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PvP all day, everyday! A roundup of repeatable PvP quests
As exciting as Patch 2.4 has been so far, most of the attention has been on the all-new content on the Isle of Quel'danas. WoW Insider has put together a comprehensive walkthrough of all the daily and Shattered Sun Offensive-related quests to help guide you so you can coast your way to Shattered Sun rep and earn more than a few Gold along the way. Among the few additions that didn't get as much of the spotlight but deserve mention are the new PvP daily quests, so players can spice up their PvP routine beyond the usual daily Battleground quest. Now even hardcore PvP enthusiasts can earn some Gold on the side while killing enemies. How cool is that? Click on the links after the jump to find out more about the new PvP dailies that exploded with Patch 2.4.
Forum post of the day: Welfare Epics
What does it take to get epic gear? Well you can do arenas or battlegrounds and save up points for gear. It takes a few weeks of arenas to get a piece of the most recent releases. A good weekend of battlegrounds might net you a piece or two. You can do raids for epic drops. It can take weeks to learn fights and clear raids. A hard night of raiding could earn you nothing but a repair bill. Among raiding and PvP, which shows more dedication and skill? The term "welfare epic" has popped up to describe gear that some believe is given to a player without the appropriate level of effort. In his official forum post, Kaizersosay of Spirestone asserted that there are no welfare epics- that every piece of purple loot takes effort. He said that the phrase welfare epic is elitist. The thread sparked a lively discussion of welfare epics for both PvE and PvP players.
The Art of War(craft): A rambling year in review
In last week's column, where I went over the World PvP objectives in the Outlands, some players expressed indignation at how Blizzard supposedly "forces" PvE players into playing PvP. There are different views on this, such as Massively's Craig Withers, who wrote about a distaste for impersonal PvP in WoW and thus avoids it like the plague, and well, myself, who would actually like to see more PvP-oriented goals implemented in the game. As the shadow of the aptly-named WAR, or Warhammer Online -- which trumpets a supposedly rich PvP and RvR (Realm vs. Realm) experience -- looms, World of Warcraft appears increasingly lacking in PvP content. More and more, suspicion arises that WoW PvP is flawed by design. In his article, David points to reader Aviel's well-ordered thoughts on the matter -- that PvP's basic flaw is that it is an Honor grind, Honor being the currency for gear. As long as it is currency, Aviel says, people will find ways to earn it in the quickest manner possible (e.g. AFKing).For the most part, I agree with that statement. Blizzard has designed WoW PvP to be a task/reward system that is vulnerable to abuse. The simple fact, however, is that the entire game is a huge task/reward system, from the very existence of mobs (including bosses), which award loot when killed; to quests, which give rewards for completing certain tasks. Without that mechanic in place, the entire game would break. Players do daily quests not out of sheer enjoyment -- although some can be fun -- but because it's a reliable method for earning gold. When Patch 2.4 eventually hits, players can earn upwards of 300g by doing daily quests. I am willing to be that people will be doing daily quests not (just) because they're fun but because most players need gold.In its current iteration, Honor is a currency, making it a prime candidate for farming. This design is largely due to the fact that WoW PvP has mostly been an afterthought. Actual PvP objectives and rewards, i.e. the Honor system, didn't come into the game until Patch 1.4, about five months after the game's release. The first Battlegrounds came out a month later in a subsequent patch. Because PvP isn't deeply interwoven into the world, the Honor system feels tacked on, distinctly separated from other currencies or means of acquiring loot, or reward. What matters, however, is that Blizzard recognized the need for PvP and managed to find a way to incorporate it. Blizzard Vice-President of Game Design Rob Pardo, in his 2006 AGC keynote speech said, "Early on we really didn't know how the honor system was going to work, we didn't know if we were going to have titles and achievements but we knew we had to have PvP and we knew that it had to be fun."
WoW Rookie: Welcome to PvP
For many players, the term PvP or Player vs. Player can be daunting. Nightmarish visions of ??-level players coming out from nowhere and disrupting -- to put it lightly -- questing or exploring have played a part in the choice of server. I started playing World of Warcraft with my girlfriend, now my wife, who decided that PvP was not for her. We rolled on a PvE server to level and explore the world in relative peace. A few friends of ours who started playing only recently also gave the same argument -- they wanted to appreciate the game without fear of being griefed by higher level characters. Because it was their first time to play, they also wanted to try out both factions (you can't make a toon of the opposing faction on a PvP server) to see what side they felt more comfortable with. In time, I managed to convince my wife to re-roll on a PvP server and we haven't looked back since. Later on, I learned that my friends also re-rolled on a PvP server (wisely choosing Horde...) after testing the waters on Mok'Nathal.Let's face it: Unless you play on a PvE server and consciously avoid it, PvP is inevitable. It is integral to the game. There are Battlegrounds that are virtually mini-games that players can grind to earn Honor; there are Arenas where players can compete for sport, prizes, and glory; and there are World PvP objectives that players can participate in to... well... pass the time. PvP is everywhere and with a variety of quests that nudge even the most casual carebear to live a little dangerously, it's almost impossible to play WoW without dabbling in PvP. Today on WoW Rookie, we'll go through some PvP basics to help you get started on a life of war -- or at least a taste of it.
To shop with honor
Although Patch 2.3 arrived two weeks ago, it isn't until today that Arena Season 3 will make its official debut. Just like in fashion, the styles of the previous Seasons will go on sale for low, low prices. In fact, in true Filene's Basement style, the items from Season 1 will become purchasable with Honor and Marks of Honor. The once-shiny gear from Season 2 are being taken off the racks to make way for the latest Vengeful Gladiator's fashions, complemented by Vindicator's accessories. Some players looking ahead have already saved up on the maximum Honor of 75,000 and maximum Arena Points of 5,000 in preparation for the new Season. I think I have an idea of how my wife feels when Mango goes on sale and a new line comes in. It's kind of like the World of Warcraft equivalent of Black Friday.How about you? What's on your Honor shopping list? Will you be buying Season 1 gear or spend it on the new Vindicator items? Will you be buying armor or weapons? Are you trooping over to the Hall of Legends or the Champion's Hall before you head over to Area 52 (with branches now open in Nagrand and Blade's Edge!)? Choices, choices.
Breakfast Topic: Thanksgiving WoW Plans
With Thanksgiving holiday approaching quickly for American players, it means either 4 days of non-stop WoW playing or 4 days snowed in with talkative relatives and no Internet connection.For those of you planning to play WoW over the four day Thanksgiving weekend, what do you plan do accomplish with all that time? Rack up Honor Points? Level that new alt? Farm Zul'Aman for a bear mount? Grind towards one of the new flying mounts? You can vote in the poll or leave a comment below!%Poll-5957%
