How to excel in low level PVP, Suggestions for the confused

[NamelessoneX]

Greetings. My name is NamelessoneX and i am a PVP buff who happens to love the 19/29/39 (sometimes 49) brackets and i am going to teach you how to PVP with the best of them *AT ANY LEVEL IN YOUR BRACKET!*. I want to make a few things clear before i start however. This guide is NOT for people who plan to twink, infact its more geared towards how to survive a pvp encounter in Battlegrounds, outdoor, or arena (but don't mess with that low level arena crap it will spoil it for later IMO). I'd also like to say this is my first attempt at contributing something useful to these pages so feel free to add Your own PVP suggestions in from your own experience.

Also, if you are a PVE'er LEARN HOW TO PVP! This will teach you how to react fact in a heroic or a raid. It will INCREASE YOUR DPS in instances because you wont be dieing so much from stupid stuff like aoe and cleave because you will learn how to react. Remember, a PVE encounter is like a PVP one, you need to know when to CC, max dps over conservative dps and it will also teach you your own limits.



The Three Golden Rules!!!!

These rules are a MUST, they apply to ANY CLASS in ANY bracket for ANYONE who is UNDER GEARED (even 70 but not so much). If the caps don't give you a hint then i'll say it again, don't diveate from these rules unless your PVP skills surpass the beginner or intermediate level and you know how to handle an encounter with a better geared and skilled player. These rules alone will make you a better PVPer.

1) Know your enchants- "If none, have some fun. If green or white, run or kite." You must know your enchants. Speaking for the under 39 bracket, some of these guys are gonna be running around with mongoose, crusader, agility, spell power...you name it. This stuff is nasty, if they have the money for an enchant you should best be sure they have enchanted gear, so they will be tougher then usual. Fallow the little acronym i said and keep your distance from these guys. Dont try to take them alone unless you are a warlock,hunter, or mage simmilar level and good kiteing skills.


2) The difference between levels is spell damage and resists. However, if you keep your stamina around average. Average for any class should be comparable to a level x8 or x9 caster of the same bracket if you are under the x6 level. For instance. At 24, my warlock has 1100 HP with imp out, the average caster at level 29 has around 1-1.3k so she is fine. Keep your stamina up regardless but if your a caster try and find clothes that have both int and stm, ignore spirit. The casters who use sprit are the ones who usually have a hard time with PVP.


3)Know your Anti-Class. This is very important, because oftentimes its common for someone to see another with low gear and level and think they can steam roll them. I dont need to (but i will say it anyway :P ) tell you how many times i've seen a semi twink warrior at the top end of my bracket rush me on my low even warlock, only to be feared, drained and shadow bolted to death and then "laughed at". Its going to make you mad and its one of the biggest reasons people quit and then say your OP'ed, when infact they charged in recklessly and think level allways equates to skill and subsequently gear. DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE ANYONE! It really is rock paper scissors, I wont go into detial because you have to consider specs, but usually Melee beat rogues and hybrids, who beat casters, who beat melee. You'll learn more the more you pvp.


4) Run in groups. This is something alot of people don't do. YOUR NOT RAMBO AND YOU SURE AINT CHUCK NORRIS! You are not a one man army. If you run in a group your going to do better, you wont die as much. Learn how to support others. Its a poor player who casts dps attacks and doesnt try to cc an enemy. However, dont allways assume someone in a group will help you, so keep a soloest mentality, but still help those who you can (and maybe suggest this guide to them!)


5) Death is just a setback, but be weary of a loosing battle. Sometimes its beest to do a "tactical retreat" If there is one guy left getting pummeled by 3, don't bother. Your going to contribute more by havening them fallow you and you lead them to more allys, while at the same time reporting the class type and position. This is notto say always run when your out numbered, but i cant remember how many times i've had to fall back in WSG or AV when i thought it was all clear because of my minimap, just to find out the guys on the mini map were nearly dead.


I hope these tips help you, i am interested to know if they did or did not so i know if i should expand apon this more and write a guide For each class and a spec by spec break down. Any who i didn't want to write more if one one person was going to read this, so give your reply and your own advice, lets make this happen!



..... This guide is not ment for alliance players. If you are just ignore this thread ^_-

[Rayeford]

Good Stuff! Thanks!

[xDarkDrifterx]

Nice little beginners guide/tips there.

I would add to number two that gear is also part of the difference in levels as it can jump a considerable amount between say a level 24 and a level 28.

Also, if you have a healing spell and you see a fellow bg'er about to die, for the love of all that is holy, heal him. We dont' want to hear, I'm feral, I'm balance, I'm ret, I'm shadow . . . BG's are about the WHOLE team not just one or two players or twinks, so heal if you can when you see someone in need. If you're not a healer don't make it your focus, but try to save someone from dyeing if possible.

Regardless of what people say, IMO buffs play an essential role in pvp - so please buff everyone with what you have. Also, if you're a lock give everyone underwater breathing as the last buff they get. Yes you're in a bg and not swimming, but here's the deal, if someone casts a dispell on you, it will most likely take that crappy underwater breathing instead of a beneficial buff like kings or fort or w/e. ^^ I've seen people say wtf do I need underwater breathing for? Well, now you know, and can then state why, most people say "OMG I never thought of that . . ." =)

[caldepen]

I like it!
Some really good points, like running in groups but assume you are solo and the whole rock, paper, scissors analogy. Not always true but an interesting thought that bares thinking about.

[Underling]

IMO buffs play an essential role in pvp - so please buff everyone with what you have.

No more they don't. We've got hunt0rz now :embarassed:

[Mincemaker]

Nice little beginners guide/tips there.

I would add to number two that gear is also part of the difference in levels as it can jump a considerable amount between say a level 24 and a level 28.

Also, if you have a healing spell and you see a fellow bg'er about to die, for the love of all that is holy, heal him. We dont' want to hear, I'm feral, I'm balance, I'm ret, I'm shadow . . . BG's are about the WHOLE team not just one or two players or twinks, so heal if you can when you see someone in need. If you're not a healer don't make it your focus, but try to save someone from dyeing if possible.

Regardless of what people say, IMO buffs play an essential role in pvp - so please buff everyone with what you have. Also, if you're a lock give everyone underwater breathing as the last buff they get. Yes you're in a bg and not swimming, but here's the deal, if someone casts a dispell on you, it will most likely take that crappy underwater breathing instead of a beneficial buff like kings or fort or w/e. ^^ I've seen people say wtf do I need underwater breathing for? Well, now you know, and can then state why, most people say "OMG I never thought of that . . ." =)


I can agree with the buff, and that's why people buff before arenas while they can. It gives you a combat boost. If you have tons of nonsense buffs, those are more likely to be removed compared to the ones that actually do something.

[NamelessoneX]

This is very true now,with hunters being able to debuff and often times shaman healers in arena debuffing when not healing and holy/disc priests mana burning and dispelling/debuffing. If you have someone like a warlock on your team who can throw underwater breathing and detect invisablity, have them put it on you after all the essental buffs are on to increase the chase those will be dispelled first before your important ones like fort and kings are wiped.

Personally im glad blizz lets you buff for free in BG after a res because in battle grounds the chances you will face a hunter who will wipe off the few buffs you can use on yourself are usually fairly high. This holds true even more for AB/WSG where there is allways at least two on each side.

[xDarkDrifterx]

No more they don't. We've got hunt0rz now :embarassed:

:grin: And I'm loving my new arcane shot ^^ but they do still help cause I can only dispell one at a time so with a couple in front of kings, fort, etc as said, will help you keep them a bit longer.

[Pin]

5) Death is just a setback, but be weary of a loosing battle. Sometimes its beest to do a "tactical retreat" If there is one guy left getting pummeled by 3, don't bother. Your going to contribute more by havening them fallow you and you lead them to more allys, while at the same time reporting the class type and position. This is notto say always run when your out numbered, but i cant remember how many times i've had to fall back in WSG or AV when i thought it was all clear because of my minimap, just to find out the guys on the mini map were nearly dead.

People failing to do this is what annoyed me the most while BGing on my little priest. Like another poster said, even though I am shadow when it's beneficial to the battle overall I will heal instead.

But so many stupid people will run into 4 enemies by themselves and then complain I didn't heal them...

Love the comment at the end by the way :D

[Kugan]

People failing to do this is what annoyed me the most while BGing on my little priest. Like another poster said, even though I am shadow when it's beneficial to the battle overall I will heal instead.

But so many stupid people will run into 4 enemies by themselves and then complain I didn't heal them...

Love the comment at the end by the way :D

It used to irritate me when people ran into big groups as if they are gods… but now that I’m playing a Rogue, I have to say that it is exhilarating. Nothing quite like the rush of knowing you are going to die, but wondering how many you can take with you.

On the other hand, I never complain when I don’t get healed when I do that. I don’t expect to get healed when I do that. But it is nice.

[NamelessoneX]

I wanted to add something that reminded me of healing (usually lack of) in the battlegrounds is actually a way of seeing someones confidence in you. In other words, if a priest felt as if you could have most likely done a good job on your own with out his or her help, he or she will heal you more willingly then if they feel you would die regardless. Has anyone else observed this? I think the best way to live if this is the case, is to do well in front of a healer class (even if they are not healing speced) so they will be more willing to heal you if they see you again. This is mostly true in a WSG/AB situation where you run into the same people often. When there is a large fight or your getting ganked this donest apply as much since most would decide off their own experience if its worth healing you or not.

[aromar]

More tips for buffs:

Buff pets! They are bonus players so help them to hit like a truck.

In AV, buff NPCs. Casting might on GY flag NPCs gives them a nice boost to their damage and fortitude helps them last longer as a 4 man backup team while you solo defend the flag.

A few people need to stop by Balinda/Galv at the start of AV to fully buff them so they do some serious damage.

[moopy]

You can't excel at low-level PvP any more, times have changed. You either fail because you're being jumped by three twink rogues, or fail in an epic manner because you are a twink rogue who can only cut it in a very small pond. Low level PvP is, sadly, dead in the water as a fun and interesting diversion from levelling.

[Phorlar]

Make a twink and join a twink guild. 5v5 at lvl 29 is where its at.

[xDarkDrifterx]

Low level PvP is, sadly, dead in the water as a fun and interesting diversion from levelling.

**Buzzer Sounds**

Would you like to try a non blanketed statement $300?

IMO - It may be dead for you, it may be dead for your guild, it may be dead for your specific friends, it may be dead on your server, it might even be dead on your whole battlegroup (doubt it), but (just like our "world pvp" arguement a month back) - it is NOT dead.

With new players still to even experience it, other players looking forward to it, by the sale of twink items on the AH in the 19-49 bracket, it's very strong (on my server). Oh and this thread along with a good 5 others that have been posted in the past week just show that the interest is not wavering from everyone (and that's without even venturing over to the officials and all the twink threads there) :wink:

[Mincemaker]

I wanted to add something that reminded me of healing (usually lack of) in the battlegrounds is actually a way of seeing someones confidence in you. In other words, if a priest felt as if you could have most likely done a good job on your own with out his or her help, he or she will heal you more willingly then if they feel you would die regardless. Has anyone else observed this? I think the best way to live if this is the case, is to do well in front of a healer class (even if they are not healing speced) so they will be more willing to heal you if they see you again. This is mostly true in a WSG/AB situation where you run into the same people often. When there is a large fight or your getting ganked this donest apply as much since most would decide off their own experience if its worth healing you or not.

I noticed this myself. I had done plenty of hit-and-runs and had been quite successful killing people one by one in a BG in the middle of a huge fight. I noticed that after the second and third kill, healers, if they are still alive, starts healing me. Hell, they even buffed me, so I can do even more hit and runs.

[Underling]

You can't excel at low-level PvP any more, times have changed. You either fail because you're being jumped by three twink rogues, or fail in an epic manner because you are a twink rogue who can only cut it in a very small pond. Low level PvP is, sadly, dead in the water as a fun and interesting diversion from levelling.

I agree, but for lvls 19-29 mostly. With 30-39 you can have fun still, especially if you are a fire mage and willing to go for the flag. You can still have fun vs twinks.

Next bracket is more or less still a good game

[RioteR]

You can't excel at low-level PvP any more, times have changed. You either fail because you're being jumped by three twink rogues, or fail in an epic manner because you are a twink rogue who can only cut it in a very small pond. Low level PvP is, sadly, dead in the water as a fun and interesting diversion from levelling.
I disgree. I'm tearing it up as a lvl 38 Rogue right now in wsg and ab. Just yesterday we were losing 2/0 in WSG, and i personally capped the flag 3 times for the comeback. low lvl PvP is great!

[NamelessoneX]

A quick break down of the PVP brackets for all those intrested...i apoligize for not going this before.

10-19 - Dominated by twinks...to be quite honest, best to skip this one, but if your intrested know that the rules i listed apply to this bracket the most. Rogues and hunters are the usual twink suspects, and will contune to be annoying and the most over pouplated class in any bracket up to 60 and 70 ones.

20-29 - Watered down 19 bracket. Alot of hold over twinks and twinks just for AB. AB is a fun way to test your ablity to deal with overwhelming odds, and also a good chance to pratice your hit and runs and long term mana conservation tactics.

30-39 - Welcome to long que lines and a real pvp experence. This is the first "balanced" bracket, where no class dominates the others. A good rule of thumb i use, if i enjoy my class in this bracket, i know i will enjoy it end game. Most classes have 75% of their skills by now.

40-49 Same as above, however talent tree's really stand out. You will start being able to tell a arms warrior for a prot or fury, a ele shaman from an enhance. Spec types dominate this bracket. Some twinks in this bracket also, but usually no more then 1 in each bg (twinks dont like leveling).

50-60- AV is here, but this bracket is somewhat...no...really imbalanced. Skip it unless you want to get a head start farming AV tokens for something straight out at 70. Why is it imbalanced? Well outland and hold over 60's with old T1-2 gears hit this bracket hard. The difference between a 59 lock and a 60 lock is like night and day. The gear in outland is just insance. You'll replace more stuff in 1 day then you did in a week generally. However, this bracket is good to test your overall skills when you know your most likely out gunned/geared etc. Dont linger here.

61-69, same as above...really not worth hanging around...the difference in gear by level is just to great. However, if you do decide to try it, dont get upset if your not doing as well as you expected your class to do, its just the gear.

70- Arena overshadows BG, but do your BG stuff to get the S1 loot, and if your not a pvper, get one or two anyway if you know raid loot will be hard to come by. For instance, many elemental shamans opt to go for pvp gear because kara offers little to them.

Oh one last thing, If your grinding honor, AV is the way to go, if you need tokens, the order from easiest to hardest is AB-EOS-AV-WSG. WSG is on the end because some matchs can be very long, while the rest are timed for the most part. AV might be harder for some battle groups if your side generally does bad. Aside from that AB will allways be fastest overall because the time will never go past half hour. If you run premades, the time is cut in half or more for all (except AV of course)