betty's oldies
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The day is here. You're summoned to the SG arena. You've had some practice before but you have no clue what to do during the game. Tired of dying over and over with few to no victories? Don't get enough kills? New to SG? Then this guide is for you.
1. Introduction
Welcome to SG. Depending on the map, 16-32 players will fill the arena. Your job is to survive the onslaught and kill others. Last man alive wins. This guide will cover the specific tips in SG, not the general things as there is already a guide for that. For general information such as maps, kits, loot, and minigame mechanics, see this thread here:
https://www.cubecraft.net/threads/survival-games-guide-tips-info-07-09-16.128100/
Let's now get into the guide itself.
2. General PvP tips (applies to other PvP games as well)
-Practice first in PvP or other games that have respawn. It's recommended to know how to bow and sword since SG is essentially "hardcore" mode.
-Get to know maps you play on. Know what they have, where the crafting and enchant tables are, chests, etc.
-Look and listen for enemy players and terrain. What are they doing? Eating? Running toward you? Do you hear footsteps? Get your bow and sword ready for a fight.
-Double check first for enemy players before crafting, sorting your inventory, or doing anything risky. You never want to take a few free hits because you were off-guard.
-Always time attacks, unless you know spamclicking will ensure your target will get knocked into an environmental hazard such as the void or off a large cliff.
-Note that the bow and projectiles such as snowballs/epearls lose accuracy when moving. These are most accurate when standing still. Strafing as usual while shooting these will slightly penalize your accuracy but it's not much.
-Learn from your mistakes. What did you do wrong? What did your opponent do?
-Know what foods to eat while out of combat or before battle.
-Try not to start the fight in a corner or in hard-to-maneuver terrain. You want to place fire easily and have some room to run around.
-Always stay calm. Don't panic. Staying calm will help you execute your plan and not rush it.
-Organize your hotbar and know how many arrows you have left to fire. You don't want to equip your bow and find yourself out of ammo. Your off-hand should have the following (from most effective to least):
shield -> gapple -> cooked pork/steak -> any food -> nothing.
As an example, here is how my hotbar is sorted (this may not be the case for every game). The example below was taken during a basic mode SG game.
3. Weapons
We will categorize weapons into 3 categories: primary, secondary, and support. Primary weapons, as you guessed it, are your bread and butter for high DPS. Secondary weapons help increase your damage output, speeding up fights and increasing your chances of survival. These can even be substituted for primary weapons until you get a better sword. Lastly, support weapons or tools can help you get around the map or hinder your opponent. Here's a list of possible weapons with a brief commentary on each one.
Primary Weapons
-Sword: Your weapon since day 1 of Minecraft: the sword. Can't get enough hack and slash. The only enchants they will have in chests are sharpness (1-2 maximum), knockback, and fire aspect 1. With enough levels and an anvil nearby, it's possible to upgrade its enchants unless anvil repair is disabled.
-Bow: Your ranged weapon and your key to getting rid of runners. Maximum enchants you may find are power 2 and punch 1. Note that it's best to get at least power 1 because it's a huge jump from up to 9 damage to up to 14 damage per fully charged arrow, not counting crits. Bows are affected by damage falloff thanks to drag but this penalty is somewhat negated when the arrow is moving downwards.
Secondary Weapons
Axe: Prior to 1.9, it wasn't the weapon to go with unless it was on par or better than your current sword. It's now a good chasing weapon, but in my opinion, it's not the best-best chasing weapon.
+High burst damage means it's good for chasing or first strikes.
+Paired with crits, it can tear through more armor.
-Slow reload. This means less accuracy against moving targets
-Has a higher damage penalty than the sword if attacking during its cooldown.
Fire aspect sword: While flint and steel (FnS) and lava deal more fire damage, this is an easier to use and more offensive approach to burning your enemies. It's an even better chasing weapon due to its fire damage over time. This can even be a good primary weapon if it's better than your other swords or if you choose not to switch weapons often.
+Fire damage over time means this can break sprints and potentially kill enemies due to fire.
+The fire can make up for missed hits, but don't rely on fire only to kill your opponent.
+Less risk of friendly fire compared to FnS and lava.
+Can force the enemy into a more defensive position, allowing you to possibly land more hits.
-Less damage/hit than the axe.
-May accidentally hit friendly wolves and set them on fire.
-Less fire damage than the FnS and lava unless the sword is combined with a fire aspect 1 sword at the anvil.
-Less common than axes and non-fire aspect swords.
FnS: The traditional SG player's tool for setting people or mobs on fire. Not counting regen or water, it will deal up to 8 fire damage. Make sure to use this weapon not too early or too late, or else the enemy will run around the fire or not get set on fire as well. Do not attempt to spam this as doing so will use up your FnS faster.
+Fire damage over time (DoT) means this can break sprints and potentially kill enemies due to fire.
+The fire can make up for missed hits, but don't rely on fire only to kill your opponent.
+Can be placed multiple times if the FnS has multiple uses.
+Can be combined with other FnS to get extra uses.
+Good tool against wolves and teams.
-If not careful, you may set yourself on fire.
-Less damage than lava.
-More friendly fire than the fire aspect sword, so be careful when you're using this around teammates and/or friendly wolves.
-Can be put out by water.
Lava: Similar to FnS, but deals more fire damage. Fire DoT is based on how long the victim stayed in lava.
+Fire damage over time means this can break sprints and potentially kill enemies due to fire.
+The fire can make up for missed hits, but don't rely on fire only to kill your opponent.
+Can leave the victim trapped in lava, forcing him to take both lava damage and fire DoT.
+Excellent weapon against hackers, if the hacker does not have water and cannot escape lava fast enough.
+Can be picked up and placed down again, making it almost infinitely usable.
+The best fire weapon against teams and wolves.
-If not careful, you may take both lava damage and set yourself on fire.
-Has the most friendly fire of the 3 fire weapons, so be careful when you're using this around teammates and/or friendly wolves.
-Can be put out by water, turning it to obsidian and leaving you with no lava unless you have a backup fire weapon.
Support Weapons
TNT: Your average Minecraft explosive used to grief buildings normally. Deals up to 65 damage, not counting armor and enchants. Best used with traps. It is very important to conserve this item as much as possible since not much TNT is found during the game.
+Has the highest burst damage of all the weapons in SG.
+Can be used with water traps to maximize TNT's damage.
+Potential 1-hit kill.
+Can be paired with additional TNT to increase the chances of a kill.
+Good tool against wolves.
-Can potentially blow you up too and friendly wolves. The demolition (demo) kit takes less explosive damage from all sources.
-Very rare. Only 4 are guaranteed from the demo kit and additional TNT may not be found at all in the game.
-Damage can be minimized to 1 if the target takes cover.
-Deals little damage in OP mode against full diamond armor, though multiple TNT can potentially make up for this.
Punch bow: You'd think that a bow is only for hitting enemies, but what about hitting yourself with a low-powered bow shot? Not only can it be used to shove enemies away from you or into environmental hazards, but this can also be used to perform an arrow jump, allowing you to jump several blocks away than a normal jump. This allows you to jump over 2 block high walls if performed correctly. Additionally, it can be used to keep you in the air much longer with the elytra. Be careful as this will use up your arrows faster than you think.
Ender pearl: Thrown like a snowball, it allows you to tleeport away or to a target. Defensively, use it to teleport away and heal up. Offensively, use this to close the distance between you and the runner.
How to counter: In most cases, the user will aim up to make the pearl fly farther. Look where it will land and decide whether to fight or not if he teleports to you. If he's trying to escape, kill him quickly and/or block his attempt.
Water: Use this to put yourself out of fire or climb hills, though put yourself out quickly or it will do more harm than good. Depth strider boots can help you move across water faster than with regular boots. This can be used to deter enemies, but beware that they can destroy your water!
Wolves: These are exclusive only to the man's best friend kit. It's possible to get the wolf eggs if you kill a wolf kit user before he can spawn his wolves in. However, only the man's best friend can spawn additional player-owned wolves. Spawning wolves without the kit will spawn wild wolves.
+2 extra teammates to help you.
+Wolf attacks do not require reloading.
+Each wolf deals 4 damage, which adds up a lot.
+Can be bred for a baby wolf.
+Great way to dump your raw food.
+Awards kills to the owner.
+Can be difficult to hit.
+Can keep an enemy pinned down and pressured.
+You get a bit of XP for enchants if they die to a player, though don't do this as a way to get XP.
-If they die, that's it. No extra wolves unless you get lucky and get someone else's eggs.
-Initial and additional eggs spawn friendly wolves only if the player is using the man's best friend kit. For other kits, wild wolves will spawn instead.
-Easily die to TNT and fire/lava.
-Don't spawn in chests at all.
-Can be confused with other wolves.
-Against enemy wolves, they can be hard to hit. Practice timing hits on them in a single-player world to minimize this problem.
-Can be kited. Wolves have a range of 1 block but make up for this by leaping.
4. SG-specific tips
-Before the game starts, you must decide what kit to choose and whether to go for mid or not.
-80% of the time, it's best to go for mid. If you're fast, you can get weapons, armor, and some food. The first two are the most important though.
-Watch out for rushers. Right after the 20 (25 on Jurassic) second grace period ends, PvP is enabled. If someone is chasing you, it's best to get a weapon RIGHT AWAY. Do NOT go for any other drops in the chest if you don't have a weapon and you are being chased.
-Plan a chest route to increase your chances of getting loot.
-Start with the axe for a first strike if you have one. Fire sword works great too.
-Playing aggressively or defensively, depending on your style and any challenges you're completing, can mean the difference between victory and losing. Killing as many people as possible near spawn is a great way to ease the difficulty of the game for the first few minutes, though this is a high-risk method.
-Fire is your best friend. Always get at least one fire weapon to help you increase your DPS.
-Note that jumping while on fire will allow you to perform a double jump, allowing you to jump up to 2 blocks if timed correctly. This however breaks your sprint. Staying on the ground and not jumping will allow you to sprint a bit faster than if you were on fire and jumping.
-If you choose to have a fire aspect sword as a secondary and another sword, having both of them made of the same material allows you to switch between the two without having to wait for cooldown. For example, say I have 2 iron swords. If I'm currently wielding one and the 2nd one is in my hotbar, I can swap to the 2nd iron sword without having to load the second one.
5. Vs. hackers
Now, the best solution would be to record, but what if you have a hacker in your way and you have to eliminate him to win? We'll go over how to beat one in game.
If you're going to stand a chance against hackers in the mid-game, you MUST, and I cannot emphasize this enough, you MUST have a fire weapon (lava -> FnS -> fire aspect sword), a bow with a decent amount of arrows, and SUPERB accuracy with it or you are almost guaranteed to lose to the hacker unless you have another person team on the hacker too.
How to identify one:
-look for fast or weird movement and/or blinking.
-if he's attacking, listen to his swings. Are they consistent, as in does he constantly land hits right after reloading? Head snaps? Loud swings? These are possible signs of crits and kill aura.
-does he get suspended in the air briefly when he takes damage? If not, then he has anti-KB.
If you have to face one, do the following:
-If it's early in the game and you've just found a hacker, it is best to rush him before he gets gear. Most likely, he'll blink to mid and start getting gear. It's very important you have a sword and some armor, as his bhop will make your axe very inaccurate. Getting a fire sword will greatly increase your chances of killing him. A bow will further increase your chances in case he decides to escape.
-If it's in the mid or late game, then the hacker will most likely have the same or better gear than yours. What's worse is if he has a fire sword. Try not to get his attention yet, though he'll most likely know with his ESP and tracer hacks. If he's not bhopping, start with several bow shots and kite. It is VERY important to kite him in order to land additional bow shots before going in for fire + melee damage.
-Get lava ready. When he's about to get near, place the lava just as he's about to complete his jump, place and leave lava there. If you're lucky, he may not have water and he'll burn up. Shoot him with the bow to speed up his well-deserved death.
-Minimize melee combat. Hackers excel in melee combat thanks to their hard, rapid kill aura. The same cannot be said for ranged combat if they're abysmal with the bow since bow aimbot isn't accurate.
DISCLAIMER: I do NOT support teaming, but this is probably the only exception I would.
-If all else fails, you can ask another player to help take on the hacker, though this isn't allowed. In this case, it's the lesser evil. Be careful, because this is bannable. All tactics above still apply.
6. Vs. Teams
Though not as worse as fighting a hacker, illegal teams are probably the second worse you can find in SG. Besides recording and reporting, you might ask how do you combat a team of 2 or 3? Let's understand how the team works:
-An effective team requires 2 or more people to cooperate well. If not, they won't last long.
-The larger the team, the more items they will have to share items. Food shortage may become an issue.
-Teams will most likely stand still when sharing items.
-Friendly fire accidents can occur not only with lava and TNT but also with bow shots and melee.
-A team will usually stick together without fighting.
-A team may talk in public chat (dead giveaway).
How to eliminate a team:
The strategy is similar to that against hackers thanks to their increased firepower. You have almost little to no room for error if you're going to win. Depending on the size of the team, it could be medium, hard, or very hard.
-The cannibal kit is good against teams if you manage to kill one teammate during the fight or another player just before, thanks to its fast regen.
-First look for clues such as asking for food in the chat. If you see these, be prepared to face the team later on and/or warn others in the chat.
-A team gets access to more gear if they loot more chests and kill more players. Kill other players if possible in order to prevent teams from getting better items.
-Burn unneeded items if you have lava or FnS.
-If you see the team, DO NOT engage in combat yet. Observe what they have, what they're doing, whom they're after. Jot their names down so you don't confuse them with other players.
-However, the sooner you eliminate the team, the easier the fight will be.
-Seize opportunities when they arise. Do you have enough time to eat? Are they off-guard? Are they fighting someone else? Then join the fight and kill the teammate first. Make them think twice before they decide to team again.
-ALWAYS bow before you and the enemy team get into melee range. A few extra hits can force a team member to retreat. This is a good chance to eliminate him before he can regen all his HP.
-Fire is your best friend. Lava is even more effective if one enemy teammate is trapped but be prepared to have the enemy put it out. Have a fire aspect sword ready in case.
-Make the fights into smaller 1v1s if possible. Split the team up first - the farther apart the team is, the more time you have to get rid of one guy. Kill that one first (the one closest to you if he's away) using the aforementioned tactics used against hackers.
-Trick the team into going near hazards or traps if you can prevent them from shoving you into them.
-Expect to retreat in order to eat and land bow shots.
FFA PvP is a GREAT way to practice fighting teams since teaming is allowed over there.
7. Achievements (medium to hard ones only)
SG has both solo and team SG. We'll go over solo first and then teams.
Note: I myself don't have all of the achievements yet, so comments are appreciated. However, I have most of them.
For Solo Mode:
Pacifist - Win without harming anyone. (need to confirm if wolves affect this achievement)
Very hard. Note that any direct damage you deal (this includes bow and melee) locks this achievement. Therefore, FnS, lava, and TNT are your only ways of killing enemies. Don't actively seek enemies and hide as much as you can. Wait until only you and one enemy are left and then attempt to make the kill with the aforementioned items.
There were chests? - Win without opening a chest.
Hard. Unlike the usual 1 chest challenge, you cannot open any chests at all. This makes the first kill very difficult to pull off, forcing you to use wolves, TNT traps, or drop piles from other players to steal items.
Armorless - Win without putting armor on for the entire game.
Medium-Hard. In other servers, this is even harder without fire aspect. Once you get a fire aspect sword, actively use it to pressure your enemies. Similar to pacifist, play conservatively and stay out of combat if possible. Pick off people first thing after grace period to minimize the number of enemies you may face later in the game. Rely on ranged combat as much as possible.
The starved - Win without eating.
Medium with cannibal kit, hard on others. This was even harder before the SG update in July and it is even harder in other servers without the saturation effect. Equip the cannibal kit and conserve your health if you can. Walk as much as possible and sprint only during fights and to escape. Always look out for flankers, who can pick off your health before you can react.
Almighty spud - Kill a player with a potato. (I'm not sure if it's with cooked or raw one)
Hard. The final hit must be made with the potato. You can lower your opponent's HP to a very low amount and finish him off with a potato for an easier kill. Easy to do early in the game when no one has armor. This achievement is exactly the same as Fist Fight, in which you must kill a player with fists.
Hard work - Win without sprinting.
Hard. It may not be worth going for mid unless you're confident you can get at least a weapon and some armor. Make sure to bind your sprint key to something you never use to prevent accidental sprinting.
Item-less - Win without picking up items.
Hard. You cannot make a melee kill or else you will pick up items. You can, however, weaken the target and kill him with the bow (just make sure NOT to pick up the items!), fire damage, and/or trap him in lava. This is similar to pacifist when using indirect damage to kill. The only items you can use are those from chests.
For team mode:
Doom Squad - As a team, kill 5 players before the 1:30 mark.
Medium-Hard: This will require good coordination with your team. All of your teammates should have weapons. Spawn will most likely have many enemies attacking others or getting more stuff. Play aggressively.
A Pact in Blood - Each teammate kills 3 players.
Medium: This is the team version of Katniss Everdeen from the solo achievements. This may be easier to complete in the Ruins map (2 player teams) in which only 6 kills are required for the team. Play aggressively, using the same strategy as Doom Squad. Note that if a teammate died and did not get 3 kills, then this achievement is locked for that game.
Organized Onslaught - Kill an entire team in under 10 seconds.
Hard: It's important to note that once the first teammate dies, you have 10 seconds to kill the entire team. This is easier to do in the Ruins map. Coordinate with your teammate and lower both enemies' HP as much as possible. Kill one and then quickly kill the other.
Nudist Colony - Win without any teammate wearing armor.
Hard: This is the team version of Armorless from the solo achievements. As with the others, it may be easier to complete on Ruins. The same strategy used for the solo version applies. Coordinate with your teammate and rely on ranged combat as much as possible.
Dueling duo - As a team of 2, win without losing a teammate.
Medium: Make sure each teammate is healed up and fight together as a team. Don't split up.
Fearsome foursome - As a team of 4, win without losing a teammate.
Medium-Hard: The same as Dueling Duo, but requires all 4 of you to survive. Same strategy applies, but it's important that the entire team cooperates.
Lone desperado - Win a game after your entire team has died.
Medium-Hard, depending on the map: Play this on the Ruins map for easier difficulty. This is a great achievement to teach you how to kill teams. Kill teams using similar techniques against hackers. Alternatively, if only your team and another are left, preferably with one guy on the opposite team left, you can have your teammate(s) suicide in lava or leave and then you make the kill.
If you've done these or made your own variations/strategies and got accused of hacking so much, then congratulations. You WILL get accused of hacking a lot. Enjoy the salt and rage on the chat from now on. :)
Feedback and additional comments are appreciated.
1. Introduction
Welcome to SG. Depending on the map, 16-32 players will fill the arena. Your job is to survive the onslaught and kill others. Last man alive wins. This guide will cover the specific tips in SG, not the general things as there is already a guide for that. For general information such as maps, kits, loot, and minigame mechanics, see this thread here:
https://www.cubecraft.net/threads/survival-games-guide-tips-info-07-09-16.128100/
Let's now get into the guide itself.
2. General PvP tips (applies to other PvP games as well)
-Practice first in PvP or other games that have respawn. It's recommended to know how to bow and sword since SG is essentially "hardcore" mode.
-Get to know maps you play on. Know what they have, where the crafting and enchant tables are, chests, etc.
-Look and listen for enemy players and terrain. What are they doing? Eating? Running toward you? Do you hear footsteps? Get your bow and sword ready for a fight.
-Double check first for enemy players before crafting, sorting your inventory, or doing anything risky. You never want to take a few free hits because you were off-guard.
-Always time attacks, unless you know spamclicking will ensure your target will get knocked into an environmental hazard such as the void or off a large cliff.
-Note that the bow and projectiles such as snowballs/epearls lose accuracy when moving. These are most accurate when standing still. Strafing as usual while shooting these will slightly penalize your accuracy but it's not much.
-Learn from your mistakes. What did you do wrong? What did your opponent do?
-Know what foods to eat while out of combat or before battle.
-Try not to start the fight in a corner or in hard-to-maneuver terrain. You want to place fire easily and have some room to run around.
-Always stay calm. Don't panic. Staying calm will help you execute your plan and not rush it.
-Organize your hotbar and know how many arrows you have left to fire. You don't want to equip your bow and find yourself out of ammo. Your off-hand should have the following (from most effective to least):
shield -> gapple -> cooked pork/steak -> any food -> nothing.
As an example, here is how my hotbar is sorted (this may not be the case for every game). The example below was taken during a basic mode SG game.
3. Weapons
We will categorize weapons into 3 categories: primary, secondary, and support. Primary weapons, as you guessed it, are your bread and butter for high DPS. Secondary weapons help increase your damage output, speeding up fights and increasing your chances of survival. These can even be substituted for primary weapons until you get a better sword. Lastly, support weapons or tools can help you get around the map or hinder your opponent. Here's a list of possible weapons with a brief commentary on each one.
Primary Weapons
-Sword: Your weapon since day 1 of Minecraft: the sword. Can't get enough hack and slash. The only enchants they will have in chests are sharpness (1-2 maximum), knockback, and fire aspect 1. With enough levels and an anvil nearby, it's possible to upgrade its enchants unless anvil repair is disabled.
-Bow: Your ranged weapon and your key to getting rid of runners. Maximum enchants you may find are power 2 and punch 1. Note that it's best to get at least power 1 because it's a huge jump from up to 9 damage to up to 14 damage per fully charged arrow, not counting crits. Bows are affected by damage falloff thanks to drag but this penalty is somewhat negated when the arrow is moving downwards.
Secondary Weapons
Axe: Prior to 1.9, it wasn't the weapon to go with unless it was on par or better than your current sword. It's now a good chasing weapon, but in my opinion, it's not the best-best chasing weapon.
+High burst damage means it's good for chasing or first strikes.
+Paired with crits, it can tear through more armor.
-Slow reload. This means less accuracy against moving targets
-Has a higher damage penalty than the sword if attacking during its cooldown.
Fire aspect sword: While flint and steel (FnS) and lava deal more fire damage, this is an easier to use and more offensive approach to burning your enemies. It's an even better chasing weapon due to its fire damage over time. This can even be a good primary weapon if it's better than your other swords or if you choose not to switch weapons often.
+Fire damage over time means this can break sprints and potentially kill enemies due to fire.
+The fire can make up for missed hits, but don't rely on fire only to kill your opponent.
+Less risk of friendly fire compared to FnS and lava.
+Can force the enemy into a more defensive position, allowing you to possibly land more hits.
-Less damage/hit than the axe.
-May accidentally hit friendly wolves and set them on fire.
-Less fire damage than the FnS and lava unless the sword is combined with a fire aspect 1 sword at the anvil.
-Less common than axes and non-fire aspect swords.
FnS: The traditional SG player's tool for setting people or mobs on fire. Not counting regen or water, it will deal up to 8 fire damage. Make sure to use this weapon not too early or too late, or else the enemy will run around the fire or not get set on fire as well. Do not attempt to spam this as doing so will use up your FnS faster.
+Fire damage over time (DoT) means this can break sprints and potentially kill enemies due to fire.
+The fire can make up for missed hits, but don't rely on fire only to kill your opponent.
+Can be placed multiple times if the FnS has multiple uses.
+Can be combined with other FnS to get extra uses.
+Good tool against wolves and teams.
-If not careful, you may set yourself on fire.
-Less damage than lava.
-More friendly fire than the fire aspect sword, so be careful when you're using this around teammates and/or friendly wolves.
-Can be put out by water.
Lava: Similar to FnS, but deals more fire damage. Fire DoT is based on how long the victim stayed in lava.
+Fire damage over time means this can break sprints and potentially kill enemies due to fire.
+The fire can make up for missed hits, but don't rely on fire only to kill your opponent.
+Can leave the victim trapped in lava, forcing him to take both lava damage and fire DoT.
+Excellent weapon against hackers, if the hacker does not have water and cannot escape lava fast enough.
+Can be picked up and placed down again, making it almost infinitely usable.
+The best fire weapon against teams and wolves.
-If not careful, you may take both lava damage and set yourself on fire.
-Has the most friendly fire of the 3 fire weapons, so be careful when you're using this around teammates and/or friendly wolves.
-Can be put out by water, turning it to obsidian and leaving you with no lava unless you have a backup fire weapon.
Support Weapons
TNT: Your average Minecraft explosive used to grief buildings normally. Deals up to 65 damage, not counting armor and enchants. Best used with traps. It is very important to conserve this item as much as possible since not much TNT is found during the game.
+Has the highest burst damage of all the weapons in SG.
+Can be used with water traps to maximize TNT's damage.
+Potential 1-hit kill.
+Can be paired with additional TNT to increase the chances of a kill.
+Good tool against wolves.
-Can potentially blow you up too and friendly wolves. The demolition (demo) kit takes less explosive damage from all sources.
-Very rare. Only 4 are guaranteed from the demo kit and additional TNT may not be found at all in the game.
-Damage can be minimized to 1 if the target takes cover.
-Deals little damage in OP mode against full diamond armor, though multiple TNT can potentially make up for this.
Punch bow: You'd think that a bow is only for hitting enemies, but what about hitting yourself with a low-powered bow shot? Not only can it be used to shove enemies away from you or into environmental hazards, but this can also be used to perform an arrow jump, allowing you to jump several blocks away than a normal jump. This allows you to jump over 2 block high walls if performed correctly. Additionally, it can be used to keep you in the air much longer with the elytra. Be careful as this will use up your arrows faster than you think.
Ender pearl: Thrown like a snowball, it allows you to tleeport away or to a target. Defensively, use it to teleport away and heal up. Offensively, use this to close the distance between you and the runner.
How to counter: In most cases, the user will aim up to make the pearl fly farther. Look where it will land and decide whether to fight or not if he teleports to you. If he's trying to escape, kill him quickly and/or block his attempt.
Water: Use this to put yourself out of fire or climb hills, though put yourself out quickly or it will do more harm than good. Depth strider boots can help you move across water faster than with regular boots. This can be used to deter enemies, but beware that they can destroy your water!
Wolves: These are exclusive only to the man's best friend kit. It's possible to get the wolf eggs if you kill a wolf kit user before he can spawn his wolves in. However, only the man's best friend can spawn additional player-owned wolves. Spawning wolves without the kit will spawn wild wolves.
+2 extra teammates to help you.
+Wolf attacks do not require reloading.
+Each wolf deals 4 damage, which adds up a lot.
+Can be bred for a baby wolf.
+Great way to dump your raw food.
+Awards kills to the owner.
+Can be difficult to hit.
+Can keep an enemy pinned down and pressured.
+You get a bit of XP for enchants if they die to a player, though don't do this as a way to get XP.
-If they die, that's it. No extra wolves unless you get lucky and get someone else's eggs.
-Initial and additional eggs spawn friendly wolves only if the player is using the man's best friend kit. For other kits, wild wolves will spawn instead.
-Easily die to TNT and fire/lava.
-Don't spawn in chests at all.
-Can be confused with other wolves.
-Against enemy wolves, they can be hard to hit. Practice timing hits on them in a single-player world to minimize this problem.
-Can be kited. Wolves have a range of 1 block but make up for this by leaping.
4. SG-specific tips
-Before the game starts, you must decide what kit to choose and whether to go for mid or not.
-80% of the time, it's best to go for mid. If you're fast, you can get weapons, armor, and some food. The first two are the most important though.
-Watch out for rushers. Right after the 20 (25 on Jurassic) second grace period ends, PvP is enabled. If someone is chasing you, it's best to get a weapon RIGHT AWAY. Do NOT go for any other drops in the chest if you don't have a weapon and you are being chased.
-Plan a chest route to increase your chances of getting loot.
-Start with the axe for a first strike if you have one. Fire sword works great too.
-Playing aggressively or defensively, depending on your style and any challenges you're completing, can mean the difference between victory and losing. Killing as many people as possible near spawn is a great way to ease the difficulty of the game for the first few minutes, though this is a high-risk method.
-Fire is your best friend. Always get at least one fire weapon to help you increase your DPS.
-Note that jumping while on fire will allow you to perform a double jump, allowing you to jump up to 2 blocks if timed correctly. This however breaks your sprint. Staying on the ground and not jumping will allow you to sprint a bit faster than if you were on fire and jumping.
-If you choose to have a fire aspect sword as a secondary and another sword, having both of them made of the same material allows you to switch between the two without having to wait for cooldown. For example, say I have 2 iron swords. If I'm currently wielding one and the 2nd one is in my hotbar, I can swap to the 2nd iron sword without having to load the second one.
5. Vs. hackers
Now, the best solution would be to record, but what if you have a hacker in your way and you have to eliminate him to win? We'll go over how to beat one in game.
If you're going to stand a chance against hackers in the mid-game, you MUST, and I cannot emphasize this enough, you MUST have a fire weapon (lava -> FnS -> fire aspect sword), a bow with a decent amount of arrows, and SUPERB accuracy with it or you are almost guaranteed to lose to the hacker unless you have another person team on the hacker too.
How to identify one:
-look for fast or weird movement and/or blinking.
-if he's attacking, listen to his swings. Are they consistent, as in does he constantly land hits right after reloading? Head snaps? Loud swings? These are possible signs of crits and kill aura.
-does he get suspended in the air briefly when he takes damage? If not, then he has anti-KB.
If you have to face one, do the following:
-If it's early in the game and you've just found a hacker, it is best to rush him before he gets gear. Most likely, he'll blink to mid and start getting gear. It's very important you have a sword and some armor, as his bhop will make your axe very inaccurate. Getting a fire sword will greatly increase your chances of killing him. A bow will further increase your chances in case he decides to escape.
-If it's in the mid or late game, then the hacker will most likely have the same or better gear than yours. What's worse is if he has a fire sword. Try not to get his attention yet, though he'll most likely know with his ESP and tracer hacks. If he's not bhopping, start with several bow shots and kite. It is VERY important to kite him in order to land additional bow shots before going in for fire + melee damage.
-Get lava ready. When he's about to get near, place the lava just as he's about to complete his jump, place and leave lava there. If you're lucky, he may not have water and he'll burn up. Shoot him with the bow to speed up his well-deserved death.
-Minimize melee combat. Hackers excel in melee combat thanks to their hard, rapid kill aura. The same cannot be said for ranged combat if they're abysmal with the bow since bow aimbot isn't accurate.
DISCLAIMER: I do NOT support teaming, but this is probably the only exception I would.
-If all else fails, you can ask another player to help take on the hacker, though this isn't allowed. In this case, it's the lesser evil. Be careful, because this is bannable. All tactics above still apply.
6. Vs. Teams
Though not as worse as fighting a hacker, illegal teams are probably the second worse you can find in SG. Besides recording and reporting, you might ask how do you combat a team of 2 or 3? Let's understand how the team works:
-An effective team requires 2 or more people to cooperate well. If not, they won't last long.
-The larger the team, the more items they will have to share items. Food shortage may become an issue.
-Teams will most likely stand still when sharing items.
-Friendly fire accidents can occur not only with lava and TNT but also with bow shots and melee.
-A team will usually stick together without fighting.
-A team may talk in public chat (dead giveaway).
How to eliminate a team:
The strategy is similar to that against hackers thanks to their increased firepower. You have almost little to no room for error if you're going to win. Depending on the size of the team, it could be medium, hard, or very hard.
-The cannibal kit is good against teams if you manage to kill one teammate during the fight or another player just before, thanks to its fast regen.
-First look for clues such as asking for food in the chat. If you see these, be prepared to face the team later on and/or warn others in the chat.
-A team gets access to more gear if they loot more chests and kill more players. Kill other players if possible in order to prevent teams from getting better items.
-Burn unneeded items if you have lava or FnS.
-If you see the team, DO NOT engage in combat yet. Observe what they have, what they're doing, whom they're after. Jot their names down so you don't confuse them with other players.
-However, the sooner you eliminate the team, the easier the fight will be.
-Seize opportunities when they arise. Do you have enough time to eat? Are they off-guard? Are they fighting someone else? Then join the fight and kill the teammate first. Make them think twice before they decide to team again.
-ALWAYS bow before you and the enemy team get into melee range. A few extra hits can force a team member to retreat. This is a good chance to eliminate him before he can regen all his HP.
-Fire is your best friend. Lava is even more effective if one enemy teammate is trapped but be prepared to have the enemy put it out. Have a fire aspect sword ready in case.
-Make the fights into smaller 1v1s if possible. Split the team up first - the farther apart the team is, the more time you have to get rid of one guy. Kill that one first (the one closest to you if he's away) using the aforementioned tactics used against hackers.
-Trick the team into going near hazards or traps if you can prevent them from shoving you into them.
-Expect to retreat in order to eat and land bow shots.
FFA PvP is a GREAT way to practice fighting teams since teaming is allowed over there.
7. Achievements (medium to hard ones only)
SG has both solo and team SG. We'll go over solo first and then teams.
Note: I myself don't have all of the achievements yet, so comments are appreciated. However, I have most of them.
For Solo Mode:
Pacifist - Win without harming anyone. (need to confirm if wolves affect this achievement)
Very hard. Note that any direct damage you deal (this includes bow and melee) locks this achievement. Therefore, FnS, lava, and TNT are your only ways of killing enemies. Don't actively seek enemies and hide as much as you can. Wait until only you and one enemy are left and then attempt to make the kill with the aforementioned items.
There were chests? - Win without opening a chest.
Hard. Unlike the usual 1 chest challenge, you cannot open any chests at all. This makes the first kill very difficult to pull off, forcing you to use wolves, TNT traps, or drop piles from other players to steal items.
Armorless - Win without putting armor on for the entire game.
Medium-Hard. In other servers, this is even harder without fire aspect. Once you get a fire aspect sword, actively use it to pressure your enemies. Similar to pacifist, play conservatively and stay out of combat if possible. Pick off people first thing after grace period to minimize the number of enemies you may face later in the game. Rely on ranged combat as much as possible.
The starved - Win without eating.
Medium with cannibal kit, hard on others. This was even harder before the SG update in July and it is even harder in other servers without the saturation effect. Equip the cannibal kit and conserve your health if you can. Walk as much as possible and sprint only during fights and to escape. Always look out for flankers, who can pick off your health before you can react.
Almighty spud - Kill a player with a potato. (I'm not sure if it's with cooked or raw one)
Hard. The final hit must be made with the potato. You can lower your opponent's HP to a very low amount and finish him off with a potato for an easier kill. Easy to do early in the game when no one has armor. This achievement is exactly the same as Fist Fight, in which you must kill a player with fists.
Hard work - Win without sprinting.
Hard. It may not be worth going for mid unless you're confident you can get at least a weapon and some armor. Make sure to bind your sprint key to something you never use to prevent accidental sprinting.
Item-less - Win without picking up items.
Hard. You cannot make a melee kill or else you will pick up items. You can, however, weaken the target and kill him with the bow (just make sure NOT to pick up the items!), fire damage, and/or trap him in lava. This is similar to pacifist when using indirect damage to kill. The only items you can use are those from chests.
For team mode:
Doom Squad - As a team, kill 5 players before the 1:30 mark.
Medium-Hard: This will require good coordination with your team. All of your teammates should have weapons. Spawn will most likely have many enemies attacking others or getting more stuff. Play aggressively.
A Pact in Blood - Each teammate kills 3 players.
Medium: This is the team version of Katniss Everdeen from the solo achievements. This may be easier to complete in the Ruins map (2 player teams) in which only 6 kills are required for the team. Play aggressively, using the same strategy as Doom Squad. Note that if a teammate died and did not get 3 kills, then this achievement is locked for that game.
Organized Onslaught - Kill an entire team in under 10 seconds.
Hard: It's important to note that once the first teammate dies, you have 10 seconds to kill the entire team. This is easier to do in the Ruins map. Coordinate with your teammate and lower both enemies' HP as much as possible. Kill one and then quickly kill the other.
Nudist Colony - Win without any teammate wearing armor.
Hard: This is the team version of Armorless from the solo achievements. As with the others, it may be easier to complete on Ruins. The same strategy used for the solo version applies. Coordinate with your teammate and rely on ranged combat as much as possible.
Dueling duo - As a team of 2, win without losing a teammate.
Medium: Make sure each teammate is healed up and fight together as a team. Don't split up.
Fearsome foursome - As a team of 4, win without losing a teammate.
Medium-Hard: The same as Dueling Duo, but requires all 4 of you to survive. Same strategy applies, but it's important that the entire team cooperates.
Lone desperado - Win a game after your entire team has died.
Medium-Hard, depending on the map: Play this on the Ruins map for easier difficulty. This is a great achievement to teach you how to kill teams. Kill teams using similar techniques against hackers. Alternatively, if only your team and another are left, preferably with one guy on the opposite team left, you can have your teammate(s) suicide in lava or leave and then you make the kill.
If you've done these or made your own variations/strategies and got accused of hacking so much, then congratulations. You WILL get accused of hacking a lot. Enjoy the salt and rage on the chat from now on. :)
Feedback and additional comments are appreciated.
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