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All of the latest Mists of Pandaria newsForum post of the day: Try a twinkie
by Amanda Dean 
Jul 3rd 2008 at 2:52AM
Seska of Ysondre has posed the challenge of twinking to players who hate this style of play. She stated that the joy of playing a twink is in planning how to get gear for the effort. To her twinking proves that gear is more important than skill. To do it right, twinking requires considerable time and effort (not to mention cash from higher level characters), but is a valuable experience. Seska is currently a level 16 Shaman, and plans to keep that character as a twink.
She was met with agreement by some other twinks, but also a lot of resistance and resentment. Some people say that they have tried twinking and gotten bored with it soon afterward, like playing any other video game with cheat codes. This practice can also be frustrating for other players who would like to battleground as they level up but become demoralized by twinks.
I've never considered twinking seriously. I have too much fun leveling and playing in Arenas. The lowered level requirements for mounts may be a bane to some in the 30-39 bracket. My feeling on twinks is about the same as it is on multiboxing. Blizzard says its ok, and if this is how you want to spend your wow time, be my guest.
What's your take on battleground twinking? Would you be willing to give it a shot?
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Alts, Forums, Battlegrounds, Forum Post of the Day
Reader Comments (Page 4 of 4)
turkeyspit Jul 3rd 2008 2:06PM
Rated Battlegrounds are the best idea that Blizzard would never implement. Let's be honest, obvious problems with obvious solutions are overlooked by oblivious developers. The more I play this game, the more I am convinced that it's success is in spite of many of Blizz's Devs.
Ranting aside, everyone wins with a Rated BG. I'm not sure exactly how you would 'rate' each persons abilities, but the end result would be:
/afk'ers & bots vs. /afk'ers
scrubs vs. scrubs
low geared players who try vs. low geared players who try.
geared players vs geared players.
Everyone wins!
Twinks play against Twinks, not against n00bs. 5/5 S3 players don't have to yell at people to not cap SH GY, or use Divine Shield when running the flag.
The better players are not hindered by the less skilled.
The less geared are not roflstomped by 2200 Rated Arena players.
The scrubs can suck without pissing anyone off
The /afk'ers and bots can be easily identifyed and permabanned.
Anyone with a brain knows this is a good idea...and yet Blizzard hasn't even addressed it.
Hire me Blizzard.
Tikkal Jul 3rd 2008 3:13PM
Bring on the 1 hour BG queues!
Zali Jul 3rd 2008 2:21PM
I twink out each of my alts at each #9 on the way up.... with the exception of lvl 10. Those are the best. Some very good enchants on lvl 10 gear can make you shockingly competative in WSG. Plus it has the added bonus of leaving people with a false sense of security when they target you, and then find that they are in for a real fight. I like the lvl 10 twink because you aren't too OP like a lvl 19, but you're scrappy as hell. I have WAY more fun on them.
But I do enjoy the process of getting a twink together. It takes a lot of planning, and I start the planning even before I create the toon. Like, running your nekkid but at lvl 1 to the arena in STV to camp the chest for the Arena Master trinket. It might take months of logging on every 3 hours to see if you can ninja the sucker. Getting the blood elf rogue mask at lvl 5 (white gear) and getting the +10 Stam armor added to it, etc. It can take a long time to get all the pieces you want. Thats a large part of the fun for me. I'm a massocist.
As far as it being fair or unfair... well, since you always have a couple twinks on either side, it always balances out fairly well and you always have as much of a chance at 3 BG Marks as the other side. And if you aren't playing a twink, then think of your job as the expendable team mate who occupies the time of the twinks on the other side. If they're busy killing you, they aren't grabbing the flag. You don't have to be an uber killing sword... it's possible to just be a thorn in the side of the enemy. All you gotta do is slow down their top guy for three seconds to let your flag runner get out of range. You're the pawn.. think strategy, not who's top KB.
Ilnara Jul 3rd 2008 2:31PM
Zanzi ; ...if a level 19 in questing greens/blues has no chance to succeed at Warsong 10-19, what other place is there for him to go?
Um, What Greens and Blues do you think I wearing right now? Stuff I got from Quests, and Dungeons at my level.
As for your question, "what should they do" well, do what I did, run instances, get better gear. I'm not sporting all blues, nor lvl 70 enchants, and I had half as many HP as the other twinks in my BG and still felt like I was able to contribute to the win. I think a lot of people make this stuff out to matter way more than it does. With even a couple blue pieces from instances you should be running normally anyways you'd do decently enough to contribute. I didn't say win, I said contribute.
Again, issue seems to be people who expect to win simply because they are a certain lvl and the bracket says "for XX level" as if gear and gold and guilds and friends suddenly doesn't matter even though it matters everywhere else in the game.
I have bad news for you supposed 'PvP in ur greens purists'.. but When you beat another player in WoW, 9 times out of 10 it was probably some advantage related to your gear, spec, class, or -other-. This vision of "fairness" is a myth.
Pretending to be ignorant of such a mechanic and not take advantage of it isn't being fair, or honorable, its being ignorant, and I don't mean that as "Stupid" I mean it as, unaware.
Ilnara Jul 3rd 2008 2:38PM
Again Darian, I never said that PvP in WoW was the penultimate in PvP.. I said it rather stinks as a system, but I'm going to use what I'm given, because if I don't I'll simply get rolled, and as so many so aptly point out, where is the fun in that?
Further, I don't see how intentionally putting myself at a disadvantage, and then complaining about the lack of a solution that fits my personal ideal of fair, while not trying what I've been given, is any better a course of action than joining in.
And guess what chief, there are only a couple items that are usable in SFK for a 19, and one is a quest reward which requires rep and level to get unlocked to
do. Everything I have on my list for this toon I am getting from either Deadmines, or Wailing caverns.
As I said above, the only goal here was to make a toon that could stand on it's own in a BG, to not feel completely helpless like so many of you do. And I've done that. I'll continue on, and when I've gotten what I want from my 19, I'll move on to 29.
darian Jul 3rd 2008 4:04PM
I'll grant that it's fair for you to obtain items in that fashion, those that are reasonably within your character's reach through the processing of progressing forward.
These items afford an advantage, but I consider it a fair one. My issue is more with the finishing touches applied to them that go beyond reasonable expectation.
I do not consider enchants designed for level 60 or 70 (or soon 80) characters to be a fair advantage.
Again, don't assume that I sit quivering in fear whenever I enter battlegrounds. If you felt helpless, that's your issue and not mine.
Hard8 Jul 3rd 2008 2:52PM
When I play my LVL 19 twink Im more focused on the other twinks vs. the reg players, They're hard to miss, anyone with a flaming sword or goggles gets the bash. Most, not all, twinks are really good players who know their classes and enjoy pushing it to the limit. For me it's a easy way to face some of the best players in the game & I get to 1 shot regs sometimes but hey they ran up to me so they're fair game. Trust me just rolling over regs is boring, if you twink just to overpower you're missing the point
Verit Jul 3rd 2008 3:11PM
Twinks are notorius for begging for enchants on my server (staghelm). Anyhow one wanted crusader which I have - I told him 10g and his mats - he agreed. When I got there - and the enchant was sitting in the trade window he gave me 5g. I said I thought we agreed on 10, and he gave some excuse on how he needed the extra money for another enchant. I hit the cancel button - put all his mats back in the trade window and left.
Sadly I've found 90% of all twinks do this. Which is why when someone says "looking for a chanter" and is lvl 19 - I just reply "om om om" (because I'm chanting).
jefeweiss Jul 3rd 2008 3:25PM
It's kind of unfortunate that its not as fun for people who aren't twinks in lower level battlegrounds. This is the only downside to twinking that I can see, is for someone who just pops into a BG to have some fun, maybe take a break from leveling. If you know what you are doing though, you can make a real difference by concentrating on the objectives.
If you are trying to gear up from BGs before 70, that's kind of a waste of time. Aside from maybe trying to get a trinket before you can get one otherwise, you might as well just go out and get some more levels. Especially with the leveling changes, in the time it takes you to get a full set of pvp gear you could have gotten at least 4 or 5 levels.
Tikkal Jul 3rd 2008 3:26PM
I'm consistently amazed by the number of commenters here who get buttsore about people who don't play WoW "right." I'm not sure what drives so many WoW players to think that everyone should play in a way that will never inconvenience them.
Like life, WoW isn't always going to work out the way you like. You have to learn to live with people who do things you may not like or approve of. Part of not being a universally despised creep is learning to let people do their own thing -- even if it is multiboxing, twinking, or some playstyle you are sure is "ruining the game for everyone."
Try having fun rather than stocking up on nerdrage "about how your fellow players are "cheating."
If you don't like the way things work out for you, I think you can pick up a copy of Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion pretty cheap.
darian Jul 3rd 2008 4:17PM
Technically, the OP started it.
Ilnara Jul 3rd 2008 5:32PM
Darian, I provided a post based on factual things I did that led me to change my opinion from one like yours, and another anti twinkers to the one I have now.
What have many of you done other than stay entrenched with easily defensible personal opinions?
What made me feel dirty was being upset that I was always getting rolled by people with better gear. Now I've taken the proactive step of gearing up instead of the reactive step of dying, and crying.
Again, if thats what makes your day (not gearing up and dying) then have fun with that. I in no way shape or form am stopping you from doing the same.
Kaylek Jul 14th 2008 9:05AM
Some people, possibly those who moved on to better things like level 70 end game or other games altogether, might define that as "selling out".
Ilnara Jul 14th 2008 12:08PM
"Selling out" is just your excuse for not taking the time to gear up. You create an artificial pedestal for you to sit upon because you're not better at actually playing the game. I doubt you do much better at 70. Then again, why do you act like the game is any different at 70 then it is in the 9's brackets??! It's not. But use whatever thing it is you need to tell your self that things are more even.
I'm sure you take your fabulous end game gear and roll people who aren't as geared as you, right? Don't act like it's never happened, and by your definition, that makes you a sell out too.
Anyways, you people with your ostentatious diatribes about selling out, being a lamer who can't play at max level and any other garbage you might toss out there is simply laughable.
You take the time to gear up as completely as possible for your boring scripted encounters to fight scripted encounters *read as : End game raiding* Yet complain when others do the same for PvP.
Anyways, you're probably on a PVE server, and don't even PvP anyways, and I highly doubt you're at 70 the way you pontificate about things that, if you actually had any clue, you'd know your position belies the facts.
All anyone has been able to do, again is blather opinions, and launch hyperbolic barbs at me.
Yawn.. no wonder you guys suck at PvP if you can't even think properly.
But whatever, excuses don't win matches. I do.
roguedubb Jul 3rd 2008 6:16PM
A 70 who has been PVPing for a few months will out-gear a 70 going fresh into the BGs.
A 19 who has spent a few months putting together gear will out-gear a 19 who is just there for a few marks on the way to 70.
What exactly is the difference? At 70 your PVP gear is all laid out for you. At 19 (or any other twink level) you will need to do some investigation and planning as to what gear you will get and how you will get it.
Why QQ about a geared 19 dominating a BG? Because exactly the same thing is going on at 70.
Kaylek Jul 14th 2008 9:16AM
You're fooling yourself if you think there isn't a difference. The gap between twink and non-twink is generally much more severe than that of a 70, while the geared 70 took considerably more time and effort than that of the twink to come even close to such a gap.
While I don't fully discredit players from using what the game provides, and thus credit Blizzard for being way too open with enchant requirements (purposefully), a twink with any actual real world sense of balance (I'm sure they exist somewhere) should be able to acknowledge the ruin twinking in its current form causes to the PVP-viability of someone who's just leveling up.
The first post here says it all. Fun diversion, but it ruins the game for everyone else.
Adorenko Jul 4th 2008 4:00AM
You cant change the BGs bc you dont know how to beat a twink in the BG. Quit your bitching and get some real skills. Even before I made my twink i could kill twinks just fine. Its not cheating either its part of the game. If you can mail a leg armor to your lvl 19 and blizzard doesn't after you for doing so bad its not cheating. Maybe some of you think it isnt fair that you cant afford the leg armor or other gear on the AH bc you dont have a 70. Suck it up and lvl a toon up to 70 and make some gold. I can make 200 gold in about 1 or 2 hours of play. Ive kept my 2 lvl 19s at 19 for months now it has been a lot of work but I didnt bitch about it. I just did what had to be done to make them twinks and Im still not done. There are still some plp out there better twinks than mine. Get over its part of the game.
Kaylek Jul 14th 2008 9:22AM
Wait, you should have to level to 70 before you can compete and enjoy PVP at any level prior to that?
How does that make any sense?
Ilnara Jul 14th 2008 12:16PM
Kaylek you're completely ignorant, and again, it's obvious you've never played or leveled on a PvP server.. it's the only way you could be so off base.
That you think theres "not that big of a difference at 70" again belies that you have no basis in to speak of facts because you have none.
You honestly think that if you come across some guy with 21,000 HP and you are in your raiding greens and blues that you have any chance at all of winning a 1v1??
Get real.. I'm here to tell you that doesn't happen. It just doesn't. I don't care how "Great" you act you are, you won't be beating fully geared S3 players in your raid gear. That you think you can shows how little you actually know about resilience and penetration attributes.
"ruins the game for everyone else" hey Mr. so full of himself, I play the game too, and I've had plenty of opportunities to curl up in a ball and claim my "Game" was ruined. I didn't , I took the initiative, and changed my PoV, and did something about it other than be salt that I get rolled.
No one is stopping you, but you and that high horse you love galloping around on.
Kindly talk to my 300+ honor and 18 WSG marks.