What to Be, or What Not to Be... THAT i
I don't want to go off on a rant here, but here''s a question for everyone: What is the most popular class played on the PvP servers? Hahah! Pretty easy, isn''t it? For those who don''t know I''ll offer this hint: You''d never know they were there if they didn''t reveal themselves. That''s right folks, the most popular class is any of the stealthing kind. Why? Well that''s pretty simple: You can''t see them, they can see you, and can darn-near kill you whenever they like with poisons and arrows from far away. Think about it: Why on earth would you want to play a theurgist, for example, when you wear paper armour and there are hundreds of swarming stealthers just waiting for you to stop moving for a split second so they can hit you ONCE and watch you die slowly, or 2-shot you with a skilled bow? Doesn''t really seem like a good idea, does it? Well guess what? I don''t own a single stealther and have over 6 characters on the ''Dreds. Why? Well, why would I want to play a class that everyone else does? It''s like asking me why my Shaman on Gaheris isn''t an Aug/Mend spec''d Shaman. Because I don''t want to play a class the same way most others do (let alone the fact that Shaman have become DAoC''s bot-class, which I personally think SUCKS. Everyone and his brother has a damned Shaman-bot now!!). Just imagine what it's going to be like with instant-rolled level 20-30 toons, archers with rapid-fire and penetrating blow(as IF they needed that!). Something tells me the 'Dreds are gonna get crazy.
The thing I do not understand is why anyone would want to play a class or class-group that is predominant around them. Why not try new things, new classes, new hunting grounds? What is the obsession for people, particularly stealthers, for hanging out in the same places ALL the time killing anything that walks by? DAoC would lose a lot of it's lustre for me if that's all I were going to do, simply because to me that's not even trying. That's just being lazy. Sure, it's effective, but lazy nonetheless.
***I realize I just told you that stealthers were the most dominant class on the 'Dreds, but I have noticed a trend that has been growing vastly even in the time it has taken to write this article: Bonedancers, particularly Suppression spec'd BD's are massing in HUGE numbers. Seems seeing a Skeletal Commander is as common to see as an enchanter nowadays on the 'Dreds. This is a frightening trend indeed when you think about it, considering Suppression BD's are VERY deadly foes indeed. (Hint: Just in case you didn't know, kill the commander first and the healers drop, and then it's just you and the BD, and BD's fall pretty fast when they lose their precious healers. The Commander is the crutch that keeps them alive, because a BD with no healers is a dead BD indeed!)***
I issue this challenge to all who play on the 'Dreds: Drop your stealthers and your BD's, and pick up a theurgist, or a savage, or a paladin, or a friar, or a cave shammy... pick something OTHER then what would be the easiest class to PK with, because I think if you pick a class you are genuinely interested in you will be very pleased with the results. Every class has advantages and disadvantages, and if I worked for Mythic I would be attempting to come up with a way to nerf stealthers on the 'Dreds, simply because going INVISIBLE is a HUGE advantage. Damn, if I were a stealther I'd simply go out and hunt, and whenever I needed anything I'd just stealth my way through towns and such and never get touched.
Now you''re all saying, "This guy''s an idiot. Does he even know what he''s doing?" And my response is thus: Good grief no! I like to PLAY, and in my opinion the goal of a PvP server is the same as that of the other servers, to get your toon to lvl 50, to have a heck of a lot of fun along the way, and get all sorts of crazy abilites while you do it. The PvP part comes into play after that for me. Don''t get me wrong, if I''m tourin' along on my Skald and see a lone Enchanter, you''d better believe he''s going down, and going down hard, but that doesn''t mean that''s my all-consuming purpose on the ''Dreds. And therein lies the problem, because to many people that''s exactly what a PvP server is: An excuse to kill and taunt every other toon you come across and the monkey who''s pushing the buttons for him. To play devil''s advocate, perhaps that is the correct attitude. The experience from player-killing(PK-ing) WAS adjusted so it is possible to gain levels from PK-ing alone. But how are we -the masses, the common folk who mash buttons every night for that elusive level 50- to know what exactly is intended for the PvP servers? That is the freedom the PvP server brings to the table. You can live a normal toon life on the ''Dreds with minimal deaths. You will learn quickly, believe me. The towns will continue to be hives of destruction, sure, but that goes without saying. Or you can live the life of cut-throat, killing anything that moves. Each is a valid life, and has a valid argument.
This is where guilds come into play ... That''s right, you sit there thinking it''s EASY to play on the ''Dreds, clucking your tongues and saying, "Well all you have to do is kill everything, and there is no RPG feel to it." and then you realize it is a REAL life or death struggle, realm on realm, your friend could turn into your enemy in mere seconds, simply dropping your group and turning on you, or vice versa. You don''t see the blade, blind as you buy a horse ticket with money covered in blood, and then BANG! You''re half dead and have no idea what''s going on. Instead, you play your Elven Enchantress, romantically blushing and bouncing about, your husband at your side, his actions roleplayed perfectly along with yours. (Okay, I should point out that I mean no offence to anyone, just getting a bit dramatic!) Or your superhero Paladin, strutting about in your shiny armour, never realizing the world of fun and intrigue you were missing ... But Guilds are a whole bee's nest unto themselves, and will make this article run too long, and it is scattered enough as it is (must be the second-post jitters). In the coming weeks I will expand and elaborate on all the ideas posted here, in particular guilds, hunting grounds, the 1.62 patch and it's affect on the 'Dreds, etc... But at least now I think you're all starting to understand how opinionated I can be, and how easily I go off on rants. I just hope you all enjoy reading this as much as I enjoy writing it.
If anyone has any input/comments/suggestions/words of wisdom please email them to me editor@warcry.com
And remember: JUST because he or she is a grape to you does NOT make you a grey to them. Remember that the next time you insult someone for lying to you about how you were green-con when you're convinced you're grey to them.
Ciao!
A Quick Sidebar: I don't know about anyone else who plays on the 'Dreds, but are you as excited as I am for the new /level command? I know in a couple weeks I'm going to be cursing it, but it really is going to be fantastic when you can roll a level 20(or possibly higher) instantly. I see a LOT of PK-ing going on, and to be totally honest, I think it's gonna be great. It is going to change the whole dynamic of the 'Dreds simply by the fact that suddenly there are going to be a ton of people milling about, all the same level. I foresee a lot of PK-groups in the near future.
