Why is skill level in pvp this low?

[Guesswhat]

...
Of all the games I've played this have to be the game with the lowest average skill level in regards to pvp (especially in frontline).

Just today, I've had 2 matches (shatter) where about half of the dps in my party deals very low damage. And healers don't use pvp skills.

I don't see the same ridiculous low skill level nearly as often in pve.

The obvious answer would be that the game itself discourages people to pvp, making it more of a thing the average players does once a day at most. PvP is too much "hidden".
Still, I don't feel like this is an adequate answer, considering most of the time (recently at least) about half of my teams in frontline have been a continuous dead weight.

In the end I guess I just needed to rant/vent some more. I'm not that good myself, but compared to what I'm talking about I'm a god. If the team is bad I also find it hard not to be influenced by it.

[NovaLevossida]

So long as GC restrictions are in place, most just aren't going to care or even queue for it. Most don't have any aspirations for the Feast because Frontlines queues run them away.

As for PvE, the duty finder is terrible. There's entirely too many melees who never AoE.

[KenjiMuyo]

The average pvp skill level in this game is low because you have no opportunity to practice pvp in this game until level 60, and even then you have to wade through long queues just to be faced with typically vastly more experienced opponents making learning as a new player difficult. This high barrier for entry and enjoyment creates a 2 tier system where you're either near the top or you're bottom of the barrel compared to the overall population of players.

[Cynric]

Its not just pvp. The players in this game have the lowest level of skill in any game Ive ever played period in general. I don't think there's any way to really fix it either

[Februs]

The obvious answer would be that the game itself discourages people to pvp, making it more of a thing the average players does once a day at most. PvP is too much "hidden"

This right here is a big part of it. Very few people who play this game actually queue for PvP and therefore have almost no experience with how it's done or any of it's features (such as PvP skills). Those of us who do PvP suffer through extremely long queue times, so the amount of practice and experience we get is limited as well.

Front Lines, in particular, is the absolute worst place to look for skilled players, because the entire game mode is designed to be face-rolled. Party composition and individual skill mean next to nothing in a game mode that has 24-72 people in it. It's basically PvP for the lazy and casual. You don't have to work hard at anything, because your team will carry you. If your team fails to carry you, then it's their fault for sucking ... < insert nonsensical and circular reasoning here >etc. Most people who queue for FL don't take those matches seriously, and SE doesn't really give them a reason to. Rewards are practically the same between 1st place and 3rd place, so there's no incentive to actually try and win. Worse yet, I suspect that if there was incentives to win, most FL players would outright quit because they'd be afraid of real competition. It's similar to the difference between people who run Alexander and Alexander Savage. Not everyone wants to put their nose to the grindstone, and you can't expect maximum effort out of people who go out of their way to stay in the kiddy corner.

[Zojha]

Its not just pvp. The players in this game have the lowest level of skill in any game Ive ever played period in general. I don't think there's any way to really fix it either

League of Legends was much, much, muuuuuuuuch worse. You could easily get into gold (top 30%) without even having runes nor masteries. For platinum (top 10%), having masteries and half a runepage sufficed.

Player skill has crept up considerably over the last years of course. These days, you don't have to actively "try" to get into bronze. But gee...

You don't have to work hard at anything, because your team will carry you.

And if everyone is that way...who actually carries?

[Guesswhat]

The average pvp skill level in this game is low because you have no opportunity to practice pvp in this game until level 60, and even then you have to wade through long queues just to be faced with typically vastly more experienced opponents making learning as a new player difficult. This high barrier for entry and enjoyment creates a 2 tier system where you're either near the top or you're bottom of the barrel compared to the overall population of players.

What I mean by "hidden" I guess.

< insert nonsensical and circular reasoning here >

ok

...And if everyone is that way...who actually carries?

lol

[FunkYeahDragons]

Don't forget the massive numbers of people retiring or unsubbing. Half my friends list from earlier this year.

[Berilein]

there is nowhere to practice except frontline which is nothing like feast. so if you go into feast looking for practice you get nothing but abuse. I cant see people sticking around for that the most of the people raging in caps or hurling abuse are just as bad as the one there abusing, except there worse cause there attitude is worse too

[Chilla]

Don't forget the massive numbers of people retiring or unsubbing. Half my friends list from earlier this year.

Seeing how SE time and time again continues to ignore all PVP related feedback it's no surprise that people are quitting. They continue to make it clear to us that PVP is at rock bottom of their priority list.

Why should serious PVPers invest time in a game where the developer doesn't do the same?

It will only get worse towards the end of August when the new PVP-centric expansion for the most popular MMO is released.