World of Warcraft - The Good and the Dark Side of Playing a Priest
Recommend choosing a PvP realm if you have limited playtime. PvE servers have it so much easier as far as questing solo in contested territories. I can only imagine how much easier it would be to quest in zones like Hillsbrad Foothills and Stranglethorn Vale without the fear of being ganked every few minutes. And as you can see above, my time in Borean Tundra hasn't been exactly gank-free.
But there are at least three reasons to join a PvP server as a casual player:
You love PvP. Captain Obvious says that if PvP is your idea of fun, no matter how much time you have to play, then a PvP realm is for you.
It feels more authentic. It's like you are constantly involved in the Horde vs. Alliance conflict. After all, the roots of the game are in the Warcraft series of real time strategy games where you try get your stuff done while in constant danger from your enemies. If you play on a PvP realm for a while and then go PvE, it feels a little like cheating.
All of your friends and family are playing on a PvP server. If you have established WoW gaming friends and they all choose a PvP realm, it's hard to be the lone PvE holdout and miss out on all the camaraderie and group fun.
I'm on my realm for both reasons 2 and 3, though mostly the latter. The Spousal Unit up and rerolled on a PvP realm, also switching from Alliance to Horde, while I was suffering from morning sickness for a few months. (In-game travel of any kind set off the nausea. I got a lot of Civ playing done instead.) Over time, I have picked up some tips and tricks to enjoying myself while braving the dangers of player-killing.
The Buddy System
Most PKers in quest areas go for the easy prey. If you are questing with a buddy, you are less likely to have to take time out to defend yourself and more likely to be successful if you do. Questing with a friend, family member or significant other is also a great way to mix WoW time with together time.
Keep your Defense Channels activated
The Defense Channels get really, really spammy, but the information they contain are invaluable. When you are choosing where to quest for your playsession, the World Defense Channel will tell you where not to go. When you are questing in the wild, the Local Defense Channel announces when to avoid the town. Some people will also use Local Defense to coordinate defensive efforts. (Yay! A channel that functions as originally designed!)
Call out the gankers
Using Local Defense preferably, or a combo of that channel and General, you should always notify the zone of the whereabouts of gankers. High levels often come to questing areas to eke out revenge for current or past deaths and will be happy to come to your aid. Announcing the PKers also warns fellow questers of possible attacks incoming.
Camp a high level character nearby
If you are leveling an alt and have another character that is at or near max level, then camping your high level at the local inn is great for revenge as necessary. Or you could ask a guildie with multiple uber-geared characters to park one of them nearby for protection when he or she is available. I am fortunate that The Spousal Unit enjoys taking breaks from activities when not raiding to come and thump meanies who are picking on me. Awwww. Friends and guildies who are in the middle of instances, however, cannot take vengeance breaks for you, so always check their whereabouts in your Friends and Guilds lists before asking.
Quest trouble zones at higher levels
Highly contested zones like Hillsbrad Foothills and Stranglethorn Vale are best explored when the quests and mobs are green to you. In general, this philosophy makes questing faster, but it is also helpful when you need to defend yourself with mobs around. Green mob aggro is of course not as dangerous as yellow or higher mob aggro, when in an impromptu PvP battle.
Quest trouble zones during off hours
Scheduling your playtime during quiet hours on your server is a double edged sword. On the one hand, there are fewer gankers. On the other hand, there are fewer defenders. In general, however, a highly contested zone is less gankeriffic when there are fewer players on the server overall.
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