Buying World of Warcraft?

On the PVP rules server, any contested zone means you are at risk from enemy factions.

On the Normal rules servers, you have to explicity set your pvp flag or enter an enemy held zone in order to engage in PVP.

So yes, there are safe zones in both instances, but on the PVP server those only last till about level 20 or so, then to quest you need to enter contested territories.

Oh, so there’s PvP on the normal servers as well? To a significant degree? This is confusing :)

Yes, but pvp on regular servers is entirely consensual. Basically they split the world in two pieces, requiring them to create twice as much content, for no particular reason since WoW is primarily an EQ-clone PvE game. You’ll be fighting right alongside the opposite faction at higher levels, but you can’t attack them or group with them or even talk to them. I can’t figure out why, really.

WoW will have PvP battlefields like DAoC’s battlegrounds. You’ll get most of your PvP action there on most servers.

I nominate myself as official WoW pariah. The game world holds almost no interest for me. A shame, too, as it sounds like all of my gaming mates are walking lockstep into buying this puppy.

I suggest we all pick a server to play on BEFORE the game comes out.

We always run into this kind of problem on here with games like Planetside and such… three days after it comes out, all us QT3ers want to play together, and we’re spread over all the servers.

So we can make a simple rule for choosing servers. LIke “let’s all get on the west coast server, and if there are several, the highest numbered/lettered one there is.” Or “if the servers aren’t US West and US East but instead have names, let’s all get on the one that comes last alphabetically.” Whatever, just some meme we can use so that the guys picking it up on Day One can figure out where we’re playing.

There is a more fundamental question, though: Horde or Alliance? The two sides cannot guild together, party together, or send /tells to each other.

(I vote for Alliance, simply because I’ve played both sides quite a bit in beta and the Alliance lands are just more “rich” right now.)

I think this deserves another poll. I vote horde, and my reason is “Just because”.

EDIT: I’m impatient - Horde or Alliance poll.

I also suggest you decide whether to play on a normal or a PvP server. I know my crew is going to be running on the PvP server, and that might not be everyone’s flavor.

I will definitely NOT be on the PvP server. I can’t stand running around trying to do quests and getting jacked by some a-hole kid fifteen levels above me who thinks it’s funny to waste lower level players and talks in leet speak. And don’t tell me WoW isn’t going to have that, because you know once it goes live it’ll be FULL of that stuff.

I like PvP gameplay, but I want to go somewhere to seek it out when I feel like it. in the non-PvP servers I can turn on my PvP “flag” anywhere and anytime I want, and I can go to the battlegrounds for more organized PvP. That’s plenty for me.

It’s not going to have that. The opposing team can’t talk to you.

It’s also going to be against any character’s best interest to gank lowbies. If you do that enough, your own factions merchants will stop talking to you and your own guards will be KOS to you.

Question: How much is the monthly fee going to be?

$14.95 is the figure that I have heard bandied about. It wouldn’t surprise me if they have two- or three-tiered pricing at some point.

obligatory system specs question:

just how demanding is this game on a system?