion, especially if you are new to the game, you can get more value out of using your EX abilities (shift + one of two normal abilities – Q,E,space, or right click) which is your normal ability with a little added twist that usually costs either one or two power bars. This will force you to learn and use the EX abilities early on, which can provide you a big advantage.
Tip: Try to never have a full power bar, unless you are aiming for an ultimate.
TLDR: EX is Best
Lastly, and to be honest most importantly, you need to ‘manage your knowledge’ (had to make it fit into the theme) of the full roster of characters that this game offers. Only by knowing exactly how your team mate can help you or what arsenal of tools your opponent has to surgically dismember you will you be able to fully appreciate the finer tactics and strategies of this game in your quest to be the very best, like no one ever was.
TLDR: Learn all the characters
Thanks
That’s it folks. Thank you for reading my admittedly meagre insights (and for politely suffering through my terrible jokes) into one of the most brilliant games that I have had the pleasure of playing in my 20 odd years of gaming. And thank you to the developers, Stunlock, for creating this magnificent beast of a fighting game. I see so much potential and look forward to having a front seat on the ride that awaits.
(P.S.Add me on Battlerite – I’m always looking to find that special someone to kick ass with)
Cheers,
Nielo