Late on the 05 Nov, MMO Champion announced that Patch 4.3 was available on the Blizzard Background Downloader. Now that doesn't mean that the patch is ready for release right now, or even in the immediate future (Dragon Soul is only just open for testing), but it does mean that several static elements that aren't likely to get changed, things such as the location of the new transmogrification, void storage and reforger vendors in Orgrimmar and Stormwind. It does also provide a very timely reminder that we are very likely reaching the end of Arena Season 10 and I thought it was time to give you a little update on my PvP adventures.
You may remember back in June this year I wrote about getting into arena, and in particular the Arena Realm Tournament, something I had never before done as I'd always been a bit of a PvP noob and was much more focused on endgame progression raiding. However, you guys are probably also very aware of how, for the past 18 months my endgame raiding had pretty much ceased owing to the double whammy of mounting work commitments and my growing family (my two young toddlers are the most demanding taskmasters you will ever meet). As a result I had switched a lot of my attention over to PvP because it is something that can easily be dipped in and out of on an evening rather than requiring a dedicated solid block of three hours where getting up to go pee was on a timer so I didn't miss the boss pull. Now I can do a Battleground, then make dinner, have a quick 10 - 15 minute arena match then eat dinner and put my boys to bed, another five matches (maybe about an hours worth of time give or take a little) then settle down to watch the box with Mrs Runz (or play Portal 2, Deus Ex 3, Shogun 2 or League of Legends if I'm away working again). I only have to co-ordinate with two other people to sort out match times so all in, PvP suits my limited playtime a lot better than scrambling for a place in raid. I still make sure I'm up to date with all my PvE theorycrafting (see the Arcane Mage guide) and I can certainly pull my weight should I be needed to fill in for an absent DPS despite my PvE gear limitations (I still only have the chest from the current tier and the items from the Firelands dailies).
No longer do I hang around Orgrimmar waiting on the Dungeon Finder to pop or wondering what I'm to do on an evening. Now I'm in on a Battleground, kick some butt (sometimes I kick butt but I can't blag awesomeness here as most of you have probably seen my PvP videos lol) then finish up in time for tea and medals. Do you really want to know a dirty little secret too? I'm finding PvP a lot more engaging than PvE raids, or least more engaging than Cataclysm's raid offerings and I would definitely go so far to say that it has made me a much better player overall. But so many raiders are reluctant to engage in PvP beyond the occasional unrated Battleground; well I'm here to say that PvP is a rich and inherent part of the game and even if you're a PvE'er by nature there are reasons you should a least dabble in a bit of PvP action. So let's look at some of the problems, myths and advantages with PvP. (Click on the title or the Read More button to join me after the break).
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