Is it too late to get into PVP?

[Sentaryuu]

I will probably try Feast, but I want to know if there is anything I should know before I try. I don't know if there are any good starter guides.

[Februs]

I will probably try Feast, but I want to know if there is anything I should know before I try. I don't know if there are any good starter guides.

You said you're interested in Feast, so, come Thursday, I'd recommend beginning in the casual matches (Unranked 8v8) and getting a feel for the game mode. Queue times should be spectacular, since almost everyone will be playing this mode until the official season starts (at which time, the more committed PvP'ers will be swapping over to ranked matches). Other than that, the best we can offer you is very generic advice.

I wouldn't worry about gear too much, because PvP gear is handicapped by the level sync. If morale bonuses applied, or the item level sync was higher, than it would be a different story. As things are now, though, the PvE gear more than exceeds the level cap, so you should be good regardless of what you wear, so long as your outfit is roughly ilvl 200 or above. The only real advantage PvP gear will offer is in the form of slightly better secondary stats, as they are specifically tuned for PvP, but it's hardly noticeable.

In regards to gameplay, the main challenge you are likely to face is adapting your mindset to the style of the game. Unlike PvE, none of the fights are scripted, so you have to think on your feet and adapt to changes accordingly. You also have to be twice as mobile. Players don't just stand in front of each other, civil war style, and exchange blows. They move. They Flank. They target the squishy people first (ranged/healers/casters). A lot of fresh PvP'ers tend to get caught off guard at just how much scurrying around there is and get outmaneuvered; so, be prepared. Effective range and positioning (in the case of ranged or casters) is something you have to be constantly aware of to both land hits and heals as well as keep yourself out of danger.

After that, it really depends on what job you hope to play as. I'm assuming Sch, since it's your main. If that's the case, then be prepared for a much different type of healing. Firstly, you have aggro. Almost everyone tries to butcher the healer (another good reason to start in 8v8 rather than 4v4), so you'll have to learn to heal while constantly running for your life, especially at the start of the match before heavy medal debuffs start applying. Breaking line of sight comes in handy by giving you tiny breathers to heal up.

You should also be aware that healing itself is handled very differently in PvP. Dmg isn't distributed the same way as in PvE. Everyone is fair game, so you really have to know who the enemy team is targeting if you want to keep them up, and you have to be ready to swap to someone new at a moment's notice if the enemy suddenly decides to swap targets on you (which often happens when they realize the target they are dps'ing is getting direct heals). Knowing when to buff, when to HoT, and when to power focus a teammate takes practice, so don't get discouraged if you have trouble keeping up the first few times. Like any job in PvP, there are a lot of different tactics that you really will only learn with experience.

The last thing that I would recommend is to pay attention to your PvP rank. As you go up, you'll get AP points to spend on PvP specific abilities. These abilities go miles for your in-match utility, and you should not neglect them. In fact, if you start to take a liking to PvP and play often, you might want to consider setting up PvP specific hotbars which contain your PvP skills and your most commonly used PvE skills, just to keep everything you need in a match in the same spot.

Other than that, I'm not sure what else we can offer you without having slightly more specific questions. Good luck, and have fun trying it out.

[Vaeria]

In short, just throw any preconceived notions from PvE out the door, enter the room with your pants around your ankles and bend over the nearest desk and hold tightly. Pvp's a fickle thing no matter how much advice ya get but if youre still here a day or 2 later, your in plain and simple.