Wednesday 16 July 2014

WvW should be a picnic

My bro, hence forth known as Lunch (a.k.a. Lunchbox - not what you think), really likes WvW.  I had thought I liked WvW too.  Mainly my experience has been limited to running with a zerg trying to get my monthly kills although I have gone through periods of trying to properly contribute.

I've joined Lunch in WvW a few times since he started playing again and recently he said that I made WvW "not fun".  This comment related to an incident where I insisting on returning to the same supply camp to kill a Ranger who kept coming off better.  Mainly I was embarrassed.  2 vs 1 should usually be enough to win any match-up but this was a Guardian and an Engy vs a Longbow Ranger.

Now, I don't consider myself competitive but Lunch happily describes himself as such however this incident really made me reconsider my own feelings.  He was getting the bulk of his enjoyment from the PvE aspects of WvW where I was looking, at least in this case, to PvP.  Previously I had also enjoyed the PvE aspect far more than PvP so why now was I fixated on killing?  Why was I suddenly Mr. Competitive?

My explanation is my build; it's Koroshi's WvW Roaming Engy build.  Playing that build I felt I should be able to hold my own in 1 vs 1 never mind a 2 vs 1.  But that belief is not based in reality.  I never sPvP and when I am WvW I am generally in a 10+ zerg.  I have almost no experience of small group PvP.  So, it wasn't competitiveness, it was actually frustration at my own ineptness.  I wanted to find more PvP so I could improve; play that build better.  I mean, I know it's a viable build.  I know how it works and I've got tools on hand to make the most of it.

I actually left WvW shortly after the "no fun" comment and haven't yet been back but it has taught me two important lessons:

1) WvW isn't PvP and is best enjoyed as the mix of PvE and PvP it was meant to be.  Personally, I am looking forward to the next WvW tournament, because WvW Ranks etc don't appeal overly much to me as a casual.

2) If you want to get better at small group PvP do sPvP.  Want to test your mettle in a 1 vs 1 with any other class?  Go to sPvP, replicate your WvW build and train yourself.  Practice, practice, practice.

Which leads me to my final post...

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