A closer look at the School of Hard Knocks
Let's take a look at the Children's Week PvP achievement School of Hard Knocks and the resources you'll need to accomplish it.If you want to get your Violet Proto-Drake and fly around at 310% speed, you're going to need to do this achievement. Reports are mixed on how easy or hard this achievement is. Some folks are saying it's done quickly and easily with a good group, others are banging their heads against the desk and spewing curse words at Blizzard.
But just like everything, if you research and take an educated look at these achievements, they become more understandable and easier. That's not to say the achievement will become trivial, but it'll at least become more manageable.
The achievement is broken down, complete with tips, after the break.
Capture the flag in Eye of the Storm
The achievement is simple. Grab a flag, run it over to your base. Because the flags spawn in neutral territory, you're going to need to have several solid players on the bridge to deal with opponents.
If you haven't been in Eye of the Storm before, or just need a refresher, check out our guide to the battleground.
Assault a flag in Arathi Basin
This one isn't too bad. You just want to assault the flag (right click it), not capture it. Everyone should zerg a flag (or split up and do it to a few places), and allow your opponents to capture it. Then one person assaults it, and after the assault is done, let the other team take back the flag. Then another person assaults it, rinse and repeat.
We should note that there are some reports of people being able to stand next to the person that capped the flag and get the achievement. However we have not been able to confirm that yet.
If you haven't been in Arathi Basin before, or just need a refresher, check out our guide to the battleground.
Assault a tower in Alterac Valley
Easy way: stealth into a tower and go at it. Hard way: flip a tower back and forth with your opponents, just like we talked about for Arathi Basin. This is probably going to be the nightmare achievement.
Return a fallen flag in Warsong Gulch
Hopefully you'll find opponents that want to complete the achievement and just drop the flag for your group several times. If not, the only way you're going to get this achievement is to play a hard game of WSG. You'll need to beat down flag carriers and then be very very fast at clicking. Once you have this part of the achievement finished I suggest you don't click anymore.
Group Cooperation
I'll give a couple rules:
- Don't be a jerk.
- Thinking about being a jerk? See rule #1.
For a look at the other achievements of Children's Week, check out The OverAchiever.
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, PvP, Battlegrounds, Achievements






Reader Comments (Page 1 of 8)
Brad May 1st 2009 6:05PM
First!
This achievement is doable, easy, and not at all worth the big hubub being made over it.
Jardal May 1st 2009 6:22PM
Doable, yes.
Easy... your mileage may vary.
Frankly, if you've been unable to find a guild not full of asshats you're going to have to be semi-lucky or be very lucky and find some people doing rule #1.
Ferarro May 1st 2009 6:40PM
The whole point of adding this aspect into the Achievement was to inject some life back into Battlegrounds again, if only briefly. Same goes with all the Achievements that tell you to visit Silvermoon or Exodar.
It's a cheap tactic, but funneling works.
Bronwyn May 2nd 2009 1:46AM
I found the achievement easy for me but I also know that 3 out of the 4 requirements were results of my own luck- the only one that took any skill was AB, and that was because I am QUEEN of getting to Farm first.
AV? Pure luck- the other person going for the cap got shot while we were both at the flag. EotS? Some skill in getting the flag- DBM has a nice timer, but I was lucky that no allies attacked me while I was running. WSG? Again, lucky that someone from the opposing team came into the room to take and drop the flag for me. Otherwise I'd have been left fighting for kills/returns with the other people there.
I'd like it if everyone followed rule #1 all the time, but of course I know that's never going to happen.
Max May 2nd 2009 3:21AM
this was the best thing to happen to my battlegroup. All of the alliance scrubs want some stupid achievement so bad that they just tunnel vision the flag.
We've been 4 capping all day, and I have 99 marks.
Thank you, noob alliance.
sosei May 1st 2009 6:06PM
The mindset of the jerk is far and wide today, especially in AV. Ironically, the winning percentage (for Horde, at least) is at its best.
artifex May 1st 2009 8:43PM
I found a lot of jerks in my own battlegroup. When I was in bg and mentioned trying to get the achievement, I was called a fag for wanting it. When I said, actually, yes I am gay, I was further insulted, with people saying that fags were stealing honor from the rest, etc. Oh, they also accused me of running from a fight when I stopped helping them because they wouldn't help me and just insulted me, and tried to grab a flag on my own.
Alliance, Cyclone battlegroup.
P.S. this fag has his flags now, and you don't have any honor to steal.
sosei May 2nd 2009 12:21AM
That bites. Nothing that focused happened to me because everyone was too busy being 1) in a "me first" mode, or 2) picking a bad weekend to try and seriously play in Battlegrounds.
I'm glad I got what I needed to get (and the title, a few minutes ago) so I don't have to deal with it for awhile.
Zack May 1st 2009 6:10PM
Overheard in Tower Point:
"Don't kill them! Let them tag the tower so we can take it back!"
"F*** that, I want free honor."
Angelofwar May 1st 2009 6:11PM
Why is assaulting a flag in AV going to be the "nightmare" achievement? It's sooo easy to do, just pick a flag and run straight there. Sure there are others going for them at the same time, but if you pick like East Frostwolf and just run right there you'll probably have it in 1-2 games.
Zerounit May 1st 2009 7:03PM
Well, not every faction has it so easy.
Rob May 1st 2009 11:16PM
You mean assaulting a tower. I used to do this all the time. I am horrid at PVP, just bad. What you do is be at the gate, mount up, zerg to wherever everyone zergs to, and cap a tower thats out of the way. I would cap FW TW or...the one north of that as alliance. Sorry i haven't played AV in a year. But at least back then, at the height of the zerg days, it was quite easy to assault a tower, even cap it (since almost always the horde didnt play any defense). It depends on time of day too. (or at least used to), horde during the day were always more skilled than alliance. (horde - stay at home moms and out of work dads, alliance - kids playing hooky, at least that was my theory) .
Jai May 2nd 2009 12:26AM
This was my strategy: race to the towers that are farthest away from the starting spot. As a pally 15% run speed increase and learning many shortcuts it still took me about 7 tries and then i only got it because the cat in front of me sprinted off the tower at the last second. No one was ever defending the towers, It was simply a race. I can definitely see that this is a nightmare for many players. If you don't have a speed advantage and are not also very familiar with the map it can be extremely frustrating. An additional annoyance is joining a battle in progress where there is no hope of winning the race. Hopefully later in the week there will be fewer people per battle that are going for the same goal.
jfofla May 1st 2009 6:11PM
Don't be a jerk?
Have you ever asked for help in trade chat?
Have you ever read the forums?
WOW is the homeland of the jerk.
AyaJulia May 1st 2009 6:27PM
This.
Also, stop saying so many things I agree with, I feel like a stalker.
AutumnBringer May 1st 2009 7:17PM
I agree with your comment, but please allow me to modify it a little bit:
Have you ever asked for help (anywhere, at all)?
Have you heard the cruel things people say to each other on a regular basis in both good situations and bad?
Earth is the homeland of the jerk.
It's easy to see in WoW because the communication/actions of so many people is concentrated in one place, but playing WoW is not what creates jerks.
Belkar May 1st 2009 6:11PM
It's just a shame how easy it could have been to make this achievement fall more in line with the goals of the battlegrounds. And further, be more tolerant of group dynamics.
Simply: Be present when any of the events happen.
Calophi May 1st 2009 11:36PM
Exactly. I was wondering why they didn't just do it that way. Even "win one of each of these BGs" is better than this. Especially for people like me who suck at PVP, just winning a BG is an accomplishment. T_T
vazhkatsi May 2nd 2009 12:41AM
i haven't been in a winning AV since i switched servers. we're always outnumbers 2 to 1
Dominika May 1st 2009 6:12PM
Being a dick will make other players act like a dick to you.
Being helpful will make other players help you.
I got 5 Horde the WSG part (and Not In My House) while the rest of the Alliance dicked around in our flag room. They proceded to zerg the Ally room, get the flag, and drop it for me to return. They then /afk'd.
People are so willing to assume that people are going to be jerks that they don't see a reason to be helpful. A sad fact of the internet. Helping people goes a long way.
And gets you screenshots of a D.I.S.C.O. dance party in AV.