Alterac Valley PvP Zone (A Fantasy)

How is a PvP "zone" different from any other area on a PvP server? What should happen there? As the first PvP zone, Wintergrasp should offer some clues, but functionally, it is just a place where a battle happens every two hours or so. This is not a bad idea, but it feels like a PvP zone should have more to offer.

I offer Alterac Valley as a possibility. It has been something of a disappointment, as a battleground ... not because of it's layout, but because the battle's mechanics tend to encourage a strategy that avoids fighting. But suppose AV was "always open" and dedicated to PvP ... a "zone" for fighting, so to speak. How might it work?

Most importantly, such a zone must have a clientele. My AV PvP Zone is intended to appeal to those players who want to get in a little "hack and slash" and/or who want to build up their Honor Points, but who do NOT want to bother with the rules and regulations of a structured game. Right now these players go to WSG and "melee in the middle" or they sign up for random battlegrounds and "fight in the road" for the duration. I see the AV PvP Zone as providing a more desirable way to engage in those activities.

To function effectively and fairly, such a zone would need these things:

• An ongoing battle ... if you go to the zone, you will be able to find a fight,
• Rewards ... some will come just to fight, many will not, so prizes need to be offered,
• Balance ... the fighting power of the factions needs to be approximately even.

Here is a slightly altered layout of Alterac.

The Map and Its Features

(You will see me refer to "a period of time" or "a little while" and similarly vague units of time. The timing of events in battlegrounds is important ... how long a flag stays gray in AB, how quickly a tower caps in EotS ... so the exact construction must be left to the game designers, which is why the details are not provided here.)

Each of these areas is described next, with emphasis on any changes.

Horde and Allies Starting Points

As they do for any battleground, players transport to the AV PvP zone by clicking a button or talking to an NPC. The zone is "always open" ... which means that players can come and go as they please. However, it is not a timed event; so it is not available as a Random option.

Players entering the zone will appear at their faction starting point. From there they may elect to teleport to the Hilltop or to a random graveyard. Or they may proceed into the zone via the starting point gateway.

The starting points are off-limits to the opposing faction. They contain various amenities, including vendors for repairs, food and drink and reagents. Faction quartermasters are located here.

The starting points contain portals that will return players to their points of origin. Players can also leave by selecting "Leave Zone" from their PvP menu, or, of course, by porting out on their own.

Graveyards

These function as they do in the current AV battleground.

When players enter the zone, they may teleport at random to one of their faction's graveyards.

Mines

If controlled by a faction, Irondeep and Goldtooth mines provide a constant flow of honor to every faction player in the zone. After a period of time, a mine reverts to "neutral" ... which means that control returns to one of the neutral factions and their members re-populate it. This means that the mines must be reconquered periodically, even if the opposing faction does not cap them.

Bosses

In the original WoW bosses were based on the "elite" model ... they hit harder and took longer to kill than normal mobs. More difficult bosses were bigger and stronger, and had more guards, but in general they did not fight with any cleverness and they had few special talents.

The game has come a long way in this regard in terms of dungeon raid bosses, but PvP bosses are still just big, hard-hitting lumps. Perhaps it is time for that to change.

I have many interesting ideas as to how Galvangar and Balinda, and Drek and Van, could be updated to provide a more interesting experience. But I'll leave it to the game designers. My point is simply that PvP zone bosses should be more interesting.

However, whatever their capabilities, the purpose of these bosses is somewhat different in a PvP Zone than in a regular battleground. There is no game to end, so their deaths cannot contribute to that goal. Similarly, when killed they must eventually rez ... and this needs to happen naturally within the context of the ongoing fighting.

The main purpose of the bosses the AV PvP zone is to provide for group activities. It should not be possible to "solo" any of the bosses, and probably Galvangar and Balinda should require at least a well geared group of five, with Drek and Van requiring more.

Galvangar and Balinda

Galvangar and Balinda are protected by NPC guards. Killing the guards does not weaken the boss, however, when the boss is killed, any remaining NPC guards also die. The boss remains dead for a period of time and then resurrects along with his or her guards.

• The death of either Galvangar or Balinda grants a burst of honor to everyone of the opposing faction in the area of the kill.
• All players in the zone who belong to the opposing faction of the dead boss receive an offensive buff that lasts until the boss resurrects. (The purpose of this is to encourage a defense of the boss.)

Drek'Thar and Vanndar Stormpike

Drek and Van are protected by NPC guards. Killing the guards does not weaken the boss, however, when the boss is killed, any remaining NPC guards also die. Controlling the bunkers/towers in the camp provides players and NPCs with a defensive buff that only applies within the bounds of the camp. Once killed, the boss remains dead for a fairly long period of time and then resurrects along with his or her guards.

• The death of either Drek or Van grants a burst of honor to everyone in the area of the kill.
• All players in the zone who belong to the opposing faction as the dead boss receive an defensive buff that lasts until the boss resurrects. (The purpose of this is to encourage a defense of the boss.)
• All towers/bunkers belonging to the faction whose boss was killed immediately return to neutral if they are capable of this effect.

The Guards

Guards around the bosses should be a mix of class types, including melee, ranged and healers. As with the bosses, the idea is to make the fight more interesting.

In addition, the number and kinds of NPC guards should vary to help adjust the player balance.

Towers/Bunkers

Towers or bunkers controlled by a faction provide a constant flow of honor.

Control of a towers or bunker fades to neutral after a period of time.

The Hilltop

The Hilltop is the primary addition to the geography of Alterac Valley. It rises from the middle of the Field of Strife and its summit supports the Alterac Orb ... an artifact whose control is desired by both factions.

• Capture works as in EotS. The side with the largest number on the top of the hill will eventually control it. If unoccupied for a period of time, the Hilltop reverts to neutral status.
• Control of the Hilltop gives a burst of honor to all nearby members of that faction.
• While the Orb is controlled by your faction, NPC opponents may drop valuable items. (See "Frizzlewidget", "Rewards".)
• The purpose of the Orb is to attract fighters and concentrate action. If you came to fight, it might as well be here ... it's in the middle and if you own it, you get stuff.

The Dueling Bowl

This is a sanctuary area in which free form PvP is prohibited. On the other hand, individual players from either faction may challenge one another to duels here.

Teleports

A number of teleports have been provided to speed movement from one part of the zone to another. Teleports can be used by either faction. They cannot be capped ... though, of course, they can be guarded.

The teleports are located:

• at the entrance to each faction starting point
• near the Hilltop
• in the Dueling Bowl (sanctuary)

The Frizzlewidget (not shown on the map)

This object drops randomly from one of the zone's NPC fighters into the hands of the faction that controls the Hilltop.

The Frizzlewidget:

• can be looted if the person carrying it dies ... if not looted, it disappears on the death of its owner,
• can be traded or given to another person,
• can be sold for gold to an NPC in the faction starting area,
• can be placed in the Orb at the top of the Hilltop,
• disappears if the person carrying it leaves the Zone.

When placed in the Orb, the Frizzlewidget gives a burst of bonus honor points to every member of that faction currently in the Zone. The player's faction must control the Orb to enable this placement.

Ground Assault, Air Assault

Completion of the ground assault requirements releases the assault in much the same manner as now. The ground assault troops march to the base of the Hilltop. In addition, all faction NPCs in the zone receive an increase in their defensive capability for the duration of the ground assault.

Completion of the air assault requirements releases the assault as it happens now. After a time, the air troops fly back to base to refuel and can only be recalled by means of a new assault event. In addition, all faction NPCs in the zone receive an increase in their offensive capability for the duration of the air assault.

The air and ground assault quest givers are permanently located in the faction's camp. If these NPCs are killed, the air or ground assault is triggered just as if the assault requirements had been met. (The purpose of this is to discourage the death of these NPCs.)

Elemental Lords

Elemental lords can be called up as in the present battleground. They remain in the vicinity of the Hilltop until, satisfied with the work they have done, they fade away.

Killing the opposition's elemental lord is a very difficult task, but it results in a significant honor bonus to all faction members in the zone.

Dun Baldur and Frostwolf Village

Vendors and the quartermaster have moved to the faction starting point. Some questgivers remain in their current locations.

To adjust for balance, the number of NPC guards has increased.

The Defile

A new path has been cut from Dun Baldur to the center of the zone. This provides another exit from the Allied camp.

Icewing Cavern and Wildpaw Cavern

Each cavern houses a solo dungeon. The dungeons differ somewhat in "look and feel" but are identical in difficulty and rewards.

On entering the dungeon, the player is forced to choose one of three options: dps, tank, healer. This choice determines the mechanics of the dungeon.

After making this choice, the player is assigned four NPC teammates. The final group will include one tank, one healer, and three dps ... with the player filling one of these roles.

The purpose of the solo dungeon:

• To provide an additional attraction ... and something to do if the fighting is slow,
• To give players a way to practice PvE style raiding on their own, without the need to form or join a group,
• To provide access to PvE style rewards,
• To give PvE players a reason to come to the PvP zone ... maybe they'll get interested and stay awhile.

The game designers are experts at making dungeons, and I am not. So there are no details here on the contents of the dungeons.

Balance

To provide a fair fight, a PvP zone must have some mechanism for balancing the fighting power of the two factions relative to the number of players currently in the zone.

For the purposes of AV PvP zone, the number of active players will exclude those who are engaged in the solo dungeons, and those who are located within the faction starting areas.

Tenacity

Tenacity is already in use in Wintergrasp battles to give a stackable buff to the side with the fewer players.

This is a good concept, and it would be good to apply it in the AV PvP Zone.

NPCs

A second, and more interesting way of achieving balance would be to increase the number and competency of NPC characters who support the faction with the fewer players.

The NPCs in general should be made more competent. For example, consider the group of NPCs that guard the flag near a graveyard. An improved complement might have three melee fighters clustered around the flag. These might be supported by a healer and two ranged players.

• The melee NPCs have a very short aggro range. They protect the flag but will not chase very far.
• The healer dies if it is the only NPC remaining - i.e., it does nothing but heal.
• The ranged players have a wide aggro range, but hold their ground and do not chase.

Other formations are possible, of course. The goal is to make capturing the flag significantly more difficult than it is in the original AV.

This maximum configuration would come up on flags controlled by the faction with a wide disparity in numbers. This would make its graveyards relatively more secure.

The opposition faction's flags might then look like this minimum configuration. Or, they might have no NPC defenders at all.

As World of Warcraft has matured, the NPCs in dungeons have become increasingly more sophisticated in their ability to "patrol". Battleground NPCs, however, are still mostly "two guards and a dog." Another tool for achieving balance might be to add "hunter/killer patrols" to help the side that has fewer players.

Small NPC teams on patrol might be used to make it more difficult for the players to easily move around the zone. Larger teams might patrol near the towers/bunkers or in the faction camps.

Again, I am not an expert in game design, so I am not arguing for specific details or arrangements. My observation is that the game might be more fun if the NPCs were more competent. And this might also be used to help balance any disparity in player numbers.

rewards

There are two reasons for coming to the AV PvP Zone: the desire to fight, and the desire to acquire kills, honor and in the case of the solo dungeons PvE gear.

Finding a Fight

The Hilltop is the de facto center of the zone. Controlling it gives honor and access to possible other rewards. It should be the prime destination for players who want to get into a fight. Each faction starting area contains a portal to the Hilltop.

Groups of players coming into the zone may elect to head for the opposing faction's camp. Or, they may decide on a campaign to burn towers/bunkers. In these cases they might be fighting mainly NPCs, but success would give them honor.

Ideally, a balanced fight would be available at the Hilltop nearly all the time, with mines, tower/bunkers and bosses available for additional action.

Honor From Kills

There should be no scarcity of kills in this zone, so a player who comes and participates should expect to gain honor consistently.

Bonus Honor

One of the attractions of the PvP zone would be the chance to gain bonus honor from a variety of sources. I am not suggesting specific amounts of honor here because I think the game designers can do that much better than I can. My suggestion is simply that honor from kills be augmented from time to time by the completion of specific objectives.

Flows

Some objectives provide a small, constant flow of honor to every player of that faction who is in the zone. This would exclude players in the starting areas and the solo dungeons.

• Mines: When a mine is controlled by a faction, it provides a constant supply of bonus honor to every faction player in the zone. In order to encourage conflict, control of both mines provides somewhat more than double the honor provided by one mine.
• Towers/Bunkers: When a tower or bunker is controlled by a faction, it provides a constant supply of bonus honor to every faction player in the zone. In order to encourage conflict, control of multiple towers/bunkers provides somewhat more than the multiple of honor.
• Because graveyards are so important to both sides, no honor is given for their control.

Bursts

Some objectives provide a single burst of Honor. Usually, this honor is intended to benefit only the players who helped to achieve the objective.

For example, killing a boss should give honor to those who helped with the kill. One possible way to do this is to give a buff to anyone who enters the boss's lair while the fight is under way. The buff should last for a short time after leaving the room (to give time for players who die to rez and return). When the boss dies, anyone with the buff would receive bonus honor. (No doubt there are other, and perhaps better, ways to do this ....)

Giving honor to anyone who is in the area risks giving honor to players who don't deserve it. On the other hand, this is a PvP Zone, so "being in the area" opens a player to attack from other players, so perhaps that won't be a problem.

• Galvangar and Balinda: Medium honor burst
• Drek'Thar and Vanndar Stormpike: Large honor burst
• Elemental Lord: Large honor burst
• The Hilltop: Small honor burst ... because control of the Hilltop should change hands frequently.
• Frizzlewidget: this honor burst goes out to every faction member in the zone. The amount should be set high enough to encourage lots of fighting and looting.

Gear

The boss or bosses in the solo dungeons drop PvE gear appropriate to the difficulty of the dungeons. Logically, this should be gear that would allow someone who was primarily a PvP player to get geared up for the early levels of the PvE dungeon progression.

No PvP gear would drop.

Alterac Orb Items

To encourage conflict on The Hilltop, control of the Orb enables NPCs of the opposing faction to drop items of varying degrees of value. One of these items is the Frizzlewidget, which has its own set of rewards.

Note: it would be better if loot dropped from players as well as NPCs, but I don't know if that is possible.