TLDR: I believe the real psychology of PVP combat in WoW is fascinating and worth reflection.
Context: I have been wearing my Southshore Slayer achievement since earning it in the previous anniversary event. Then, I was helping my wife (as thoroughly a non-PVP WoW player as ever has been born) with quests in War Mode (we are always in war mode; it’s in the marriage contract) when we were attacked by a group of heinous Alliance players trying to ruin our rare kill. Lok’tar ogar! We were victorious! Then, something really strange popped up on my wife’s screen: a notice of a bounty on her head and a quest to slay ten more Alliance players to earn the title “the Alliance Slayer”. Obviously, she hearthed and logged immediately.
The Problem: I was left mesmerized by the title… The Alliance Slayer… I had to have it. I traveled to every world PVP event I could find, but I never could get a group to help me earn my stripes. (I did get a little bit close once soloing. If any of you have soloed this achievement, you have my praise.)
A Grumpy Morning: I logged in this AM and traveled to Mechagon to finish the world meta quest before the reset. Immediately, I was caught into a chat trap with someone offensively overgeneralizing “stupid” players who pull bonehead PVP moves. Naturally with the early hours still being harsh in my mind, I was quick to criticize him for his narrow view, and thus began a long banter of decreasingly productive chat lines.
An Olive Branch: I finally apologized. Both of us left the argument feeling we were each in the right. (That’s fine.) Moments later, he called out that an Alliance paladin was griefing him on the Western Spray. I shouted out that I was on my way, and many of us rallied to his aid.
Self-Defense Is Right: We came to his defense and fought off the Alliance. Quickly, our fight turned into a counteroffensive where we drove the Alliance from the islands. Huzzah!
Enter the Missus: My wife came down and asked if I was ready to help with the baby. I was until something amazing appeared on my screen. I had been assigned a bounty and had a chance to earn my beloved achievement! “Honey, I can’t help now. Important things!” Then, in a moment of supreme audacity, I asked, “Can you jump on and heal me?” As part of our wedding vows, she was obliged to put the baby in a high chair with three full meals on his tray while she came to my aid.
When It Goes Too Far: I needed ten Alliance kills. There were only two Alliance players on the Western Spray. I killed them. Again and again, I killed them. Once the Alliance was routed, we continued to hunt them. We broke their hearth channels and even chased them across the waterways while they fled like lame ducks on sinking mounts. We even killed them next to quest turn-in hubs. We went well beyond the point of self-defense. My wife remarked, “Isn’t that the same guy you killed three times already? He’s just trying to turn in his quest.” The frightening thing is that I knew she was right. The man was no threat. He was on his way out. It was one on five for him. I should have let him go. There was no honor in that kill. I took it anyway. I had to. I desired the achievement more than true honor, more than the feelings of a man somewhere else in the world who was just trying to finish a quest before going to church or having breakfast with his daughter or brushing his grandmother’s hair.
In It To Win It: I kept going. I kept killing idle and fleeing players. (The undead shadow priest with me showed no compunctions such as mine.) A few Alliance players came at me, but most ran. In the end, I not only earned my ten kills but stayed on to help others work toward their quests and achievements as well. Eventually, our group parted, and the man with whom I had once argued offered to friend-list me.
The Analysis:
- PVP can bring people together. I started my morning in a bitter, petty argument with one player. It ended with a friend request.
- World PVP is an organically exciting part of WoW. There are no rules. Nothing is fair. It just happens.
- We can end up making choices that we know are wrong because someone told us to or because we are being rewarded. In this case, a string of text in a digital experience is all that it took for me to justify griefing other players.
- Many of you will feel I am overthinking this. “Griefing is part of PVP.” “It’s just a game.” I say, “It’s just a game with real people on the other end.”
Conclusion: I love PVP, and I hope you do, too. There are a myriad of great experiences to be had in WoW PVP. I have earned my “the Alliance Slayer” achievement and am displaying it proudly already. However, I will never forget how I earned it and how little incentive it took for me to forsake honor for what felt like glory.
