PvP is an interesting and dynamic form of gameplay in MMOs yet it may be a dying breed in World of Warcraft. What used to be a hotbed of activity is now second on everyone’s mind as it seems the PvP metagame has stagnated a good bit and the desire to participate has gone down rapidly. Let’s take a look at why PvP is awesome, why you need to hop in, and why the upcoming season change is boss.

Exploits Corrupt the Arena

The start of Season 9 was shaky and started on a horrible note with the exploit that let players advance way beyond their means. This caused inexperienced players to be rewarded as much as experienced players and messed with the rankings pretty hardcore. The fallout soured lots of players with a soft reset and locking weapons out for a few weeks.

You can still feel the fallout as many players don’t feel like running the arena, since to be truly competitive you have to start strong and keep going. The shenanigans have made it a bit shaky and the free loot for everyone kind of advanced the season way too fast.

Even Goblins and Worgens love duking it out in the bgs.

There is a cure for this and it’s the new season kicking off with the recently released Patch 4.2. So suck it up, grab your sword, and fight the Horde (or Alliance) because with the reset, new gear, and a fair season here, there is no reason to avoid playing. Even if you suck, the arena is a lot of fun and teaches you a lot of valuable lessons that can be applied elsewhere. Yes, believe it or not, gaining skill in PvP can help you become a better player in PvE nine times out of ten.

Battleground Blowout

Of course, then there are the battlegrounds. They come in two flavors. The “I can’t get enough people to play with me” rated battlegrounds and the “I’ve done this a million times” random battlegrounds. Then there is “the only time I play” BG weekends, where farming honor is worthwhile. Why are battlegrounds so unattractive these days? Well, there is about a million different ones and everyone suffers from “streaking” or where you keep losing over and over and blaming it on your faction (when it’s just a bad night and you keep getting stuck with the same losers over and over).

Suck it up though. First and foremost, you’ll get a rated BG team off the ground as people want to clamor for the new mounts Blizzard is previewing. Second of all, remember you can choose to play a certain battleground if you like it more than the others. You might not get the extra random reward, but playing will be a lot more enjoyable and after all, that is what this game is about.

The Casual’s Plight

I use that phrase way too much, but let’s not forget the large portion of the playerbase that still fears PvP. You hear players whining all of the time that the game isn’t fun, there isn’t enough to do, and that Blizzard is destroying their game. Well, why not take a break and do some PvP? Oh, wait, it’s too scary for you? Yeah, sure, you know what is scary to me? I’ll tell you what is scary, navigating Wal-Mart to save 30 cents on a can of beans because I can’t pick them up at the regular grocery store without feeling like I’m getting overcharged (by 30 cents).

So, give it a try, open yourself up, and stop caring if you die. I’ve been playing since launch and am capable of running in and out of the battlegrounds doing awesome or dying all the time and I take it with a huge grain of salt. No need to get carried away with the game, consider each death a great learning experience - just like you would after a dungeon or raid wipe - and move on from there.

Patch 4.2’s Reinvigoration

Let’s not forget the large mass of players coming back for patch 4.2. Let’s rejoice and enjoy playing once more with our glorious friends. A new season, more gear, cool rewards, and more things to do will mean that everything will be a lot more fun, including PvP.

So if you haven’t yet, get that bloodlust warming up and get ready to hit the battlegrounds. Things are going to get fun here soon and you might as well prepare. Check out our gold making in 4.2 guide to make sure you have the funds to enjoy all of the new content recently released.