An Open Invitation (with Guidelines)

With the major changes coming to PvP in Stormblood, many players, both veterans and newer combatants alike share a mix of interest and concerns. The changes are designed with the intent to allow more ease in learning how PvP works to attract more players, and addressing other long-running issues. As a veteran PvPer, I would like to extend an open invitation to FFXIV’s PvP, albeit with some important-but-rarely-spoken conditions. Before I get into that, I want to touch upon the fact that many players have a distaste and aversion to PvP, some to the extremes of feeling like it has no place in this game, and many without even trying it, or purely basing their opinion on experiences from other games. This is effectively wrong, and needs to be set aside if you will at all give it a chance and possibly hope to enjoy it. Seeing the sheer amount of disinterest, and disrespect in the comments during the PvP section of the Live Letter (that was entirely about the battle system changes of Stormblood – which would include PvP), and from people who largely have no frame of reference was rather disappointing. FFXIV’s PvP, while not perfect, owes much of its bad reputation to very bad PR, born from a lot of misunderstanding and word of mouth. While I can’t and won’t speak for the PvP community, I would like to at least offer my experience to support what’s said here. Foreword aside, let’s get started.

To all who may be interested:

PvP is a competition: Please understand that the end result of this content will always involve a winner and a loser. If you lack the will to compete, you will be at a serious disadvantage, and almost guaranteed lose. Certain modes offer point objectives that can be pursued without directly engaging other players in combat, but these objectives are simply part of the whole. At the core, you are in direct competition with other players; if you want to win, you have to be ready to compete.

Come with an Open Mind: I feel like this is so important it should’ve been mentioned first. Many players half-heartedly approach PvP, or enter with their minds already set that they will not have a good time. Some enter with the intent to underperform or find ways to do as little as possible, but still reap rewards, win or lose. Subconsciously, this demoralizes both you and your team and brings down your performance. Do not do this. While being newer and going up against more experienced players can be discouraging sometimes, pay attention, look at what those players are doing (or NOT doing) and follow their lead. They aren’t just naturally good. A lot of time and effort (and patience) went into the skill you see executed there. Just as trials and raids may take several wipes and failures to learn, so too have the winningest players suffered losses and failures. The difference is they keep an open mind and won’t let one failure or one bad experience decide what PvP in FFXIV is, or what it means to them. Also, what experiences you've had in other games, please leave in other games, especially if they were negative. Metaphorically, don't condition yourself to hate pumpkin pie simply because you had a bad slice of apple pie once before.

There IS a PvP Community: And we don’t like being belittled, looked down upon, or treated like we don’t matter or don’t exist just as much as any other players of this game. In relation to that, we are not largely toxic or just looking to ruin any unsuspecting person’s day, despite what bad PR is out there. We just simply like a different aspect of the game that we feel deserves more attention and support than it gets – which is currently far less than all other aspects of the game get. We ARE competitive, and passionate at that. Disrespect isn’t tolerated. Cheating and exploitation (i.e. afking in the name of “base guarding”, wintrading, speedhacking, or using third party software – regardless of how overlooked it may be) is despised, and where SE may perhaps not take action on it, we will within our means. I don’t say this to discourage, but to say if you want to enjoy PvP, do so in an earnest and open-minded manner. There ARE bad apples, yes, but they exist even in the PvE aspects of the game, and between both, they are equally not fun to deal with. Just as you won’t let someone who sneaks into a farm party for a clear speak for players who have trouble getting clears, or a bad/rude tank speak for all tanks in duties, don’t assume one bad PvPer attitude is the status quo of all of us.

Teamwork is Essential: It might seem obvious to say, but I can’t stress enough – just as failure to work as a team can make even the easiest PvE instance twice as hard, it makes winning in PvP impossible if you don’t work together. Yes, there are differences in playstyles among players/groups, and how a job plays in PvP vs PvE can sometimes be drastically different (i.e. Healers are not expected to DPS, nor is it particularly encouraged), but in the end, you HAVE to work together to win. If a team or player shows a strong capability to do something that works, back them up, even if you might not understand how/why they’re doing it. Similarly, if corrected on small matters that can make a big difference, don’t take it as a scathing criticism of your ability to perform your job (Important Note: This IS a 2-way street, and the person offering the advice shouldn’t belittle or disrespect you either.)

Knowledge is Power: This is true even for PvE, but in the case of PvP, many things work differently than they might in PvE and you owe it to yourself to “know the fight” so as to minimize avoidable problems. Getting hit while riding a mount applies a Heavy debuff on you, which only makes it harder to escape if you’re engaged. Healers have an instant PvP Raise ability that doesn’t grant weakness. All Dexterity jobs have a detection skill. All melees have Fetter Ward, which prevents you from being stunned or bound during its duration. All tanks have Push Back, a skill that works quite similar to Warrior’s Vengeance (and in WAR’s case, CAN stack with Vengeance). Currently, many skills that seem useless in PvE are very useful in PvP (i.e. Freeze, One Ilm Punch, Shadowbind, etc. – These are of course subject to the coming changes.) The information you need to be successful is widely available. Ask fellow players or run a simple web search and you’ll find all this and more.

Premades: First, there is nothing wrong with premades. Many players who’ve played both with and against each other come to recognize each other’s skills and team up to augment said skills. Furthermore, these players enjoy the increased challenge and thrill of facing off against each other with combined strengths. If you were to make a PvE comparison, they are people who create parties they can rely upon rather than simply leaving it up to the Duty Finder to give them a capable party. That said, they are NOT invincible. The only benefit of premades is easier coordination. A team of random players that are willing to listen and cooperate can beat a premade, and I have personally been on both sides of that statement many times before. Do not be demoralized at the news of a premade. Instead, rise to the challenge. Take note of who you’re with, and who you’re facing. NETWORK. Talk to other players. Was that random healer you had really good? Are they on your server? Go find them, and offer to team up together. Then find another one. And another one. And another. . . Congratulations, you’ve created a premade of your own. Create a linkshell, invite those players and others who might be interested. Talk to each other, play together, practice. You will all be better for it.

I apologize for such a long post, but I hoped to have touched upon some of the more misunderstood/misrepresented points about PvP, and again, invite any and all to give it a try, both now and when the Stormblood changes arrive. If you’re on Aether data center, especially Goblin, I’m happy to answer any questions you might have personally or offer what I can to help you have a good/better PvP experience. All I ask is that you remain open minded and be ready to give it your best no matter what. Thank you for reading this far if you have, and I’ll see you in Stormblood!