Real PvP

I like making titles that are controversy, or make you go 'Huh?'. I'm stating that any player versus player activity is 'not real', and that I am about to lay down what is. /giggle

3 different talent trees per class, 10 classes. 7 designated Battlegrounds. Endless random world encounters on PvP servers. Unknown numbers of backup forces called in for reinforcement. Such tactics and unbalanced chance aren't enjoyable to me because my actions alone cannot determine a winner or looser. The unknown factor is part random chance, part server latency, and is ultimately decided prior to combat by the talents, gear, macro button layout, level of focus each player possesses, and proximity to backup each player has. The one who hovers over the dead corpse of his fallen foe knows in his heart that he is the best player on the entire server, no one could ever kill him in a million years, that his reign as pvp god is supreme. That is why he flies over the corpse of the player 5 levels lower than him that was questing in greens. Interestingly, this flying player usually in the other's shoes only days before.

So let me make my comparisons as to how this is a poor PvP experience, and what is far greater.
Regardless of whether or not the player realizes it, they are competing with every other player for resources that spawn on the world map, for gold that is produced by monsters, and for experience earned by slaying said monsters. Experience is something everyone can obtain from unlimited monster factories, 'instances', so is not highly contested. Resource nodes are rapidly resupplied, so at most a few moments will pass before someone patrolling a route will find his next herb or mineral node. But gold... gold is slow and painful for most to acquire. Everyone is competing to have the most of it by sheer necessity. The things they want to do remove gold from the game, and are a 'cost of enjoyment' for them to experience the end game. The person who crafts the 1600 Gold epic item may have only spent 800 Gold on the materials, making it's value 800 Gold. But he asks for double his investment because he is competing with those that have more gold than him, or are free to spend so much gold as he asks. As with most people, he will not save this 1600, rather will spend it on zebras, donuts, bullets and milkshakes. He may keep the balance in his savings account always at some safe number he feels comfortable at. When he gets money, it usually is spent quickly.

So real PvP is unspoken. It is the space-gap difference between those with money and those without. And no one wants to produce gold from the world environment, so they all position and attack each other with the prices of goods sold on the Auction House to justify their freedom from hard labor.

Goblins not only capitalize on this player action, we embrace it. Goblin versus Goblin PvP, on the other hand, is ruthless in a way I rather not participate in. To me, if I find someone worthy to fight, I will usually walk away. Unless it is someone I think I can defeat, I know it is not worth attacking this person due to his strength and determination. In the game world outside of the AH, people clash swords together all day for no purpose. When you die, it is meaningless. The person who hovers above your corpse is bored and stupid. He is gaining nothing from it but his own masturbation of ego. Both participants are only losing quality of life while spending time on useless activity without reward or loss. For me, PvP can mean absolute death, inability to continue fighting, loss of profits on a grand scale, weeks of abuse and combat. When two AH savvy players decide to do battle, prices drop, resources become scarce, profits disappear, and despite this combat... the average item buyer only mildly benefits.

Producing alts to bank and trade with, adding known enemies to friends list and watching their movements of logging in/out daily. Estimating their timezone, sleep schedule, work schedule, in-game activities, function of existence, purpose for combat, ability and scope of their operation, determining if you've been 'made' and a new alt is required, posting without being caught, etc. etc. it's very spy - cloak and dagger.

And the implications of loosing in an AH war are as severe as having to drop tradeskills and pick up entire new ones, level them and eat their costs, and try again. It is amazingly morale-heavy combat. Real PvP is that which makes you no longer able to fight. "zomg paladins need to be nerfed!111" is a joke to me.