World PVP in WOW has boiled down to a few hard and fast rules. No matter if you are Horde or Alliance, here are a few tips to make your life easier when getting your feet wet in WOW’s World PVP scene again.
Rule I. Don’t get camped: As much as there are constant stories about players getting camped for multiple hours in WOW. There are actually a lot of things the player can do to make it next to impossible for the aggressor to keep them locked down.
First, you should never raise directly in their line of sight or where the enemy is facing. Aim for natural cover in structures or behind trees. You never make it easy for them to take you out and always make it harder for them to control your respawn point.
Second, be aware of the terrain you are respawning in. If there is water for you to move towards to respawn under, or a cliff for you to Goblin Glide off of, you make it next to impossible for them to stop you from respawning. Even if it takes multiple tries, treat getting away like a chess match, thinking multiple moves ahead. If you do so, you can not only get away, but often complete objectives right under the nose of an enemy force.
Third, be aware that invisibility potions when combined with steps one and two of Rule I above. This will allow you to use a flight whistle or a hearthstone to get away. Very few enemies can really counter this if you play it smart and the only cost is the 10 minute global cool down on average.
Rule II. Learn to get in touch with your own Batman or Batgirl: Be like Bruce Wayne or Barbara Gordon, you should use tools beyond your own racial or class abilities to get you through enemy players. This can give you the element of surprise or bridging ability to move past people when you are heavily outnumbered.
This won’t be an exhaustive list, but here’s just of few items for any character to consider (sadly, I’ve had to remove wowhead links to each to post):
Goblin Gliders Kit: You can use these devices anywhere and use them if you are dismounted while flying on any toon. These are very good for evading or pursuing in hard to reach places.
Net-o-Matic 5000: “Use: Dismounts an enemy player from their flying mount. Can only be used while within War Mode.” As noted by Druidwolf (627 – 7·8 ) on 2018/08/08 (Patch 8.0.1) “Range - 100 yard range, Cast time - 3 second cast time, Cooldown - 10 second Cooldown, Unlimited uses and it is character bound”
Draenic Invisibility Potion: 18 seconds of invisibility is a lot of time to get a better position or hearthstone/flight whistle. Just be aware of the global cool down.
As noted by Aisenfaire (33,714 – 5·37·300) on 2016/11/29 (Patch 7.1.0):
“Comparison table for the invisibility potions currently available:
Potion / Cooldown / Duration / Mobs Visible to You
Demitri’s Draught of Deception / 10 min / 18 sec / TBA
Skaggldrynk / 10 min / 18 sec / Yes
Draenic Invisibility Potion / 10 min / 18 sec / No
Invisibility Potion / 10 min / 18 sec / No
Lesser Invisibility Potion / 10 min / 15 sec / No”
Also note that four Commander Draenic Invisibility Potions are available for free per day from any level Three Garrison Alchemy Lab Follower in a daily quest.
Draenic Swiftness Potion: “Increases movement speed by 70% and swim speed by 200%. Lasts 8 sec.” Also note that four Commander Draenic Swiftness Potion are available for free per day from any level Three Garrison Alchemy Lab Follower in a daily quest. There are several other swiftness potions and devices that may be of help when needed.
Draenic Water Walking Elixir: “Allows you to walk across water for 10 min. Any damage will cancel the effect. Guardian elixir.” This functions just like the Death Knight ability of Path of Frost. You can literally ride mounts on water to hit an objective or flank an enemy from an unusual position with this.
Draenic Water Breathing Elixir: “Use: Allows you to breathe water for 1 hour. (3 Sec Cooldown)” This can allow you to slip past large amounts of enemy troops and even drown some players if they fight you under water.
Shimmerscale Diving Helmet: “Use: Don a scuba helm allowing you to breathe underwater. Lasts 15 min.”
Shimmerscale Diving Suit: “Use: Don a scuba suit, increasing your swim speed by 100%. Lasts 15 min.”
Coarse Leather Barding: “Use: Prevents the player from being dazed while mounted in Kul Tiras or Zandalar for 2 hrs.”
Drums of the Maelstrom: “Use: Increases Haste by 25% for all party and raid members. Lasts 40 sec.”
Monel-Hardened Stirrups: “Use: Place stirrups onto your mount, allowing you to interact while mounted in Kul Tiras or Zandalar for 2 hrs.”
This isn’t an exhaustive list. Haunt actually mass packs these items in our guild bank, so any of our players can World PVP on any class, in any spec. This also opens up being able to use the guild bank “Mobile Banking” perk to restock in the field.
Rule III. Your professions can also be a part of your Utility Belt:
Engineering: Nitro Boosts (Engineer Profession): “Permanently attaches nitro boosts to your belt, allowing you to increase run speed for a few seconds. Duration and speed may vary. (2 Min Cooldown). Nitro boosts share a cooldown with potions. Profession Trainer: Northrend Engineering (40)”
Engineering: “Flexweave Underlay Tinkers 5 sec cast Permanently attaches a flexweave underlay to a cloak, allowing you to turn the cloak into a parachute and fall slowly for 30 sec. The cloak can only be used once a minute and requires an Engineering skill of at least 350.” Profession Trainer: Northrend Engineering (40) Outland Engineering (50)
Tailoring: Feathery Spellthread “Permanently embroiders your cloak with feathery spellthread, allowing you to fall farther before taking damage. Only the tailor’s cloak can be embroidered, and doing so will cause them to become soulbound.”
Tailoring: Resilient Spellthread “Permanently embroiders your cloak with resilient spellthread, preventing you from being dazed while running or walking in Kul Tiras or Zandalar. Only the tailor’s cloak can be embroidered, and doing so will cause them to become soulbound.”
Tailoring: Hooked Deep Sea Net Use: Roots a target up to 0 to 35 yards in a net for 3 sec. (1 Min Cooldown)
Tailoring: Tidespray Linen Net “Use: Slows a target up to 0 to 35 yards away by 75% in a net for 5 sec. (1 Min Cooldown)”
Enchanting: Safe Hearthing “Permanently enchants bracers to create an absorb shield around you while using your Hearthstone on Kul Tiras or Zandalar. Only the enchanter’s bracers can be enchanted, and doing so will cause them to become soulbound.”
Again, this is just a few items.
Rule IV. You need to get in the right head space: You are going into what World of Warcraft was in the early days of vanilla, before raiding created power creep in the PVP realms.
This might not be what you are used to. However, this is what pvp players have wanted back in WOW since for more than 12 years. It might be an adjustment, but give it a chance.
Here’s the youtuber Nixxom recounting this time for you:
Rule V. Don’t use your class as an excuse:
"Improvise, Adapt, Overcome” - unofficial slogan of the U.S. Marine Corps
I know that WOW posters will get mad at me saying this, but any properly played class is viable for World PVP. I’m being honest here, people have been complaining about their classes since the early days of vanilla wow to varying degrees of truth through expansions.
Since many of my fellow horde players seem to think that running through the current meta is impossible, I’ll put myself out there as an example. Here’s the six characters I run through every through every Alliance camped BFA Invasion objective, if I have at least 2 hours on the clock:
Discipline Priest: https://worldofwarcraft.com/en-us/character/jaedenar/Låylyn
Fire Mage: https://worldofwarcraft.com/en-us/character/jaedenar/Laylyn
Holy Paladin: https://worldofwarcraft.com/en-us/character/jaedenar/Lâylyn
Havoc Demon Hunter: https://worldofwarcraft.com/en-us/character/jaedenar/Laylynlafae
Mist Weaver Monk: https://worldofwarcraft.com/en-us/character/jaedenar/Layllyn
Fury Warrior: https://worldofwarcraft.com/en-us/character/jaedenar/Llayllnn
Due to Rule II above you can standardize tactics to get past larger enemy groups. You can even wrack up several enemy kills along the way.
For the record, I’m looking to also add two more healers to get a good feel for all five of WOW’s healing classes in end game content.
Between February and March I’d like to do a Restoration Shaman: https://worldofwarcraft.com/en-us/character/jaedenar/Laylyngold
Between April and May I’d like to finish up a Restoration Druid: https://worldofwarcraft.com/en-us/character/jaedenar/Layllynn
Your class can work, you might just have to adjust your play style, your talents, and read the field.
Rule VI. Your talents might need to be adjusted: In 2003-2004’s SWG, my server’s majority blue side Rebellion players tended to have very good dueling builds, but almost nothing centered on team play. As we were outnumbered 3 to 1 on my server, the red side Imperial players were crushed into using team builds that were force multipliers. As such, once organized, we won the overwhelming majority of fights over bases to the point the other side literally gave up at a certain point.
I bring this up as that a top end talent spec meant for arena, might do better with a change or two for world pvp, if the abilities and strategy might be changing from confined space to open world. The same goes for pve builds that will include pvp abilities that wouldn’t be a part of raiding.
Tinker and figure out what you are using. You need to find the best balance for what you can use in the often faster pace action of World PVP. Points in abilities you aren’t going to cast are a waste. This has never been popular opinion in WOW, but it is the difference between victory and defeat more often than most think.
Rule VII. Learn the Maps: World PVP takes a lot more thought than running the same old dungeon or battleground.
This will allow you to use the terrain to move out of sight and get to objectives. It may also allow for you to successfully use choke points in group versus group combat. Right now, the Alliance has been doing this best from what I’ve seen.
Rule VIII. When possible for a team, create targeting complications for your opponents: Just like real life fighter aircraft, teams that can should make use of swarms of combat pets (normally death knights, warlocks and hunters) to hide there team numbers in tab target.
This isn’t limited to pets. Rogues can cause the enemy issues with Shroud of Concealment. Demon Hunters can cut accuracy with Darkness. These are just a few examples.
Good teams can reduce their opponents chances with good play and counter play. This is hard with pick up groups, but progressively easier with teams that get used to working together. Right now, the Alliance has been doing this best from what I’ve seen.
Rule IX. Use macros and key binds to enhance your response time:
Healers should consider compressing attack and heal buttons. DPS and Tanks might consider stringing attacks. Response times are life and death.
Rule X. Use mods to enhance your response time:
As a healer I can tell you that the Alliance can be brutal to deal with due to the heavy use of “All Healers Must Die”. https://us.battle.net/forums/en/wow/topic/20766776826 When I Merc in BGs, it is pretty much a vacation by comparison. The Horde is lagging behind on this.
Rule XI. Be a good sport:
“Our greatest strength lies not in never having fallen, but in rising every time we fall.” -Confucius
“Nobody always wins a fight” - Bruce Lee
People hate to lose, but a balanced game actually tends to go towards 50/50 win to loss ratio. Thus, there will be times that you are the bug. There are times you will be the windshield.
So aim to be a good sport, if you win or lose. That said, you are human and you aren’t always going to be at your best.
We actually need both blue and red side to have a game. When you are able to be a good sport, it’s best to be. After all we’re better off growing the number of world pvpers on both sides than a declining number on either.
Rule XII. It’s your job to keep learning and growing: Really, it is up to the person between the keyboard and the chair to keep learning and growing stronger. Make the most of your time in game and thus make the most of your gaming experience.
In that spirit, I’ll open this up to both Alliance and Horde to add even more opinions and suggestions. There are many wiser than I on both sides that may have something to add.
No matter what side you are on, keep kicking butt out there. That’s my 2 cents, your mileage may vary.
/salute