Eye of the Storm Battleground Guide 5.4

[Marco 51]

The Eye of the Storm is a Domination/Capture the Flag hybrid, but more focused on the Domination part.



The Eye of the Storm is a 15-man Battleground, which consists of 4 bases, the Mage Tower (MT), Draenei Ruins (DR), Fel Reaver Ruins (FR) and Blood Elf Tower (BE), which are arranged in a square shape, and a flag in the center of the map. Each base has a randomized power-up.
 
 
Points
 
The goal is to score 1600 points, which can be acquired by holding bases and by bringing the flag to one of your bases. Based on the number of bases you hold, points are generated every 2 seconds.

• 1 base: 1 point
• 2 bases: 2 points
• 3 bases: 5 points
• 4 bases: 10 points

Capturing the flag also generates points based on the number of bases your faction owns.

• 1 base: 75 points
• 2 bases: 85 points
• 3 bases: 100 points
• 4 bases: 500 points

In comparison to other Domination Battlegrounds like Arathi Basin or Battle for Gilneas, where the point gain increases by 9 times when holding all bases in comparison to one base less than all, Eye of the Storm only has a 2 time increase, which goes in line with the flag capturing mechanic. Looking at the points generated by a captured flag shows us that it does not really matter much whether you own 1, 2 or 3 bases, but once you own all 4 bases, the point gain is 5 times higher at 500 than when holding 3 bases. The incredible point gain like the one that is possible in Arathi Basin for example is not only determined by the number of bases held in the Eye of the Storm, but also whether the flag can be captured. Only then are 4 bases really worth the effort and risk.
 
 
Bases
 
In order to capture a base you need one or more players of your faction at the base. You can see the current progress on the right side of your screen, where a bar appears when you are in range of the base. It can be owned by the Horde or Alliance, or be neutral. The more players are at the base, the quicker the base is captured. If Alliance and Horde players are equally numbered, the capturing progress does not change. You should try to decimate the opposing force as fast as possible, or alternatively drag a few players away from the base outside the capturing range, to simply capture it quicker. And try to survive. 
 
The Battlefield is divided into a northern and southern half. The northern half has the Alliance graveyard and spawn while the southern half has the Horde equivalent. It is thus only logical that the Mage Tower and Draenei Ruins will be captured by the Alliance at the beginning and the Blood Elf Tower and Fel Reaver Ruins by the Horde. In a progressed game the base distribution is however unpredictable at the beginning, because players rarely respawn at their respective faction graveyards, so it could be very much possible that there is a full base trade or that the bases are held over the course of the complete game.
 
In random Battlegrounds it is often seen that a base is left with only one or even no defending players. Two or three players are enough to quickly capture it, maybe even giving you the edge in points you currently need. The defense is sometimes quick, but often slow, though this depends on the composition and communication of each team - you might say, some players have a "Let's all play offense" mentality across the board. ^[1]
 

In contrast to pure Domination Battlegrounds a single player can not do much against multiple other players, as there is no such thing as a flag to be contested by clicking - simply being at the base is enough to capture it. This means that communication is more important and that a majority of the force has to either be distributed over owned bases and the center spot appropriately, or that your team has to switch bases quickly, defend where necessary and attack where possible. 

 

When holding 1 or less bases, your team should concentrate on getting more bases while trying to hinder the opponent from capturing the flag, but the latter is not priority. It is more effective to capture 2 bases at once than capturing the flag with 1 base. Holding 2 or 3 bases allows you to capture the flag to rake in some additional points. It is, however, enough to stop the opponent from capturing the flag and capture it yourself 1 or 2 times to win the game. 4 bases are extremely hard to keep and you can ignore the flag, because there is no possibility for the opponent to capture it anyway. Capturing the flag with 4 bases, however, gives you 500 points, so it might be worth a shot if you are dominating. Note however, the 4 base situation described here is extremely rare.

 

 
Capturing the Flag
 
To take the flag in the center of the map, you need to click it and wait 10 seconds, during which you may not take any direct damage, which excludes damage from debuffs and other damage over time effects. It is very easy to interrupt enemy players from taking the flag, so you should clear out any opponents before attempting to do so. Once you carry the flag you have to run to a base you own. This takes about 30 to 40 seconds, depending on the path you take and your available speed buffs - given, that you are not stopped by enemy players. The flag can only be removed by killing you, which will drop it and give any player a time frame of a few seconds to pick it up instantly before the flag returns to the center. When you are at the base, you have to stand on a spot looking like a socket for the flag. Points are granted according to the number of bases you own, as shown in the point section above.
 
In contrast to Capture the Flag battlegrounds like Warsong Gulch, a character with high survivability is usually not needed to take the flag. You should rather try to let a fast character carry it, like a Windwalker Monk, a Rogue, Druid or something else with good speed. It is possible to hold the flag at a base and wait until another base is captured, giving you more points. We have also seen players go with a group to a contested or enemy base and take it, capturing the flag this way. However, this tactic is dangerous and only really suitable in edge cases, where the opponent's force is concentrated on other bases and the targeted base can be captured quickly, while simultaneously being the most secure options for the flag carrier. As always, communication is key here. Waiting for a third base to rake in another 15 points is probably not worth it when you have to wait more than 10 seconds, but waiting for a fourth base to quintuple the amount of points gained is certainly reasonable. It may also be needed to hold the flag as long as possible if the center is currently dominated by the opposing force, thus preventing them from further capturing of the flag. Although handling the flag is highly situational, more often than not you will just have to capture it at the next base, but consider these factors before doing so.

 

 

If you have any questions, suggestions or mistakes to point out, feel free to reply here or send me a personal message.