GW2. Urban Battleground Fractal Guide.
This fractal takes place in Ascalon some time near The Searing. You are transformed into a charr and must infiltrate a human city.
The Wall
The first section of this fractal is a wall siege. Kill any mobs along the way to the wall if your party is fragile. Ranged classes will want to destroy the burning oil above the gate first so the party does not get burned while fighting Siegemaster Dulfy.
Once she is defeated the gate can be broken.
Inside City
The fractal branches from here into four paths. Two of the paths on the map below will be blocked by barricades. You can see from a distance which ones are blocked.
Once you go down a path that is not barricaded, it will always lead to the end. However, certain paths are faster than others. To decide which path to take use the numbers on the map below to prioritize which path to check if it is open. If path 1 is open, take it because it is the fastest. If not, check path 2, and so on.
While moving through the city there are groups of mobs that can be dangerous. The warriors deal massive damage and should be blinded, and the elementalists cast meteor showers which can wipe a party that stands in them. Group the mobs up using line of sight or pull abilities and use plenty of CC to suppress them. One player can run ahead and break ballistae that can constantly knock back party members and become very disruptive.
Courtyard
Once you reach the courtyard you must clear it of all Ascalonian soldiers. It is not advised to run out into the middle of the clearing. Instead use statues or trees nearby to line of sight groups of mobs one by one.
Once you are confident in going out into the clearing, focus the siege first and then finish off any remaining soldiers. This will begin a summoning event. Waves of soldiers will spawn to try to prevent the charr from finishing their spell. The first wave appears at the northern gate, and each subsequent wave will spawn at the gate next to it in a clockwise rotation. Once the event is finished, Captain Ashym will spawn.
This boss has three different phases. At first he will use a sword and shield and summon a squire. He will block and have retaliation during this phase, but otherwise it is not dangerous. As you deplete his health, Captain Ashym will swap to a staff. He will cast meteor showers that deal tons of damage and if your party is not running a support class you should not stand in it. He also will cast a large flame burst which flares up in melee range and then a split second later hits your entire party. You must dodge this to avoid getting agony.
The final weapon that Ashym uses is a fiery greatsword. His attacks do insane damage while in this form and can one-shot players who try to fight him in melee. Players should try to trade aggro with the boss. Whoever is targeted should run while the others get in damage, then when the boss swaps targets the new target kites instead. Supporting the charr NPCs that accompany you and keeping them alive will be very beneficial as they will tank the boss and deal some damage.