I'm going to take the dissenting side here. Ganking isn't PvP as it was originally intended. It's an offshoot of an arguably necessary lack of rules around doing damage to non-threatening opponents. There is basically nothing fun about being the gankee, because you are going to lose, period. Short of the other person losing interest, you're going to lose. That's not a game, that's just being bullied.

And, frankly, I think people that say, "Ganking is part of the game and it's fun," are a good example of everything that's wrong with online gaming.

Ganking is NOT true PvP. It doesn't take skill for a level 70 to take out a level 35 and it never will. That is why there is a completely different term for it.

Pvp is against a target that has a chance to defeat you. A Gank is against a target that has no hope to win. I understand why people enjoy ganking lowbie, but it requires no real strategy, no real skill and therefore is not REAL PvP.

Especially in Warcraft. The name of the game implies that war is a CRAFT. It requires knowledge and skill. WarGank requires none of it and SHOULD be frowned upon because of it.

Have I ganked? yes. But I don't pretend it takes skill to do so or that it is fun for the person that gets ganked.

On the other hand, leveling on a PvP server is harder and creates a sense of awareness a player can never get on a PvE server. There is a heightened sense of play on a PvP server because once you are in contested areas, you are NEVER safe.This adds something to the game that cannot be replicated without the danger of the gank.

BitterCupOJoe I'm gonna have to disagree with you there. I think that 'ganking' is an essential part of the game as well as lore. Ganking or not ganking brings out the players true in-game (and rl) personality. I prefer the 'attack only if attacked' policy and thats how I run my chara. Now I am in no way shape or form a "RP'er" and I dont run around insisting ppl call me Rearadmiral (for plenty of reasons :P). But the horde hated the alliance and vise versa, just like in rl some ppl were able to accept the treaty and some ppl were not. All in all it is not fun to be ganked, but I think its an essential part of the game...dont like it dont play on a PVP server...plain and simple.

"Oh but you CAN frame ganking as true pvp. As the ganker your strategy IS to one shot your targets, your combat comes after the person you ganked brings his/her main/friend."

This is strategy?

....it's fun on both sides?

I love playing on a pvp server, cause the threat of being ganked is everywhere while you level, adding to the excitement...but during the act of being ganked, I wouldn't say I enjoy it.

Man, you need more hugs dude.

I play ally on an old pvp server, and 70% of our population is horde. Thus I have been ganked way more times than I have ganked. I pvp for gear, but I rolled on a pvp server for fun. I don't care if it's a lowbie, I don't care if they're in a fight, I just want them to lose and have to do a corpse run. God knows I've done it enough trying to quest in STV and outland...

In a sense, I'm glad the alliance is so overwhelmed by the horde's numbers- no matter how many people I grief, there will always be more horde griefs that I can atone for.

I guess the question is "Where do you draw the line for someone who has no chance of winning?" Aside from arenas and bg's, when is PvP really "fair".
If my level 70 priest is out of mana and wanding a mob to death in grinding gear, a rogue comes along and kills, is that really fair? A competent warlock, regardless of mana, can beat virtually any skilled mage with relative ease. How is that significantly different than a 70 vs. a 35? There is no amount of skill keeping my priest alive.

I frequently find on PvP servers that Rogues, Hunters are the primary benefactors of random world PvP, since both can avoid it relatively well, and both are at a severe advantage when they start 1v1 themselves.

I play Alliance on a server that's almost 2:1 Horde:Alliance. To most people, this would be frustrating. When I started playing on the server (I was there for my real life friend, who played -SURPRISE!- a hunter), I hated it. After a long while, my viewpoint has changed.

It's true, the sense of constant danger, being out-numbered provides an additional challenge to the game. The new dailies are difficult ENTIRELY BECAUSE I have to keep alive long enough to keep my flame up in Hellfire, while a "horde patrol" flies around scanning for me.

Some people like PvP servers, because they like dominating and destroying other people. Others enjoy playing a survivalist in a jungle of douchbags.

Your reasoning is wrong, but your words are right. Sorry, but ganking is a player killing another player. Or, in other words, Player versus Player. Sound familiar? I'm sorry, but just because it's not fair doesn't make it not PvP. I'm not promoting it, but it is legitimate under the term. PvP doesn't stand for "Test of skill between 2 equal characters." That's called Mortal Kombat, buddy. :)

I have to wonder why this post is being voted down. Sure, it's an unpopular opinion, and I don't share it (I hate ganking) but what did he say that's offensive or off topic?

Agreed with Mr. Rossi. There's nothing wrong with this guy's post -- It's a valid point of view.

Personally, I'm sort of in agreement. PVP servers give the potential to be ganked. Yeah, it's annoying, but if you don't want to be ganked, don't roll there. If you don't want to RP, don't roll on an RP server.

Get off my PVP/RP Server, you whippersnappers.

Matthew, haven't you noticed people downvote any post they don't agree with around here?

I like to /wave and when they wave back I gank them. /wave in the horde world is a sign of aggression and an insult.

The alliance have left me no choice.

@Naix ....kind of a backwards way of thinking imo....

@Dakira - I generally give lowbies the same chance. Someone a bit closer to my level, now that's a different story entirely.

Same here on the ganking, even on a PVE server I rarely bother attacking a flagged opposite faction mob unless they are aggressive towards me.

A lot of the time it seems to be against the whole story of the game too, after all as an undead questing in Western plaguelands surely I should be fighting my mortal enemy the scrounge rather then a night elf hunter ?

I've tried rolling on some pvp servers, but unfortunately the whole ganking this just makes it dreary. Either you have no chance at all because the other player is 30 levels higher, or the natural imbalances of the game make it near impossible to win.

1 on 1 with a rogue is hard for most classes when the rogue just walks in, with surprise its more or less instant win for the Rogue especially when you need to use multiple armour sets for pve dps, pvp and healing as I need to on my shadow priest.

Unfortunately a lot of people roll on servers not because of the server but because of the people they wish to play with.

Once this starts it breeds like rabbits (you know that whole seven steps of separation thing) and before long only one or two people are on the server for its original purpose (RP) the rest are just friends of friends of friends who are there to play with their friends.

I'll admit I'm party to this... I enjoy RP, rolled on an RP server (following a friend) and then was joined by some of my family members who don't RP... now I do very little RP because I'm surrounded by those who don't.

Im thinking of transferring to an RP server.

Not because I want to RP but because the few times I have rolled on one I get a sense that the players there are a little more mature than the ones on my current server. Im getting older...fast. Too fast. And The never ending murloc movie discussion and chuck norris discussions in trade has got me ready to quit the game. Yes I know I could turn trade chat off but I honestly do alot of commerce in game, so turning it off would take away a large portion of my in game income.

Sounds like you need to redefine what is or isn't a satisfactory answer. Just because you don't like an answer doesn't mean that it isn't an honest answer. That doesn't make them a moron. Tossing insults at people due to your inability to cope doesn't help anyone, including yourself.

Personally I rolled on an RPPVP server because I didn't know what RP or PVP stood for. The last video game system I had was an Atari. I never played D&D growing up. The only thing I saw after loading the software and connecting was a long list of servers to join and only one at the time had the word "Recommended" in green. That is why I ended up where I ended up.

If that answer doesn't suit you, then I'm afraid the fault lies in what you find as an acceptable answer.