In this article I will present my subjective opinion on Atlantica Online squad building issues.
We begin our game with only our self made character (main), but are given the possibility to add some more members of our squad, called mercenaries (mercs). At the end of tutorial our team will have 4 members (main + 3 mercs). Later, every 10 levels gained by our main, we unlock 1 extra slot for new merc. Our team reaches maximum size at level 50, having 9 characters to command.
Bonus: PVE focused squad
Many newbies ask themselves time and time again – what is the best PVE squad? Unlike PVP, where finding best setup is arguable, in PVE situation is somehow simpler. You won’t see many of these, but most effective PVE squad is 8 Spearmen (including main) and 1 Prophet. Spearmen give you the ability to leech AP from mobs and inflict significant amount of damage to 2 enemies in the same turn, and Prophet heals with his passive ability (Concentrate) and increases ally melee mercenaries’ attack power and accuracy.
This squad is not popular, because most of the players are also interested in PVP part of the game, and this setup is nowhere near to be successful against other players. Besides, Atlantica Online is so popular because of many different options it gives us to play the game with various mercs. We all want to check as many mercenaries as possible, try their abilities and play style. Of course, PVP focused setups are doing – more or less – decent in PVE.
PVP squads
All teams consist of 3 lines:
First line: mercenaries with high def and hp (tanks)
Second line: key members of our squad
Third line: supporting mercs, healers, casters
Standard builds:
Melee squad
Consists of mainly melee mercenaries (sword, axe, spear, power saw). Has highest def and high damage to enemy’s first line. Does well against snipe teams, other than that – mediocre and not very popular.
Example: Beast Trainer – Swordsman – Viking
Spearman – Main Sword/Spear – Prophet
Exorcist – Monk – Oracle
Snipe squad
Needs 3-4 mercs using bow (Archer, Prophet, Hwarang). Strategy is to eliminate any stunners, casters or bow using mercenaries from enemy’s squad. Snipe squads do well against stun teams and caster – based teams, might have hard time against melee teams.
Example: Swordsman – Viking – Beast Trainer
Archer – Prophet – Main Archer
Exorcist – Monk – Shaman
Stun squad
Usually consists of 3-4 melee mercs and 2-3 from Gunner, Inventor, Janissary, Cannoneer or Artilleryman. Stun teams rely on locking opponent’s mercs with stun (3 turns of constant attacks on one mercs results in 2 turns of stun). Hardest enemy for stun squad is a snipe team.
Example: Viking – Swordsman – Exorcist
Gunner – Gunner -Main Cannon/Gun
Archer – Monk – Shaman
AOE squad
Each AOE team is based on Staff main + Witch and Beast Trainer. This team inflicts huge damage to all enemy mercenaries every few turns. In many cases, AOE squad has stun mercs within its ranks to stop opponent from using Holy Guard skill (surrounds one line with divine energy to protect it from all magic). Does well against any type of opponent’s setup, might have some problems with snipe team though. A bit weaker on high levels. Example:
Beast Trainer – Main Staff – Swordsman
Gunner – Witch – Monk
DOT squad
For DOT teams we choose Music main + Artilleryman to inflict damage to multiple targets simultaneously each turn. In many cases, it’s mixed with elements of stun/AOE squads. Does well against any type of opponent’s setup, might have some problems with snipe team. Example: Swordsman – Viking – Exorcist
Archer – Artilleryman- Gunner
Shaman – Monk – Main Music
Conclusion
Of course, any player should try and pick any squad that suits him/her. No one will create a perfect squad for you. Besides, there is no perfect setup in this game, some are better against one type of opponent, but lacks the edge to beat other types. PVP match outcome depends on lots of things – mercenaries’ level, equipment (!), how skilled is the player, a bit of luck. All these factors do influence how successful we are in Atlantica Online.
end of part 1
(4.18 out of 5)
Gerald