Does ganking require skill?

Dojohoda

Yes and this is why:

Yes

You have to
- understand your build and race in order to make a burst to almost insta-kill
- build for it
- know how to pick a target
- know how to escape after the dirty deed is done

On that note:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whQQpwwvSh4

Derra

No and this is why:

Ganking implies the victim not having a realistic chance to fight back and win the encounter. It takes as much skill as using a flyswatter (which is arguably an achievement for some).

To everyone arguing about picking out targets out of grps and the implied dangers: You all realize that doing that with a gank build is still infinitely easier than with a "normal" build?
The ability to get away with a "win" in an encounter that no other build is able to survive just points out something not right with the games mechanics.

txtorpedo

No and this is why:

Depends on the type of ganking going on imo.

Usually no, because most times you picking off some newb behind the zerg on a slow mount.

RajinPVP

Yes and this is why:

Hmm .. Your required to use more skills and strategic planning to get away with a kill also patience... So yes it takes skills. What takes no skill is being in a zerg spamming 1 button ..

Bobby_V_Rockit

b4nn3d7337 wrote: »

Hmm .. Your required to use more skills and strategic planning to get away with a kill also patience... So yes it takes skills. What takes no skill is being in a zerg spamming 1 button ..

Skill = dump all attributes into one resource--> max spammable execute ability--> click "hide button" --> stab at enemy while their back is turned --> run like a *** while clicking hide again... skill

kuro-dono

No and this is why:

when you ride your horse from bleakers to chalman > one arrow lands on you, i heard the noice and straight into blocking stance, mitigated some of the dmg, was left with 50-70% then i bolt escaped, and another arrow hit, death recap showed> vipers sting, poison injection the other bow skill and veli. I felt heavily impressed of this ganker. my health pool being 35k with 5 piece impen.

Azura star pc eu, and no, i dont run addons and no, it was 2-3 bar on each faction.

kuro-dono

No and this is why:

kuro-dono wrote: »

when you ride your horse from bleakers to chalman > one arrow lands on you, i heard the noice and straight into blocking stance, mitigated some of the dmg, was left with 50-70% then i bolt escaped, and another arrow hit, death recap showed> vipers sting, poison injection the other bow skill and veli. I felt heavily impressed of this ganker. my health pool being 35k with 5 piece impen.

Azura star pc eu, and no, i dont run addons and no, it was 2-3 bar on each faction.

ps: cant even imagine what it feels to your usual casual with "damage dealing setup"

kuro-dono

No and this is why:

kuro-dono wrote: »

kuro-dono wrote: »

when you ride your horse from bleakers to chalman > one arrow lands on you, i heard the noice and straight into blocking stance, mitigated some of the dmg, was left with 50-70% then i bolt escaped, and another arrow hit, death recap showed> vipers sting, poison injection the other bow skill and veli. I felt heavily impressed of this ganker. my health pool being 35k with 5 piece impen.

Azura star pc eu, and no, i dont run addons and no, it was 2-3 bar on each faction.

ps: cant even imagine how it feels like to your usual casual with "damage dealing setup"

VoiDGhOs7

No and this is why:

No because the only thing you need is pressing Incap Strike and your left click to get all the dmg you need.

Edziu

Yes and this is why:

Korah_Eaglecry wrote: »

Solariken wrote: »

It definitely takes skill (and patience!) to find a weak link in an enemy group and burst him down and disappear without getting swarmed by his posse. This kind of ganking is super fun and somewhat honorable.

The kind of ganking where you merk some poor sap on horseback takes zero skill and is a total dck move, though can still be pretty satisfying.

Most of the gankers Ive ran into werent looking for "weak links" they were just looking for lone targets or small groups that could be overwhelmed quickly. There was nothing honorable about it. No form of ambushing is honorable. The whole point of the exercise is to take others unaware so that you can do the most damage with the least amount of risk to yourself and your companions.

Its widely accepted because it can serve a purpose. Like disrupting a zerg that is on the move and proving to be hard to slow down or stop. But its rarely ever used that way and almost always done as a means of farming AP. The vast majority of those who take part in it are not doing it for the greater good of their Alliance but their own personal pleasure, the pleasure in knowing their taking the fun out of things for the player they targeted and avoiding any sort of confrontation that might shatter their very delicate ego.

you need to look on "weak links" because gang good tank isnt easy...if ou very fast break fre, heal then he can permblock all your burst and you can run.

like for me fight for 20+ mins is nonsense...(heavy armor sustain builds)....those fight can be endless until draw, some also waste of time because you big nothing from this and just need to keep rotaipn with buffs, healing when need anddont need more to think to not die

Bigevilpeter

Yes and this is why:

you need to pick the right target.
you need to be able to escape after.
you need to have a good skills and gear setup.
you need to able to react fast if you don't insta kill.
you need to not be seen till the time is right to gank.

Tai-Chi

Roechacca wrote: »

Picking out the fat kid in the back takes talent with all the disguises and costumes floating around. Plucking off the fat kid without startling the herd takes a pro Hunter.

• "Picking out the fat kid"
  
• "Plucking off the fat kid"

The above two statements say a lot about your role-playing character Mr "Guild Leader KungFu DC".

When your game characters are ready to be nice guys, why not take up Tai-Chi? It enhance all Martial Arts disciplines, including KungFu.

MacCait

LOl most people that voted YES were probably Nightblades and most people that voted NO were probably people who have been ambushed by Nightblades haha.

The word Gank or Ganking, actually refers to a group of players jumping on one player... however in game it has come to be used for any ambush, for example a solo Nightblade ambushing another player.

So I guess the answer all depends on the terminology used. If reffering to a whole groups of Nightblades or players jumping and beating down one player, then NO obviously not.

If you mean one Nightblade ambushing another player, then it may then all depend on the level and experience of the other player, so a yes or no.

If you mean one solo Nightblade ambushing a larger group, making a kill or two or three, and then successfully escaping... then HELL YES that takes skill!

Prof_Bawbag

I remember when i first ventured into Cyrodiil. A bunch of AD players attempted to gank a lone DC (maybe) player. Only that DC player must have been using some sort of uber glitch and wiped them all out as he lost no health at any time. Pretty sure it had something to do with the vampire system at the time. Normally I'd be against that sort of thing, but was hilarious watching a bunch of high level players preying on noobs only for them to be on the receiving end of a liberty themselves. No doubt they were all crying about the manner in which they were wiped, but that's irony for you. Pretty sure this vampire used to wipe enemy keeps out on his lonesome too.

kuro-dono

No and this is why:

MacCait wrote: »

LOl most people that voted YES were probably Nightblades and most people that voted NO were probably people who have been ambushed by Nightblades haha.

The word Gank or Ganking, actually refers to a group of players jumping on one player... however in game it has come to be used for any ambush, for example a solo Nightblade ambushing another player.

So I guess the answer all depends on the terminology used. If reffering to a whole groups of Nightblades or players jumping and beating down one player, then NO obviously not.

If you mean one Nightblade ambushing another player, then it may then all depend on the level and experience of the other player, so a yes or no.

If you mean one solo Nightblade ambushing a larger group, making a kill or two or three, and then successfully escaping... then HELL YES that takes skill!

I lead raid once in while, and since my lovely donkeys dont have real faith in themself or forgot their sieges to bank etc i need to be operating 2-3 ballistas + ram, and while doing so, i am crying inside when i see my other donkeys, unable to leave their sieges when someone comes and gank them. So, i swap, i managed to get couple good guy to keep the ballistas + ram at door going while i am guarding my donkeys from behind. Not sure if its lazyness, stupidity or all together or what but oh god players are lazy Anyway, gankers, their life in eso is just so damn easy mode. Expecially now with all these proc sets being so ridiculous. having 2x5 set and monster set is just... SAD. i been ganked quite many times, and i have countered quite many times ganker, but oh jesus how i love snare + negate gankers, they burst into tears and whispers are DeLiCiOuS. Propably i feel similar joy what gankers feel when the person they ganked whispers back to them.

Zenimax is truly lacking the golden road for pvp atm which sucks, but its not all that bad.

kylewwefan

Yes and this is why:

Much as I hate the play style, I gotta give them credit. They pick out the potatoes in the group, try to do massive damage and sneak away unscathed. I do love it when it goes wrong and my Zerg comes back and wrecks them.

altemriel

RAGUNAnoOne wrote: »

Basically it is all about planing ahead and analyzing your foe and the surrounding area. although ganking is a *** move and not something I like to do proper ganking takes a lot more brains and situational awareness than most think. Ganking quest points using sheer numbers Targeting low levels or killing while someone is in LS in IC sewers due to zoning and not getting the immunity however are the exceptions as there is no skill in that.

this

bottleofsyrup

No and this is why:

Actual ganking? Sure. Sitting in towns and camping skyshards in stealth because you can't handle a real fight with those of us out in the field? Hell no.

Angi

gank is love

MacCait

kuro-dono wrote: »

MacCait wrote: »

LOl most people that voted YES were probably Nightblades and most people that voted NO were probably people who have been ambushed by Nightblades haha.

The word Gank or Ganking, actually refers to a group of players jumping on one player... however in game it has come to be used for any ambush, for example a solo Nightblade ambushing another player.

So I guess the answer all depends on the terminology used. If reffering to a whole groups of Nightblades or players jumping and beating down one player, then NO obviously not.

If you mean one Nightblade ambushing another player, then it may then all depend on the level and experience of the other player, so a yes or no.

If you mean one solo Nightblade ambushing a larger group, making a kill or two or three, and then successfully escaping... then HELL YES that takes skill!

I lead raid once in while, and since my lovely donkeys dont have real faith in themself or forgot their sieges to bank etc i need to be operating 2-3 ballistas + ram, and while doing so, i am crying inside when i see my other donkeys, unable to leave their sieges when someone comes and gank them. So, i swap, i managed to get couple good guy to keep the ballistas + ram at door going while i am guarding my donkeys from behind. Not sure if its lazyness, stupidity or all together or what but oh god players are lazy Anyway, gankers, their life in eso is just so damn easy mode. Expecially now with all these proc sets being so ridiculous. having 2x5 set and monster set is just... SAD. i been ganked quite many times, and i have countered quite many times ganker, but oh jesus how i love snare + negate gankers, they burst into tears and whispers are DeLiCiOuS. Propably i feel similar joy what gankers feel when the person they ganked whispers back to them.

Zenimax is truly lacking the golden road for pvp atm which sucks, but its not all that bad.

When a Cheetah or Leopard takes down an Antelope in the wild, its nature, its how nature is built. The Cheetah or Leopard is an ambush hunter, the Antelope its prey. These cats are not built as well for sustained fights, if they run out of energy, their life is on the line... either form going hungry, being injured in their own attack, or encountering other predators with more sustain such as the Lion, or a pack of Hyena.

My point is, ESO is built for different styles of play. Some are armoured warriors standing out in the open, fearless, no need to hide in the shadows, and some are assassins... weaker shadowy type characters that stalk, watch, look for an opportunity, attempt ambush, and run away to fight again. It's just a different style of play thats all.

Though Nightblades are my favorite playstyle, I like to play and explore all classes. When I am on another class, or even occasionally on my Nightblade if I've not paid attention or am on my mount, I will occasionally get ambushed and killed. When that happens I don't give it a second thought. In that moment I was the Antelope and a Leopard just caught me. It's the nature of the game. So when I am on my Nightblade, I am the stalker. It's just the playstyle. Assassins are meant to assasinate, not stand out in the open declaring to all "Hey guys here I am, come fight me, lets have a fair fight!!". Its not a duel, its war!

All just part of the game. For me personally, when I am on another character and not as stealthy, I like the thrill of "oh damn, watch out for those Leopards!"... never knowing if there is a sneaky Nightblae just lurking somewhere nearby

It's good to play all styles and gravitate to one. But by playing all styles you also have an advantage in 'knowing thy enemy'

Never understood why people Teabag or Whisper or msg... its part of the game. I laugh when someone teabags me, because in reality they are not teabagging at all, they are merely crouching and uncrouching, crouching and uncrouching, crouching and uncrouching. Sometimes I may stay dead just to see how long they will devote to this bizarre practice lol. Much better when someone uses a cool emote, like a bow, a dance over your corpse, dig you a grave or sweep you away... much much more stylish and creative... and deserving of my respect for a good kill!

kuro-dono

No and this is why:

i will respect ganker when it happens without cheesing or having stacked via spell weaving/animation cancelling 2-5 abilities, which includes set procs. when you listen, you hear the arrow hit right? instead of it being one arrow i find myself dead with multiple things hit me at same time. I personally pay most of the time quite lots of attension So when i see my char lock slightly it means i am getting hit> my mouse finger reacts automatically and tries to do its best to mitigate most dmg. What these days happen is just too pointless to even try anything else, the react and block was the best i coulda have done, due to the rate of abilities/skills landing on me. ( and ofc my lack of skills as an "duelist" ) + i dont do spell weaving/ animation cancelling and no other clue comes to my screen since i dont use addons.

In your case, when cute wee antelope is getting hit, first> you have either antelope that reacts and makes sprint for it, or you have one that gets caught and "fight back" in the ground. In first case it has chance to survive, and blood goes wild, second one, it goes, oh ***! but due to adrenaline and survival instinct it fights back but dies.

in Eso reality, the cute antelope actually gets targeted by sniper scoped rifle man. how it goes> antelope spots something unfamiliar, scent or maybe see the scope man or maybe sun hits the weapon and the antelope spots that mirroring, but none less it wont pudge much and the hit comes so fast that cute antelope falls down. OR, antelope merrily gallops around and TUFF! It gets hit and falls dead before landing into ground. In either option of reality of eso, antelope had no clue if he/she can make it.

BOTH cases have also option> antelope is faster/stronger than the hunter expected and makes it challenging! for scope man, its just wee bit of adjustment predicting, then BAM, leopard aswell is OP as heck, and with all the muscle power it has, it has very high chance of catching the prey.

I didnt fit the whole story line and each setups properly, but i am sure you know what i am trying to tell

PS > human is human and sniper is proc sets.

Funkopotamus

The zerglings that voted "NO" are salty because they got instasmashed before they could catch up a ZERG-Herd and spambush other people.

Drdeath20

There are times when ganking takes talent but usually it's some average player just waiting for an easy kill.

SnubbS

This game probably requires the least amount of skill out of any game I've ever played. You could reword the question as if this were a shooter and figure the answer out for yourself.

Example: CS:GO (Or CoD): You come up behind someone, you shoot them in the back. It's pretty simple.

Ganj

Yes and this is why:

It requires more skill compare to zerging, so i would say yes because of that.

disintegr8

No and this is why:

Based on the definition in the Urban Dictionary, ganking has nothing to do with skill at all:

"Ganking is the process in which a group of characters gang up on one or more players that do not have a chance to defend themselves, Or when one high level player does the same action to a player way below his or her own level"

Mayrael

Yes and this is why:

Im talking about solo ganking, not 5v1 as this is sheit.

0. You need to kill target and vanish before someone spots you or atleast kill you. If you fail in one of this points gank wasnt succesful, its not only about killing enemy but also about surviving.
1. You need to choose target wisely, as trying to gank 50k magplar would be total mistake this is obvious. But fully shielded sorc with 17k hp will be even harder. This requires knowledge and good orientation, especialy on large battlefields. Also you need pick targets that are important. Killing some scrub that just tries to survive is different from killing folks that are oiling the breach.
2. When your target defends you need to know should you push him or leave alone as finishing NB is easier than finishing shielding sorc on immovable pot especialy that youre on your own most of the time, 1vX. This requires cold blood, as being 1s to long in a fight while surrounded by enemies can get you killed very fast.
3. When you want to disengage you have to know where you are, you have to be aware of your surroundings and have perpared way of escape. It requires planing.
4. You need to know how to fight whithout element of surprise. I have no respect for gankers that after initial combo die in 2s because they frackn have no idea how to do anything else than load their gank combo.

So by mashing Snipe button you wont get anywhere, even if you kill someone with that its not because you were good, it was because youre target sucked.

Kram8ion

Yes and this is why:

do any of the "definitions of ganking" say that it's skilless?

Solariken

Yes and this is why:

Korah_Eaglecry wrote: »

Solariken wrote: »

It definitely takes skill (and patience!) to find a weak link in an enemy group and burst him down and disappear without getting swarmed by his posse. This kind of ganking is super fun and somewhat honorable.

The kind of ganking where you merk some poor sap on horseback takes zero skill and is a total dck move, though can still be pretty satisfying.

Most of the gankers Ive ran into werent looking for "weak links" they were just looking for lone targets or small groups that could be overwhelmed quickly. There was nothing honorable about it. No form of ambushing is honorable. The whole point of the exercise is to take others unaware so that you can do the most damage with the least amount of risk to yourself and your companions.

Its widely accepted because it can serve a purpose. Like disrupting a zerg that is on the move and proving to be hard to slow down or stop. But its rarely ever used that way and almost always done as a means of farming AP. The vast majority of those who take part in it are not doing it for the greater good of their Alliance but their own personal pleasure, the pleasure in knowing their taking the fun out of things for the player they targeted and avoiding any sort of confrontation that might shatter their very delicate ego.

@Korah_Eaglecry I agree that the majority of ganking attempts are dishonorable and have only gotten more unfair/annoying with all of Wrobel's proc/burst sets. I also think it's toxic design that players can basically live 100% in stealth, especially in an open field in pure daylight.

However, honorable ganking is the kind where you pick off enemies from the back of the siege line and burn their siege before slipping away, or snipe them from the walls while they are beating on the front door with a ram.

Regardless, I'm not sure why people get so heated about ganking in a game where one of the four classes is tooled specifically for stealth gameplay and burst...

Dragonnord

No and this is why:

I can gank with my DK, so easy with a CR+LA+WB+LA+EXEC (+ Ulti if still needed) combo. So my answer is no.

Also, escaping is not part of ganking. Escaping is just escaping (if you decide or need to escape). But if a NB kills me and then the zerg kills the NB, the NB still ganked me.

Or, I can gank with my DK and, instead of escaping like NBs do, I just stand my ground. So, again, you can gank without escaping, and so escaping is not a part of the ganking process.

Ganking ends when you kill the victim and what happens next is up to you.