Pick the Losing Side: Changes to PvP

If you're like me and got into WoW "incidentally" after the free 10-day trial, you happily rolled a character on whatever realm was recommended without giving it much thought. I had played for more than 8 months before I realized there are ways to research each realm based on guild progression or percentage of Horde versus Alliance on the server.

I also didn't realize how much the number of Horde versus that of Alliance can change gameplay on a server where the ratio isn't equal. A server where one faction outnumbers the other 2:1 can have a marked effect on battlegrounds and world PvP.

As a denizen of two servers where I am on the outnumbered faction, I was a little concerned about the ramifications of opening up PvP to an entire zone in Northrend. While I love PvP, I wasn't looking forward to visiting Wintergrasp and getting continually pwned by legions of the opposing faction.

My concerns were put to rest at BlizzCon. In fact, it looks like Wintergrasp will be my new zone of choice for many reasons:

• Immediate action with instant results. There is no "team play" in this zone. You don't queue to get into the battle at Wintergrasp, you walk (well, really fly) in and start fighting. And your kills are your own, so there is no one to go AFK and get a "free ride" from your hard work.
  
• The zone rank system resets every fight. Every fight, you have a new chance to pilot new siege engines, set new traps, and, best of all, blow up new stuff.
• The winning side gets access to very cool stuff. For 2.5 hours after winning, the victors can access special items, daily quests, even a whole dungeon with a special raid boss, available only to them.

But, most importantly to me:

• The outnumbered faction receives a buff to damage done and defense against damage received. Even better, this buff scales in proportion to how badly the faction is outnumbered.

This last aspect of Wintergrasp combat is, to me, the perfect answer to every faction that has long suffered from being outnumbered in PvP. While it is likely that this buff will only apply to the fighting in Wintergrasp, it is still a giant step forward. I can't wait to see it implemented. Kudos, Blizzard!