Learning how to do PvP

[:1]My experience with PvP is practically zero. I'd like to learn.

My questions:

a) At what level should I start? First reach lvl 80, or should I start when I still have a limited number of spells available?

b) What is the best way/place to practice? Just stand around Goldshire and challenge people? Or should I try battlegrounds/arena (never tried either)

c) I was really impressed by a lvl 9 Rogue that beat my lvl 16 paladin. He moved around me extremely fast and it was impossible for me to keep track. How do I learn to do this? I've started using my mouse to turn but have a hard time controling my character.

d) How do each of the classes do in PvP? Rogues seem to be fun because you get to be sneaky, but are they hard to control because you have so many skills to use? Paladins are very strong, but any fun? Are pets/demons useful enough in PvP to compensate for weak armor and low damage?

e) I know that for Warlocks you want Affliction/Demonology for leveling but Destruction for PvP. Are there any classes/specs that are great for leveling and also do very well in PvP?|||a) My personal opinion would be try it now - I see somewhere else you have characters in the 30's. Try your hunter or Paladin. They are good classes to pvp with.

b) The best way is too.....well....practise. For some thats duelling in Goldshire/Crossroads. Thats not for me tbh, I prefer the bg's - so much more open. Although you can a great deal about certain classes by duelling them.

c) That rogue probably uses keybinds and moves with the mouse - you should also learn to do the same. It's hard to begin with but can be done.

d) All classes can be awesome in their own right - I have been totally annihalated by classes my class should in theory wipe the floor with. Pets can be awesome if played correctly. It depends on your spec/playstyle as to which would be best.

e) Pretty much all specs of all classes can be good - whether youre a healer healing your team or prot tank for flag carrying, or out and out dps killing the other side as fast as possible.

Have a look here for keybinding, but remember keep it simple to start with - http://forums.wow-europe.com/thread....aX5anBJq1jKYoO

Here for basic battleground info - http://www.wowwiki.com/Newbie_battleground_guide

The most important part is to have fun. Good luck :)|||also look here:http://www.wowwiki.com/Tactic

Then you can select he individual class tactics for PvP and some other helpful reads.|||a) I'd recommend to start PvPing whenever you want. :P You'll learn to better use your abilities and gain skill as you PvP. Plus, if you PvP at lower levels the people you're fighting against will most likely know just as much as you.^^

b) Try duelling to get the hang of it, especially in one-versus-one scenarios. In Battlegrounds, however, you can be fighting more than one enemy at once, or not being attacked but assisting one ally player in killing an enemy. While duelling you can learn to counter classes and just practice general PvP techniques, but in BGs it might not be as controlled. However, I highly recommend BGs because they're a fun environment to level in and that you will be doing a lot of teamwork as well as solo PvP.

c) Use your mouse to turn and move. Moving forward is clicking the right and left mouse buttons at the same time, but while PvPing you don't really want to do that (unless to run through a caster so that his spell doesn't go off because of line of sight... he can't see you, he can't cast his spell). 'Q' and 'E' are the default strafe keys. Strafing is like running sideways while facing forward, at a full running speed. Your best bet is to strafe and turn at the same time, while hitting your abilities. Make sure your abilities are key-bound, especially the ones that you use in PvP.

If it's hard for you to move like this at first, it's alright. It took me a while to get the hang of it myself... and I learned how to do it on these forums.^^

For instance, on my hunter I have Concussive Shot (dazes target) key-bound and Wing Clip (slows target so that I can escape) key-bound. I also have my main damage abilities on there, like Arcane Shot and Serpent Sting. (Make sure to take auto-attack or auto-shot off of your hotbar, because you'll be attacking them the moment you right-click them or use an offensive ability. Save that one slot for something more useful.)

Also, keep your keybindings easily accessible by your left hand (assuming you're right-handed). That means 1-5 or 1-6 on your hotbar is keybound, but nothing further. I have my 1-5 keys, shift + 1-5, Q, E, R, A, X, C, F, and T keys bound. You can change the key-bindings of your actionbars (where you put your abilities so that they show up in the User Interface instead of just in your spellbook) by hitting the Escape key in-game and hitting the "Key Bindings" button. It'll be a little confusing a first, possibly, but you'll figure out what's what.

d) For PvP, every class and spec has its use. Tanks can take lots and lots of damage and have lots of survivability, but it takes them absolutely forever to kill someone. Healers are very squishy, meaning that they are usually killed easily, but they have multiple abilities of their own to keep themselves alive while healing others. The majority of the PvP community, however, is made up of damage-dealers. Every class in the game can be a damage-dealer (DPS). If you're a damage-dealer, you do the most damage you can do to a person in the fastest amount of time... however, this usually means that you have low armor or survivability, and are killed quickly if you aren't paying attention.

Pets can be very fun in PvP. I can't speak for a warlock, but for hunters it's very nice. :D Depending on your spec, your pet could do a lot of damage or just be there for its utility. As a hunter, I have pets that can stun, interrupt, and crowd-control targets, as well as hit targets from range or slow them. They're a fantastic utility in PvP, especially if you bind the pet's abilities to your actionbar so that you have better reaction and control over the pet. However, because the pet is so helpful, if your pet dies you lose a lot... if you're up against somebody with a pet and you have a pet, make your pet use Growl or Taunt so that the two pets are fighting each other. If you don't have a pet and your opponent has a pet, crowd-control the pet! You want to kill the hunter/warlock with as little damage taken and as little hassle as possible.

Edit: You also want to become familiar with what other classes can do to you, and how to counter them. Druids, for example, can shape-shift out of snares/slows/roots, but are extremely vulnerable if they run out of mana to shift with or if they're stunned/slept/feared/trapped. Druids can't shape-shift out of traps, by the way. ;) If you have a spammable slow and keep spamming it on them, they'll quickly run out of mana trying to shapeshift... however, it's best just to try to kill them ASAP instead of playing the "kite and burn them down" game.|||Thanks for the great answers and the links. I'll start practicing a bit the coming week(s). I've already started reading on WoWWiki (lots of info there). I'll start out with regular PvP and look at Battlegrounds later.

I know about keybinds, I've been using them from the start. It's mainly moving/turning with the mouse that's still hard for me.

@ Vandir - your explanation of movement is very useful. Let me just check if I got this straight:

- You use the mouse mainly for turning, not for moving. So you pretty much keep your right mouse button pressed and don't touch the left (unless, as you say, you want to run through a caster to interrupt their spell)

- You use the keys Q-W-E to move forward and strafe sidewards, and turn with the mouse to keep facing your opponent

Last night I started a Rogue. Not sure if I will level him, but I thought he would be nice to practice low-level dueling with. At lvl 6 I fought a warlock. I managed to get behind him and start with an opener from stealth. But 3 out of 4 times he got away and kept running, while his Imp killed me. Thoughts/comments?|||Quote:








Thanks for the great answers and the links. I'll start practicing a bit the coming week(s). I've already started reading on WoWWiki (lots of info there). I'll start out with regular PvP and look at Battlegrounds later.

I know about keybinds, I've been using them from the start. It's mainly moving/turning with the mouse that's still hard for me.

@ Vandir - your explanation of movement is very useful. Let me just check if I got this straight:

- You use the mouse mainly for turning, not for moving. So you pretty much keep your right mouse button pressed and don't touch the left (unless, as you say, you want to run through a caster to interrupt their spell)

- You use the keys Q-W-E to move forward and strafe sidewards, and turn with the mouse to keep facing your opponent

Last night I started a Rogue. Not sure if I will level him, but I thought he would be nice to practice low-level dueling with. At lvl 6 I fought a warlock. I managed to get behind him and start with an opener from stealth. But 3 out of 4 times he got away and kept running, while his Imp killed me. Thoughts/comments?




I use mouse (trackball, actually) for movement and turning, to run means I have both left and right buttons down. (Push to talk is left 2nd mouse button<on a four button mouse/trackball>) My left hand is constantly on buttons 1-4, which have my four most used spells on them, depending on circumstance. This works well in pve and limited pvp/battleground heal. However, it's also the set up my pvp mad son uses with good success so... give mouse move a try and see which set up works best for you.|||I started practicing moving with my mouse. It's very erratic; quite often when I make a turn I suddenly look up at the sky or down at the ground. Or I lose track of which direction I'm facing.

Are there settings that would help? E.g. can you switch off or reduce vertical mouse viewpoint changes?

Perhaps I should buy another mouse; the one I have is a bit small for my hands. Do you guys use special (gaming) mice?|||Tank SPot have a very good guide to keybinds http://www.tankspot.com/forums/f200/...binds-you.html|||Quote:








I started practicing moving with my mouse. It's very erratic; quite often when I make a turn I suddenly look up at the sky or down at the ground. Or I lose track of which direction I'm facing.

Are there settings that would help? E.g. can you switch off or reduce vertical mouse viewpoint changes?

Perhaps I should buy another mouse; the one I have is a bit small for my hands. Do you guys use special (gaming) mice?




Most of this is simply practice and doing. I use the default settings, but have realized that I simply cannot play with a standard mouse and have to use a trackball to get my character where I need them to be. Admittedly, a lot of this is that I learned to play with a trackball, but the incidents of omg! I'm looking up, down, and I just fell through that hole! escalated 100X when I was forced to use a regular mouse for a couple of months. I use the regular Logitech marble trackball, small enough for my itty bitty hand, four buttons (push to talk on mouse is much easier than ptt on keyboard for me!) I also lucked out in the absolute beginning when I started wow. Husband said "Do *not* ever use your keyboard to move your character. Always use your mouse. You'll thank me for it later." He was right. I do.

But yeah. Bottom line... Practice makes perfect.|||At level 6, you're not ready for PvP just yet. Most classes don't have the skills or gear for PvP.

But if you want to try anyway, here's a few pointers:

Get a dagger in your main hand with some agility. Try and get some gear with agility and stamina on it.

Stealth and wait until the right time, that is wait until the Warlock is at a disadvantage, I.E. low on health!



Then sneak up behind him or her and Ambush from Stealth. Time things right and you should get an easy kill. But be prepared for thins not to to go as you want because you are only level 6.

The best thing to do before getting into PvP is gain some levels and for a Rogue... obtain Rogue Poisons at level 20. Then stack agility and stamina on your gear.

Once you have enough Agility, an Ambush hit will usually kill a cloth wearer. And once you have poisons, Crippling Poison will delay their spell casting, which means it will take longer for them to fear you.