Jul 8
Wherein I Learn Why They’re Called “Carebears”
As I mentioned yesterday, I transferred from a PvP server (Dark Iron) to a PvE server (Malfurion) over the weekend. Given my familiarity with the PvP ruleset, I decided to stay flagged on Malfurion. In my mind it was purely a convenience element. Running Thrallmar tokens is a lot easier when you can just ride up to the point and cap without thinking about it. I’ll also be honest: it was sort of a point of pride. I made it 64 levels on a PvP server. Sometimes, that was hard. It was a challenge. It’s not nearly as big a deal as a lot of people make it out to be, but STV was a monkey-in-a-barrel-of-pain.
Folks who have walked around flagged on a PvE server are now laughing at me because they know what’s coming. Yup: opposing faction tards wander up behind me, stealth-flag, and gank me. Usually while I’m fighting a mob. The act of wandering past an opposing faction player, killable, is an everyday occurance for a PvP server player. You see red names every day. My personal view was one of honor: I don’t attack lower levels unless they attack me first. Anything within a few levels of me is fair game, and avatars my level and higher are very much fair game.
And that’s just me, right? I got ganked by 70s all the time, never understood it but never begrudged it. There was no value to the kill, but the game mechanics allowed it. Fair game, no harm no foul. Only got corpse-camped once, and I managed to turn the tables quite deliciously on my harasser. (Hint: Never give a Subtlety Rogue a second chance. Preparation and Premeditation are a bitch.)
In just four days on my new PvE server I was constantly being ganked by people who weren’t just PvPing – they were being assholes. One Druid stealth-flagged so obviously I even knew it was coming. She saw me questing, ran around a hill, and when she came back she was red-named. I was in the middle of a fight, of course, and so her level 70 moonfire spam killed me pretty much straight off. No fight, no fighting chance and (most importantly) no warning to me that she was a threat.
In other words, PvP on a PvE server is a losing proposition. It’s a joke, it’s “care-bear” nonsense. When there’s no realistic consequence to your actions (calling in reinforcements, logging on a higher-level character) there’s no point to engaging in it. So now my name is a boring shade of blue, just like everyone else’s. I can tell you from personal experience that it was far less aggravating being PvP flagged on a PvP server that it was being PvP flagged on a PvE server.
Bit surprising, and all in all dissapointing.
13 comments13 Comments so far
I feel your pain dude. This was one of the reasons I stopped playing WoW. I honestly have no idea why they don’t change the game mechanics to stop a lot of the unfair ganking. I remember being corpse camped with my level 45 Warlock against a level 70 Druid. It was hugely unfair and a massive waste of my time. Blizzard need to change their game mechanics to prevent unfair ganking or at least introduce penalties to those that do it.
That is one of the unfortunate things about a PVE server. On the other hand, looking at it from our perspective, we wonder why anyone would be stupid enough to run around that way. I know, it’s probably not what you want to hear, but most folks will just assume you were dumb enough to leave a city after doing bg’s or something.
On the other hand, PvE isn’t all bad. You don’t typically need to watch out for people sneaking up on you, or worry that you don’t know anyone for the ‘high level come backs’. My husband and I are also on Malfurion, so it was neat to see that you had moved to our server. If you’d like to say hi, you can reach me under Halite or my alt Isharti.
Welcome!
I’ve always said it: if you are a true hardcore PvP fan looking for challenges, play on a PvE server with your PvP flag on. It will be 100x the challenge of the gank or be ganked PvP servers.
Sure there are some situations on a PvP server that are nice, but in the end there is always logoff or hearth. I’ve played PvP servers since I started WoW and I don’t think it is much harder to level on them than it is on PvE up to 60, but once in Outlands, with 70’s zipping around on epic flying mounts, it is gankerfuckfacefest and absolutely annoying.
The amount of player honour present on Shattered Hand (PvP) was astounding to me. I played exactly how you did Mike. I didn’t want to win an unfair fight. Where’s the fun in that? Several other people played that way too. STV was a pain at times, but even then I didn’t think it was that big of a deal.
I played on a PvP server because it just seemed more realistic to me. These two factions are at war with each other right? Why should they have to flag themselves to do battle in the open field?
I’ve never really cared much for games with different servers. It really segments the experience.
I like the way CCP designed EVE Online: it’s a living world, with consequences for your actions.
Michael,
It’s easier to keep your friends close…and your enemies even closer on a PvP server. :)
Eric what EVE are you playing? Consequences for what actions? Last I checked you can rip off, through dubious means, billions of ISK and CCP will just tell everyone its part of the game. Ok bad example, but the shit that asshats get away with in EVE astounds me. Actually, CCP’s approach to all the never-ending scandals forced me to quit.
I challenge you to explain “consequences” for an asshat in EVE, because last I checked it is not there and you are better off playing the part of an asshat than of an honest Joe.
People are still playing wow?
Most people on a PVE server look at flagged character as someone who is trying to stir up trouble and will gank them if they can. On my server the Horde flag on the isle of Q and try to jump into your aoe spells to get you to flag so they can kill you. Not fair either way but it seems to be the way it is.
Halite also has a point. Look at the nub lets kill them….
Oh well hope you have fun on your new server. Kara is calling your name…
So I made the same transition a while back, and experienced the same thing. Actually they don’t even need to stealth flag themselves, just deliberatly attack you, as your name shows up in a delicions shade of yellow, indicating that they can’t hurt you but you can rape them. They can follow you around blatent as all hell, just waiting for the right moment to attack and you can’t pre-emptivly strike, or make any offensive move.
Playing PVP flagged on a PVE server is alot like playing the federation in star trek, but we don’t have script writers that make sure we always find a way to come out on top.
I recently was listening to some friends on Teamspeak that decided to move all their toons to a PvE server from a PvP server. The reason for the move so they could do dailies and other quests in peace. But I soon discovered by listening to them, more tretchery that happens on a PvE server to get people flagged, than anything I’ve heard of on a PvP server.
It just sounded crazy. I mean on a PvP server you know who your dealing with, and though some people can be asshats, its pretty much a given thing that when you play on that kind of server people will be mean. But on a “Carebear server” its just evil the way people try to sneak gank you. There is more thought up into getting a person flagged so they can kill them, than an outright gankfest on a PvP server. It’s just not…honorable.
For me, I like PvP. At least you know who your enemies are.
[...] a dammed interesting post from MMOG Nation– it’s a take on what a PVPer will experience if they transfer to PVE and then stay flagged like [...]
Nice post. I always wondered how it would be to play PVP on a PVE server… now I know. I am glad I played on a PVP server from the very beginning. At least then you are prepared for how people behave. Better the devil you know…