This Guide to Wrangles was originally written in tink's Beginner's Guide to Buff Begging ..
However, being a trader, I meet many new players who ask for wrangles,
but don't know how they work. Thus, they often have problems getting what they want
out of their wrangles. Newcomers who don't know of wrangles are missing out on a useful buff.
Thus, I'm posting this guide again so that it will be easier to look
up on forum search as it can get it's own thread name.
Newbie Guide to Wrangles
Etiquette, use and how they work.
Wrangles are temporary buffs that traders can cast.
Many traders get a tad bitter over their time in AO, because the buff is sought after by many,
and a lot of newcomers don't know how the wrangles work. They can't be blamed, of course,
but it often leads to annoying situations for the trader. A lot of traders
commonly avoid places with people because of this.
( Yes, agents in false profession can also cast, but it's probably the rudest thing you can ask one for, so don't )
Confusing as wrangles may be to new people ..
This post should help you get it right and make sure you get what you want
out of your future wrangles.
How do they work?
There are two lines of wrangles :
Skill Wrangler - temporarily buffs one person.
Team Skill Wrangler - temporarily buffs all team members.
Both of these lines of wrangles will put up all your attack skills such as rifle, shotgun, heavy weapons, etc.
They will also put up all your nano skills, such as Time & Space, Psychological Modifications, etc.
Wrangles stack with every other buff.
None of the lines put up special skills like aimed shot and burst!
The different wrangles will go as low as 3 (skill wrangler) and 10 (Team Skill Wrangler)
at the lowest and buff for different values depending on the wrangle up to 131 (Skill Wrangler) and 132 (Team Skill Wrangler).
Important : When the trader is buffing you, his/her own nano skills and weapon skills will decrease.
They will decrease more than it will up yours, so a after a trader has wrangled you,
he/she might have her skills lowered enough to be incapable of casting the wrangle
over again unless the wrangle you needed was a low one for his/her level.
A wrangle lasts for three minutes, and after that, he/she will have his/her skills back to normal.
Prepare for Wrangle!
Because the wrangle only last 3 minutes, it should be the last thing
on the buffing agenda. Also remember that if you have a weapon that has specials like fling shot,
wrangles won't up the special skills. If you're going to equip a new weapon,
it is crucial that your special skill is high enough to meet the demand
from the weapon before the wrangling takes place.
Also take care that your new weapon/pet won't be OEd once the 3 minute duration wears off!
After getting all your buffs, check your skills. Find out how many points you are missing.
Then check your NCU. Find out wether you have enough NCU to take the wrangle you want.
You can check the Skill Wrangles and Team Skill Wrangles here.
( Link to auno.org, if anyone's got a better, please post so I can edit )
When you're ready for wrangle .....
Find a trader!
First off, /anon is a trader's friend, so /list won't usually work ..
If you want a wrangle, go to a place where there are mobs.
For clanners, head outside South Gate. In order to get their skills high enough
to cast the big wrangles, traders usually have to drain other mobs.
This means they run nanos to take the skills from mobs in order to raise their own.
On a place without any mobs, it will usually be impossible for a trader
to give you the higher wrangles without a change of location.
If mobs are around, traders should be able to wrangle you at least up to their
level in skills, provided they have taken the time to get the wrangle you request.
If you find a trader in a place where there are no mobs, you'll have to stick closely
to the etiquette guide if the wrangle's too high for the trader to cast without draining.
When you find a trader in an area with many people, don't send the request in a tell.
Chances are the trader is getting requests from many other people, and it gets
very annoying and frustrating trying to communicate with people who want wrangles
in addition to tells from other people. Just ask in vicinity instead and remember to be polite ..
I found a trader!
You've found the trader and are about to specify your needs.
Tell the trader how big wrangle you need.
Often, traders deal with many would-be-wrangled at a time and it's easier
for them to gather the people who need wrangles in a team and do a team wrangle
than it is having to wrangle one at a time as traders usually can only wrangle once
every 3 minutes. If you're in a team yourself, it's much preferred if you leave your
team temporarily instead of inviting the trader to your team. Traders hate that.
Traders also hate leaving their teams to give team wrangles to others,
so if they are in a team, you should ask for a Skill Wrangler instead of Team Skill Wrangler.
I'm about to get wrangled! Where's the trader?
In order to cast the higher wrangles, traders usually have to drain mobs.
Don't worry, you'll get your wrangle soon, the trader's just gone away
to get his/her skills up and will be back in a minute or two.
Just follow the trader's lead. Often, you will be asked to stand your ground and not run off.
Do so and don't feel offended when the trader runs off just after asking ..
Post Wrangled
You got the wrangle. Now, do what you have to do and do it quick.
You only get 3 minutes, remember?
If you screw up now, you'll have to ask the trader again or ask another trader
and meanwhile, your buffs can go out,
so be prepared for making the most out of these three minutes.
After wrangling, said trader might not be able to wrangle again for another 3 minutes.
Doing all this, you and traders should avoid these common frustrations :
- Wrangled player hasn't got the buffs needed prior to wrangle.
- Wrangled player notices he/she didn't have enough NCU.
- Wrangled player didn't realise wrangles don't put up specials.
- Wrangled player gets surprised when 3 minutes over, he/she is OEd.
- Trader has to travel to someplace with mobs to wrangle one person
- Trader can't find person to wrangle because he/she disappears when trader drains
- Trader wrangles one after another using plenty of time because would-be-wrangled don't accept or ask for team invite.
- Trader gets asked for wrangles by players who just want to "see how high their skills will go".
It once took me nearly two hours to satisfy one would-be-wrangled.
It didn't matter much, though, because I was handing them out for free anyways,
but this player didn't know how they worked and frequently had to go and ask
for different buffs, get new imps in, etc. etc. etc. between the times he got wrangles ..
He got it right in the end, though ..