Let me interject here:
I see people allude to winning/losing more for being on a particular GC. This hasn't been true or valid since 3.5 when the Frontline Freelancer option was added. It truly doesn't matter what GC you're on anymore. At all. We - the PvP community - asked and asked for GC restrictions to be lifted for over 2 years. This was because in order to play with friends, you'd HAVE to join the same GC. Players who wanted to play with other skilled players would HAVE to join that GC, and the scale was always left unbalanced, making matchmaking a bit more difficult, and queues longer. Lifting that restriction (and hiding it behind the Garo event - let's not be coy) VASTLY improved the queue times as now you simply need the numbers to queue, and you'll get a match. The numbers were already there. But it needs to be said: what team you're on really doesn't matter as much as who's on that team with you.
On Giving Up:
First, you're going to lose at some point. You're going to get absolutely crushed at some point. You may also be the ones doing the crushing. Once you accept this, don't worry about losses. More importantly, never give up if there's even still a chance at winning. I had a Shatter match a few weeks ago where the Adders were already within the 1500s. We (Maelstrom) lost our early lead thanks to missing a large ice (due to a base attack by the more passive Flames team), then a very failed attempt by the Adders to crush us at our own base (lol). We decided we weren't going out without a fight. We pushed them back, and had managed scavenge a 2nd place position from holding our own. We had the strength. So I led the attack. We hit Adders, but a few had given up and were ready to just sit at base and accept the loss. I told the alliance to get in the fight - that's when they saw the Adders' score was dropping, and there came the cavalry. Amid the fighting, the final, middle ice activated, and we backed off to try and score on it. If we could get enough points from it, we could eke out a win.
In the end, we fought to a draw.
Had we simply given up and accepted defeat, that'd have been that. But a draw counts as a win as far as mounts/rewards go. And a few people got theirs from that draw. And all because they didn't give up. Giving your all doesn't guarantee a win, but giving up guarantees a loss.
On AFKing and "Base Guarding" (in Shatter):
I won't mince words; TOS violations aside, if you don't have any intent to play the game mode, don't queue. There's plenty of other options for XP, better ones actually, but if you won't compete, at least don't drag down those who do want to.
Occasionally, I go in with a small group of friends and we act as a small, distractionary unit, hunting along outer areas of the map for stragglers, people that break off from their team for a small ice, and recently afks at base. We'll take them down, then take the base. If the enemy team comes charging back to their base, we scatter (often allowing flanks, luring to strategic points/ambushes, or allowing our team to go secure an objective in the process). AFKers, you're effectively a points loss. If you continue to charge back in alone, you're a point farm. Say there's 3 of you, and we take you all out at least twice (which has happened), that's 60 points. You've nearly cost your team the same net gain from a small ice uncontested (70 points). Now ask yourself this: despite the TOS violation, and now with potential XP on the line, do you really want to be that guy who costs 23 other people their XP gains, let alone the win?
I don't say this to scare or deter anyone from enjoying PvP. I do however say - as someone who really enjoys PvP - that the selfish act of afking can (and will) be used against you. Don't be that guy.


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