Are there short form, preferably precise rules, for each BG? I am not interested in strategies, tactics or anything of the sort. Just the very basic rules. And in more detail than just “capture” or “dominate”. I’d like to see more technical description in some sense.
Maybe someone will find the time to summarise every BG on here, but it will be a long post. If not, WoWhead has a separate page for every Battleground explaining the basic mechanics and win conditions for that specific Battleground. So you can check there.
Alternatively you can just play the BGs and learn as you go. It isn’t a big deal if you do something wrong (and killing enemy players is always useful). They are all quite intuitive, even Wintergrasp you eventually figure out what is going on.
Well, I am not asking anyone to do it. And I am not asking a summary, like I tried to say in my original post. Often people like to collect and publish information like this in easy form. And I am hoping it already exists.
Wowhead pages for many BGs are very imprecise and many of the capping mechanics and scoring are quite annoying to deduct in my opinion, so I’d prefer to read up and if I really have to, watch a video about it.
terminology: “EFC” = enemy flag carrier, “FC” (friendly) flag carrier, but can also mean the same as EFC, depending on context, such as when somebody says “go fc” they mean to kill the enemy flag carrier. “Offense (off)” are the guys who go and kill the EFC, Defense (def or peel)" is the part of the team that guards the own FC.
0-0 after the time ends counts as a draw
When the score is equal after the time runs out, the team that has captured the flag last is considered the winner.
The flag can only be captured when the flag of your team is also in the base
Carrying the flag for a prolonged time while the other team also has your flag gives a debuff that increases very fast in blitz and rather slow in regular and RBG. Once both fcs have reached 5 stacks, speed increasing abilities are restricted.
Domination (Arathi, Deepwind, Gilneas)
It takes 6 seconds to cap a base, 4 seconds in blitz. Bases count as fully taken after 60 seconds and 30 seconds in blitz
The point formula in Gilneas is 1 base gives 1 point / turn (every few seconds), 2 bases give 3 points per turn, 3 bases give 30 points per turn.
The blitz point formula for Gilneas is 1 base gives 2 points / turn, 2 bases give 5 points / turn, 3 bases give 50 points / turn.
the regular Arathi / Deepwind point formula is 1 base = 2 points, 2 bases = 3 points, 3 bases = 4 points, 4 bases = 7 points, 5 bases = 50 points
In blitz, the bases uncap periodically and must be recaptured. You get between 8-15 points / turn for holding 1-3 bases at the same time. I am not exactly sure how much, if you ever manage to hold 4 at the same time, you get huge points until one of them uncaps.
notable terminology includes words like “cap” (click a flag to capture a base) and “anticap” (prevent an opponent from capturing by attacking them or using cc / knockbacks). Anticap is also sometimes called “spin flag”.
Eye of the Storm
Cap a base by being nearby, the more players, the faster it caps. In the RBG version, the base must be manually capped like in the domination format by clicking on it. Both the RBG and blitz version have additional barriers at the flag in the middle to reduce the effectiveness of knockbacks.
The flag in the middle can be picked up and brought to your base, you get 50 points for handing it in while controlling 1 base, 75 for 2 bases, 100 for 3, 500 for 4
In blitz, the flag is worth 150 points, only 2 bases are active and they rotate when the flag is delivered. Make sure to be ready to cap the bases that become active.
Silvershard mines
Painting a cart your color is worth 1 point / second, delivering it is 150 for your team. You can set the top and lava tracks to a longer route. Silvershard mines is exactly the same in blitz
Deephaul ravine
The crystal in mid is worth 150 points and provides a small bloodlust-like effect for the team that captures it, it can be delivered on both sides. Controlling a cart is worth 3 points / turn, delivering the cart is 100 points, but this is sometimes bugged and doesn’t count. In addition to that, the respawn timer is also bugged and works the same in blitz as it does in random bg. (in waves, 30 sec, instead of 15 and individually)
Controlling carts is even more valuable in Blitz, 4 points for 1 and 9 for 2 per turn.
Take the express cart on the top rail to go to the other side of the map quickly (to intercept the crystal or steal their cart at spawn)
Kotmogu
Orbs can be picked up and give 2 pts outside the temple, 4 in the outer temple and 6 in the floor in the middle. This is the same in blitz, except it is 2 points more for each / turn.
Carrying an orb increases your damage output slightly, but makes you take a lot more damage, which will lead to your death eventually. In unranked, the orb can be removed without dying if you use nitro boosts from engineering. Focusing enemy orb carriers while ccing the healers is recommended.
Now for epic bgs:
Alterac
Each team starts with 700 reinforcements that serve as alternative win condition. Reinforcements can be restored by taking the mines in the north and south of the map. Mines restore 1 point every 40 seconds. Every player death subtracts 1.
Every tower and bunker is worth 100 points, Galvangar and Balinda are worth 100 points too, so you can make up to 500 points with objectives and 200 with kills to win on reinforcements, not accounting for mines
Players spawn at the nearest graveyard their faction controls from the point where they died. Capture graveyards to remove the opponents ability to respawn near the objectives you want to take.
The main objective is to Kill Vanndar Stormpike or Drek’thar. They are protected by Marshals / Warmasters that provide a stacking debuff. They hit very hard when all towers and bunkers are intact and have a lot of health. You can dismantle their protection by burning towers and bunkers, each removes a marshal / warmaster and makes the boss easier to kill. Killing the Boss instantly wins the round.
Stormpike insignia / Frostwolf insignia are toys that are sold by a vendor for free in front of your gate before round start. They allow you to return directly to your base to defend it from attackers and are important for defensive plays. It takes 10 seconds to cast and can only be used outside, that is, not in a bunker, tower or mine
Alterac still has a lot of antiquated mechanics that are technically in the game, but largely irrelevant
Isle of Conquest
Your goal is to destroy the gates of the enemy keep to make it attackable, you have 3 bases to help you achieve this goal.
The Docks give access to glaives, long range and high damage, but fragile. They can shoot at the gate outside of the reach of the defenders turrets. If unchecked, glaives can down a gate very fast, but their fragility makes them easy to take out. The docks also provide catapults that can be used to shoot yourself inside the enemy base to lay bombs, but they don’t do any siege damage and are usually not very important
The workshop gives access to 4 demolishers once captured, they do great damage to enemy infantry and have moderate range and can be used to do siege damage, but they can’t be used without being in range of the enemy turrets, unlike glaives. They are moderately tanky.
The siege engine spawns after 3 minutes and has 4 seats. The driver has a ram and charge attack, but the cannon on top is extremely powerful against enemy infantry and does huge damage. If not killed quickly, the siege engine can kill everyone in the area very quick. The other seats have flamethrowers that do moderate damage.
All in all the workshop provides vehicles that are useful against enemy infantry. These vehicles should be focused down quickly when they attack a base.
The hangar provides access to a gunship. Unlike the other bases, it does unavoidable damage to the gate and is considered the most reliable method of downing the enemy gate. The gunship cannons also do high damage to infantry and you can paradrop inside the enemy keep from above.
Bombs can be found at workshop and inside the enemy keep that can be used to damage the gate
Refinery and quarry are optional objectives that increase the siege damage of your team by 15% each. They also restore reinforcements much like the alterac mines. Reinforcements are an alternative win condition. When your gate goes down first, you can try to defend your keep to win on reinforcements.
Ashran
175 reinforcements. Killing the enemy mage in the tower on the main road subtracts 30. Killing the boss instantly wins the game.
Control the road flags on the main road to push the enemy back. Once you reach the tower flag, you can remove the guards (called gladiators) and make the enemy base vulnearable.
Notable side objectives include solar sphere, which can be accessed by going into a mine in the western side of the map. capturing it gives your team a permanent 20% haste buff, which is very strong as long as you hold it. Ancient artifact (AA) spawns at the ring of conquest in the west and is looted off of PvE enemies, it provides a strong buff for one player who carries it and drops on the ground when said player is killed. Kor lok is an ogre that can fight for your team and spawns in the east, but he is kinda weak and not really worth it.
Flowers can be found at the eastern parts of the map that increase your stats by 15% for the rest of the match.
Special items drop of PvE opponents that allow you to call stampedes, a frost wyrm or yu lon to the main road and some unlock unique Ashran-only abilities for your class.
Backdooring is a strategy which is about flanking the enemy team and attacking the enemy boss directly. If successful, it can instantly win the game.
Like in Alterac, an item called scroll of town portal allows you to return to your base quickly to defend and it can be found in the prison inside your base.
Wintergrasp:
You must either defend or attack the keep, the defenders control the keep, the attackers control the towers in the south and all workshops at the start except for the ones inside the keep, which are owned by the defenders and can’t be taken. Every workshop allows you to build up to 4 vehicles.
Lay siege to the keep by building vehicles at workshops. To build catapults, you must kill 5 opponents, to build demolishers and siege engines, you must kill 15 opponents
Defenders can destroy the towers the attackers control to reduce the time the attackers have to storm the keep. If the attackers fail to capture the keep within the time limit, the defenders win. The limit is 45 minutes by default and by destroying 3 towers you can reduce the timer by 7:30 per tower, up to 22,5 minutes max.
Catapults are the most mobile vehicle that does great damage to infantry, but it is fragile and does mediocre siege damage
Demolishers are the best at dealing siege damage, but not as strong against infantry as catapults and much less mobile
Siege engines are a two-seater alternative to demolishers, but they are pretty underwhelming and not very popular
The first fight usually takes place at sunken Ring. The outcome of that fight often decides the match.
If you still have any questions about a specific maps, just ask.
You missed out Seething Shore and I for one don’t blame you, such a forgettable place.
However, I’ll just summarize the tactic for there.
When you see it pop - leave and go do something more interesting for 15 minutes, watching the grass grow, watching cement harden or watching a pot boil.
There just aren’t that many technical aspects to discuss here. Capture 15 azerites each worth 100 points to win.
Azerites are grey on the map when they first spawn and become active after 40 seconds.
Many don’t like the place, but the most effective tactic is pretty simple. Cover everything and give nothing away for free. Anticap the azerite as long as you can when you are outnumbered and keep the opponents busy as long as you can so your team can outnumber the opponents on the other nodes. Try to be the first one on a new azerite. If you are lucky, you get a free cap. If not, you can at least prevent the opponents from taking it. When you deploy from the gunship, go to the node that has the LEAST amount of team members on it.
Interestingly, this is exactly how you play the blitz version of arathi and deepwind gorge if you want to win. If you are good at seething shore, then you are most likely also good at blitz arathi and deepwind. It’s all about efficient map coverage.