Patch 5.3 interview with Ghostcrawler
Mystery of the Unborn Val'kyr
The latest patch 5.3 news
All of the latest Mists of Pandaria newsReading between the lines: are more PvE to PvP transfers possible?
by Adam Holisky 
Jun 14th 2008 at 8:00PM
The announcement earlier in the week that Blizzard was allowing free transfers from a couple Oceanic PvE realms to the Oceanic PvP realm Thaurissan lead to a storm of speculation that Blizzard could be considering opening up PvE to PvP transfers on a wide scale.Blizzard has recently said that they won't be allowing large scale transfers from PvE to PvP servers. This rule was supposedly in place for a number of reasons, the main one of which has always been the relative ease of leveling a character on a PvE server compared to that of a PvP server. Having done both, I can say that it wasn't too different – a few more tricks had to be used when leveling on the PvP server, but in no way was my leveling prolonged on the PvP server because of the PvP elements.
Drysc chimed in on this very topic yesterday.
He said that his recent leveling experience on a PvP server was the same as mine (well, actually, mine is the same as his, but that's just semantics). The original title of the thread was "Times are changing Blizzard." Drysc makes this interesting for us all in that he ends his post echoing the title of the thread: "Times have changed."
While Drysc and his ilk are notorious for playing word games with the community (and I hope that they're getting a chuckle out of this as they read it), you do have to take pause for a moment with his overall statement. If one of the main barriers for PvE to PvP transfers doesn't exist anymore, one has to wonder if soon they'll allow the transfers on a massive scale.
One can only hope, and it does look like that hope just got a bit brighter.
Filed under: Realm News, Analysis / Opinion, News items, PvP
Reader Comments (Page 2 of 3)
Ryan Jun 14th 2008 10:14PM
I think that they should grant all characters leveled exclusively on PvP servers some kind of title that recognizes this, but open up PvE->PvP transfers.
That way the people who want to level on PvP for the sake of the ganking, and showing that they are hardcore can still do so with a minor benefit that they can display, while those who already have a toon and just want to meet up with friends on a PvP server somewhere can transfer rather than having to reroll.
I always roll on PvP servers, because I enjoy them more at endgame, but I have a ton of IRL friends who I'd like to create a guild with - but they rolled on PvE. I'm not transferring to PvE, and they don't want to start over on a PvP server... so we never play together.
Liel Jun 14th 2008 11:02PM
I leveled 3 toons to 60 pre expansion on PVP servers, there are morons who like to gank and there are those who do not. Either way when I was leveling i would do the /wave and if they did it in return we left each other alone.
Allow a bunch of PVE only players to transfer their level 70s over would just bring about a big surge in world pvp but it would probably be pretty chaotic.
Hattorihanzo Jun 15th 2008 12:33AM
This game isn't about levelling anymore. The levelling zones are empty, so who cares.
The fact is that I'm probably going to quit this game soon because the backwater PvE server I chose, Staghelm. I'd never played a MMO, so the "medium" population server looked good, but has ended up having a crap raiding scene. A whopping 4 Illidian-killing guilds.
The talent pool on Staghelm won't support much more. My T5 guild lost 4 people in the last week, so we're done 25-man raiding for a while until we can recruit/equip replacements. I'm sick of doing this for the 5th time in one year, and as a result my playing time has dwindled to nearly nothing.
I'm not the only one. If it's worth pissing off and losing people like me because of a stupid, punitative rule whose only defenders are dumb-shit gankers and assorted e-peen shiners Blizzard is deeply stupid company.
jbodar Jun 15th 2008 1:43AM
So what's stopping you from transferring to a PvE server with a higher pop and better raid scene, oh master ninja?
Shamayonaise Jun 15th 2008 5:50PM
I am an altoholic, if they remove a punative rule like this, you will transfer to my server and join the ranks of shitganker with no life.
Someonewithtoomuchtime Jun 15th 2008 1:23AM
I would personally love the idea of pve>pvp transfers. I leveled a mage on a pve to 70 because the game recommended it to me and I thought if I didn't do that I would get computer issues/gaming issues etc. But now that I have a level 30 on a pvp server, I think I want to take it all the way.
The reason transfers aren't opened is because of ganking, and that's it. I have been ganked all of ONCE in STV, and not even once anywhere else on my 30 warlock. If there are people who will join pvp server with the sole intention of ganking low levels, make it so that you can only attack and kill 2-3 people that are grey to you every day. That way ganking is limited by high levels and similar level attacking won't be interfered. People who have leveled on a pvp server can gank all they want like usual, and that isn't being interfered with either.
I do like the idea of rewarding people who level all the way on a pvp server with something, but probably more than just a title. I was thinking access to non-tranfered characters pvp enchants or something that will affect the leveled character itself.
Whatever they do, they change whatever they want, I just want my main on my friends server so I don't have to spend hours re-grinding rep and gear.
Memzer Jun 15th 2008 1:42AM
Everybody assumes that people are concerned only about the ganking which occurs while you level a character. It's the ganking which occurs while you're trying to complete your daily quests or while you're attempting to farm for <some new piece of gear> that PvP players have suffered through which makes such transfers so offensive.
PvE players complain just as much as PvP players about the tedium involved in grinding materials for their gear or consumables. It's even less pleasant when the people farming beside you are just as likely to lodge an arrow into the back of your skull so they no longer have to compete for mobs.
WRT the main post. I'm not sure what blizzard is thinking of doing (can any of us be sure?). With new zones dedicated to PvP perhaps blizzard will globally enforce the PvP flag on all realms with the release of wrath, limiting PvP to every players discretion except in those zones/areas marked specifically for PvP. Who knows? :)
Omega Jun 15th 2008 2:17AM
I started keeping track of the people who ganked my priest when I entered outland. The list contains 258 names at the moment. Leveling on a PvP server is definitely much harder than a PvE server.
Fendrieon Jun 15th 2008 3:01AM
Keep in mind that this xfer is being offered ONLY to balance out the server population a bit. The Alliance:Horde ration on Thaurissan is currently 1:9.3 according to warcraftrealms.com. I can imagine it would be QUITE an ordeal to level an alliance toon when the horde outnumber you nearly 10 to 1.
Theenforcer Jun 15th 2008 4:07AM
Did anyone actually look at the server in question, no one from alliance will transfer to Thaurissan when the ratio is 17.4 horde to 1 Alliance. 87 horde guilds and 5 alliance the best of whom has only killed 2 bosses in ssc
gg
Danielle Jun 16th 2008 2:17AM
You're totally wrong.
Several top alliance guilds have transfered. Not sure how many will stay.
See http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.html?topicId=7116276243&sid=1
6 Sunwell guilds and 4 BT guilds have already transferred.
par larsson Jun 15th 2008 12:55PM
Adam,
I hate to say it, but cry more noob. You chose to roll on a PvE server. Your failure to learn the consequences of that decision does not mean that the rest of us, who did pay attention, need to suffer a mass influx of people who have leveled on PVE servers - we do not need to suffer for your ignorance.
Suck it up, buttercup. Not bothering to learn the rules is no excuse for ignorance, and no reason to bend the rules in your favour, at your whim, and then no doubt ask Blizzard to enforce the rules when it's convenient to you.
If you want endgame on a PvP server, then bite the sour apple and level a toon from scratch. Your crying and whining and "I deserve moar - cater to me - make things easier and more convenient for ME, ME MEMEMEMEMEEE!" attitude sickens me.
You can level a toon, on a pvp server, in just a week. It's not hard, and I guarantee that you will learn from that experience. And yes, it is DECIDEDLY, unequivocably, different from leveling a toon on a pve server.
bumble Jun 15th 2008 11:10AM
all for it, will mean a lot of idiots transfer away from pve realms
exit stencil Jun 15th 2008 7:22AM
As has been mentioned before this isn't just about ganking in STV. PvP servers are different in every way. Sure the leveling zones are mostly empty now but on high population servers you can bet you'll be killed a few times in popular contested zones. It's both frustrating and fun. But really what it's about is the tension and fun of PvP out in front of instances, around popular farming nodes, daily quest zones, etc. Trust me, it changes the game completely when farming/questing becomes a battleground. I really hope that Blizzard has the good sense to maintain the integrity of the PvP server, and instead focuses its efforts on making the 1-70 leveling experience more friendly to re-rolls and alts, as that will benefit everyone: new players who want to join friends at level 70, those who would like to experience end game or assist their guild with another class, and even those of you who would like to try playing on a real WoW server.
Just to put this in perspective, the only RL friend of mine who still plays this game transferred PvP to PvE with some guildies in the name of PvE progression. I'm sure he would like the option to return someday to his old server (the one I play on), and yet I still oppose PvE=>PvP transfers.
fLUx Jun 15th 2008 9:15AM
I really really hope this is true!!
Gror Jun 15th 2008 9:56AM
Bring it on! More Horde trash to kill. I bet all the lil pve care bears on both factions will be crying to the GMs saying "wah, he keeps killing me, wah, can you do something about it? wah, Im level 70 and I keep getting owned, wah, why did I move servers?! wah!"
There will just be more people to kill, because level 1 to 70 of PVP gives you experience have how to world pvp, these care bears that wanna play safe from 1 to 70 and then gank are going to get their balls handed to them on my sword!
Prisonbreak Jun 15th 2008 10:10AM
To the guy who said he was ganked on PvE:
IF you get ganked on PvE you're a complete noob, and hence you're on PvE and not on PvP and you shout stay on your Noob Vs Environment server.
Kureel Jun 16th 2008 12:54PM
I think it's ppl like you who destroy PVP >_>
btw im in a PVP server too.
Gazoo Jun 15th 2008 12:15PM
Blizzard has never stuck to their word on anything. The transfers will happen, its just a matter of when, not if.
Stupid design decisions are glossed over and called bugs. Who can forget the Hunter dead zone. I used to have great conversations about the dead zone with Caydiem the Blizzard CM. We chatted in some detail about the developers view of the dead zone and why they designed it the way they did. During that time it was said repeatedly that the dead zone was the hunters weakness and the Dev team felt it was an appropriate counterbalance to its strengths.
hen, when the dead zone was removed, they had the gall to tell us that the dead zome was an unintended mechanic and was never designed to be a dead zone. They completely flip-flopped and denied that they ever intended the dead zone to be what it was. Pathetic.
The naming policy was once considered sacrosanct and inviolate, then without warning or explanation it simply changed. We asked for clarification over and over and were ignored. Literally ignored.
Who can forget the endless list of horrendous changes made to class abilities because 'it was never intended to work that way so we are returning it to the way it was designed to work'. And yet, in the years previous to many of these 'fixes' the Dev's repeatedly expressed their satisfaction with those exact abilities.
There is no policy in the game that is gauranteed to stay in place. Blizzard changes whatever increases their bottomline whenever they like, then employ their CM force to spoon it out to the gullible masses.
Gazoo Jun 15th 2008 12:19PM
I do not share the same experience as the OP. I rolled on a PP server and ganked mercilessly from the moment I stepped out of the starting zone.
Characters I've rolled on PVE servers wer retardedly simple to level, and took 1/3 of the time to reach level cap. The whole 'it wasnt any different for me' argument only means the other faction on your PVP server are incompetent and lazy.