Why PVP Groups tend to look the same
If you work backwards and describe the components of an ideal Group it becomes obvious why most look so similar. The more constraints you have the fewer solutions that become possible.
Ultimates
A quick look at the Ultimates and you end up with a list like this (in no particular order):
- Barrier
- Gibbering Shelter
- Negate
- Rez
- Storms (Northern Storm and Eye of the Storm)
- Dawn Breaker
- Soul Siphon
- Shifting Standard
Synergies
The most useful synergies on Damage pushes are from:
- Lightning Flood -> Conduit
- Fulminating Rune -> Runebreak
- Unnerving Boneyard -> Grave Robber
- Soul Siphon -> Soul Leech
- Choking Talons -> Ignite ... Talons should only be case after the pull or to slow enemies down
That means we'd like to have at least one Sorc, Arcanist, Necro, NB, and DK.
AoE Damage
- Warden's Deep Fissure -> the best Damage skill out there
- DW's Steel Tornado
- NB's Power Extraction
- Assault's Proxy Detonation
This means we want NBs and Wardens for DDs.
The best healing spells
- Gibber Shelter
- Barrier
- Echoing Vigor
- Radiating Regen
- Blessing of Restoration
Shelter is class specific. Barrier ends up being best on a Necro because Necrotic Potency generates Ultimate so quickly.
Echoing Vigor is available to everyone, and last ones are available to any class using a Resto staff.
Other Considerations
You want Major and Minor Expedition up at all times, so you need a Speeder.
Igneous Weapons should be up 100% of the time, so you need a DK.
You need a player dedicating to pulling, and a Nightblade works best because they can cast fear immediately after opponents have been pulled.
You want a variety of healing sets ... like:
- Spell Power cure
- Rallying Cry
- Transmutation
- Combat Physician
- Earthgore
- Symphony of Blades
- Ozezan
- Apocryphal Inspiration
- Pillager's Profit
And a variety of DD sets:
- Order's Wrath + Vicious Death
- Dagon's Dominion + Plaguebreak
- Rush of Agony + Plaguebreak
- etc
To slow enemies down when we are being chased there are variety of good skills to use:
- DK - Choking Talon's
- NB - Fear
- Nero - Fear Totem
- Bow - Bombard
- Assault - Caltrops
The end result
When you take all of those things together you realize that NBs and Wardens are your top choices for DDs. And that your top choices for healers are Sorcs, Arcanists, Necros and NBs. And finally that you need exactly one DK.
So you've got an NB pull, and a DK support and a Speeder (or better yet, a DK Speeder!)
You probably want a Necro Barrier bot, and an Arcanist Shelter bot.
So now you just pick how many Wardens you want ... let say 4.
That means 3 or 4 healers ... ideally making sure that we have at least one of {Sorc, Arcanist, Necro, NB} in the group.
And personally I like to have at least 2 Negates, and with that final constraint you pretty much have everything you need to solve your composition.