Third M: Management

• Decide on whether you are playing defensively, aggressively or as support

• Focus down healers first (unless they are poop)

• Manage your own team

• Manage your health and power

Remember the EX abilities and don’t just wait until you can do your ultimate

• Learn all the characters

The last part of ‘gitting gut’ at Battlerite is management. Note that although the word by itself is not immediately self-explanatory in the context of the game it does fit in nicely with the catchy 3M system.Basically it comes down to managing the following few things during your games:The battle rites that can be chosen at the start of each battle has a neat little indication of what aspect of your character each increases – mobility, control, attack, defense etc.. It is wise to communicate with your team before hand to establish what kind of role you each of you are going to play in the coming matches and to choose battle rites accordingly.For a brief moment after each battle has started, you can also see what battle rites the other team has chosen. Take this knowledge into consideration when assembling your OP team and don’t be afraid to change tactics as the game progressives, especially if you are on the losing side.In my opinion it is better to focus your aggression towards the healer of the opposite team (and at the same time protect your own of course). Healers, if left unchecked, can heal their more aggressive team mates for nearly three times their initial starting health, making any battle against them a suicide mission – and no one wants to be squad on a suicide mission.However, if a healer (or any opponent for that matter) is poop (as in as useful to any team sport as human excrement), then you should focus on whoever is left and mop up the pungent mess that is the healer afterwards.Communicate with your team as much as possible between rounds. Indicate what builds you are going for, what roles each team member should fulfill and who to target on the opposing team.Firstly, those new to the game might be unaware of the interesting health system that Battlerite employs. There is your max health, which you start the game with, and then there is your ‘healable’ health. At certain levels of damage received your healable health limit becomes increasingly lower than your max health (indicated by the difference between the dark green part of your health bar and the phased out part at the end). The healable health part indicates what the limit to the benefits of healing form other characters on your team are, it can never go past the healable health limit.However, the health orbs that are littered around the center of the map, like carelessly discarded radioactive gumballs, can in fact increase your healable health limit back to the initial max health range. Be aware of this. Also be aware of your health and your power at all times. Speaking of power levels…Your actual power level ranges between 0 and 9000 (but not beyond that as some have previously speculated), but in game terms it has been split it between four easily distinguishable power bars that light up as you land more and more skill shots or get orbs.With four power bars you can launch your ultimate attack, which is as epic as the name implies. However, ultimates are very risky, because you are using all your power for an attack that can usually be easily avoided if you have not made sure that it is inescapable beforehand.In my opinion, especially if you are new to the game, you can get more value out of using your EX abilities (shift + one of two normal abilities - Q,E,space, or right click) which is your normal ability with a little added twist that usually costs either one or two power bars. This will force you to learn and use the EX abilities early on, which can provide you a big advantage.Tip: Try to never have a full power bar, unless you are aiming for an ultimate.Lastly, and to be honest most importantly, you need to ‘manage your knowledge’ (had to make it fit into the theme) of the full roster of characters that this game offers. Only by knowing exactly how your team mate can help you or what arsenal of tools your opponent has to surgically dismember you will you be able to fully appreciate the finer tactics and strategies of this game in your quest to be the very best, like no one ever was.