Alliance Battles

Alliance Battles [AB] are a unique PvP format that is only available to those in Guild Wars who own the GW Factions expansion. AB is a 12 versus 12 player battle. It is in deathmatch format where the winner is the first team who reaches 500 points or caps and holds all the 7 shrines for 1 minute.

Points can be gained through one of two methods. The first is killing players form the opposing team. The second method is through holding shrines. Every 7 seconds 1 point is to each team for every shine the team holds. This means that if you hold 4 shrines then every 7 seconds your team gets 4 points. So mob and killing the opposing side with less shrines only works if your team kills more then 7 people every 7 seconds which is why mobbing is not used as a strategy unless your team is in control of more shrines then the opposing team.

AB is a continuous fight of territory and because of this there are two Kurzick favored maps and two Luxon favored maps with one middle ground map. What this means is that it is easier to win if you are Luxon on a Luxon farvored map like Kaanai Canyon or Etnaran Keys but harder to win on a Kurzick favored map like Ancestral Lands or Grenze Frontier. The map Saltspray Beach is designed to be equal for both sides.

So how exactly can a map favor one side you ask? Well there are many advantages and disadvantages that a player has to consider when ABing that can easily be overlooked. Using Etnaran Keys as an example the map favors Luxons becuase their back spawn is closer to the first 3 shrines then Kurzicks. Also height of terrain is in favor of Luxons. This is an advantage that is easily over looked a lot in AB. If there is a group of rangers on higher ground then you it would be best not to approach them because the height of terrain determines the distance at which they can attack you. They will be able to shoot arrows at you before you can come in range of them to attack them back.

Since certain maps favor certain sides it would seem like a waste of time to play on a map that does not favor your team. However, there is an added bonus to playing on a unfavored map.

Kaanai Canyon (Back Luxon line) gives 2.5k Kurzick faciton if Kurzicks win and only 1.5k Luxon faction if Luxons win.
Etnaran Keys (Front Luxon line) gives 2k Kurzick Faction if Kurzicks win and only 1.5k Luxon faction if Luxons win.
Saltspray Beach (Middle ground) gives 1.5k for to the side that wins.
Grenz Frontier (Front Kurzick line) gives 2k Luxon Faction if Luxons win and only 1.5k Kurzick faction if Kurzicks win.
Ancestral Lands (Back Kurzock line) gives 2.5k Luxon Faction if Luxons win and only 1.5k Kurzick faction if Kurzicks win.

Tips:

A point from a kill does not just come against an opposing player. If the opposing team has pets, minions, and spirits then killing each will result in a point for a team. So if you run up aginst an minion master it is easier to gain more points by killing is horde then killing the MM.

There is no DP in AB

There tends to be a lot of corpses so kills that can take an advantage of this can become very useful

Running skills are always useful as shrines are spaced out across the map and a lot of running will be needed

Each shrine normally carries a bonus or an item. This can range from giving a running bonus, having a res orb, or having NPC's from that shrine follow you by clicking on them.

PvE farming builds will not work well as most good PvP players will bring enchantment removal.