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Last Updated: 11-23-2015 (New Classes Added: Neon Ninja, Lunar Lancer, Ice Sage)

Guide Created: 11-27-2015

This guide will detail on the general aspect of Capture the Flag in Trove and later will delve into the nitty-gritty of this gamemode. Also included are general tips and advice on how to play certain classes. Enjoy!

Table of Content:

1. Introduction

   -What is CTF?

   -Rules

2. Overall Guide on Winning

   -How to Take Flags

   -How to Defend your Flag

3. PvP

   -Classes!

   -Combat Tips (Power-Ups)

   -Synergy Combos

4. Ending Note

  -My Thoughts/Opinions

 

Introduction

   Hey Trovians! I am ChaosVoidNova and I am writing this guide to explain what Trove's PvP mode: Capture the Flag is and general guidelines so you could become a better player. Now before I begin, please regard the fact that I, by no means am a better player than you, but I am here to help you improve your gameplay and knowledge of Trove!

 


 

What is Capture the Flag?

   Capture the Flag is currently Trove's only form of player-versus-player combat. This game mode can be accessed through a red skull portal in the hub. The map is a moderately-sized world with platforms, set spawnpoints, and flag/capture rooms. Players are divided into 2 teams of 5.

   The objective is to capture the opposing team's flags and deliver them to the designated capture points for a whopping 3 points. These flags are either blue or red, determined by team color. There are purple flags named 'Flag of Strife' that can be captured by either team for 1 point each, due to being in the middle of the map and hardly guarded. Obtaining the most points by the end of the game results in a victory.


 Rules

-All classes have predetermined base stats that cannot be altered by gear, allies, or passive buffs

-Classes have around 15-25k health

-Weapon is required to engage in combat

-Classes can be switched anytime, anywhere

-5 Minutes to each game

-If the score is tied by the end of the game, the game goes into overtime, in which the next team to score 1 or more points will win the game

-Dying means waiting 15 seconds to respawn (feels like the longest time)

-Travelling out of bounds is instant death

-Classes are limited to 2-3 jumps

-Whilst carrying the flag, you cannot use any mobility spells or abilities. Dodging with shift IS permitted, however

-Using a mobility spell while carrying the flag will drop the flag from where you originally were before moving 


 Strategies to Winning

   There are 2 main ways to winning, the first is the oh-so-obvious capturing flags (it's exciting and action-packed!). The second is the not-so-obvious defending one's own flag-zone (who does this nowadays?). In all seriousness, defending is also a key way to win games and some classes excel in those tight, narrow flag rooms. It's also a great way to rack up kills by camping there...


 Offensive

   Ah, the classic, brutish nature of wading into waves of enemies and fighting in the midst of slaughter. If you are excited by this depiction congratulations, you are the offensive type! and you need help...

   These types of players are those who always, no matter what, are glued on their one and true objective: the enemy flag. They don't bat an eye even if there are several ice sages guarding it, they will gladly put their life on the line for that flag.

   Classes such as the Tomb Raiser, KnightDracolyte, Gunslinger, Lunar Lancer, Neon NinjaCandy Barbarian or the Boomeranger are all perfectly viable for this role. They have either the speed or the tankiness to capture flags.

   Chasing in Trove is exceptionally difficult without a long-term disable or an organized team, so being offensive may be a great way to close out a game. After one or two games on a single map, you will recognize the location of flags and checkpoints, and this will become cakewalk soon enough.

Our collective team is rushing toward their flag


Defensive

   I will tell you this now, but defending the flag is an art, I tell you, it is ART. Sometimes there are hairy scenarios such as when 3 enemies barge in your front door and demand your flag; but of course, you are ready for this. 

   Classes that excel in close quarters, have massive aoe, or can defend a certain area like the Ice Sage, Dracolyte, Revenant, Shadow Hunter, Pirate Captain, or Fae Trickster are devastating.

   Sure people may shun these classes judging on their weaknesses in PvE or some awful players that may give the classes a bad name, but each and every classes can shine in the right conditions. 4 people trying to take out a Dracolyte in a certain hallway ended up in 4 gravestones and me walking away with full health.

Holding off enemies at flag room, stalling long as possible


 PvP

   This section details on the strengths and weaknesses of the fighting capabilities of individual classes. I believe every class is viable to a certain extent.

 

General Advice:

-Collect power-ups whenever possible

-Jumping on the jump pad subtracts 1 out of your remaining jumps, so partition your jumps carefully


 A duel between both the full health Lunar Lancer and the Revenant. He was died after 4 ticks of [1], which dealt over 4000 damage

 

The massive 5000 damage per tick ended up bursting down the once-full-health Lunar Lancer

Revenant

Pros:

-You can heal with autoattacks (don't use this too often)

-Ridiculous [1] damage (remember to NOT hold this key, instead rapidly spam it; the intervals during ticks of damage is way too long and drags your health down too fast)

-[2] yanks everyone inside your death circle, also heals allies in the process (if there are enemies inside)

-Tons of area of effect damage

Trying to chase the Dracolyte, he ended up being too fast as I was in my ultimate

I could not reach the running dracolyte as I was stuck inside my ultimate and he was much faster

Cons:

-Limited to 2 jumps

-Bulkwark Bash [M2] does NOT taunt people

-Passive is disabled on PvP; no second life

-40 movement speed, halved when you ult

-Uses a lot of health for damage (need to juggle damage and health when fighting)

 My [1] hits this Gunslinger from 6-7 blocks away

Even from 5-6 blocks away, I manage to hit the Gunslinger

Overview: Monstrous defense class, really underrated. I can understand he feels frustrating to play because of his slow movement speed and his short range abilities. Still, he is deadly if people challenge him. Use the healing power-up for defense and invulnerability for duelling multiple enemies, and use speed to capture flag or chase after enemies.


 The grapple reaches high enough for me to reach the enemy Dracolyte with our flag.

 

The grapple extended long enough so I could cut off the Dracolyte from reaching his capture point

Lunar Lancer

Pros:

-Crazy amounts of burst

-Inexpensive Mobility with Grapple [M2]

-Lengthy and AoE crowd control (stun)

-4 jumps 

-56 movement speed (highest)

My ultimate chunked down this Tomb Raiser and sped me up so I could close up on him

Cons:

-Your main damage source, crescent combo, is gated to 3-4 swings per duel by energy regeneration

-Hard-to-activate passive

-Extremely squishy

-Vulnerable during crescent combo

 

The ultimate still damages the Tomb Raiser above me despite him not in contact with it

Overview: You will never be able to duel this guy head on. The Lunar Lancer has the highest scaling damages with his ridiculous crescent combo. It even stuns the second time that it guarantees the next hit. However, being a strong classes has more obviously weaknesses. Often times, his entire damage is mitigated by just jumping as soon as you see the first swing and jump a second time to hover to avoid the stunning strike. Moreover, during his combo, he is slowed down by 25% and is unable to use any other abilities. You can use this chance to run away or easily land an ability on him. His mobility is unparalleled, however, so you require a long disable like the Neon Ninja's Stasis Blade [1] to catch him. Healing is not so powerful on this class as it only stalls for a little time before he is bursted down. Invulnerability is both in terms of tankiness and stalling time for more energy regeneration. Speed is great for all-around purposes. 


   Despite being disabled I can still heal my minions and deal damage

Tomb Raiser

Pros:

-Unkillable in combination with Banshee's Boon

-High energy regen = more frequent uptime on [1]

-Minions are very tanky 

-Minions are quick to catch up, movement speed of ~45-50

-MINIONS STAY ALIVE AFTER DEATH!

My Banshee's Boon keeps my minions alive through the Dracolyte's area of effect damage

Cons:

-40 movement speed, 2 jump (very, very slow)

-Autoattacks do 1/3 of your magic damage

-Hard to control/shepard your minions

-Hard time chasing after targets due to minions being unresponsive

 

Position yourself near your minion in order to force your opponent in the danger zone of its attacks

Overview: The tomb raiser has a unique gameplay. His overall speed and difficult-to-leash minions make it challenging to defend. However, once he acquires a flag, and people are after him, his minions truly shine. With the enemies focused on you, they will be continuously damaged from your trusty minions. In dire scenarios, you can activate Banshee's Boon for quick regeneration and almost-invulnerability time frame. Even if you die and the enemies remain in the fighting area, minions will wreak havoc in anyone that tries to recover their flag. Speed is highly recommended on him, as healing and invulnerability do not give more benefits. 


  

 The stunned Lunar Lancer is wide open to my melee attacks

Boomeranger

Melee Form:

Pros:

-Consistent damage output

-Boomerang is an effective gapcloser IF you manage to land it correctly (in melee combat, throw it at your feet, it will stun everyone near you)

-Bomb is easy to trigger and and is semi-ranged

-Chickens are an insane source of DPS

-Healing for the team

-Easy to chase with stuns

The Shadow Hunter walks a bit too close to my bombs and becomes swarmed by chickens

Cons:

-43 movement speed and 2 jumps

-Random bomb effects

-Hard to fight against classes with burst or disables

-Boomerang is difficult to catch while running

 

The Boomerang stun allows the chickens to finish him off

Ranged Form:

Pros:

-Decently long range in arrows

-Kite well with boomerang stuns

-Easy to hit your [1] and [2] due to their large radii

Despite being snared, the Boomeranger's tankiness keeps me alive

Cons:

-Awkward projectiles wind-up and shooting; hard to land auto-attacks

-Slow movement speed while attacking

-Third arrow is crucial to land (200% damage), but takes a while to charge

 

Jumping and evading the ninja's Stasis Blade and firing shots at key moments wins me this duel

Overview:

In melee form, constantly remember to jump around. It makes it much difficult to be hit. In ranged form, use accurate shots and prediction to achieve decent DPS output. Also constantly jump while in combat to avoid a lot of melee attacks. Bombs are quite random, so do not heavily rely on them. However, when chickens do appear, follow the Tomb Raiser strategy and allow the enemy to chase you while your chickens shred their health. Speed is strong for ranged and heal and invulnerability for melee.


 

 

Invulnerability keeps enemies off my back and my DPS up

Pirate Captain 

Pros:

-Does not rely on autoattaacks to deal damage (you can run around your turret while it deals damage to enemies chasing you)

-If it hits the opponent, your [2] is extremely powerful

-First Mate [1] has a high rate of fire, so use it strategically in skirmishes

-You can often reposition your first mate

Run around your turrets if you cannot face your opponent head on

Cons:

-Man O' War [2] accuracy is very, very off (and easy to dodge)

-Decoys are pointless

-Your turret can despawn quickly

 

Since I had the invulnerability buff I could fight the Dracolyte on the same grounds

Overview:

Whew, this class was difficult to make it work. The most successful way to play this class that I've found is to play a semi-ranged tank. Because he relies on enemies sticking near his turrets, it is important to find something that will make them stick to you, like a flag. They will attempt to chase you while you waltz around your turrets. The area of effect is dangerous in close range, so use that to your advantage. Upgrading the turret should not be too much of a priority, however. Take healing and invulnerability to stall with your turret, use speed if you are trying to capture a flag.


 

This Pirate Captain got executed once he landed on my snare with a quick [2]

Shadow Hunter

Pros:

-80%-90% of their health disappears when you land your Arrow of the Goddess [2]

-Radiant Arrow [M2] does not take long to charge up

-Traps are easy to set up and is deadly if caught

-Traps have a massive detonation area

-Enemies caught in a trap will face a swift death of an autoattack + [2]

Good placement of traps can turn a bad fight into a win for our team

Cons:

-Easy to miss [M2]

-Traps are costly to set up

-Class is buggy in general in terms of hit detection

-40 Movement speed, 3 jumps

 

The inconspicuous trap hidden under the flag ended up giving this Lunar Lancer a surprise

Overview: The most fun way to play the Shadow Hunter is to guard a coveted area where you KNOW the enemies are going to pass through. Setting up traps a moment before pass by, they will become easy-pickings for you and your teammates. It is hard to land damages in direct confrontational fights, so make sure to flee in those scenarios. ALWAYS utilize your traps. Stuns are very strong in PvP because people can be bursted down in those couple precious seconds without retaliation. In a group the stuns are valuable to stall time for your team to take the enemy out. Heal and Speed work favorable, since you should not be in a face to face combat often.


 

These two forgot to distance themselves and well... they died simultaneously

Ice Sage

Pros:

-Ice Crash [M2] deals around ~4.4k damage, a third to a fourth of your entire health (combined with Frozen Ward [1])

-[1] Gives attack speed, movement speed (40+10), and bonus magic damage (28%)

-The autoattacks travel quickly and are hard to dodge

-Once slowed, you can follow it up with more [1]

-The Big Chill [2] ensures everyone in it dies.

Slowling opponents with autoattacks then dropping ice on them is also a good alternative

Cons:

-Slow mobility

-Hard to land ice crystals if opponent is not slowed

-Low energy regeneration, so there are big downtimes after you duel once

-Awkward to hit people with your ultimate unless you are in point blank range of them

-Low Range without autoattacks

 

Melee opponents suffer the most when fighting the Ice Sage

Overview: Oh boy, the Ice Sage. This class has been the hardest class to duel. The only way to avoid damage once you are slowed is to jump repeatedly, and that requires some timing. The ultimate as a melee opponent is a death sentence as 3-4 [1] from the Ice Sage means, well, death. Take a lot of caution if you are a ranged class to not go within Ice Sage's threat range (range of falling ice). As the Ice Sage, you should look forward to clump up as many as you can and activate ult, allowing you to create maximum DPS, with the most efficient number of Ice Crash [1]. The 3.5 seconds it provides is also a great time to make a swift getaway. Use speed buff for general purposes, like to duel and capture flags. The invulnerability and heal power-up is not too strong unless you are facing multiple people, but the speed is superior in this scenario as well (for either positioning or fleeing). 


 

 

What's big and sweet about to smash your head? That's right, it's the ice cream cone of death!

Candy Barbarian

Pros:

-Constant healing from your autoattacks and Vanilla Swirlwind[M2]

-Candies give 20 movement speed and massive attack speed boost.

-High damage on your [M2]

-Strong AoE on all of your attacks

-Running away becomes easy with your passive constantly providing speed

I manage to heal during the fight constantly thanks to my [M2]

Cons:

-Low mobility: 40 movement speed, 2 jump

-Sugar Crash [1] deals weak damage and does not travel far

-[M2] and [2] knocksback enemies, making it difficult to chase

-High energy costs on your core ability [M2]

-Hard to climb tall terrain

 

My passive allows me to rush into ranged classes faster without taking too much damage

Overview: This class is on the balenced side with consistently strong attacks, but equal weaknesses. Most of the time, your energy is well spent on often using [M2] for massive buffs. Your teammates also benefit from your healing and will receive attack speed buffs. Stick with a buddy or two to maximize your class abilities. Solo-ing is not as effective, but is still doable. Do not be afraid to fight one or more opponents with your healing. Invulnerability is great with this class, as you can heal up while invincible. Speed and healing power-ups come second. 


 

 

Managed to Stasis Blade 5 people as they were coming from spawn, had invulnerability ready to go

Neon Ninja

Pros:

-Unparalleled running speed (46*1.5 = 69)

-Stasis Blade [1] is a ridiculously long RANGED disable (3 whole seconds on multiple enemies)

-Shadow Flip [M2] decoy can block ranged attacks (Shadow Hunter's charged attacks included)

-Forbidden Technique [2] combo-ed with [1] guarantees a kill on an opponent

-Very frequent uses of [1]

The inevitable [1] -> [2] combo of death on this boomeranger

Cons:

-One of the lowest health in the game (15.6k health)

-Energy-reliant, so jumping during combos should be a last resort

-Higher skill-cap than most classes

-Autoattacks have a 1:1 damage ratio, while classes like the Boomeranger have 2:1 ratio

 

I am on the red team. My mobility allows me to travel into the heat of battle and get out as easily

Overview: The Neon Ninja is a jack of all trades. He has a ranged form, a reliable disable, strong mobility, and high damage from shurikens. As the saying goes, jack of all trades is the master of none. He can be vulnerable if hit by disables. Like a ninja, he is very strong in a duel, but weak against fighting multiple opponents. This does not mean he is not a team class, however. His AoE snare can make other abilities from different classes very easy to land. Against a ninja, jumping within the stasis increases your chances of avoiding the follow-up damage. As the Neon Ninja, take speed and heal power-ups, as the invulnerability takes away your mobility and damage potential


 

 

Defending the flag room as if a dragon would defend its lair

Dracolyte

Pros:

-I believe this class has the highest area of effect out of all the other classes

-Consistent damage with flamethrower attacks

-Not too reliant on energy

-Lots of surprising burst from your [M2]

-Dragon form increases your tankiness by twice-fold

-3 jumps allow you to land your attacks more precisely

We meet again Boomeranger, apparently he didn't learn his lesson when I killed him before

Cons:

-The Burnt Offering [1] takes quite a while to charge and can be easily avoided unless you place it like a trap, hidden from view until the last second

-Slowed during attack

-Horizontal attack is easy to avoid

-Not strong enough damage from basic attacks to kill someone fast enough

The Dracolyte does not take damage within the lava yet he gains full movement speed within it

Overview:

This class can set up a camp near the flag and wait for the unsuspecting enemy. As soon as the enemy comes into range, your already charged up bombs should require a flicker of flame before dealing massive amounts of damage to the intruder. Dracolyte does not require set-up in some scenarios. Awaiting in a hallway to fight the opponent(s) in dragon form is a good idea as well. Narrow corridors are your best friend. Invulerability and speed is highly recommended. 


 

 

The sniper's ledge I found in this map; I am in relative safety while I aim down below

Fae Trickster

Pros:

-Highest DPS in game

-Bombs deal high damage and is easy to hit

-3 jumps, allowing you to stay longer in air while using autoattacks

-Fae Dance [2] doubles your damage output

Fae Trickster is successful in close combat as well

Cons:

-Decoys cost too much and doesn't trick people

-Rather slow movement speed

-[2] hits inconsistently, do not rely on it

-BEWARE THE NEON NINJAS

 

A moment before he is nudged into the lava below *Wilhelm scream*

Overview: In terms of raw power, the Fae Trickster takes the cake. However, the name of the game is Capture the Flag, not team deathmatch. If you just wish to acquire kills, play this class. By positioning on higher elevation near the flag, you get a nice sniper's alcove to shoot down your unsuspecting victims. Invulnerability is the Fae Trickster's greatest asset. You are tempoarily immobile, but you maintain your passive, Ego Blast, through the duration and hit like a truck. 

 


 

 

The classic Gunslinger position: in midair

Gunslinger

Pros:

-High rate of fire

-You can drift downwards if you manage to hit a target on your way down

-Blast Jump [1] is very strong for climbing walls and reaching the flag

-3 jumps allow for maneuverability

-Run and Gun [2] is strong for making quick escapes

Strafing the Lunar Lancer in this engagement

Cons:

-Low damage, just like its PvE counterpart

-Ranged; hard to land shots while flying

-Hard to stay in the air for a long period of time

-Bugs sometimes automatically make you fall despite in combat

 

Delivering my charged shot straight to his face

Overview: This class is fun to play around with. Constantly being in the air makes you untouchable. Your Charged Attack [M2] deals devastating damage in a large area, so attempt to use it as an opener. Run and Gun should be used whilst being chased on a relatively open field. This class is about strategically engaging your opponent and disengaging intelligently, not brute force. Speed and heal is highly coveted for the Gunslinger.


 

Speeding my way towards the enemy flag

Knight

Pros:

-Strong mobility/powerful dash

-Ultimate makes you near invincible while stilll allowing you to move

-Charged attack knocks-back enemies and stuns them tempoarily

-Passive allows burst damage whilst dueling

-Hilarious dodge animation

Duelling for the Flag of Strife; allies closing in from the side

Cons:

-Slow while carrying flag because you are unable to cast your Charge! [1]

-Not the strongest duelling due to slow cast times

-Autoattacks are weak and horizontal

-2 jumps and 40 movement speed, some maps are hard to traverse

 

Stunning my enemies in my final stretch to the capture point

Overview: This OG class is probably one of the best capturers I've come to play. Its straightforward [1] ability and the tankiness of your [2] allows you to go in and walk out of the flag room unscathed. While running, you can right click behind you to slow your enemies from chasing you. In dire situations, your duelling is also on par with classes such as the Revenant. Speed and Healing power-ups are standard for capture flags like the Knight.


Synergy

 

   A little bit of teamwork goes a long way. Synergy is another fancy word for using teamwork to use 2 or more classes' abilities in a way that they complement each other, take for example, the neon ninja Stasis Blade into a Fae Trickster's Ego Blast autoattacks. The Neon Ninja's lack of damage is covered by Fae and the Fae's autoattacks are made 100% accurate by the Neon Ninja's disable.

    Most of the synergy combos involve some sort of disable, such as the boomeranger's Boomerang [M2], the Neon Ninja's Stasis Blade [1], Shadow Hunter's Sun Snare [1], or the Ice Sage's Big Chill [2]. The moment of lockdown allows for a near guaranteed combo on the frozen target in relative safety. In this section, all of the abilities will be classified as a Disable. Of course, every abilities are stronger if combined, but the one's listed are exceptionally good examples of them.

Disable + Dracolyte's flamethrower attacks

The Dracolyte's attacks make it difficult to damage the enemies if they are constantly running away, so adding a disable forces the enemies to tank the Dracolyte's torrent of fire.

Disable + Tomb Raiser's Grave Goliath [2]

The Tomb Raiser's ultimate is rather sluggish, but packs a punch. Chain it up with a couple frozen enemies, and we get minced meat.

Candy Barbarian's Eis-Crome Cone + Fae Trickster's basic attacks

Fae Trickster relies wholly on his autoattacks for damage. Add some attack speed and we increase the DPS up a notch.

Disable + Pirate Captain's Man O' War [2] and First Mate [M2]

The Ninja's Stasis Blade 1 would be the greatest candidate along with the pirate. The low and relatively long duration of the Stasis Blade allows the Pirate Captain to wreak havoc.

Disable + Shadow Hunter's Radiant Arrow [M2] and the Arrow of the Sun Goddess [2]

The Shadow Hunter's kit was designed to carefully plant his traps in locations and punishing enemies that carelessly stepped into it. The Shadow Hunter's playstyle relies on disables to land his charged arrows.


 

Ending Note

My Thoughts and Opinions

   I think that PvP brought a fresh outlook to the game, and it was better than what most people expected. The only awkward aspect of this is the movement speed and the difficulty in traversing some maps, like the "Canopy", with large gaps between platforms and long punishments if you miss the jump and fall.
   I feel like the teamwork aspect of Capture the Flag is not emphasized correctly. The developers should reward players for working together to capture, defend, or chase. Instead, solo players who only focus on kills or flag-capturing gain the most success. I hope incoming updates will change this.

   Also, there should be a restriction on how many times you can leave the game or AFK within the game. As soon as a team establishes a lead, the other team members give up. The game mode should reward players who stick it out until the end, no matter if they win or not.

   Besides this, some balence changes and bug fixes are in line, but they will most likely come in due time. The ranged autoattacks are a bit easy to dodge and the power-ups are linear. Some are suggesting using debuff power-ups to slow down, or poison enemies, and they seem like strategic addtions.

   However, the developers seem to be heading the right path to enforce fun and casual gameplay in PvP as well. The maps are small enough and classes are simple enough for everyone to enjoy the game mode.

   I am excited for the addition of Banners as rewards. From the information so far, they will allow us some leeway to customize our class and give it extra stats. I realize that the game mode is in beta, and it's going to take time to perfect it. I hope that we as beta players can improve PvP by providing suggestions.

 

Well, I'm finished ranting about the state of Trove's PvP. Thank you for taking your time and reading this guide and I hope I helped you or made your time here enjoyable. Please comment your ideas and thoughts or contact me in Trove. (IGN: ChaosVoidNova)

Thank you.

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