So my friend went back to WoW.

[WindupAtheist]

And he says that compared to when he and I played, near release, the PvP/PvE server populations have swung more towards PvE.  So is this true?  Is my friend reading the server screen with his eyes crossed?  Or has a new generation of MMO gamers learned that ganking suxx0rz?

[AOFanboi]

In my experience, "Normal" servers are PvP servers without ganking; you can still engage in faction-based PvP where that's relevant, e.g. enemy homelands.

The PvP servers are also fewer in number (at least here in Europe) so are more likely to have queues and overpopulation, so new characters are likely to end up on Normal servers anyway.

[penfold]

Or has a new generation of MMO gamers learned that ganking suxx0rz?

Partly that from what ive read on other forums. You can read great posts like "i was in silverpine and saw a horde at low hp fighting a mob so i waved and moved on, 2 mnis later i was fighting a mob and he killed me when i wasnt ready or looking! so unfair! no honour! etc" and lots of other posts complaining about being killed/ganked/etc. On top of that the servers are againg and your starting to see bored 60s with nothing to do but sit in low level zones one shotting other players.

[Calantus]

The "open PVP" available in WoW is a thousand times better than that found in pre-tram UO. I can't describe how much better it is to have half the world aligned with you.

[Sunbury]

I appears PvP Servers in WoW are either HIGH or ..low..

It looks like all the new ones, (10? 15?) are low, while the original ones are still HIGH.  I'm guessing the establish big guilds are on the high ones, and they stay there, and new players join those or go PvE.

[HaemishM]

WoW is more akin to DAoC than UO. It's not comparable. WoW doesn't have wide-open PVP, even on PVP servers. You can't be killed by someone on your own side outside of a bug or a duel, which you have to consent to. Yes, you can be ganked by someone from the opposing faction. However, once ganked, you won't be taunted openly by someone with more numbers than vowels in their speech.

PVE servers also have PVP in zones, but you have to actively do something to make yourself vulnerable.

Comparing WoW to UO in terms of PVP is really comparing two almost totally dissimilar things.

[chinslim]

VERY LITTLE ganking, or PVP for that matter, actually occurs on my pvp server.  Level 60's are far more likely to spending most of their playing time in instance runs for phat lewts rather than picking on lowbies.  And the simple matter that there's no reward for player killing means most people stop bothering with it after a while.  That it can happen anytime is just enough(for me) to keep things interesting.  The threat of ganking also encourages players to group up. 

I leave most players alone, but there's guilds and players I mark for KOS.  Some people on your side will even frown on you for "starting wars."  The element of repercussions runs very strong in your decision to gank.  It's something UO had and DAOC almost completely lacks.

[Toast]

VERY LITTLE ganking, or PVP for that matter, actually occurs on my pvp server. 

First, you probably play Alliance. With a 2 to 1 population advantage, ganking will be reduced proportionally. Secondly, I'm not buying the VERY LITTLE ganking line. Head on out to Booty Bay / Stranglethorn Vale, one of the pivotal levelling areas for levels 30-45, and tell me there's very little ganking.

I carebeared out of the pvp server that i started up on. PvP is can offer compelling gameplay, but I never once ran into a pvp situation with someone my own level. It was always a ?? chasing me down and two-shotting me.

If you are behind the levelling curve on a mature server, then get ready for "PvPing" against players consistently 20+ levels above you. 99 times out of 100, it's just a stupid time sink for a lower level player.

Blizzard's pvp system does very little to widen the appeal of pvp servers. It's the same old griefing in a shiny wrapper.

[chinslim]

Actually, I'm playing Horde and our side was outnumbered 2:1 from the last time I looked up a census.  My view is colored from having stuck to leveling in regular groups, though.  Even duoing will give you a good chance to spank that rogue 10 levels higher.

STV/Booty Bay have interesting dynamics.  You can be left alone for the most part, and can even walk into Nesingwary's unmolested to turn in a quest alot of times, but pvp flareups will occur, often stemming from a revenge gank or 2.

[MrHat]

Actually, I'm playing Horde and our side was outnumbered 2:1 from the last time I looked up a census.  My view is colored from having stuck to leveling in regular groups, though.  Even duoing will give you a good chance to spank that rogue 10 levels higher.

STV/Booty Bay have interesting dynamics.  You can be left alone for the most part, and can even walk into Nesingwary's unmolested to turn in a quest alot of times, but pvp flareups will occur, often stemming from a revenge gank or 2.

My absolute favorite thing to do is to fly into BB and gank 2-3 lowbies for a half hour or so.  It's guarunteed to get about 20 high level alliance in the area and looking for you.  So much fun to kick the hornet's nest.

[Calantus]

Comparing WoW to UO in terms of PVP is really comparing two almost totally dissimilar things.

Oh I know that, I was just saying that for Windup's benefit because he has a WoW vs. UO hangup.

As for STV, yeah it turns to hell everynow and then. I'd say about ~4/5 ganks we have suffered are as a direct result of being in STV. One thing you have to make sure of in STV is attack no-one, and make sure to wave at every opposing faction you see. STV is the biggest circle-of-gank ever and it's just too important to see 3-4 levels of questing gone to shit for another day because you got trigger-happy. A fact the "who wants to make a gank squad?" retards in general never seem to understand when I tell them to stfu and go quest.

I have to relate 2 PVP stories here because I think they're pretty cool:

1) We were up at the syndicate camp NW of Tarren Mill with a mage friend when a ?? mage, and a +10 warlock fell on us. They took out our mage in the opening volley (he now understands why I advocated a STA/INT focus) and my bro and I ran for southshore. The warlock went after my brother and had no hope of cutting down a warrior with a shield and renew running. The mage went after me, but due to shield, renew, fear, and dispell (no snare or root for you :P) I managed to get to SS safely despite hitting red HP 3 times during the run. I didn't even burn one of my gheal pots or desperate prayer. The mage must have been PISSED, so of course I thew a |_0|_ yell at him to rub it in.

2) We were killing ogres in alterac when a 40 tauren hunter went past and was let go since I was out of the room getting a drink at the time. Then a 39 undead Warlock went past and we decided to let him go because we figured he'd gang up with the tauren if we killed him (we were 36 at the time). In an ironic twist of fate they soon came down and attacked us. Before I knew it I had a panther sicced on me and arrows being shot into my frail body. Luckily we were out of combat, so my brother was able to charge the tauren and did so just as the warlock came onto the scene. With focus fire, shield, pots, fear, renew, and execute we managed to take the hunter out when we were both on low hp (I had about 40 HP, my brother was orange). At this point it would only have taken me burning desperate prayer and flash healing my bro for the win, but I stupidly backed into an ogre who splatted me before I could, and my brother croaked when the warlock was at half life. So we ran back up to our corpses, buffed up, bandaged and sat to drink before moving on up to where they had come from to hunt some elite ogres. Now who do you suppose we happened upon? Here's a tip: Don't gank someone if the help you need to kill them is going to leave shortly thereafter. We hammered this lesson home for our new warlock friend. ;)

I would also add details on the time we ran off a ?? druid when we were 34 but I'm still too annoyed about the mind flay that would have sealed her death if not for the resist. >_<


Also, Desolace sucks the balls. I honestly don't know how horde can stand Kalimdor, fully half of it blows chunks.

[WayAbvPar]

I kind of like Desolace- it is perfectly suited for a Rogue in his early 30s. Plenty of skinnable mobs, coupled with plenty of humanoids to pickpocket. It is a bit of a pain to get to and from Shadowprey, but other than that, it is a great solo zone. Nice and quiet, unless you get some fucktard looking for a deepstrider who WON'T STFU on general. Eventually I started posting spurious sightings just to fuck with him =)

[chinslim]

Obviously, either you can whine about things or you get even.

[Toast]

Or, go play on a PVE server where you don't suffer acts that require vengeance.

Open PVP is not for everyone. I just had higher hopes that Blizzard would do something about ganking so as to widen the appeal of PVP servers.

[SurfD]

I kind of like Desolace- it is perfectly suited for a Rogue in his early 30s. Plenty of skinnable mobs, coupled with plenty of humanoids to pickpocket. It is a bit of a pain to get to and from Shadowprey, but other than that, it is a great solo zone. Nice and quiet, unless you get some fucktard looking for a deepstrider who WON'T STFU on general. Eventually I started posting spurious sightings just to fuck with him =)

Die in a Sea Giant fire.  I have been one of those people spamming (though only about once every 4 minutes or so) for those giant locations.  They are part of an undead quest which i picked up to try to get some faction, and wouldnt you know it, the fucking quest item they drop is only something like 5% drop rate :/   I must have spent a LARGE number of hours running all over that fucking zone, killes at LEAST 8 to 10 of the fucking things, and never did get my drop.  I finally abandoned the quest, but still, sometimes having someone tell you where one is was the difference between finding it fast, or running willy nilly about the zone for another 20 minutes till i stumbled on it.

[sinij]

WoW PvP servers are 'dreadlord' style - you can camp&grief anyone on opposing team regardless of levels and numbers. That and PvP servers = PvE server with sole exception that you can't gank lowbies on PvE servers. That and WoW is designed around PvE.

[Righ]

They are part of an undead quest which i picked up to try to get some faction

Out of interest, why? Are you aware that it is currently technically impossible to get exaulted in any faction?

[Ardent]

I got my orc hunter on a PgP* server up to level 30. In my hunting career, 98 out of 100 Alliance folks I ran into were ?? to me.

The best tactic I could come up with after getting two-shotted was to immediately log out, and hope that the idiot was corpse camping my orc that wasn't coming back. Then I'd go play my druid on a quiet, low-pop PvE server.

I know I'm slow, but eventually, I figured out that just playing the druid all the time was the preferable option.


* (Player ganks Player)

[Calantus]

They are part of an undead quest which i picked up to try to get some faction

Out of interest, why? Are you aware that it is currently technically impossible to get exaulted in any faction?

Except Stormwind, who have far more quests than any other faction.

[Hoax]

I can give you a breakdown of why the population is shifting to the PvE servers...

1) Battlegrounds are Blizzard's idea of a PvP "system" -thanks I could play GW if thats what I wanted.

2) All towns in the non instanced world despite their "contested" status on pvp servers are completely immune to takeover, because the npc defenders will continue to respawn in greater and greater numbers with no way to stop them.  This means the only way to hold a town is to go on the roof and snipe people which is really just a pretty lame thing to do.

3) Graveyards are not controlled by one faction or another.  This means that a lvl60 can go to Redridge or Duskwood (lvl20-30 zones) that are contested and gank away at helpless newbs.  Then if the newbs zerg the 60 or high level help comes and dispatches him he respawns at the nearby graveyard, basically meaning it is almost immpossible to stop a ganker, esp if he is a rogue which btw 60% of the population is.

4) No death penalty = constant death rush pvp.  What I mean is, you get in a 5v5 fight, you win, before you have even recovered from the battle your going to have the other group respawning and attacking you again.  If you fight your way out of a town and drive the enemy back, your an idiot as the people you killed are respawning and massing behind you 2 minutes later.

5) Not even some stupid pvp reward so that players have a reason to pvp people their level or even pvp at all (on Archimonde, all the major pvp guilds spend most of the day farming MC because there isn't much else worth doing).

So to sum it up, Blizzard is making a shitty version of guild wars their pvp "system" and if that is the case your really only playing WoW over guild wars for the PvE content.  So you might as well be on a PvE server.