To PvP or Not to PvP
by Mike D'Anna 
Jan 5th 2006 at 10:30AM
A
comment that a reader made on yesterday's post about PvP experiences got me to wondering
what the general playerbase's preference is; for PvP or PvE?Generally, MMORPG's such as WoW have tended to steer clear of non-consentual PvP; in many cases offering it as only an afterthought. However, due to the very ideaology behind the Warcraft series, Blizzard promised to make PvP a more involved part of their multiplayer game, and from the number of PvP servers out there, it looks like the players are embracing it.
At one point a few weeks ago, I could swear there were actually more PvP servers than PvE servers on the list, so obviously a lot of people enjoy it. PvP has had a bad reputation in games of this nature since the original free-for-all slaughter days of Ultima Online, and several games that tried to make PvP an integral part of the experience have failed in the marketplace (Shadowbane, anyone?), but it seems like Blizzard have hit upon a formula that works. %uFFFD
I've only been playing on PvP servers for a few months now, but personally, I hardly ever venture over to the PvE servers nowadays; the extra danger just makes the game that much more exciting for me.
What about you guys? Do you prefer PvE or PvP servers? Which ones? Why so?
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Polls
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Mike Jan 5th 2006 10:57AM
I only play PvP. Now I don't venture into disputed territories that much with my two lowbies (Dwarven Priest on Dark Iron and Orcish Warrior on Gul'Dan), but my feeling is, why are you playing a MMORPG if you don't want all the P to P interaction that comes along with it, including PvP action? Camping on a corpse or kill-stealing is one thing, but just getting ganked every once in a while? Come on, what's the big deal? These are the breaks of living in a war torn fantasy realm :)
srammij Jan 5th 2006 11:09AM
I played on a PvP up to about 43, and just got tired of it... i guess it would have been different if i had found a good guild to be a part of.
Soloing sucks on a PvP.
Quicksilver Jan 5th 2006 11:24AM
Im on Darkspear and its a PvP server. I used to be on a few RPG andPvE servers and i thought they were fun. PvP blows them away. It makes the game more interesting and exciting about having to constantly worry about attcks and them darn rogues lol. U know where to go and not for ur level and i thinkit makes the game more real. I mean its warcraft. If a orc see a human they fight we all know that. I just thinkits wierd now to get on my PvE server and see a Human and not be bale to attack them???? Just wierd.
Wolfo Jan 5th 2006 2:58PM
PVP is the best. I have several characters on Thunderlord and i find PVP to be the best part of the game. I have a character just for the 20-29 battleground and i love going to STV just to see some good fights.
Tara Jan 5th 2006 3:39PM
I'm really not a fan of the PvP servers. I love fighting it out in the battlegrounds, or even fighting an evenly matched group while I'm group adventuring.
But all that seems to happen on the PvP servers is that high level players camp out in low-mid level contested areas and slaughter people. That's just annoying. Can't stand it.
PodMonkeys Jan 5th 2006 4:02PM
I like to PvP but not all the time. Most of the time I like to roam around, doing my quests, enjoying the scenery, the flora, and fauna (before I kill it), without having to worry about a lvl60.
That said, I occasionally love the heart pounding addrenaline rush of some good PvP. Nothing quite wakes you up like fighting an actual brain.
The thing is, I loke to control when I get either. I don't want to be trying to enjoy a slow day of mining, but not able to do so because of ever present Horde. Of course it also sucks if I want to get my PvP on, and can't find anyone, but thats a lesser issue.
Cort Jan 5th 2006 5:49PM
I play PvE, and have tried PvP but didn't stay at it long enough to see if I liked it or not. I've stayed PvE because my guild is a pretty tight knit group of RL friends, and they're all pretty happy with the server. I think if I roll a new character or a different faction, I might roll on a PvP-RP server to give that a try.
Mike Jan 5th 2006 8:06PM
Tara,
That was my perception as well, from way back in the UO days, but
I've seen differently since I've played on PvP servers in this game.
There is the occasional ganking or griefing to deal with, but those
players tend to get ganged up on as well & that behavior is
discouraged. I've seen a much more tightly-knit & fun community on
PvP servers (particularly RP-PvP ones), with people forming
travelling parties to go from one town to another in safety, player
patrols guarding the roads, and some really great interaction between
the factions...it more than makes up for the occasional grief.
Also, I haven't had much trouble at all levelling on a PvP server;
sure, it's a little slower, but the road there is still a blast. You
should try it out if you haven't; look me up on Lightninghoof or Akama
;)
Tara Jan 6th 2006 9:05AM
Heya Mike,
I have a level 29 Human Priest on Dark Iron, so it isn't like I didn't give it a chance. But to share some anecdotes of ganking grief... I was questing in Stonetalon Mountains, and these two lvl ?? kept killing me and camping my corpse. They killed me three times before I eventually just raised at the graveyard and hearthed out. That does not equal fun.
I've been in Lakeshire and seen a lvl 60 Rogue stealth on the bridge and kill all the low levels who walk by until we could muster up some support to take them out. Same thing in Darkshire. It's awful. When everyone in the zone COMBINED cannot take out the one Horde guy killing everyone, it is just not a fun situation.
Maybe Dark Iron is just worse than other PvP servers?
Paul Jan 6th 2006 10:53AM
Love PvP. Love it. It is true, it's damn frustrating if you're solo and trying to just level, getting ganked. But there is some serious enjoyment in Bringing Down the Hammer when you call in reinforcements to back you up.
The contstant threat of being smacked down just gives that little edge I missed in PvE gaming. This is nothing like the gank-fest of UOs rocky start. At least you can leave town.
And like Mike said, travel in numbers. Always. That is, unless you like inviting the opportunity to have a good fist fight with the other faction.
RighteousDork Jan 6th 2006 2:25PM
I guess I'm odd in that I like playing MMORPGs but I like playing by myself. I'm not much of a party person. I just like to explore, quest, and see what I can find. It's basically just a virtual representation of what I'm like in real life. I like the casual interaction, too. It's so much more interesting to just find people running around in the world and help each other out. That's why I'm not into "ganking" or PvP very much. I usually bow to most of the Horde players I come across. Except for the other day...
My 28 Dwarf Hunter was just minding his own business in Ratchet when this 24 Undead Mage started flapping his arms, calling me chicken. The boy came looking for a fight so I felt obligated to give him one. He had me going there for a little bit because I don't PvP very often. He turned my wolf into a sheep but I managed to recover and defeat him. While I was still flagged, he came back and brought a 34 with him and they proceeded to camp my corpse. This is why I hate PvP. There's usually no sport to it and it can be quite unfair. I only fought the guy because he asked for it. I never asked for a 34 to show up.
Pete Jan 7th 2006 1:35AM
I play on a PvE server but it gives me the most options to work with. I tried the battlegrounds but found they felt too much like a bad FPS or something. Maybe I just ended up in a bad battle but it was just chaotic running about trying to kill as many people as you could, with just a couple people on either side trying to capture the flag. Not for me.
But maybe I'm lucky, but on my server there are a lot of raids on each others' towns, so if you're in a PvP mood you can almost always find a fight. I really enjoy these open encounters, specially when a couple of high levels start killing guards in a mid-level city, and a whole swarm of little guys attach the high levels and keep 'em busy until reinforcements arive. Fun stuff!
Then there are other times when I just want to have a low key evening of fighting PvE and chatting with friends. I appreciate the opportunity to avoid PvP in those cases.