If you’re new to the world of Massively Multiplayer Online (MMO) games you might not be familiar with the term “PvP”, which stands for Player versus Player.
Although the main feature of MMOs is the fact that you play with hundreds of thousands of players at the same time and have a character that you need to level up, one of the favorite activities of players in these games is the possibility to compete with other players, in form of combat. These come under the umbrella term “PvP”, and in World of Warcraft (WoW) there are some categories that we can mention:
Dueling and Random PvP: these are one versus one combat
Arena and Battlegrounds: battles with a more competitive flavor. The Arena system is a kind of organized tournaments in which matches are among 2 versus 2, 3 versus 3 and 5 versus 5 players. Battlegrounds are competitions between the Horde and Alliance factions and can be rated. They range from 10 to 40 players per faction.
PvP seasons: the rewards for PvP change based on a season – usually about a year.
Besides that, there are specific zones in which PvP takes place called “PvP zones”, and some of them are unbalanced, regarding the number of factions from the Hord and the Alliance.
The Steep Learning Curve
Combat requires a lot of skill and experience, so they are a world in themselves, that is, the learning curve is steep! But there is no need to get lost and ruin your gaming experience by lack of knowledge and experience!
To take part in these combats, it is best to have experience with the many specifics of factions and characters before jumping into action. This experience comes with a lot of playing, grinding and trial and error.
The Battleground system makes use of levels – as many other things in WoW do – because they are rated and very competitive. So naturally, the higher your level, the harder the combat and the higher the rewards! These rewards depend on the points you acquire after the combat which you can use to buy gear.
You’ll probably be facing much more experienced players, and if you haven’t reached the maximum level yet chances are that your opponent will have! Your experience can be ruined if you get repeatedly killed despite the thrill of being in combat.
In order to thrive, you must be experienced and have a lot of expertise because these are very specific kinds of gameplay. To gain this experience there are mainly two ways: the hard one and the easier one. The hard one is obvious: getting yourself there and being killed until you learn how to kill other players first.
What about the easier one? Well, the easier way is to learn from people who have already gone through this experience. This comes in many ways: you can read on forums, interact with players and hire PvP carry services or coachings.
When you get help from people who are already experienced in the game, regardless of how experienced you are, you can only get better and improve your game! If you are a newcomer this is obvious, but even if you are a more experienced player the exchange of ideas and knowledge should benefit you at all times.
A Good Gaming Experience
Remember, PvP combat can get tricky as you level up and face more experienced players, so try to always improve your skills and learn more about the game. It’s an ever-changing environment and you must keep the pace!
What should always matter the most is that we have fun while playing our favorite games. A bad experience in PvP can get you uninterested and you might lose the best WoW has to offer. So learn as much as you can, whether by your own or with help from a coach and get the most out of your combats.
Everyone needs a little help once in a while and there’s no shame in asking for it. After all, every experienced player was a novice once and had to learn either the easy way or the hard way. And in the future, you can be the next experienced player helping a novice!