WvW: Frontline and Backline

So I've run with a few GSCH commanders, and noticed most of them don't use the Frontline/Backline strategy that seems so prevalent among others. Why is that? In my opinion, it's a pretty good strategy, and it has worked well in the field, at least when I've seen it done. In my opinion, which is not an expert opinion on anything WvW or RvR related, it is a good idea. Would anyone like to elaborate on the strengths and weaknesses of this set up? What are the advantages and disadvantages to everyone in one big group? I run shortbow on my thief most of the time, so I'm in the backline. 

I'm not familiar with that term. Do you understand it well enough to describe it?

I am familiar with the frontline/midline/backline setup from GW1, but I'm not sure how that would apply to GW2 as no dedicated healers, and rather little support. Frontline was melee folks. Midline was offense-oriented casters and ranged Backline was defense-oriented casters. It seems to me in GW2 WvWvW you'd want the bunkers in the crunchy outer shell, with the dps chocolate melee right behind, and after that the nougat center of ranged attackers.

This strategy can be very effective, though it can also be countered fairly well if the opponent is looking for it. But my guess for the main reason why GSCH commanders don't use it would be because it nearly impossible to do without 2 commander tags and most GSCH events are lead by a single commander. As we get more commanders we it may become possible that event leaders can have a tag wearing sub commander to do this. However it is also something that works much better when players understand it, how its works and their role. That will require teaching a large portion of the GSCH players who aren't WvW regulars.

WvW warfare has evolved and that evolution has been fascinating to watch. WvW kicked off with small groups of roamers everywhere, clashing over objectives. Then came the first unorganized blobs (a.k.a. the zerg). Then the unorganized blobs organized into functional blobs. Functional blobs were able to steamroll the small groups and unorganized blobs. Functional blobs ruled! Functional blob warfare was the name of the game for a while, with the blob stratified into melee up front with ranged/support behind. This worked well until the melee train was developed to pierce the melee line at the front of the blob and kill the softies in the back. The blob separated into two parts, front line and back line, to free the ranged and support from being tied to the melee at the front. The back line was now able to move freely to avoid being rolled by the melee train. Assigning a separate commander to the back line was the birth of the modern WvW battle group. We're lucky in that SoR has some of the more innovative commanders in the game. They're always experimenting with different tactics, group makeup, gear/build synergies, and how to apply all of those to defeating large enemy forces. Sic did a really good job of describing the general idea behind the front line, back line organization. There are a couple of newer strategies and force organizations that SoR now fields that have been very successful. In part IV of my WvW Workshop we'll be covering a lot of this and I may even have a guest lecturer to go over some of the cutting edge tactics we're currently developing in the field.

» Edited on: 2013-06-17 09:55:18