You couldn’t be more wrong. PVE servers are more about practicality for many people. During Vanilla and up till recently I was Active Duty in the Army (That means it was my full time job). I had limited time to game and I didn’t want to waste it being body camped while trying to level. I played Ultimate Online from the start and knew how open PvP games worked. The advantage to a PVE realm for me, and many others I know, was that if our time was limited then nobody could completely interfere with that limited play time. If I had more time available all I had to do was flag.
I can’t speak to all PVE servers, but on Silvermoon (PVE) if you flagged you could find world pvp everyday all day. There were still epic battles at SS/TM. There were still gankings and revenge happening in STV. There was no lack of PvP on our PVE server. If you had only 2 hours that day though, and wanted to level or farm for a raid, then being flagged wasn’t practical.
If you have to ask, it’s not for you. I say that because you wouldn’t ask unless you couldn’t understand why other people enjoy it.
It’s not really for the people that can’t handle getting ganked sometimes either. If the added element of world PVP isn’t worth getting ganked sometimes, don’t play on a PVP server.
It’s fine, many, many, MANY others will and enjoy it.
OP, there are a couple of good reasons to chose a pvp server, but you’re quite correct the pvp in WoW is pretty much garbage. Blizzard essentially abandoned pvp early in the Vanilla cycle due to lag and inexperience. The fanbois lap up this stuff but the pvp is about as carebear as you can get, and ganking is a very low form of pvp.
Having said that, the real issue is population balance. The original PvE servers were often dominated by the Alliance and the PvP servers were either relatively balanced between Horde and Alliance or tilted slightly to Horde. Occasionally, like the Blackrock orginal server, Horde dominated, but that was rare.
Also, generally speaking, it is more likely a pvp server remains well populated longer than a PvE server.
So, if you roll Horde or Alliance on a pvp server that is relatively balanced, it will not be too much different than leveling on a pve server. If you roll alliance on a Horde dominated server like Blackrock was, then that will be much less fun, but that was very rare.
Even though I roll my eyes at pvp in WoW I wouldn’t roll on a pve server. I find Alliance chat too kiddy for my taste, so I would only roll Horde.
The fact that you’re electing to flag whenever YOU choose is the reason why PvE servers are not the same.
There’s an inescapable sense of a persistent and unknown threat on a PvP server. Sometimes it isn’t fair - that’s a two-way street which everyone travels upon.
Are there losers out there who gank lowbies just because they can? Sure. There’s losers in PvE too - Remember that the next time anyone rolls need on an item that’s appropriate for your class and not theirs. At least in PvP those idiots get handed what they deserve from time to time.
I’m not terribly concerned with ‘convincing’ someone to play on a PvP server though. If you’ve played there in the past and didn’t enjoy it, then it sounds like it’s not your cup of tea.
Maybe for some but not even close for most. It’s a about time. When there is PvP all other things must stop until the PvP is over. Not everyone has time for that. If PvP isn’t the “current” priority PvP is wasting time.
On a pve server you always know in the back of your mind you have a safety net to catch you. You could unflag yourself whenever you want. So it doesn’t give the same level of excitement plus you have to wait for someone to attack you.
That’s actually very well spoken. I have anxiety disorders so when I see “red” I most definitely don’t get any fun feels out of it. More like, “oop, now I gotta panic, die to panicking, and forget about what I was doing for the next X minutes while I sort this all out.” That kind of game just isn’t fun for me, it triggers my anxiety like a b-i that’s why I moved my last PvP character probably close to 10 years ago after I went in the hospital for that and other mental illnesses. It was fun sometimes, until it just wasn’t.
And no, WoW PvP didn’t send me to the hospital, it was RL that did that.
Playing wow on a PvE server is basically the following:
1, 2, 1, 2, 3, wand/autoattack - mob dies
Repeat literally 10,000 times
Things change a bit when you raid or if you make some friends. Then the enjoyment comes from interactions with others - it is not the game that is actually fun though
On a PvP server its:
1, 2, 1, 2, 3… wait I’m being attacked, time to use all the other skills/abilities in my arsenal. It is a challenge because you a fighting another mind and not a scripted battle. There is the excitement because you didn’t choose where / when this happened.
It also opens up entirely new experiences - you’ll find yourself pausing a quest change to help some guy in chat get revenge on his gankers. This can snowball into the epic southshore battles of old. On a PvP server the leveling experience is a lot more fun than end game because of this - on PvE it is a rush to level 60 because that is when the game “starts”.
PVP is awesome is what makes wow alive and the world alive. You are around the world doing quest or with your friends and you could attack other players that’s one satisfaction i love… Ai is boring. Unless they are supper hard. Plus having a competence of nodes and feeling accomplishment gives you that feel
I’ve played on PvP servers exclusively since Vanilla.
First and foremost, the ganking is exaggerated. However, if you’re the type of person that feels getting ganked even once is unacceptable, you probably won’t have fun, because you will eventually get ganked. All in all, it’s not that big of a deal, you get killed, run back and continue playing. On the rare off chance the ganker wants to camp you, just alt-tab our or go take a bio break. These types are generally simple and after 5-10 minutes 99% will get bored and leave.
You might ask, why would I even put up with that when I can just carebear up to 60 and never get ganked? Because the excitement or entering a contested zone and the heightened senses you have when playing is totally worth it. It’s like playing a completely different game. On top of this, one day, someone will choose a fight with you and you’ll kill them. The sense of victory after that happens is indescribable. Also just same(ish)-level PvP can be extremely fun and can break up the grind.
There’s a member of the opposite faction tagging a mob you need or a resource node you want. If you’re on a PvE server, you wait for them to finish, and /wave them off as they leave.
On a PvP server, make them earn it.
The choice is clear, don’t roll PvE unless.
You just can’t handle being killed by another player.
I’m going to roll pve. I don’t mind pvp per se, I’m just not always in the mood for it. When out and about farming, I just want to relax. Don’t need the added stress after a long day and having to have a eye on each finger. Sit back, cold beer, feet up, chat with guildies while farming or grinding mobs. Gankers specifically I have no time for. No honour and a lousy attitude, pfftt!
Doesn’t mean I won’t pvp though. Wpvp, arenas and BG’s are all there if I want. Or I can just stir up some commotion myself. Just hit the flight-master in Barrens and see all the little hordies pour out from Oggrimmar. But my main focus is deffo pve content, as I find that the most interesting. To each their own.
That’s… correct? Just like predators in the wild? Do the lions go after the strongest, fittest water buffalo or do they circle that old one with the bad leg that’s easy to separate from the pack? Predators in the wild absolutely go after “safer” or “softer” targets.
On a PvP realm I generally don’t engage people I know I have a 100% chance of losing to. If I’m on my 52 Spriest at a level 60 fully T2 geared warlock rolls up, yeah… I’m gonna go ahead and ignore that guy…
If you want a challenge, go outside of Org or Iron Forge and duel the best geared, highest ranked and most renowned players on your server of the various classes. If you want edge-of-your-seat action do some premade BGs against other premades…
When I’m looking to gank some booty in world PvP, you best believe I’m hunting for the weak gazelle. And that makes the “wild predator” analogy quite appropriate.
You know what’s really going to blow your mind? That you can be the lion to one player and the gazelle to another…
Sure sure, sure, tell that to the new or inexperienced players. The ones in route to improve their skills and gear. Zero chance of winning if they PvP.
The ability to destroy is earned. The time needed to earn it is higher priority to many.
I get it. I’d rather just leave that for real life. It’s like going to the grocery store to get bread for sammiches but a group of people come in guns blazing. I’m just there to relax and get some stuff and don’t need these yahoos coming in and ruining my day. This is a pvp server in a nut shell.
Yeah, tbh this is kind of lame IMO. PvP players used to make these threads poking at PvE players all the time and it was lame then… Lately for some reason PvE players have started antagonizing PvP players though.
Not sure why people can’t just enjoy what they enjoy and let other people be happy doing what they like as well.
![:roll_eyes:](https://d38bqls1q93fod.cloudfront.net/en/wow/images/emoji/twitter/roll_eyes.png?v=6" ":roll_eyes:")
![:laughing:](https://d38bqls1q93fod.cloudfront.net/en/wow/images/emoji/twitter/laughing.png?v=6" ":laughing:")