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All of the latest Mists of Pandaria newsBlizzard on griefing: deal with it.
by Zach Yonzon 
Apr 17th 2008 at 2:20PM
As Drysc explains, "the rules of war are based around attacking when the odds are in your favor". This could mean when opponents outnumber you, outlevel you, when you're low in health and/or if you're engaged with multiple mobs... the question isn't whether it's honorable or fair. It's war. In a PvP server, everything is fair game. There are no rules, and players certainly shouldn't bother sending tickets to GMs asking for any help (or sympathy). This should probably be common sense, but Drysc's somewhat provocative response is something of a surprise -- to many players a welcome one. While I'm all for etiquette (ganking a fisherman is just plain rude) and a personal sense of honor, players who roll on a PvP server know what they signed up for. Shape up or ship out -- character transfers, after all, are just a click away.
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Blizzard, PvP, Forums
Reader Comments (Page 3 of 3)
Havitech Apr 18th 2008 1:24AM
Blizzard will not be doing anything about griefing as long as they're making money from frustrated players forking over $25 to transfer to PvE servers.
Samba_dancer Apr 18th 2008 2:11AM
You said absolutelly true
davos Apr 18th 2008 1:25AM
It's a bit unfair to say 'you chose it, sucked in, deal with it'.
What if PvP was the 'suggested realm' when you started and you were'nt sure of the ganking that would follow you for the rest of your life, this is what happened with a friend and now he has to pay $25 to change realms.
So that's very unfair to say that as a blanket rule, people 'chose' realms that they play on.
Zach Apr 18th 2008 1:27AM
As far as I recall, players click a checkbox before they begin playing the game. The selections are: Normal, PvP, RP, and RP-PVP. After clicking the checkbox, only then will the game recommend a realm.
Gormourn Apr 18th 2008 2:22AM
Well finally, someone from the staff had the balls to say that.
Don't wanna be griefed and camped, PvE server is that way.
PvP never been a honorable 1v1 duel, and never should be. It's war, people, jeeez.
Havitech Apr 18th 2008 2:42AM
Actually, it's a game, and games are supposed to be fun.
Shrama Apr 18th 2008 8:07AM
Blizzard should put back the dishonor system for multiple killing of gray players (it is not easy jobs... all the conditions, testing etc... but... still... HONOR is HONOR).
However - no penalty for killing (even multiple times) similar levels. Well... they can fight back.
Ranec Apr 18th 2008 8:11AM
Playing pvp is a blast at times. Being attacked, or being the attacker. Yes, I have been frustrated before, but thats the price I pay for the pvp fun.
In my experience, games that dont frustrate me a little bit are boring. If I get killed while grinding mobs, sometimes I will just run around looking for the person who did it, all the while thinking dang it that jerk, I'm gonna kill him!
My wife hates it when I get frustrated. I try not to get upset, but everyonce awhile she will hear me curse profanitys at the computer. Other times, she will see me smile at it because I just killed the guy who griefed her while she was just out questing.
Pacman would not be any fun if those 4 ghost didnt grief you.
FireStar Apr 18th 2008 9:02AM
griefing? i've never heard ganking being called griefing.
Worcester Apr 18th 2008 10:54AM
Oh look, a perfect place to relate last night's session.
While trying to turn in a quest, I get attacked by 3 Alliance roughly 3 to 8 levels higher than me. I'm a Rogue, so I Vanish and hide behind the trees and they leave. Then I warned my brother, who was in the area.
Interestingly enough, earlier he had saved those same 3 Alliance from an elite mob when they were all below 15% health. Our friend was irritated that he saved them instead of taking advantage.
In the end, we hunted them down like the dogs they were. Killed them once, and they didn't even bother to come back for more. That's life on a PvP server.
Gank away!
vildand Apr 18th 2008 11:05AM
The real quest is why people are whining so much these days, pvp servers have never been safer than they are in world of warcraft and death has never had less consequence either.
There hasn't been real griefing in MMOs since the good old days of ultima online and asherons call, and people whined less back then.
Either the world has gotten more girly, and self-centered (because oh God if you're not the king of everything you'll cry untill someone makes you it), or people simply whined less back then because griefing was more common.
Aladek Apr 18th 2008 3:01PM
All I will say is that they really need to introduce the bounty system that is discussed several times in the forums
kellzea Apr 18th 2008 8:35PM
you guys who keep saying ganking isnt PvP, you do realise that it stands for PLAYER vrs PLAYER. not "character of equal level, class and skill engaging in mutualy oportunistic combat".
it means one sweaty fat man vrs another sweaty fan man. just because you arnt as fat or sweaty as the other guy doesnt stop him from being a player.
i HATE getting ganked, it suck. i hate it more when i get my 70s involved and loose. but i do like killing others. even groups of others at the same time. you win some you loose some. i cant take my 45 warrior into gruul. equally i cant take my 45 warrior into strangle thorn vale when there is a gank party goin on at nessingways house.
but its peghvaghpegh. i picked it, i gotta live with it. and doesnt the threat of instant and sustained death make you feel at war and procedeed with trepedation?
roll carebear if ur a pussy, we wont laugh much.
as for qqland i dont daily at 7pm server time, because i will die, i go later or in the worning........duuuuuuh
camazotz May 22nd 2008 5:50PM
I actually have avoided PvP on WoW, staying with PvE and RP-PvE servers instead. My one PvP experience was accidental, in EQ2 when it turned out the server I had defaulted to was actually PvP. After being killed multiple times at random I realized it was just annoying, and pretty much not what I was interested in.
The reason open PvP is so contentious in WoW is because the levelling system creates a disparity between players (unlike in real life where a highly trained and equipped person can still fall victim to a lucky opponent) that is unrealistic. Likewise, with no actual death penalty, there's no real "loss" in the game to account for, except time. Now, if a PvP server came along where the level disparity was nonexistent in PvP conflicts and death had a real impact (or was even permanent under certain conditions) then I think I'd try that. But so long as the game operates on inflated and imaginary mechanics, I just don't see the point; it's a poor substitute for real skill, and too many PvPers I know mistake the ability to grind for high-tier gear to be skill and not what it really is: persistence. But on current Pvp servers, it seems like persistence is an asset, so there ya go.