PvP Etiquette?
The more I level on this PvP server, the more time I spend in contested areas. To me, contested zones are what it’s all about, and I absolutely love questing in places like Tanaris. When we first got to Tanaris, our general plan was to leave other people questing alone unless provoked, we’re all just trying to level right? We even helped a Dwarf hunter in Lost Rigger Cover when he pulled half the map with Andre Firebeard — of course, when he didn’t even bother to say thanks, we killed him. Plz, have some manners.
We quickly realized that while Horde seemed to be trying for a live and let live approach (and we outnumber Alliance by a small margin on my server), every time we turned around there was someone in General chat being camped somewhere by 3 Alliance with a few levels on them. So, with a few general exceptions most people get killed on sight, no questions asked. This keeps us fairly safe. Granted, I have a shadow priest attached to my hip at all times, but that doesn’t mean we don’t find ourselves in sticky situations — but these situations are almost always a result of being ganked while fighting something else, and so we get our revenge as best we can. The two of us have been known to ride around a map for an hour mashing a /target macro to find someone who ganked us, and so far we’ve managed to find all but one or two eventually (and usually beating up on someone else).
I find it interesting how truly AWFUL most of the Alliance are that gank us and run away. When we catch back up with them, they’re absolutely horrible PvPers and it wouldn’t even be fun killing them if it wasn’t for revenge. Most of them don’t even want to fight a fair fight, which leaves us chasing after them, spamming SW:P hoping for a blackout proc or trying to get just close enough to dismount and finish a polymorph cast.
Last night we were on the final leg of the Tanaris mechanical chicken escort quest (dude, I would NEVER kill anyone doing an escort quest, and I mean that) and an Alliance priest waited until the last set of mobs spawned, and killed us while four or five guys wailed on us. High class, amirite? So we race back to our bodies, and of course he’s gone. I ask in General for his location, and he’s back in Gadget.
Everyone knows you can’t kill anyone in Gadget without the Bruisers tearing you a new one, but if you’re willing to eat the death you can certainly get your revenge. Which is exactly what we did — came back to find this priest inside the inn with an AFK tag over his head, planned out as much burst damage as we could before we got owned by the Bruisers, and got our revenge. So, so worth it.
I’m interested in hearing more from people on PvP servers — etiquette, stories, the lengths you’ll go to in order to kill that one special person. The closer I get to 60, the more I realize that levelling to 60 on a PvE server has not in any way prepared me for levelling on this one — it’s a whole new game.
Leveling, I’ve found that the /wave tends to work more often than not. Since we relied on it so much, my wife and I will always respect it. We even helped two Undead with an escort quest (then they helped us) in Jaedenar, and that was great fun. Guess we were also just feeling kind that day (we seriously could have clobbered them).
Lately though, we’ve suffered from the “Red is Dead” mentality, but only if the kill is worthwhile, i.e. for a HK or defending a lowbie. I think it also has a lot to do with your ultimate goals (PvP ranks, etc.).
Ordinarily, this is par for the course on Kel’Thuzad, but what I did find annoying the other day was suddenly finding my lvl 10 druid alt being camped (and Moonfire two-shotted) by a ?? Tauren druid in Moonglade of all places.
I mean, I understand “QQ PVE —->”, but:
1. Where are all the freaking guards in Moonglade?
2. Isn’t Moonglade supposed to be neutral, lorewise?
(tired cliche warning)
Why can’t we all just get along!?
Though I have friends that are levelling Horde alts on my server for the sole purpose of ganking me, so maybe it’s just my scintillating personality.
Questing flagged on a PvE server ads an even more interesting twist to this, as often the gankers remain unflagged until the very last second, hit you just to get the HK and then run as fast as possible in order to get away before you get back to your corpse and pwn them.
I leveled as a druid on a PVP server. At first I always traveled in cat form with my finger near my stealth button. Then, if I saw someone, I could stealth and get off the road and then get an idea of what I was facing.
It turned out this was a stupid idea. More often then not the people would see someone ahead of them go stealthed and freak out. They’d get off their mount and search all over trying to find me so I didn’t find them first in case I was looking for a gank myself. Then when the 60 did find me, they’d crush me. I then just took the position of staying mounted or in travel form and just ignoring people. It worked a lot better for traveling.
When it comes to quest, I would usually approach someone and /wave. If they waved back, I could ignore them and we could usually co-exist. If they bothred me I would generally ruthlessly kill them till they left.
I also had the advantage that druids are nearly impossible to corpse camp with their stealth, cheetah, and heals.
My, Shannon, how different that reads from your “I would never PvP, PvPers are lame”, and “Horde are evil bastards who terrorize the peaceful Alliance wanting to quest,” only a few months ago.
I am glad you found the light and your calling, smart people like you shouldn’t wither away in Healadin land.
Aw Jonas, I never said PvPers were lame or that Horde was evil. I just said I didn’t prefer either one. Your advice to level a toon on a PvP server Horde-side was probably some of the best WoW advice I’ve ever gotten though, because I’m having the time of my life. I even tried to roll one with low survivability but I own too hard. :(
I hate Alliance. I will kill on site. I came across two level 26’s with my 40 Troll Rogue and as they bowed and begged, I laugh and two-shotted both of them.
Me and some friends got a 4 man group together and creeped around Redridge (we’re all 35-41). Eventually a 55+ paladin came to us. We killed him. Twice. Then a lvl 60 Pally (in some epic armor) came up and killed all of us easy. It took a while to carefully respawn and get away (even our non stealthing Mage could). But we did. There is no etiquette, it is simulated war, and there is no Geneva Convention.
We all get ganked and we all get camped. I return the favor 100%.
I am generally a strict follower of the incentives given game mechanics; I usually believe that I should kill any alliance member in sight as long as I get honor for it. I won’t do it in goblin cities as I’ll be snared/killed by the guards 9 times out of 10.
However, recently I’ve found certain areas where PvP hostility is suspended. When I was in Felwood, I was grinding furbolgs when an alliance hunter came right next to me and started grinding. I was about to gank him, when another Horde Warlock pst’d me “Don’t kill him, he’s nice”. I grudgingly spared his life and the three of us were grinding furbolgs for about 2 hours. I found out that if I accidentally got a bad pull, the Alliance Hunter would even pull extra mobs off me! It was kind of weird, and I felt like I was somehow violating WoW lore, but I went with it.
I have found that in any of the heavy rep-grinding areas, as long as there aren’t hotly contested resources or mobs, there is generally this weird truce between Horde and Alliance rep-grinders. I have seen the same thing happen in WPL. While there are still the occassional 60 ganker that will come through and kill everyone in sight, most people in these areas are too focused on getting xp and rep to bother with taking the time to kill other factions.
I’m ambivalent about the Alliance on my server. It’s PvE, so fighting is usually voluntary. Still, I’ve been ganked and corpse-camped, and have taken revenge, so I know how that is.
The ones who get me mad are the duellists who don’t know when to go away. I like duelling from time to time, but when I’m questing, I’m busy with that and have no interest in it. But, whenever I’m working on one of my low-level alts, there’s always a higher level guy who wants to duel me. Sometimes out in the middle of nowhere when it’s plainly obvious I’m working on something.
I was on my little shammy (13) out near the Crossroads killing Zevras when a 29 orc warrior comes over and challenges me to a duel. I declined and figure it would end at that. But he continues to challenge me. I told him I was busy and to go bother someone else. He asked me to check his gear if I was afraid (I’m not sure what that had to do with anything, since he was 16 levels above me). I said I wasn’t interested and went back to what I was doing. He started to follow me around and either shot or charged a couple of my targets before I could do anything. I told him he was an a$$hole and he called me a wus, but finally moved on.
Those are the fools I hate.
Last weekend, I was waiting outside Blackrock Spire for the rest of my raid to arrive. There were a few Alliance waiting as well. Once we had three raid members, we began to summon. When the portal opened, one of the Alliance stepped just behind the portal and flagged. At that same moment, I went to click the portal, and instead attacked the Alliance. They were on me in a second, and I barely made it into the instance in time. Very bad form.
I am just waiting for a free for all so I can transfer my Dwarven Warrior and gank as many Paladins as I please.
Oh well, at least I can take my frustrations out on Blood Elves.
When that happens, I hope this weapon makes it into the game:
http://wow.blupp.net/item.php?id=322431
Pvp is ok though I never liked alliance. Guess we have our own prefences.
I’m on a PVE server (RP) but it’s the same way. Horde leave alliance alone, but alliance are always flagged standing on corpses i’m trying to loot, or on my fishing bobber, etc.
Alliance can easily do the barov quest where you have to kill him, we leave them alone, we know it’s a quest just let them get it done. But for horde to do their barov quest is impossible. it took me three hours even though i had 3 other people with me. The alliance constantly ganked us, even though we had an alliance alt log in and tell people to leave us alone.
Though maybe the big difference, on pvp servers i’m sure it’s rogues doing the ganking. on pve servers, it’s palladins. they are the worst. I have only ever met two paladins that were not griefing ganking little children.
I used to play alliance, now i’m horde and I can’t ever go back.