Does anybody pay attention to World Defense?
by Mike Schramm 
Feb 5th 2008 at 4:01PM
theflamecrow on LJ had an interesting little occurrence: he was in Darkshore when he saw a flash in the World Defense channel that Darkshore was being attacked. The only problem? He's Horde.Now, most people may think that Horde doesn't have a base in Darkshore that can do under attack, but in fact, they do-- it's the Dancing Troll Village. So apparently some enterprising Alliance had found it and started killing. But here's the bigger question I got from crow's story: does anyone really pay attention to World Defense?
I know I don't. But then again, I play on a PvE server, so odds are that anyone attacking a lowbie level like that is just a level 70 on a rampage. But even on PvP servers, do blaring Defense channels really mean that anyone cares? People will protect their guildies, and of course they'll join the fight if they smell blood (or at least someone they can beat in a fight). But do the Local and World Defense channels really point the way to a good PvP clash the way the developers surely intended? Or do they just mean chat spam, and that there'll be trouble if you try to speak to NPCs in that area?
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Fan stuff, Odds and ends, PvP, NPCs
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
original2k Feb 5th 2008 4:07PM
i use world defense on my 70s, other than that it gets really annoying if i'm just leveling up. it's fine except for when they are mass killing npc's. and usually on my rogue i'm looking for a fight anyway.
the original reason i put it on tho was to know when halaa battles were going down, they don't happen too often on my server but now i always know.
oh yeah and it's also good to know when the daily xroads assault is underway
Elmo Feb 5th 2008 4:11PM
I don't have it on.
I don't want to be bothered with spam caused some guy on a rampage in Desolace.
if there's some serious PvP going on I will hear that from other players anyway
JettOMEGA Feb 5th 2008 4:12PM
Generally on our pvp server it's just chat spam. While leveling it typically means go find a new zone to level in for a couple hours or start flying your main over just in case you have to dish out some justice.
World pvp is just about dead on our server. There are absolutely no large scale clashes. Most are a group of people harassing a single player until he calls in friends. That goes on until one side gets a nasty rez timer or town guards get involved. Then the fun of world pvp is sucked out and people go back to farming/questing.
Get rid of the guard spam and rez timer and world pvp would skyrocket. Then that pesky spam channel known as World Defense would be of some use.
Niall McAndrew Feb 5th 2008 4:15PM
I quite often use the World Defence channel. I have played on both a PvP and PvE realm. Its nice to know when there is some kind of raid going on they are always fun to participate in. A few times i have been board attacking the opposite factions villages/towns and level 70s have appeared out of nowhere. So think the world defense is good.
Lunati Feb 5th 2008 4:14PM
I play on a PvP server, and usually setting off the defense channels means a friendly ally will come by and say hello.... however, you're just as likely to get several allies, so you try to avoid killing npcs.
As far as the World Defense channel, most people I know don't even know it exists.
On an unrelated note, I wish it was easier to visit the dancing troll villiage :(
LostOne Feb 5th 2008 4:15PM
I was leveling herbalism on my 70 rogue in arathi highlands and saw on world defense that a level 60 horde hunter was causing problems. I ignored it as I usually do until I realized about 5 minutes later it was still going. The local alliance questers couldn't fight him off and he was killing quest givers and (I think) he had killed the flight master, don't remember now. I road close and stealthed in and pounded him down. That's about the only time I world PVP (I'm on an RP server) is when it is affecting other alliance member's ability to level.
Maureen Carter Feb 5th 2008 4:16PM
I never pay attention to it but I don't have a 70 yet so maybe I will then? I doubt it though.
Ktok Feb 5th 2008 6:50PM
Generally, I keep mine off… just because if I don’t, I’ll never get anything done. I’m very hard pressed to ignore the chance to kill an Alliance player attacking Horde NPCs, so really the only way I get an alt leveled is to *not* know that it’s happening.
That being said, when I’m logged in for the purpose of beating some little punk down, I turn it on.
Even when it’s not on though, I generally hear about what’s being hit from guild members.
Seperioth Feb 5th 2008 4:23PM
On my server venture Co. Alliance tends to respond to major cities going up. But things like darkshore and southshore are usually ignored.
infection Feb 5th 2008 4:26PM
So following the link it says it is unreachable by normal means or something like that.
How did these guys get to it?
shidoshi Feb 5th 2008 4:33PM
PVP server, and I actually pay attention to World Defense. For the longest time (actually, until I was high enough to reach Outlands), I had my hearthstone set to Azure Watch, and if any Horde were screwing around in the Draenei starting area, I'd heath and go see if I could help out. Because, dammit, I don't want no Horde scum touching our home! *heh*
I tend to be much more interested in world PVP than BG, so if I see something going down via the channel somewhere that I'm near, I'll go check it out.
Starayo Feb 5th 2008 5:43PM
Bwahaha, the joke's on you, me and my partners in genocide always go to blood watch!
While you're spending your time closing the gap between blood watch and you, we'll be engaged in a righteous slaughter. For the horde!
Cribley Feb 5th 2008 4:37PM
I always join worlddefense, and just /leave localdefense so i don't get dups.
Tone Feb 5th 2008 4:37PM
I always do. When running around on my 70 ret pally and I see for instance that yeah the Xroads are under attack AGAIN, PVE server BTW, I head there and start cracking some skulls. My server has some insane raids on both sides pretty often so its quite helpful.
I can't stress enough how much fun it is to go in and destroy a raid of a dozen lvl 40s .
JParris Feb 5th 2008 4:39PM
You can get to the Troll Village? :O How! It must have been an exploit?
I pay attention to World Defense on my PvP server quite a bit. In fact Local/World Def has its own tab on my chat tabs. I use it to find Alliance activity as well as to know where to avoid when lvling low lvl alts.
Sarah Feb 5th 2008 5:54PM
You can walk there from winterspring rather easily. Make sure you have a mage or something because it's a very, very long drop, plus I'm not sure the GM's like you there, all though I've never had any trouble.
Brian Carnell Feb 5th 2008 4:40PM
I'm on a PVP server and follow both local and world defense. As far as I can tell, however, almost no one else does since the expansion. Both of those channels got a lot of traffic prior to Burning Crusade, but now hardly at all.
hpavc Feb 5th 2008 4:44PM
Last I paid attention only certain pvp ranks could do the channel chat. I rerolled on a new server and nobody could chat on the channels and I never really bothered looking.
Buckshot Feb 5th 2008 4:48PM
Yeah I usually always do, if I'm on a low level it lets me know trouble is coming, but on my 70 I usually go help out.
Quickshiv Feb 5th 2008 4:50PM
The number of attackers should be in the message so you can tell if it's 1 person or 20.
Until there is a point to world pvp there will be no participation.
Give out 5x as much honor for world pvp kills.
Make permanent level appropriate objectives in every contested zone.