How to improve your positioning at the game (Magnus Edition)

Advanced positioning guide to make smoother your victory in high dificulty maps.

Introduction

Level 69 here with 100+ hours put into the game. I play with randoms regularly and I find they normaly lack good positioning (and sometimes even understanding for the basics of the game). So I decided to share my experience so anyone that wants to improve may benefit from it.

I picked HoM because is the most popular map (black powder doesn't even count). This knowledge should be easy to be extrapolated to other maps.

I play mostly dwarf with shield+axe, I have a mate that plays the merc with shield also, so with that setup we are able to carry most of the randoms that join us. We like to go in formation with 1 tank (a class with shield) opening the path, the second tank is behind closing the group. Both dps cover each tank, always follow 1 tank and never go alone. dps can change which tank to follow, it really doesn't matter who follows who as long as every tank is close to a dps.

Why do you call them tanks?

Because they are the ones that will try to mitigate all the damage the party takes and because they will try to control the rats through knockbacks so the dps only needs to care to deal dps. With this setup you can corner anywhere and make defensive positions. 1 could do, but with 2 you can defend positions with 2 entrance, like bridges, rooms or corridors.

So, how does that work?

The idea is that the tank opening the group selects for the team the place to hold your ground, the second tank helps to create a defensive barrier and then your dps are behind doing dps. They can do mele dps but they need to be careful with the timing. For WW and WH is better to go mele so they also disrupt the enemy attacks so the tanks don't receive damage either through some unlucky timing. Cooperation and synergy.

I won't enter into details of the team composition, but the ideal is that you have 2 players with shields, the rest doesn't matter as much.

Legend

Blue line: Fastest path to the end level

Red line: Alternative path to find resources.

Green line: Defensive lines where 1 or 2 tanks should hold the hordes/enemies.

Purple lines: Rats movements

Purple circle: Where rats may appear.

Black rat patrols should be easily avoidable, so I won't even bother in mentioning them.

About the rat ogre, fall back to a previously cleaned area before engage. Use strengh potions and then throw grenades to take the rat ogre down. Block and dash to prevent any damage while you have the agroo. If you don't have the agroo, kill small rats before focusing on the rat ogre.

Part 1 - Until tome 1

This part will cover from the begining until you reach the first tome. In no way this guide is focused in telling you where the tomes or grimos are, it's not its focus, but to learn how to have a great positioning.

















If the first horn sounds before you reach this spot, just rush it (image below). One tank on each line and the dps on the middle. Under no circumstances any of the players should get out of the marks. The dps should dinamically face 1 spot or the other.



If you where inside the barracks when the first horn sounded, you should just rush this second corridor. Same strategy as the image above.



From the previous corridor until this spot, there is no good place to fight, so you keep your position in that corridor, or you fight below the wooden platform. But under no circumstances get isolated on the top, if a runner or a hooker gets to you, you will be dead because your teammates won't be able to help you. To sum up, if someone jumps, all of you jump.





Elves tend to like this spot because they can find ammo. As you can see it's an awful place, because those walls give you a sense of protection, but it's a lie, lots of rats may spawn from the last place you just have look. Be patient, stay without ammo a little longer and don't risk your group for your greediness and your lack of arrow management.



This corridor is pretty dangerous too, but its the fastes way to arrive the safe zones. Rush through it and don't loose time killing unnecessary rats.



Check for your tank, where he setups, you setup behind. No need to rush the tome, it won't move, so focus on not receiving damage and cleaning the rats.



For that ammoless elf, you may find an ammo cache here quite often, if not, a little bit ahead tend to spawn more ammo.

Part 2 - Until tome 2

The only reason you go through this stairs is the chest that is at the end. If a patrol of blackrats is in the area you can easily go below the bridge. They won't notice you, you will safe time and you will only lose 1 chest.







We can treat the bridge as a small corridor. Best place in the area to defend yourself from an horde.



You may try to defend around the entrance to the grimo room, but its an awful place, because rats jump from a lot of different sides. With 1 player moving to the grimo room should be enough, while the rest wait in the other spot that looks like a bridge.



You can easily left that chest closed if you are in a hurry and rush to the chappel directly. You can even go to chapel before checking that chest. You don't because once you start crossing the street, you also clean it from rats.

Part 3 - Until tome 3

Until you reach the inn you are pretty exposed.



There are 2 spawn points that normally I am able to clean by myself. Wave1 and wave2 are those spawns, but the order may change, so look for open windows to know where will they spawn. With the shield charged attack you should be able to control the rats of those spawns alone (a bit of aoe is always welcome). Pick barrel, throw barrel to your mates, defend the place. Take care of not behind surrounded.



Try to cross the 4 of you the gate at the same time. If you split, a lot of blind spots will appear and you will be more vulnerable to specials.



Once you are in the stand with medkits, try to defend and stay aware of the surroindings. Why? Because someone will be healing, another one will be using his ranged attack to clean the square and none of them will be looking at the door you just have cross. So keep them safe. You can split in groups of 2 to get those chests to safe time, no need to rush them, just go little by little.



I always prefer this corridor, because in case a patrol comes, you are already in a good spot to avoid them.



Rat ogre spawns frequently in this spot. Fall back to the square to face it, and use the funnel to throw grenades at it.

Part 4 - Tower of Magnus

If you didn't face the ogre rat yet, you may want to delay picking the second grimo, because the rooftops are the worst place in this map to fight it.







This spot looks nice since you can cover both stairs at the same time, but there are like 4 more opennings that lead there and since you can't see them coming, you will get easily surrounded, so play safe and move below the stairs.



Be careful when moving from the zone 1 to the zone 2, the chimneys are a spawn point, they jump from roof to roof and they will have reinforcements even behind you, so if you go, create a path until the second zone.







Picking the elevator and going to the top of the tower is pretty easy, so I will just skip this part.

Part 5 - Final fight

With the 1.0.1.2 patch your teammates will no longer respawn in the elevator room, so I wouldn't recommend defending here.



It's said that this tactic was fixed in the 1.0.1.2 patch.











Don't forget to call "gg", "gj" or "wp" once you completed the level.

Last thoughts

The screenshots where made on "easy" so I could rush the level. The loot of the first part appears almost always and it's pretty important if you face an early rat ogre.

This tactic should work in cata too.

If this guide proved useful, let me know. If you feel that something is missing, let me know too.

Remember, awareness is more important than equipment.

Good luck & have fun.

[Nantes]

I've found the best spot in the final fight to be the huge window on the wall opposite to the wooden platform with the healing items (the one just before falling into the horn arena). Rats do not come from above that window, and there are two strength potions very near that window (beside the staircase) that can be easily picked up in between waves.

Also, players can just trade their tomes for the healing items on that platform, and pick the tomes back up when the fight is done. all it takes is some pinging to spot the tomes from below the wooden platform and jumping around to grab them from below. Pretty nifty.

[Rune]

This is great guide, but I feel like those who needs it will never read it and those who knows it will go through to find out if it is correct or not :)

[Nuclear]

So sick of ppl wiping at the end of horn of magnus, or before the elevator to the wagon. I hope ppl move to other maps soon.

[Shock4ndAwe]

Great guide. Wish more people would read it. Would love to see what you think about the rest of the maps.

[Norax]

@48 Pistols fxd

@Justin dots, more dots https://youtu.be/OfsKzry6jQE?t=84

[BrassHand]

Haven't read through your guide fully, but can tell you've put a lot of effort into it. Looks really good. I've always thought people could do with some pointers on positioning and knowing how to play effectively with other classes. Thanks for taking the time to educate!

[The Beast]

you forgot another loot spot, after the sealed gates, a little more to the left from the first chest there is another spot for possible items, i was able to find also 2 bombs in that spot (in the same run, so if ogre attacks here it's a good thing to know about it)

[A Good Joe]

Cheers for your strats author. All good info here, only one mistake you mispelled synergy (sry :P).

[Noodles]

A great guide. I hope you do more like this for other levels.

[Cherub]

Thank you for all the time and effort that went into this guide! Really Helped me out to get a better player =)