PvP guild - is it possible?

With the 4.2 patch right around the corner and the daily pvp quests about to hit live servers I have a high hopes that group pvp will once again make people excited about pvp. The very concept of me being in a pvp group with non-strangers (aka people I know) is so alien to me that I will need to ease into it (thanks Craig! We all owe you one). Having an alternative of "random minigames with random strangers" and "open world pvp quests that you can do with friends" I can very much see myself grouping with people for pvp on a daily basis. This leads me to the point of this post: 100% pvp guild as a possibility in post 4.2 reality. I am talking about an organized guild of individuals committed to doing pvp as their main and pretty much only in-game activity. It was always a dream of mine to be in a such a guild as my in-game guild history is llittered with PVE guilds doing...pve without me. I did my time in The Law - a pvp centric guild - but in all honesty I joined them at worst possible time: there was no group pvp content whatsoever (the only chance to interact with guild members was usually fighting them in minis) and The Law was taking a shot at T4 raiding (to get PVE weapons to stay competitive in PVP). All that have lead to...less than desirable scenarios.

But that table has turned with wild concept of PVP gear being better than PVE one (even more so with impending T4 pvp gear) and above mentioned open world pvp objectives. So will the pvp guilds show up on Fury? I surely hope so.

Matter of fact I have asked that very question on the official forums and.........hilarity ensues with usually "Crom is the best fuck the rest" type comments springing up. I have so many hopes for this patch, but will it be a "game changer"? We shall see soon enough as may 20th is right around the corner.

The Age of Conan, 6thAnniversary event will run for several weeks starting on the 20th of May and is titled “Shadows of the Past”. - http://www.ageofconan.com/news/game_director_letter_april_2014 

4.2 sexyness incoming

In a titanic effort to have at least one post this month (don't blame me, nothing is going on right now in AOC) I want to grace you, my readers, with an update from TL server:

As you know in a last letter Game Director wrote:

"4.2 is not a sexy name, perhaps, and we’ll give it something more appropriate as we get closer to the release, but the contents of the patch are as follows:

Daily open world PvP quests and events.

A new token type tied directly to the above content, which will allow us to provide players with a new tier of PvP gear.

Our 6th Anniversary event"

Source: http://www.ageofconan.com/news/game_director_letter_march_2014

As we know ANYTHING takes Funcom XYZ amount of time which can be anything from "next year" to "when Moses comes back". It was frustrating as hell, but most of us (me and a couple unmediated lunatics that are current AOC community) endured that with a dignity. That, shall we say unfortunate, trend took strange turn when Joel "the fucking man" Bylos took over AOC and sent CirithGorgor to do his bidding. And by that I mean stuff really started to appear on live server in a timely fashion. If anything I am pleasantly surprised and this trend seems to continue. I am risking jinxing it, but for me things are bug and lag free and the changes are steering the game in the right direction (TM). 

Anywho CirithGorgor made it very clear when we can expect 4.2:

04-17-2014, 01:17 PM	#24
CirithGorgor Senior Designer	If you look at what Joel mentioned will be making up patch 4.2 you should be able to work out the likely patch date . Specifically the anniversary element. Currently we are in the process of verifying an event build which can be pushed to testlive as well as itemising patch 4.2. A large part of this itemisation will be put on testlive along with the event build. We'll start focused feedback threads and a final event day once that build goes to testlive.

source: http://forums-tl.ageofconan.com/showpost.php?p=593063&postcount=24

The anniversary, as my calendar proudly states (yes, I keep track of that, call me romantic), takes place on 17th of may. Since it's Saturday it might or might not launch on that particular date, but it will be very close to that.

The first installment of 4.2 is already on TL:

Yesterday, 05:32 PM

#1

Erelon QA Lead/Admin

Update 4.2 Notes Update Notes for 4.2 **These notes do not necessarily reflect the final version that will be deployed on Live** NEW! * New social items have been added to the Contraption Merchants for purchase using Conquest Trophies * A new vendor has arrived in each of the Armory areas, this vendor offers unique new items in exchange for Victory Tokens GENERAL * Tier 1 and 2 accessories have had their stats improved to bring them more in line with the Tier 3 accessories * Tier 1 accessories no longer have any PvP level requirements and their gold cost has been reduced * Tier 1 accessories available (and previously purchased) through the item store have been upgraded to match the stats of the new Tier 2 accessories * White Sands Isle is now PvP Enabled on all PvP servers DUNGEONS Temple of Erlik * At least 1 of the new weapon and accessory items are guaranteed to drop from each boss. * The Bat of Nergal now provides Dragon's Tears instead of rare relics * Zaal drops a dragon's tear instead of rare relics, and also a chance at his minipet * Archfiend of Gore now also drops Phials of Heavenly Knowledge

I took it upon myself to explore this 4.2 craziness and bring you the news:

Two new kinds of tokens. Victory token is self explanatory (it really is since it has a description stating that it's gained via world pvp events). Tokens of Gilding is  a bit of mystery. Some say it will be dropped by world bosses and some predict its a new T1-T2 raids reward. Me? I am betting my money on new daily quests. Lead Designer said one that world quests that are not pvp related (like smuggler run) will give pve rewards for completing them. It makes sense.

Here is the vendor that sells you crap for new Gilding token. Vanity all the way.

Here are new pvp vanity stuff. It is not yet finalized so don't worry that 4.2 is only about pets. Final blow ability is for tauting people in pvp as it allows you to "finish off" already dead opponents (animation looks like Hox).

More vanity, but also a bit of transformation stuff (similar to Jiang Shi spell).

The pvp gear gap is officially closed. You can now take a fresh lvl 80 character and in a matter of few weeks have him geared up and able to compete with veterans. New pvp T1 set is all epic, costs only few golds and is for pvp lvl 0-4 which can be made super fast (probably even faster with new world pvp quests).

Last but not least one of the most interesting pets that will stroke your epeen until it is swollen and bloody. This pet will actually call out your stats so people can hear about stats that currently cannot be viewed by other players.

No other game does the things AoC does well

Two things happened today: I tried The Elder Scrolls Online early access and Game Director for Age of Conan spoke the truth and got scolded for it.

Let's begin with Nusquam post:

Today, 08:47

#32

Nusquam Forum God

Quote: Originally Posted by twinklez3  Tell me why, as someone who paid to play this game for 4 years, why I should resub and give you more money when there are other games which release far more frequent content updates for 15 dollars per month. Because no other game does the things AoC does well? I mean, it's not a difficult question to answer. If "generic game that releases more content updates" is equivalent in your mind to what AoC has to offer then you would switch games. AoC is a unique experience in the MMO space and that is why it has a dedicated, loyal customer base.

Playing ESO for the first time it became painfully evident that it's not Age of Conan (which it's not supposed to be), but also...well, it doesn't really measure up to Age of Conan. To others ESO has nice graphics, rich lore, voice overs in quests, interesting combat system and diverse classes, but for me graphics don't really matter, I couldn't find it in myself to give a poop about elves and voice overs in boring quests aren't helping things. To top it off the combat brings nothing new to the table and it's pretty much a point & click experience with occasional blocking and a dodge. While I was pumped for ESO exactly how I was hyped for AOC it was AOC that really glued me to the monitor while ESO felt more like "I have to give it a fair shake, I paid GOOD MONEY FOR THIS". Money well wasted I suppose :X Needless to say I am re-subed to AOC and crawled back to Fury server with a tail between my legs. 

To give credit where credit is due ESO had a smooth launch for me, the experience was bug free and the game seems polished. A well made product...just not for me. Since this was the only game on the horizon that had any potential as my AOC successor it is pretty clear that I am here to stay. AOC has it's painfully evident shortcomings... but then again.. No other game does the things AoC does well. Truer words were never spoken.

Ignorance is bliss

AOC and ESO for me have one thing in common: I knew about them for some time, but got interested with them few weeks before launch. Ignorance is bliss, it really is. I remember obsessing about Age of Conan few days before the game going live and I am going through same thing with Elder Scrolls Online. Don't get me wrong, I love the excitement, the camaraderie and the potential that new AAA title brings to MMO genre as a whole. I remember when AOC was in the shops (as far as I remember there was no DLC option back then, it was 2008 after all :X) and I actually had to make a call to check if AOC box was on the shelves and...it was. JOY! I ran to the shop straight from my office, tearing through crowd like a fat kid chasing down an ice cream truck. Of course when I came to the game shop i'st shelves were groaning with abundance of AOC boxes, but I was so full of glee that I couldn't have walked to the shop even if I tried, I had to run. Priceless nerd moment :X The fact that I am in my thirties now apparently doesn't stop me obsessing about whether I should pick blacksmithing or not. For me nothing has changed. 

All this positive buzz about ESO makes me realize how AOC became a dried up husk that I am leaving behind. I have squeezed every bit of juice out of Age of Conan and it seems like it is just a time for me to move on. To be honest I was less than ecstatic about AOC for quite a while now, but it really took something different in MMO space to make me consider changing my game of choice. I mean I did pass up on Rift, GW2 and other after all. The pvp nerd in me is picky.

Well at least some people try to stay competitive in the field of nerdom:

Zark Cromhout Haha imagine how I feel after the beta weekend, nothing is worth doing anymore

Which alliance?

Since the launch of ESO, at least for me, is only 8 days away I have started thinking what I will pick & choose in my new MMO journey. As you know I will stick to my one character philosophy and all other usual choices will carry over to ESO: my character will be human, male and blond. The race came naturally to me: The Imperials. This is the closest thing to Aquilonians and the racial passives are ok for the purpose of assassination/pvp builds.  Of course they are races better suited for assassin/rogue types , but when I have to pick between getting my character "right" or "optimal" I will go for "right" feeling.

However this time around I am faced with yet another choice: which alliance should I be in? I have went through Elder Scrolls Lore youtube crash course (really well done series BTW) so a have a basic idea about the world, races and alliances themselves. Here is what I have gathered so far:

ALDMERI DOMINION - easiest decision in "what not to pick" category. There is not a single thing that I would enjoy about this alliance. High Elves, in general, can suck it (yes, very mature of me, but I have never been fond of elves in any genre), wood elves are pretty much the same (minus the cannibalism? that's unexpected :X) and KHAJIIT are a race for furries. No need to go any deeper.

EBONHEART PACT - I am very much afraid that this is where are all "cool kids" will hang out. Nords are badass, that is sure. Dark Elves? Well, I can stomach that more than their high born cousins (and sometimes Dark Elves are good, right?).  Now for Aegonians? This is a kind of race that I would enjoy butchering more than haing out with.

DAGGERFALL COVENANT - for now this is my pick. Since all this taking sides turned into figuring out which alliance pisses me off the least, Daggerfall is a prime candidate with 2 of it's races being pretty much human (Bretons have a trace of elven blood). Orcs are acceptable, you guys can tank for me. All that plus Breton assassin is just OP in the trailer.

So what is your race/class/alliance? 

Your purchase of The Elder Scrolls Online Digital Imperial Edition is complete

No soul shards? If anything that is GOOD. As you can see I jumped on The Elder Scrolls Online bandwagon. I wanted to share my thoughts about it and what is means for my involvement with Age of Conan. For five years now I have been dedicated to one MMO (and my only game of choice at the same time) and I am starting to feel like it is time to move on. It is not because there is anything inherently wrong with AOC, but rather because it won't be anything else in the future. During it's golden era of 2008-2010 AOC has reached it's peak and it's been in decline ever since: content and population wise. We won't ever see another expansion the scale of Khitai or even yearly adventure packs the size of Turan. Recent interview with Funcom CEO makes it perfectly clear: "We think that revenues will still decline until the launch of LEGO, that's our prediction. Now we've done all the restructuring, operating costs will be stable. Revenue in existing games will slowly decline over time, that's the long term trend. It will have bumps, but we don't expect anything major to happen. The strategy is to maximise the revenue we can get and minimise cost. That's the strategy we're using for our online portfolio and we hope to be as innovative as possible with our new projects." For me that screams: we will milk AOC for what it's worth and try not to pump money into it. Granted, that might be smart thing to do when it comes to conducting business, but I am not Funcom shareholder and I don't care about their profit margins. I care about ME (my enjoyment) and what I am seeing is that the company is not willing to give me my money's worth. I won't repeat myself that I don't have any content left to enjoy in AOC, so currently I just log on, do 1-2 minigames with random strangers (which is harder and harder since Fury population is in decline) and log off (usually pissed off). At this stage it is pretty clear I need to move on. Elder Scrolls Online give me that funky 2008 pre-launch feel which AOC had - the air was full of hope and potential and glee. My dabble with ESO might end up like my recent romance with WoW, or it might be full time-never-go-back switch which, quite honestly, I am hoping for. I am sold enough on the idea of ESOsoI have unsubbed from AOC (thankfully FC didn't trick me into getting some kind of 1 year sub deal!) and bought early access. Apart from being modern MMO (everything AOC is not) ESO has quite interesting lore behind it (sadly I never played any Elder Scroll game) and the combat mechanic is far enough from usual point & click. All of this I am pulling out of my ass because I have actually never played the damn game and my experience comes solely from obsessive youtube watching. Still if watching youtube is more engaging than playing Age of Conan for me it means that ESO is worth a shot. It's a little more than a week and I will have my answer. 

Jian Shi quest in Kara Korum