The Like/Hate thread (WoW)

[Ashe]

It is and it isn't. Its based on a game that is and isn't as well. As in, Warcraft games have always had multiplayer options and great "pvp" in that element, but it was built on advancing a story campaign first and foremost. I'd say the same thing about WoW as it was originally concepted and developed to compete with the champion of the time, EverQuest, which was strictly PvE (no, seriously, entirely, as in the PvP was an absolute joke and there was no attempts even made to balance PKing). The PvP game of that exact time was Ultima Online, which if you notice, WoW barely has any elements of while it (in vanilla) began as a more casual version of EQ (note the original long travel times/high level reqs on mounts/massive raid parties/etc).

I enjoy PvP in WoW occasionally, of both the arena and bg variety, but I think I enjoy arena more. Is it frustrating? Yeah, what competitive atmosphere isn't? But I do confess that I greatly enjoy PvE content more in this specific game. I very very very rarely will gank someone, and if I do, its almost exclusively me on another lower level character doing it more for experimental reasons than anything. As far as setting aside a portion of my day just to corpse camp some lowbie (though getting corpse camped on EQ actually took it to an entire new level - your shit was gone completely in 24 hours and you had to run to said corpse completely naked and hope nothing aggro'd as you had to actually zone to drop threat if you did) goes, nah, I'm really not the griefing type. I can kill someone once, maybe twice, but then move along. Whereas if I try to do something that takes a bit of time (like solo a tough elite), the other guy will almost always wait until I finally get like three seconds from completing my goal before jumping in and decimating me, /spit, then wash/rinse/repeat three more times in a row till I finally just move on. Which occasionally now actually has them jump on a character of my own faction to then message me with "u mad bro? lawl noob GET OWNED. u rage and run away?" till I have to block them. I don't consider that actual pvp so much as internet raging.

Just ten years ago these people would be trying to get into clans like Myg0t and would be a complete public disgrace, a total joke amongst most. Now they are a very vocal crowd that almost looks like the majority (until you realize the actual majority never touch the forums or talk in chat - for this exact reason).