04-07-2005, 03:56 PM
Wow it looks like I really started a semi-avalanche of replies here...^_^
After reading all the responses, I have to say that I think savaughn's post really hit the nail on the head for me. PvP comes in all shapes and sizes, really. There's ganking, which sucks, no bones about it. There is griefing and corpse camping, which really REALLY sucks. There are times when you want help and no one's around, when you just wanna finish a quest and log off and some 60 just feels like ruining your day and there's nothing you can do about it.
But there is also fighting back. There are mass raids, both defensive and offensive. There are intense, seat-of-your-pants duels in which you're constantly trying to outguess the other, you're wondering "OMG what is gonna do I better ready my escape button or maybe pop a potion but his life is at half and he just used..." - you can't get that when you fight a mob. There is helping others and being helped by others.
And there is also strangely cooperation. Sometimes you meet an opposing faction member and for no reason just /dance with each other. Sometimes they even *help you quest* - happened once in Arathi Highlands, a dwarf pally and I shared the mobs, and drew aggro off each other and bowed at the end. Sometimes it's just a temporary ceasefire where each side decides not to fight because it's just no expedient. And sometimes you actually get your ass saved by the opposing side...was fighting Bhag'thera solo (yeah I like living dangerously), I'm gonna die, running away and suddenly a dwarf paladin, level 60, dismounts. I'm like ok I'm dead twice as much now. But what does he do? Hammer of Justices the elite and I run off. I wanna bow but I can't before the stun runs off.
Sometimes I even return the favor. ^_^
Ok didn't mean to go on for so long...
Most of what else I want to say Mongo has already expressed more eloquently, so I won't go into that. But about the issue of ganking...you will be ganked, that's the bottom line. But "ganking" doesn't really stop there. There is dying in a good place so it's easier to continue your journey. There is noting the enemy's level so you can report better info - and there is figuring out his possible spec and fighting style so when you /3. Local Defense you can help when you DO res. In a PvP server it's never just really one on one (except sometimes when you are in a truly out of the way godforsaken area when no one is on) - it's faction versus faction, Alliance versus Horde.
At a very basic level you can even play harder to gank classes...like Rogues who have sprint, or even better Priests/Warlocks who have fear. And you can play on times when the Alliance/Horde pop is low. But I think that ganking generally isn't just a one-sided slaughter, IMHO at least.
After reading all the responses, I have to say that I think savaughn's post really hit the nail on the head for me. PvP comes in all shapes and sizes, really. There's ganking, which sucks, no bones about it. There is griefing and corpse camping, which really REALLY sucks. There are times when you want help and no one's around, when you just wanna finish a quest and log off and some 60 just feels like ruining your day and there's nothing you can do about it.
But there is also fighting back. There are mass raids, both defensive and offensive. There are intense, seat-of-your-pants duels in which you're constantly trying to outguess the other, you're wondering "OMG what is gonna do I better ready my escape button or maybe pop a potion but his life is at half and he just used..." - you can't get that when you fight a mob. There is helping others and being helped by others.
And there is also strangely cooperation. Sometimes you meet an opposing faction member and for no reason just /dance with each other. Sometimes they even *help you quest* - happened once in Arathi Highlands, a dwarf pally and I shared the mobs, and drew aggro off each other and bowed at the end. Sometimes it's just a temporary ceasefire where each side decides not to fight because it's just no expedient. And sometimes you actually get your ass saved by the opposing side...was fighting Bhag'thera solo (yeah I like living dangerously), I'm gonna die, running away and suddenly a dwarf paladin, level 60, dismounts. I'm like ok I'm dead twice as much now. But what does he do? Hammer of Justices the elite and I run off. I wanna bow but I can't before the stun runs off.
Sometimes I even return the favor. ^_^
Ok didn't mean to go on for so long...
Most of what else I want to say Mongo has already expressed more eloquently, so I won't go into that. But about the issue of ganking...you will be ganked, that's the bottom line. But "ganking" doesn't really stop there. There is dying in a good place so it's easier to continue your journey. There is noting the enemy's level so you can report better info - and there is figuring out his possible spec and fighting style so when you /3. Local Defense you can help when you DO res. In a PvP server it's never just really one on one (except sometimes when you are in a truly out of the way godforsaken area when no one is on) - it's faction versus faction, Alliance versus Horde.
At a very basic level you can even play harder to gank classes...like Rogues who have sprint, or even better Priests/Warlocks who have fear. And you can play on times when the Alliance/Horde pop is low. But I think that ganking generally isn't just a one-sided slaughter, IMHO at least.