Prin Does PvP - Part 3

Alterac Valley - I have to say, I feel a real affinity for the AV Battlemaster in Shattrath City, Wolf-Sister Maka. Of course that might just be because we have the same head piece on. Or at least, we did at the time of this photo.

So I gave AV a shot today - it's the BG weekend, don'tcha know. I've done my share of AV on other toons, predominately Rigatoni for the Frostwolf mount. That was before the recent changes to AV, and also, it was on a rogue. 'Twas a much different experience today, kids.

First - the battles were over much quicker than I remembered. I ended up doing 3, since we lost the first two, but I was still done in just over half an hour. Second - I didn't see much "fighting in the road" today, and that always appeared to be, like, the Horde's super-secret-shooting-ourselves-in-the-foot strategy. No real taking or defending of Graveyards, either. Just a race to Balinda, and then a race to the final boss, Vanndar Stormpike.

All in all, my strategy in this BG was simple: hang back, dot SW:P and VE on everything, bang anyone low on health with a hearty Sha-BAM! of a SW:D. It appeared to work, as for the first time EVAR I suffered 0 deaths in any of the 3 matches I played. We really met no resistance on our way to the two boss-kills.

Summary: Alterac Valley currently appears to be a race for the two bosses, with no defending or taking of towers, graveyards, and the like. It certainly wasn't the most exciting Battleground I've tried, and based on chat messages it's also the least likely for the Horde to win. It was, however, fast, furious, and efficient. Three matches, 5 Alterac Valley Marks of Honor, and a total of 1436 honor for the day. Not a bad haul, and I'm only about 431 honor away from the Insignia of the Horde! Now if only I could figure out a way to fix this:

Prin Does PvP - Part 2

Arathi Basin. My second attempt at dominating the PvP playing field. Let's see how it goes!

Okay, I've got my Psychic Scream hotkeyed to the Z key (I switched it with Fear Ward on my toolbar for the excursion). I'm all buffed, mounted, ready to rock.

Oh yeah, what's the objective, again? Flags? No, no, it's bases in AB! Yeah, that's right. There are five: the Farm, Lumbermill, Mine, Stables, and Blacksmith. The way the map is set up, the Farm is closest to our base, while the Stables are furthest. There are some great strategy tips here.

I no sooner join the Battlegroup (already in progress) than I see this:

Well, I think, that was easy.

Then a Horde player posts what looks to be a reasonable strategy - we already hold 4 bases, let's go for the fifth! Apparently they call that a "five-cap" and it's really good.

I rush the Stables, right into the chaos of fighting at the banner. I start dotting up everyone I can target, until a rogue notices me - BOOM, I fear off the lot of them. By now, other players have been inspired by my bravery and dedication to teamwork and have joined me in the fray. They jump in and finish off the Alliance players I've feared, clearing our way. Well, most of our way. Seems they've neglected to take care of the rogue who is Backstabbing me mercilessly.

Ah well, it's part of war, right? Sure it is. Anyway, doesn't matter. After only 14 minutes of battle, the Horde dominated and Prin walked away with 587 honor (it was also the daily!) and 3x Arathi Basin Mark of Honor. A pretty solid showing by our favorite Shadow Priestess, if I do say so myself.

So, tell me guys, which is your favorite BG? And how do you like to play? I'm a fan of defense & dirty tricks, so far.

Prin Does PvP - Part 1 (Warsong Gulch)

"We have met the enemy... and he is us."

"My own worst enemy."

"Danger to myself."

Okay, so I had more fun coming up with alternative titles for this post than I did putting in the PvP time to research it. For the record: Principessa does not PvP. She could break a nail. For the love of all that's holy, (?) why on earth would she subject herself to the elitist, bossy, afk'ing, honor-kill-farming, typical PvP'er?

Well, because D brought it up. Since he DOES like to PvP, I've heard all the conventional complaints about the various classes. It seems to boil down to own prevalent thought: most players think that Battlegrounds are about kills. That was once the case, but no more. Today's BGs require strategy, timing, coordination, teamwork, and a healthy supply of twisty Cheetos. (Seven pieces to a serving, my ***.)

As part of a three-post series, Princessa will take you inside the Shadow Priest's PvP experience. Dps, healing, and utility are the tools we bring to the table.

Coming to the party in the middle of the level bracket won't make things easy for me. Plus, my "meh" gear and limited PvP experience won't make me anyone's darling. So, how do I stand out and shine like the Princess I am? I decide to look for anything in my spellbook that could cause some havoc to the oppostion. Then I get out my stick and start stirring.

First up - Warsong Gulch. Basically what I did here was to hide out under the balcony, near the flag. I used Mind Vision on our stealthed rogue to keep an eye on what was going on, and everytime I saw an Alliance player come running up, I Mind-Controlled him. I did a little healing, a little dps, but found that for the most part I'm best at being a thorn in the proverbial side. We won, 3 to 0. For the Horde!

What I learned:

• Psychic Scream, dammit. D's got me so trained to NOT fear, that I've almost forgotten I can still use this spell in a group. There's absolutely no reason why I shouldn't fear in a battleground. Fear is my friend.
• I can't use Mind Control on Hunter pets or shape-shifted Druids. I couldn't use it the first time I tried, or the second, or the third, so I should probably quit and move on, right?
• The 10-minute battle netted me 236 honor and 3 Warsong Gulch Marks of Honor.