Split

Split Team is a tactic used in Guild versus Guild matches. When spliting, the guild operates two geographically separate groups (usually consisting of four players each, though other splits are possible), instead of keeping the entire team as one group of eight. One of the two split groups, usually called the gank team, goes to the enemy base by the indirect route (i.e., the route that doesn't pass through the flag stand) and attempts to eliminate the enemy NPCs, including the bodyguards. This team is usually always a heavy pressure team, as the Guild Lord is essentially immune to spike damage. The second split team, usually called the flag team, tries to maintain control of the flag stand. This team often specializes in spike damage and snares to take out enemy flag runners.

Splitting forces the opponent to either split as well, or to choose between fighting for the Flag stand or their guild hall. Enemy teams without experience splitting will be disadvantaged. Choosing not to split and defending the guild hall will likely result in enemy morale bonuses, while choosing to fight for the flag stand may result in NPCs and ultimately the Guild Lord being killed in the guild hall. Good split teams outmaneuver opponents and fight many small, quick battles with overwhelming odds. Split team requires more coordination. There's a distinct possibility of losing the flag stand for a prolonged period of time (which might not be worth it if there's not enough damage done to the enemy Guild Hall). There's also the strong possibility of one group being killed by the full enemy team.

The composition of the gank and flag teams has varied considerably over time. Until the GWWC 2006 ladder season, most splitting builds used a 5/3 or 6/2 split, with gank teams that were generally little more than distractions. During this season, however, even 4/4 splits with essentially two identical and independent units became hugely popular. Here, either fragment could function in the gank or flag roles, and they would often switch roles during the course of the battle. This build excelled in territorial control and penalizing enemy mistakes. Unfortunately, it proved to be its own ideal counter build, so perfect splits are once again losing favor in the metagame. Many top guilds these days run builds that can be split in multiple ways depending on the enemy's tactics, and even extreme splits of 7/1 are seen sometimes (see the build article W/N Lone Ganksman).

Some Guild Halls favor splitting tactics, while others make it difficult to split (notably the Burning Isle).