Advanced CWA Hybriding Guide

Recent Updates:
9/3/08 - Added some more useful information
5/31/08 - Added banner, made myself
5/19/08 - Added another video example, where I do alot better hybriding then usual. Added another technique to get hybriding down, and a literally ko-proof technique when the enemy nears by
4/10/08 Update - Druidic gear + FAQ
-Increased efficiency of binds, +11 magic attack over regular wizard robes
4/7/08 Update - Video on what to do after your target is downed, pictures
4/6/08 Update - Summaries at the end of each section

Videos:

WG vs 2Mighty - Made by Terrablazer:Shows why hybrids are so effective, talked about in "why hybrids are effective"

WG vs DoV video - Made by Back to own: Best hybriding I have on video, good to learn from


~~~~~Introduction~~~~~

Hybrids. The most important unit in warring. Besides organization, hybriding is arguably the most significant force in an outcome of a war. Like any other regular in a war, hybrids usually won’t receive much praise or recognition. Hybrids war in a much higher level of danger. Hybrids have a high chance to get piled in a fight, and sadly most will not survive a fight. However, any true member wont mind dying to help our WG. For most people, hybriding IS the best way to help your clan.

My guide will not only tell you what is important, but why. Pay attention to the details, and you’ll do fine. You will learn how to bind efficiently, and how to react in certain situations. You will also learn how to counter enemy hybrids.

Hybriding recommendations:
+80 mage
Decent defense (+80)
Ability to react quickly
Ability to tank

Keep in mind that these are recommendations. You don’t need to be +80 defense. I know hybrids in WG that do great with less then 80 mage or defense. Higher defense and mage can only help you hybrid.

Gear and Inventory:




Hybird Gear:
Helmet: Druidic hood
Body: Druidic Robe
Shield: Rune Berserker Shield
Leg: Druidic Bottom
Gloves: Rune Gauntlets
Boots: Swanky Boots
Ring: Explorer's Ring 4


The reason I don’t carry curse runes is because if you count my inventory spaces, hybrids have only around 19 inventory spaces. The reason why I say a rune shield is better then nothing is because the shield reduces the chance of getting koed. If you are confident in your skills, then go ahead and take it off. I highly recommend a shield for people with lower defense while hybriding.

NOTE: While massing, keep your rune ON. Scouts can easily find our world by joining our CC, which is open to non-WG. If someone tries to get a count of how many people in WG are hybriding, don’t join in for the same reasons explained above unless it’s a leader. Stay humble and hidden.


---=== Why hybrids are so effective ===---

First off, why is hybriding so important? Think about it. It saves your clan energy, allowing for more efficient fighting. Imagine if all of WG hybrided. The enemy would have little opportunity to hug, making them less inclined to drag. If they can’t drag or hug, they will eventually get downed without eating all their food.

Look at the WG pile when the score was 47-35. Look at Vissskalkoen. He has some great stats, and that maxed out melee would allow him to tank WG for a long time. He didn’t fail to react; he had melee prayer on before the majority of WG piled. But even with his stats and prayer, note how fast he got downed with quick binding and pile transitions. Never underestimate the power of hybrids #.

With that starting 100% energy, WG can easily take out a dozen more targets. Secondly, it helps organization. Have you ever lost track of the pile and wondered where everyone is? Hybrids hold the target for 5 seconds; but that 5 seconds can easily help lost members find their target. Take a look at the beginning of the video after 2M attacked us. Look at all those WG wandering around! If a bind was shot in the beginning, the majority of WG could have easily been on the target 10 seconds earlier. Looking back on Visskalkoen, if he was not held in place, he could have easily dragged and tanked much more well (he wasn’t able to reach a wall to hug with our hybriding dominance). Every second and every person counts.

Summary:
-Hybirds conserve the clan's energy, allowing more people to get killed
-Hybirds prevent the target from hugging well, making it harder for him to tank
-Hybirds keep the target in place, making it easier for stray members to spot

The Fight

Ok enough rambling. One of the most important traits of a good hybrid is your mentality. This doesn’t only apply to hybrids but all members. To be a good tank and not get koed, you must ALWAYS assume you will be piled next. Don’t ignore the threat because you’re not a hybrid or you’re high level. Assume the worst and be prepared. Tense up when the enemy comes by for another target, The worst thing that members can do on an individual level is get koed.

First off, personal sounds on. Don’t put on RS music, it will distract you and irritate me. Area sounds should be OFF at all times during the fight. By only having personal sounds on, you will be able to react quickly. If you hear multiple slashes, you’re getting piled.

If you choose to hybrid in the very beginning, be VERY alert. If your clan is attacking, it would be good to hybrid because it will be very difficult to spot you with the wall of people attacking. If you’re the first pile, you’ll be screwed if you’re not prepared. It may be hard to find the target on TS with all the people around. If you can’t find him immediately, don’t wander off trying to find him. Follow a WG member on the target, preferably a leader because they’ll be in front of the pile. While following people, you cannot be hugged and will stay hidden in the pile.

Just because I’m guessing you guys will go emo from reading this wall of text, ill list the process

The process:
1. Click on bind, and get a right click on the target. If the target is in the box, cast it on him.
2. Right as the animation for bind starts, check if he stopped in his tracks or not. If he is binded, proceed to step 3. If not, click on your bind again and right click the target. If the first binds fail, you should immediately be able to cast another one and still be in range to cast another bind.
3. Immediately after casting the bind, right click the target and click attack. If you do it quick enough, you should immediately close in the target after the animation ends.
4. Click on bind and get a right click on the target. Count the number of hits. With a scimitar, you should be able to get two hits in before he starts moving. The reason you get another bind locked on. When he starts moving, cast the bind. Getting a lock-on will prevent you from losing the target if he runs off.

Advanced Technique:
If you can fight and hybriding comfortably, and you're using Swiftswitch or Swiftkit, look at the "Play duration time." Take note of the digits that count the seconds. After a target is binded, count down 5 seconds using the play duration timer. Try to get a kind of mental clock going. For those who have a good sence of time, you can get a glimpse at the clock and start counting, or count in real life. However, being able to accurately count the seconds without a timer is a valuable skill.

TIP: If target is immune on count 5, try count 6. Then count 7. Just keep trying till you find your number, it may vary from world to world

5. Repeat the process

After the target is downed, stay still, get a bind, and lock on to the target the leader calls. By staying still, you're well hidden. If the leader calls a fall in, quickly fall in, and prepare a bind. Pay attention to the direction your leader is facing. Your leader will eventually be facing the direction of your next pile.

The video of what to do after kills is here:

Hybriding - What to do after kills


Situations:

Getting piled

First off, you should always be aware when the enemy pile is coming. Put on your rune plate, or if they have alot of people, put on your legs too. This will prevent you from getting koed.

After a bit of fighting, you will all of a sudden hear multiple slashes in a row. This means you’re getting piled. This is one of the greatest dangers of being a hybrid; getting koed. The first thing you should do is click near a huggable place. Hit ctrl before you click so that you save time. By moving first, a few of the enemy members may not have found you yet, so you're putting some distance between. As you’re moving, put on your rune, and then your prayer. If you look back at the clip I referred to, when we piled Viss, 2M managed to ko one of our hybrids. If you pause the clip when the person died, you will notice that he put prayer on before rune. Anyways, upon being piled you should be able to do this in 3 seconds upon hearing the slashes. To delay their killing machine, right as you turn a wall to hug, put on your D’Hide body. If you're comfortable enough, you can pray mage as you're dragging to reduce bind time. Make sure that there are minimal meleers hitting you when you do this.



When you're out of food, use the rest of your energy to lure them away from our main pile.



In this picture, I managed to drag them for about 20 seconds before I was finally binded and killed. I only have 26 hitpoints and half a pizza.

Summary:
-Click at distant location using ctrl
-Rune on
-Protect melee on
-Switch to D'hide body when turning corner/dragging
-Switch back to rune pl8 after you get binded

Snipers

If you’re getting sniped, put on your rune and join in the pile. If you’re getting sniped hard, put on your prayer. If you’re low on food, use prayer. Try to shake him off if possible, and type in CC that you need help with this sniper. From this point forward, if you didn’t listen to my note ahead about always “assume you’re next,” you can now be defiantly sure that you will be targeted again in the future by snipers or the main enemy pile. If the sniper is weak, you can try shaking him off by returning the favor, but dont stray too far from the main pile.



Low/no energy

After a long fight, you will notice that you’re running low on energy. Expect this to happen commonly in clan fights. Being low on energy will make it very difficult if you are targeted in the center of the arena, far from walls. The center is a very dangerous place to get piled, so be aware of your surroundings (refer to the viss example) With enemy binders and low energy, you wont be able to last very long. Walking around with low energy + hybrid gear is basically saying: “Shoot me.” To counter this, conserve your energy. When you reach around 30% energy or so, stop running and stick on your rune and join in the main pile. When you have enough energy, put back on your hybrid gear and resume hybriding. Conserving energy will also help you tank when you're eventually piled.



Summary:
-Do your best to stay hidden in the pile
-Conserve your energy (~30%), put rune on and join the pile when low
-Personal sounds on, be alert (Distant click>Rune>Prayer)
-Put rune on when sniped. Try to switch off prayer and eating to make sure you run out of both at the same time if you were ever piled. Type in CC that _____ is sniping you.
-Always assume you'll be their next target.

Final notes

Don’t pull out your staff and stand outside the pile, even if its near the end of a war. It is possible to bind, hit hit, and switch to staff and still manage to get a lock on the target, but very difficult to pull off. Don’t do it or Lordy will eat your children.

If you spot any grammar mistakes, point them out please.


Well that’s my hybrid guide. There’s a lot of reasoning behind the guide, so if you skimmed through you maybe have missed something you never knew. I personally hybrid every single war and I have a very low survival rate. Don’t mind if you die. Know that you were part of a driving force and be proud.

Credits:
Snowzak – Created the hybriding guide on old forums, which taught me how to hybrid.
WG

Frequently Asked Questions

Recomendations? I've done well below them
As I said earlier, these are recommendations. You can have lower stats then those suggested and a slightly different inventory.

How long did it take to get full Druidic set?

Why dont you use hotkeys?
I have been trying to get accustomed to hotkeys, but I dont feel that the speed will have that great of an effect. You should be able to do everything efficiently at mouse speed. However, its still a possibility. I'll talk more when I get used to it.

FFS HALP I KEEP GETTING KOED
Main pointers in not getting koed:
-ONLY personal sound effects on. You'll hear multiple slashes when another person is piling you. If you have area sound effects on, you will not be able to tell the difference.
-Put on a rune plate when the enemy pile is nearby. If you have decent defence, you will not get koed.
-Get higher defence
-Get more experience. Keep trying, dont give up.

Does mage prayer reduce bind time?

Yes, heres proof:

Good guide looks good, well done bto

Expertly written, BTO. I approve this fully. I actually suggest about 5-6 swordies, because the initial blows in mage gear can be devastating (depending on your defense level and the size of the war). You don't want to die with food because you couldn't eat fast enough. Besides that, it looks great.

nice one

to start: nice guide! very good for those people that arnt familiar with binding.

id like to add: i prefer monks bottom instead of the leather chaps, i like the prayer bonus over the few def bonus that those chaps give.

also, if your getting sniped softly, but you really wanna cast a bind, eg: your the last hybrid, and the target is dragging WG all over the place: turn on melee prayer, hybrid gear, and try to bind, with 80+ mage, your bind will still work(most of the time) even if you got rune legs and kite on.

hint: use a water or earth staff, so in the end you get additional mage bonus and you wont waste the runes

and im not sure about 1 thing you said, might be true, but you said anti-mage doesnt work for binds?
if its true, then i learned something new





Thanks for making this guide!

Very great and useful guide Kevin! Extremely well put, and yeah i used Zach's guide to teach me to hybrid too

I read it all, and i just want to say - great job bro!


~Saad

good guide hoang.

as for the safety gloves they give no negative mage attack bonus and give:
+1 stab
+2 slash
+2 crush
+1 magic
+2 range
+1 summoning

I'm honored to be in the credits of such a good guide

Maybe create a "beginner hybrid guide" and name this one "advanced hybrid guide", to make sure that newer members aren't impressed. If I was new to clanning, this would scare me more than encourage me.

You'd just need to simplify the guide a bit.

Bring a mace instead of staff, they have same def bonus besides mace gives +5 prayer.

i didnt bother reading all but i read the start and the fighting part. and it seems good.

Hybriding there is no recomendation if you can hybrid then do it. Everyone hybriding is alot better then 5 people over 80+ mage hybriding anyday. There is honestly no reconmendations if u can do it then do it. You just need practise so keep trying by experiance

Since you recommend that while hybridding you shouldn't use a shield, maybe mention some quick methods for switching between inventory and the equipment menu, or possibly take some food out for a wooden shield.

That might make you more noticeable though, so whatever is best.

Very good guide BTO, I have reciently started hybriding in wars and I think it makes the war more fun.

Just a few questions:

1. When I hybrid I only bring wizard robe top and monks robe bottom. I do not bring a wizard hat or dragonhide body. Is bringing a wizard hat really worth the magic bonus and extra invent space? I have tried it hybriding with and without the hat, and if my rate of binding changes, it is not noticable. Also wearing the hat makes you much more noticable as a hybrid, means you can get KOed easier, and is just one extra piece of gear to switch.

What is the defense bonus for the chaps, and is it really better than the monk robe? I use the monk robe because alot of times I get sniped in hybrid gear, and the very very first thing I do is switch on prayer to make sure I do not get KOed. This tends to be prayer intensive, and the monk robe helps me keep more prayer later on when I need it.

The dragonhide body might be a good idea...I have yet to try it, but at the moment I am not really convinced that it is worth the extra invent space.

I am also thinking about switching from using a staff to using a mace for the prayer bonus. Have you actually noticed that the staff helps you get away from binds? When I have a large amount of people piling me, it seems impossible for me not to get binded, and I think it would be more valuable for me to bring a mace instead and use steel skin.

2. Can you clarify on what the extact timing is for binding? I know the bind lasts 5 seconds, but how much time is there until you can bind again? I notice that if binding is done right the binders will anticipate when the bind effect ends, and cast another even if the target has not started moving. We seem to wait till the target moves and then cast bind, which gives the target too much time to run away. Do you have any idea what the precise timing is, and how we can anticipate when to cast the bind again?

3. It seems like a really bad idea to me for a hybrid to only bring 3 swordies! If a hybrid gets piled, there is alot of HP that needs to be regained quickly. I really do think a hybrid should bring atleast 7 swordies.

4. One thing people seem to forget about is the hotkeys. However the difference between using the hotkeys and not using them could easily be the difference between getting KOed or tanking. Could you incorporate the use of hotkeys into your guide? It is something that is very simple, but it really needs to be drilled into peoples heads for them to use it.

I would totally recommend the use of the D-hide body simply because if you're being targeted by the main pile, and you're able to hug them and get away from a single bind, you can run to the other side of the field.

From there you could rest for a few seconds and then run back, possibly wearing some of the hybrid gear to even lower your negative Magic defense bonuses to prevent the binds from working.

I must say BTO, great guide.

Thanks for the responses Snow and BTO. I think ill try using chaps and d-hide body next war.

the only hotkey i use: CTRL

oh, for the ones that dont know it, if you hold CTRL and click, you run, so you dont have to turn on your run button.
saves some time

could u explain these hotkeys?

Fixed false information on binds effect with mage prayer
Hold time is reduced against normal spells, but not ancient spells:




Sorry if you were misled by the guide

a goood f2p hybird guide i guess

nice guid!!! 10+

This is an excellent guide BTO, thank you

need lots of people to read this guide before upcoming cr war.