Griefing is a common occurrence in an MMO. Have you ever been hunting that one named elite mob for a quest just to have a rogue appear out of no where and steal it or have a warrior charge out of no where and steal your kill? Or are you on a PvP server and always have that group or rogues shank you when you lag of the Wind Rider or get you when you are grinding of in some far distant land?If any of this has happened to you know that you are not the only one out there. No only are these actions deemed unfair by most players it also ruins the game experience for the player.

There are many types of griefing going on, on a daily basis in WoW. One of the most common types is know as 'Ganking'. Ganking occurs when one player attacks another when player 1 is at his/her weakest moment. This can be either attacking another player on a PvP server when they are grinding on a mob and a low health/mana, or else are just spawning at a Wind Rider or Inn. Another example is when a player ambushes another player when they just rez after being killed in a PvP battle on a PvE server. This method is often seen as a lower form of ganking by players as on a PvE server you need to flag yourself for PvP to be attacked, and by doing so understand that you may be jumped by that sneaky rogue or hidden mage.

One prime example of ganking I have witnessed on a PvE server is in Battle Grounds, both inside and out. Inside battle grounds I have seen players killed without second thought at the graveyard when their side is outnumbered and they have no hope of gaining the upper hand. Another example is when a player has just returned to his/her's body and is at minimal health and mana. Now this isn't always frowned upon by players, it can be very aggravating on the receiving players end. Players are not always safe outside battle grounds from being ganked. Even thou you have left the PvP area, you still are at risk of being attacked by another player as you need to be inactive in PvP combat for it to expire. Now if the attacker is of equal level as the victim it is of no concern, but I have has many calls for aid from guild members asking me to help them kill that ?? mage jumping them outside Battle Grounds.

Another type of Griefing in common occurrence is not in the game itself, but on web site forums. Now this form of griefing is most commonly called 'trolling'. This occurs when a poster on a forum deliberately tries to pick a fight with another poster who is just looking for some help on a quest or some info on where is the best place to farm something. This method of griefing is generally frowned upon and can result in the person trolling being banned from the forums.

A third method of griefing can occur when members of the opposing faction kill a mob vital to the completion of a quest. This can be very frustrating to the victims of the attack as they are usually just about to hand in a long escort quest or finish a long chain of quests. This issue has being addressed in recent patches in WoW by making the mob being escorted a PvP mob as well as a civilian, so that attacking and killing it will not only flag the attackers, but give them a dishonourable PvP kill. This will not always discourage the attacker, but it will make them think about it for next time when they have to make that long trip from the graveyard to their body.

Another final example of griefing in WoW is Farmers. These are most commonly people who are paid to use certain macros that allow the character to kill as many mobs in the most efficient way with the minimal amount of down time. This can result in a fast clearing of an area, which may contains mobs you need for a quest or that drop a certain regent you may need to craft an item. This can be very frustrating from the players point of view as they need to work ten times harder to complete their goals. One method I have learned from experience in identifying farmers it that they are usually unguilded rogues killing the same type of mob over and over again in a select area, they don't usually respond to tells and don't talk a lot in raids and parties. These factors don't always mean a player is a farmer, also know as a bot, but it can be a factor in identifying them and avoiding them.

There is not much you can do about ganking in online games, as Game Masters do not commonly do much to the offending player is there is little way to prove what they have done. The only thing that can really be done is to post multiple tickets to the Game Masters in hope of some actions being taken. You can also talk to the offending player and explain that you think what he/she did was against common courtesy in the game and that you think they should change their ways so that others can have a more enjoyable time in game. If this does not work you can always avoid that player and tell others of what they did in hopes of making them change their ways.

In the end, there will always be some form of griefing in online games as some players find it necessary to disrupt the enjoyment of the game for others in order to heighten their own enjoyment.