Open World PvP

[Fyrebrand]

So why did you (and others) roll on a PvP server in the first place?

Speaking from my own experience, World of Warcraft was my first MMORPG. I didn't really understand what the game was all about, just that all my friends were playing it and they wanted me to join them. I didn't know what a "PvE" versus a "PvP" server even was, I just knew what server my friends were on so I had to roll a character on that one. I knew there were two factions, Horde and Alliance, and the whole gimmick of the game was that those two sides were at war so I assumed players being able to freely kill each other was just a part of the game you couldn't opt out of. I played Horde, not because I wanted to, but because my friends played Horde. I played a Paladin because it seemed like some kind of armored fighter with a bit of magic, not because I knew I'd eventually get reluctantly shoehorned into my group's healer role (and be really bad at it).

I mean, there were definitely moments of the open-world PvP experience that were exciting. Those rare occasions when I'd have a rivalry with somebody of the opposing faction who was questing in the same area as me, and we'd kill each other back and forth when we could. Those times when we'd get a bit group together and try and raid an entire city and kill their leaders. When I'd see a high-level jerk ganking newbs and I'd swoop in to protect them and get revenge in their name. Just the perpetual sense of risk and danger, added a unique thrill to every moment out in the open. It certainly wasn't all bad. But one or two times where you're just trying to get quests done, and higher-level gangs of jerks perpetually hang around and kill you, and all the quest NPCs, and you basically can't get anything done or even play the game to any serious extent..? Yeah, that was quite enough of that. I've had my fill of those days, to last a lifetime. Whatever benefits there are to an open-PvP environment, I feel are vastly outweighed by the burdens and annoyances.

Many years later, after my friends and I had largely stopped playing WoW, I got a bit nostalgic and went back to the game to fool around on my own for a bit. That was when I actually got to choose a server, and lo and behold: "Wait, you can play on a NON-PVP SERVER!? WTF!? YES PLEASE!!!" Things went quite differently, when I had some past experiences under my belt and was finally able to make an informed decision for myself.