April News/Discussions

[Bolty]

Arguments abound on both sides, and I find it an interesting look at the two main sections of the WoW community, and despite playing the same game in the end, how hard it seems to be for these two sides to even consider co-existing.

I never understood why they can't coexist.

I've seen both sides, though: people who claim that PvP is all there is, and if you don't have a good arena rating it doesn't mean squat what you've done in PvE. Meanwhile, there are those who consider PvP'ers a bunch of dimwitted morons who spend all day checking their epeens. The truth is, as always, somewhere in the middle.

Being in an Illidan-killing guild doesn't mean you're a great player. Having a full set of Season 3 gear doesn't mean you're a great player either. In both cases, you can be carried by better players towards those goals. I'm living proof! :)

A lot of it may come from insecurity. I see many players who, being poor at PvP, declare it as beneath them and that they "hate it." They consistently insult those who like to arena, calling it "welfare epics" and that it's played by kiddies. I shake my head at that...it's just a game. When a player first starts to raid, they suck at it. When a player first starts to PvP, they suck at it. The difference is that when you suck at PvE, you get curbstomped by computer-controlled, emotionless NPCs. When you suck at PvP, you get curbstomped by other players, and some people can't handle that. I really think it's an emotional block that gets in the way.

Learning to be good at PvP is just like learning to be good at PvE. It takes time and experience, and a willingness to get wafflestomped a lot. If a player's ego can't handle that, they turn sour on the whole experience very quickly and never go back.

There are total asshats in PvP. Guess what, there are total asshats in PvE, too: players whose ego is tied to the guild they're in and what it has accomplished. I've seen fantastic PvP'ers who couldn't run PvE instances to save their lives, because they were terrible at it. I've seen godlike PvE raiders who couldn't get higher than the 1500's in arenas. They are two completely different skillsets, yes, but you know what?

The best players I've ever met are those who are good at both. There are aspects from each facet of the game that you can take away to make you better at the other one. Knowledge of what other classes are capable of, situational awareness, response time - all of these translate well to both disciplines. I know that my play in arenas has improved my abilities in raiding, and vice-versa. Anecdotal evidence, yes, but I've heard the same from scores of other players as well.

This is why I encourage everyone to form arena teams and just play. Leave the ego at the door, and you might learn something along the way.

-Bolty