PvP

[Hawkbit]

What are the strongest PvP games currently released and playable?  I tend to prefer more open-world than match-style play, but I'm pretty bored with my routine options (WoW, AoC).  I think I'm missing a few games from my list and I'm hoping someone recommends a game I forgot or haven't tried yet.

[Tearofsoul]

EVE
&
Darkfall

Planetside is good too if you like MMOFPS

WAR is okay

Mortal Online is not recommended atm.

[Chinchilla]

I keep reading on Darkfall that for you to compete you have to have XYZ skill and have to have magic and all of this other stuff.  Not sure how true that is, but overall I was enjoying the game during my free trial.  I'd give the free trial another try (because I wasn't able to do as much as I wanted with a school paper due at the time), but the damn program installed something somewhere on my computer that makes it know I had previously installed the trial.  Can't seem to find where its hidden either.

[Grimwell]

Does Bloodworth's game count?

[Tearofsoul]

Does Bloodworth's game count?

Battlegrounds in EQ2 aren't bad is what I heard

[Ghambit]

WW2O

[Nebu]

I'd say EvE, Aion, WAR, and DAoC in that order if you want an MMO. 

WWIIOL if you want scale.  PS if you want easy entry. 

[Malakili]

WW2O

This is the best one in my opinion as well.

[ghost]

I think Eve is a bit of a dodgy choice as being the "best" for PvP.  The format is so different that it is tough to compare it against some of the other choices.  It certainly has the most well developed community, which seems to be important for many of these PvP games to work well.

For the traditional fantasy buttonmashers-  Warhammer has improved quite a bit and is free up to level 10.  Aion is okay if you can put up with lots of teal colors. 

[Nebu]

Actually, WoW pvp can be fun IF a) you have the months required to be properly geared and b) you play a class that is pvp viable. 

I enjoyed my first month in WoW pvp a lot more than I thought I would have.  Even with blue crafted gear I was able to get kills on my hunter in the BG's. 

[Mrbloodworth]

Does Bloodworth's game count?

As a PVP lover myself, I don't really recommend it as our best feature, unless you like MUD level combat feedback. Action packed it is not. Hope to change that one day, but who knows, I may not be around that long :)

WWIIOL
Planetside
APB

More "match like" but still a ton of fun:
Global agenda
Savage 2

Are my recommendations.

[Sheepherder]

I enjoyed my first month in WoW pvp a lot more than I thought I would have.  Even with blue crafted gear I was able to get kills on my hunter in the BG's.

Having referred you to Survival several times, I have to say: Marksman in the level 50 bracket is possibly the most fun I've ever had in AV.  I can see why you like big digits.

And yeah, hunter is a blast.

[Threash]

Actually, WoW pvp can be fun IF a) you have the months required to be properly geared and b) you play a class that is pvp viable. 

I enjoyed my first month in WoW pvp a lot more than I thought I would have.  Even with blue crafted gear I was able to get kills on my hunter in the BG's. 

Just curious, is rogue still a viable pvp class?

[Nebu]

Having referred you to Survival several times, I have to say: Marksman in the level 50 bracket is possibly the most fun I've ever had in AV.  I can see why you like big digits.

And yeah, hunter is a blast.

Marksman, for me, was all about spike damage.  I'm sure that survival could do better sustained dps and had more tools for survival, but marksman felt more like the glass cannon I enjoy playing in pvp. 

Just curious, is rogue still a viable pvp class?

I think they do fine, particularly against noobs.  Solo classes that don't have a self heal are always at a disadvantage, particularly when the BG's are filled with paladins, druids, warlocks, warriors, and DK's.  Have I mentioned that Paladins piss me off?

[ghost]

Have I mentioned that Paladins piss me off?

Is it just the paladins, or the Blood Elf/Paladin combo

[Draegan]

MMO wise I don't think there are any that I would suggest.  The last stint of PVP games, WAR, Aion and AOC really didn't do well.  If I had to "recommend" any of them it would be AOC.  Everything else is old or a pain to get into.

[Malakili]

MMO wise I don't think there are any that I would suggest.  The last stint of PVP games, WAR, Aion and AOC really didn't do well.  If I had to "recommend" any of them it would be AOC.  Everything else is old or a pain to get into.

This is probably true, as much as I love WW2O I wouldn't suggest it to someone just looking for a bit of casual pvp fun necessarily.  RPG PvP is just kind of mediocre compared to shooter PvP (or other genres even like RTS, or even fighting games), and since most MMOGs are of the MMORPG variety, most of the PvP isn't going to satisfy. 

[tazelbain]

MMO wise I don't think there are any that I would suggest.  The last stint of PVP games, WAR, Aion and AOC really didn't do well.  If I had to "recommend" any of them it would be AOC.  Everything else is old or a pain to get into.

This is probably true, as much as I love WW2O I wouldn't suggest it to someone just looking for a bit of casual pvp fun necessarily.  RPG PvP is just kind of mediocre compared to shooter PvP (or other genres even like RTS, or even fighting games), and since most MMOGs are of the MMORPG variety, most of the PvP isn't going to satisfy. 

If you have the skills, otherwise shooter PvP is unplayable shit.

[Malakili]

If you have the skills, otherwise shooter PvP is unplayable shit.

Ok, you could make that statement about any game ever, computer game, board game, chess, soccer, football, whatever. 

[Merusk]

Most of those games have mechanisms or leagues to find players of equal skill or dedication level.  Not so much in online shooters, which is goofy.

[DLRiley]

If you have the skills, otherwise shooter PvP is unplayable shit.

And have my games decided by time spent fishing? You've enjoyed too many mmo's.

[Malakili]

If you have the skills, otherwise shooter PvP is unplayable shit.

And have my games decided by time spent fishing? You've enjoyed too many mmo's.

I guess it just depends on how you like to play.  For me, competitive PvP is a replacement for sports that I played extensively when I was younger, but don't anymore.  As such, I like the competition, the practicing, in general, treating it the way I treated sports when I played them.  For others, its purely "for fun" as it were (though I hate that term, because I would say I play for fun too, but whatever), and dislike having to put in the extra time just to be able to play.  I don't begrudge that really, but I think that it IS nearly impossible to make a PvP game that satisfies both crowds.  TF2 does a pretty decent job with having variables like crits which can be turned off.

[DLRiley]

If the only time I have fun is by "winning" I know I'm playing the wrong game. I require any game to be competitive for my skill level. I am fully aware that I am not top tier in most games I play, it is a fact of life. Would you stop playing streetball because you can't make it in the nba? Would you stop trying to beat your friends because your having "fun". To me fun and wanting to win are about the same thing, though only having fun when I win is a shine that the game is pretty shit gameplay wise. Depending on my mood i go from trying really really hard to win to just playing for the laughs and lolz. Caring about winning doesn't make you a douche bag until its the only thing you play for.

On a side not making a game where the upper upper crest of players can still be differentiated based on skill level is hard and only few games have managed to accomplish that. What a game like tf2 or say league of legends manages to do is make the mid tier very competitive. Though the top tier is pretty stale. I don't think there is a such thing as large demographics of players that play a game purely for fun or purely competition. Did everyone who purchase street fighter 4 play it for top tier tournament play? Did the majority of the people who purchase streetfighter 4 play it for ai bashing and button mashing sessions with friends?

[eldaec]

Planetside if you only want to play for a few weeks, otherwise EVE.

There is a reason only EVE and WoW have sub forums outside of the graveyard.

[Hawkbit]

I bought Aion with the Steam sale, but I didn't realize how long I have to play to get into PvP.  It's fairly silly, actually.  That's going to be $20 wasted... I probably won't play it past a few days. 

Tinkered with Global Agenda trial and it's not terrible.  Gets into action fast, which is nice.  Not sure about longevity. 

APB looks fun, but I'm looking for an escape and don't feel like looking at modern times in a game. 

EVE...  I've done multiple trials and I just can't get into it.  I have absolute respect for the game and I can see its potential.  But everything I see looks as if it requires more time than I have to throw at it.  Not to mention it look hard enough to get into corps let alone game knowledge. 

I don't know... I really wish WAR had turned out to be a better game.  That's the game I'm hankering for, but I'm not sure I can bring myself to play it again.  It would be like sleeping with a crazy ex. 

[Draegan]

It would be like sleeping with a crazy ex...

...that had herpes.

[Hoax]

Have you tried LoL yet? For rpg pvp that isn't modern that is as good as its going to get. Otherwise I would recommend the new shiney that is APB.

[tazelbain]

I would like to see an fps use matching like LoL.  DiDn't APB have a system?

[Hoax]

It does, but its also forced grouping 1v1 fps gets old fast. I felt like it worked well and did its job of matching me naturally and quickly with mostly fair fights.

[Famine]

Have you tried LoL yet? For rpg pvp that isn't modern that is as good as its going to get. Otherwise I would recommend the new shiney that is APB.

Good RP-PvP does exist in NWN I or II. It basically has replaced MUDs if you can find a good admin to dedicate time to building/scripting a decent PW with a focus on PvP. When I use to play, there was a PW called "Tale of the Seven Dragons" I believe. It was focused on open world PvP and had fast leveling. It was super fun and popular. The admin moved to more D&D RP-PvP on NWN I and I'm sure it exists in NWN II.

[Endie]

EVE...  I've done multiple trials and I just can't get into it.  I have absolute respect for the game and I can see its potential.  But everything I see looks as if it requires more time than I have to throw at it.  Not to mention it look hard enough to get into corps let alone game knowledge. 

At the moment, the f13 corp's alliance is trying to have one reimbursable (essentially free because everything you lose is paid for) euro and  US op every other day, minimum, most of which are just fun flying around shooting things and dying for an hour or two.  We still do the grand-scale fleet actions every week or so but it's not our focus any more.

There are also more other, non-reimbursable ops, and if you are in the US there is supposed to be one reimbursable op every day, so if you like PvP you can do it just about any day and never have to play PvE, getting given free skillbooks and newbie cash grants that will support you for ages.  It's pretty low commitment, by MMO standards at least.  It's still what you make of it, though.

[Hawkbit]

Thanks, Endie.  I'll look into it as I finally took the plunge and got an account the other day.  I'm currently training some of the starter skills in the Goons newb guide while I get used to things, but I'm going to give EVE a solid try.  Hell, I've got two months to check it out with the Steam deal. 

So we'll see.