Why do you continue to PVP?

[middling]

Ok, first I want to make clear I haven't done PVP since Wrath where I spent hours and hours in Wintergrasp and Alterac Valley and enjoyed it immensely.

For me it all went downhill from there and I haven't been back.

However, there is a big part of the wow population that still plays PVP and I am wondering what you enjoy?

I hear lots of complaints on the forums about class balance (same arguments for years and years)

I hear Ashran is a mess and there is really no point to even PVP when the factions avoid each other.

So tell me why should I start PVP? I'm looking for any good points to still do it?

What am I missing?

[ellieg]

Most people complain about balance. Yes there are balancing issues, we know this. Except for a few broken specs, most specs have classes they can regularly beat and classes they will regularly lose to. I think people focus too much on the classes they keep losing to. For example, this xpac is melee heavy, so they hate hunters. Hunters get wrecked by a few casters but not many are playing these casters so people think hunters are invincible.

Also people are too attached to one class. I understand they have played this class for 8 years and getting to school in their day was uphill both ways and other shit that doesnt matter. If your class sucks in pvp, and you used to like pvping, pick a different class.

The other reason i think people dont like pvp is because it requires a decent amount of knowledge about other classes. Imagine you didnt know what wings were on a ret. To anyone competent, you see wings you cc them or play defensively until its over. If you didnt know about wings, youd get wrecked by paladins all the time and think they were OP. Most other classes CDs arent as visible as wings so they dont know which little buff icon to look out for on the enemy portrait. People also dont know how other classes really flow. Like imagine you are hitting this destro lock and he is doing 3k damage while building up his embers. you decide you dont have to worry about him. all the sudden youre feared to the other side of the map and 3 chaos bolts come out as your running back then you get shadowburned and your dead. Youre sititng there wondering wtf.

I enjoy pvping because ive done it forever and know how all the classes play. its fun doing certain comps in arena, and its fun stomping low skilled/geared players in battleground while im wearing full conq gear. Even if most of my other team sucks, i can carry a decent amount because of my skill+gear. Its nice having a feeling of importance to the outcome of the game.

[GKLeatherCraft]

You shouldn't need someone to tell you to PvP, you PvP because you like doing it, Simply, If you've not done it since Wrath then I feel for you, I've had a ton of fun with W-PvP in MoP and WoD so far, it's insane, Love it, that's why I PvP, and continue to do it

[Littleraven]

PvP got me through MoP and so far WoD simply because I don't have as much time to raid as I did in Cataclysm and Wrath. I work full time now and by the time I get home from work I don't feel like spending the remainder of my night raiding. I could always do it on weekends yeah but it isn't that huge a deal to me. As it is it's a chore to even do my little bit of LFR week to week.

PvP is quick to jump into and still gives me a sense of progression. I would rather raid but it just isn't in the cards for me right now.

[Deleted]

I don't, that's why i unsubbed.

Horrible: Class balance, Specs mere skeletons of former self's, No new PvP specific content (arenas, BG's, new stuff), Bot infestation, NO responses from devs, Feels pvp has been abandoned.

[Rehija]

Because i love that moment when my opponent chews on his keyabord behind his monitor, screaming in a burst of rage and possible throwing his Headset against the next wall. Im in my late 30`s, but on the inside im still a cheeky brat

[Riistov]

Most people complain about balance. Yes there are balancing issues, we know this. Except for a few broken specs, most specs have classes they can regularly beat and classes they will regularly lose to. I think people focus too much on the classes they keep losing to. For example, this xpac is melee heavy, so they hate hunters. Hunters get wrecked by a few casters but not many are playing these casters so people think hunters are invincible.

Very true...The funny thing is, I get completely wrecked by a good boomkin, spriest, or ele sham. Most of the people you hear crying the loudest about Hunters were the first to jump to the melee train when WoD hit.

If you switched to a Combat Rogue main this xpac, dont complain when I flare you out of stealth and light you up with barrage. You would have easily handled me on your Shaman or Mage a year ago

- - - Updated - - -

I don't, that's why i unsubbed.

Horrible: Class balance, Specs mere skeletons of former self's, No new PvP specific content (arenas, BG's, new stuff), Bot infestation, NO responses from devs, Feels pvp has been abandoned.

What specs would you be referring to? None of the classes I play have that feel, but that's more anecdotal that anything.

[Mavecryst]

Because it's all I have time for; it's one of the more flexible "end-game" activities to do. LFR is boring after a couple of runs, and professions are all kinds of useless and very passive to build up in any case, and I also do pet battles in between waiting for BGs to pop or my arena partner to log on. I can't raid proper, and I've worked my way through most of the older raids I'd ever be interested in seeing, so I don't have much else to do. I switch around my class and roles though for pvp, so it hasn't gotten stale yet; I'm having alot of fun. e

[Illiterate]

I haven't done any serious pvp since like the first week of wod. It was shit then and it's still shit now.

[Beefkow]

Why do you continue to pvp?

My answer: I dont, i quit just last week when i geared my warrior with the full elite set.

Short answer: Class balance issues.

Long answer: Short answer says it all.

[zenga]

Most people complain about balance. Yes there are balancing issues, we know this. Except for a few broken specs, most specs have classes they can regularly beat and classes they will regularly lose to. I think people focus too much on the classes they keep losing to. For example, this xpac is melee heavy, so they hate hunters. Hunters get wrecked by a few casters but not many are playing these casters so people think hunters are invincible.

And why would that be ..., cause sometimes you feel like you only queue into those broken specs. Everyone seems to play them.

Also people are too attached to one class. I understand they have played this class for 8 years and getting to school in their day was uphill both ways and other shit that doesnt matter. If your class sucks in pvp, and you used to like pvping, pick a different class.

That is exactly the root of the issue: too easy to reroll / pick an OP class. And the really sad thing is that it takes no learning curve to start killing people in arena as frost dk, combat rogue, bm hunter, ... You hit 100, get some gear and off you go causing trouble to people who are much higher rated and have way more experience in the game. If you have never played an affliction lock, an ele shaman or say a shadow priest it takes more experience/practice before you actually pose a threat. That doesn't mean that the latter classes are way harder to master or have more depth, I'm talking about players who are new to the spec/class.

If it wasn't so easy to jump to the new fotm toon then we'd say much more variety in arena, at all levels. And I don't mean that levelling should be harder, or that gearing should take longer. I am talking about the actual gameplay: passive dmg/passive mitigation/passive healing combined with big hits that happen automatically.

[rda]

I can tell you why the top 300 or so continue doing it - it has been the same for years - money from buyers. Add money from streams for a couple of those 300 who stream. That's it. Take buyers away and the tops will leave the next day.

[Meggle]

Its frustrating as alliance and not being super great at pvp, I only do it for achievements....but I do so rarely.

[Luckx]

I do pvp because its fun and doesnt takes much time. I play Arena,Rated Bgs,Random Bgs and World PVP. (I dont play Ashran)

Raiding takes hours and Arena skirmish takes only like 5-8min max one game. So you can log WOW play PVP for 20-30mins and log out.

And PVP Arena queues improved alot because after last MOP season all battlegroups are merged in Arena so rated arena are now more balanced because of better rating system and because Arena queues are now really fast.

[goblingirl]

Ok, first I want to make clear I haven't done PVP since Wrath where I spent hours and hours in Wintergrasp and Alterac Valley and enjoyed it immensely.

For me it all went downhill from there and I haven't been back.

However, there is a big part of the wow population that still plays PVP and I am wondering what you enjoy?

I hear lots of complaints on the forums about class balance (same arguments for years and years)

I hear Ashran is a mess and there is really no point to even PVP when the factions avoid each other.

So tell me why should I start PVP? I'm looking for any good points to still do it?

What am I missing?

I did not PvP for Cata or MoP. Both times I tried for awhile early in the expansion, and ultimately decided there was too much cc/stun/interrupt, plus the advent of "Healers have to die", pretty much made playing randoms as a healer less fun than filing off my fingernails with a chain saw. In addition, the addition of resilience and a required alternate gear grind (when I was already raiding too) was just too much time requirement.

I tried again in early WoD, and found that while the revamped class/specs have helped a lot - there is less cc/stun/interrupt than there was (though there should be even less still)... the botting problem is insane. Like, really insane. It isn't just the kick bots (although they are obnoxious), it's the coordinated behavior of people who clearly are not all on the same server or guild or even know each other, but literally move as one - I watch them, half or more of the opposing team's players instantly switching from one target to another target with split second timing accuracy. No way is that "human". Watching a group of botting melee in a BG is like watching a hunter's stampede group of animals running from one target to the next.

So I've done enough PvP in season 1 to get full conquest on two characters, and partial on a couple of others. I don't know that I'll PvP any more for the rest of the expansion, unless an end is put to the botting. (I did PvP last night with (the software that shall not be Named) offline, and it was old school fun with the botters out of commission.)

[Tart]

It was fun once apon a time, but now the gulf in class is to much for me to pick up and get a decent rating.

When i did pvp it was low level.

[Nihilan]

I used to be a very active raider, but since Blizzard killed HC 10 raiding, ive stopped entirely. I have no interest in 20 man Mythics. And seeing as how there are exactly two things to do at max level, PVP is literally all i have left in this game.

And in PVP there is nobody on the battlefield that can make or break a win like a healer. So now i main healers in PVP - mostly RBGs with some WPVP and Ashran for kicks. Though i do occasionally log in my Hunter or Mage at the end of the week when my healers are capped. RBGs are all fine and good, but its in disorganized WPVP/Ashran settings that you can truly feel like you make a difference. When you can tunnel heals into 15-20 people and keep them alive VS an entire raid and end up winning because nobody on the enemy raid ever thinks to CC you. I also enjoy seeing how badly i can outperform my fellow healers. In WoD, with Blizzard failing so badly to deliver content, you gotta find enjoyment where you can.

[xindralol]

Nothing else to do.

[GrumpyJester]

The PvP is as good/bad as it's ever been.* I got over the disappointment of it back in TBC.


* Maybe it was better during Cata/MoP, I didn't play much then.

[TaurenNinja]

PvP is okay. It can be fun. It depends on what you make out of it, and especially your team mates.
Look at statistics: http://www.arenamate.net/?region=&re...000&ladder=3v3
This is basically the top of the top (3000+). Yes, there are a lot more druids, mages and rogues at the top than other classes, but the important point here is that every single out of the 11 classes *IS* actually present at 3000+ rating. The difference in representation means that there are imbalances, but nothing that goes so far that would PREVENT a single class from reaching those incredible rating heights. And that is really the most crucial thing to keep in mind, despite all the crying about PvP imbalance. You CAN actually play any class you want up to really high rating, if you're good enough. This would NOT be the case if there was a severe imbalance, because in that case you would only see a few classes at the very top while others would simply be COMPLETELY unable to reach those ratings.
Sure, it will be harder for some classes, and you will have more trouble finding teams with some classes, and you might be restricted to very specific comps to be able to fully utilize your class strengths, but it CAN be done. Also, it can be fun to become a really good player with a "rare" class. Sometimes you see a video from a fire mage or enhancement shaman and think "wow, he actually plays THIS class on THIS level? Insane!" and that's when you realize that PvP balance is actually not that bad as the community thinks it is. Sometimes, mastering an unpopular class or spec can make that class perform much better than expected.

A big part of PvP is the will to get better, finding a good team that wants to improve further, and also keeping up to date with the latest class changes. A lot of PvPers who are complaining about imbalances are actually low rated PvPers who haven't really grasped yet that there are certain situations where you cannot win. For example, you can't win 1v1 against all classes because there will be some that counter you hard. Also, you can't win 2v2 against all comps because there will be some that are ridiculously overpowered in 2v2 (for example, RDruid/Hunter). Some players can't get this into their heads and still complain about those edge cases and generalize that to claim that PvP as a whole is unplayable. In Starcraft, the only thing that matters is 1v1. In WoW, the only thing that matters is 3v3 arena. You can play other things, but that's just for fun then, and you can't expect the other formats to be as balanced or as supported as 3v3 is.

No, PvP is not perfectly balanced and it will never be (the game is just too complex), but it also won't ever be as bad as the community or the forums claim it is. It's much more playable than that, and if you're truly good and have a truly good team you can accomplish what you want, regardless of your class. Don't let the negativity fool you. Does PvP need improving? Yes. Does the over-representation of some classes mean that they are overpowered? Yes. But that doesn't mean that underpowered equals unplayable or that overpowered equals invincible. The community tends to go to extremes all too easily. The truth lies in the middle, as is often the case.

WoW PvP is nothing super serious, especially not when compared to other e-sport titles, but it still has a very competitive scene with some very good players. And apart from the competitive aspects: if you have fun doing PvP, then do it. If you're not having fun, then don't.