Snare (tactic)

A snare is a skill or tactic that slows or restricts enemy movement. Snares are useful as a melee counter, for countering kiting, or for preventing a player from attaining an objective in a particular PvP mode. For example, one might snare the flag runner in a GvG match, a monk rushing to heal a Guild Lord, or the relic runner in a Heroes' Ascent relic run.

A snare can be thought of as the opposite of a speed boost. Snares can be stacked, but movement rate is capped at -50% slower than normal; however, a single skill that causes more than -50% slower movement can override the -50% cap, such as Winter's Embrace.

General overview of snares

 * Body blocking. A team can heavily restrict or sometimes entirely stop an enemy movement by using their own characters' bodies as a living wall. Spirits, pets, minions, and other NPCs, such as Footmen, can help body block an enemy character.


 * The crippled condition. Conditions are easily and cheaply removed, but they are also relatively easy and cheap to inflict.  It is possible to stack conditions on top of the cripple to make it somewhat more difficult to remove; for example many Cripshot Rangers stack poison from Apply Poison on top of the cripple caused by Crippling Shot.


 * Hexes that slow. The water attribute of the elementalist, the illusion attribute of the mesmer, and the deadly arts attribute of the assassin contain many useful movement speed reducing hexes.  Hexes are somewhat more difficult to remove than conditions, easier to cover to prevent removal, and tend to have more dramatic effects than the cripple condition.


 * Knock downs. Knock downs utterly stop an enemy target's movement and most actions for a short period of time. Knock downs last two seconds (unless otherwise noted), but the effect can be augmented by the Earthbind spirit, the Stonefist Insignia, rapid casting of knock downs with short recharges (such as Gale), or coordinated chaining of knock downs from multiple teammates.


 * Stance counters and enchantment removal can end speed boosting stances and enchantments respectively.


 * Incentives. A few unusual spells create incentives for a target to choose to restrict his own movement, for example the Assassin's Enduring Toxin and the Necromancer's Weaken Knees hexes. In addition, there are battlefield conditions created by various spells (such as wells, wards, nukes, traps and spirit spamming) that can convince an enemy to avoid moving into a particular area.


 * Different types of snares do not stack. The highest value movement reduction will be applied.

Snare counters

 * Because many hexes can snare, Holy Veil cast before the hexes hit in important situations allows instant removal of a snare hex.


 * Condition removal is good against melee heavy teams for quickly removing cripple. Mending Touch is often used.


 * Stances can be used for several different reasons such as providing speed boosts, blocking attacks in order to avoid cripple, and preventing knock downs.


 * Speed boosts themselves are a counter to at least some of the effects of snares. The balance between speed loss and gain will reduce the snare's effect; however, be careful of using enchantment based speed boosts when facing snares such as Icy Shackles.

Guild Battles

 * Snaring an enemy's Flag Runner can help your team to receive a Morale boost.
 * Snaring a retreating enemy can quickly lead to the death of that particular opponent or slow their retreat as healers are required to stay longer to keep that foe alive.
 * Mass snares such as the Ward Against Foes can be used to limit tactical movements of an entire enemy team.
 * Snaring melee damage dealers on a retreat reduces the number of deaths your team will take when it is most vulnerable.
 * Snaring foes on splits can slow down offensive splits and facilitate countersplitting.
 * Snaring a target during a spike can ensure that melee attacks reach the target and that the target cannot dodge ranged spike damage.

Heroes' Ascent

 * Snaring the Relic Runner can buy your team time to stop their Relic Runner, and also give you more time to run a Relic.
 * Snaring can severely limit mobility on the capture points map and give your team the time or leverage to gain more shrines and therefore earn your team more points.
 * Snaring can easily create opportunities to timekill key foes, like Ghostly Heroes or healers, on King of the Hill maps.
 * Snaring enemy players in choke points combined with large amount of AoE damage, usually from the Fire Magic line.

Player versus Environment Adventuring

 * In challenging elite areas, snares can be used as an important form of damage mitigation.
 * Some missions/quests are much easier to complete with snares, such as snaring the Corsair Runners in the Moddok Crevice mission.

Warrior
Warriors have a few options for causing the cripple condition, and hammer warriors especially have many knock downs.


 * ,, are attacks that cripple opponents.


 * ,, can knock down moving opponents.


 * ,, , , , , are hammer attacks that knock down enemies.


 * is a touch ranged knock down that does not require a successful attack. Sometimes seen as a part of assassin combos.


 * is a shout that can knock down moving opponents.


 * is a shout that can cripple enemies.


 * is a shout that can knock down multiple moving opponents that are nearby.

Ranger
Rangers have many methods of inflicting the cripple condition. Ranger traps can be incentives for enemies to avoid an area. Ranger pets can aid in body blocking (although just as often, pets body block their own masters in PvP.)


 * , are bow attacks that cripple an enemy.  Crippling Shot is the mainstay of the Cripshot Ranger.


 * is a bow attack that cripples an enemy if it is moving or knocked down.


 * is a shout that causes your next attack to inflict the cripple condition.


 * is a pet attack that can cripple moving opponents.


 * ,, are traps that inflict the cripple condition.  Spike Trap additionally knocks down anyone caught in its area of effect.


 * is a trap that knocks down crippled opponents.


 * is a nature spirit that slows both friend and foe, and prevents speed boosts. It is sometimes used by spike groups to inhibit enemy movement.

Monk
Monks do not have many snare skills available. That being said, some of the AoE smite spells can provide incentives for an enemy to leave a particular area.


 * and can be used to knock down targets.

Necromancer
Necromancers have very few skills to directly snare an enemy. Minions in large quantities can be used to body block an opponent (though the player has no direct control over this use). Some wells can provide a strong incentive for an enemy to avoid a particular area, e.g. Well of the Profane. Necromancers may also use a plethora of enchantment removal skills to end speed boosting enchantments. Necromancers may also punish foes for moving with Weaken Knees.

Mesmer
Mesmers possess hex based snares in the illusion line. Mesmers have many enchantment removal skills that can be used to end speed boosting enchantments.


 * is a hex-based snare that also causes health degeneration.


 * and are single-target snares.


 * applies an AoE snare.


 * is a weak snare that also decreases the target's attack speed and spell activation.

Elementalist
Elementalists have many potent slowing hexes in the Water Magic and Earth Magic attributes. Knock down skills, found in the Air Magic and Earth Magic attributes, can be used to disrupt an opponent's movement. Lastly, the Fire Magic attribute has many potent area of effect spells that can be used as incentives for an enemy to avoid a particular area.


 * , which causes knock down, has a short recharge and fast casting time. The drawback of exhaustion can be managed by skilled players.


 * is a touch ranged knock down with a fast recharge, fast cast time. The drawback of exhaustion can be managed by skilled players. It has been a popular choice for warriors and assassins for a long time.


 * ,, , , , and can knock down targets.


 * and from the earth line each provide ranged, hex-based snares under certain conditions.


 * for long-duration AoE snare from the Earth Magic line.


 * slows enemies in a wide area.


 * ,, , , , , , , and are hex based snares in the Water attribute.

Assassin
Assassins have a wide variety of methods for crippling or slowing targets. Assassins also have enchant strips that can be used to kill speed boosting enchantments.


 * cripples a hexed target.


 * and knock down a target.  Very common in assassin dagger combos.


 * and cripple targets without requiring a successful attack.


 * is very powerful snaring hex that cripples target at end.


 * , slow targets and Shadow steps the assassin to the target.


 * ,, , can knock down targets, but each only work under set conditions.


 * slows targets and deals damage if the foe has a condition.


 * slows targets while providing a speed boost to the assassin.


 * slows targets and makes them more vulnerable to the assassin's attacks.

Ritualist
Ritualists have few options for direct snares. Spirit lords can create incentives for enemies to avoid areas. Earthbind increases knock down duration on foes.


 * is a spirit that knocks down stationary enemies.


 * creates a bundle item which when dropped knocks down all nearby foes.


 * is a powerful hex-based snare which also deals damage while the target is moving.

Paragon
Paragons have few options for snares.


 * is a chant that enables allies to cripple enemies.


 * is a spear attack that cripples bleeding enemies.

Dervish
Dervishes have a few skills capable of causing the cripple condition. The dervish also has a few enchant removal skills that can be used to end speed boosting enchantments.


 * ,, , all cause crippling attacks.


 * and can be used to inflict cripple in an area.


 * cripples a target and recharges instantly if it removes an enchantment from the caster.

Any No Attribute
Skills specific to PvE are usable by every profession, but are however restricted by a maximum of 3. Some of these skills can be used as snares:


 * causes ranged cripple and knock down, serving as both an interrupt, a knock down and a cripple.
 * is a useful snare against foes with Natural Resistance and immunity to conditions.