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Returning to WvW

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Maia

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Since the WvW rewards update, I've returned to playing WvW a good amount of time per week. It is undeniable that my server Tarnished Coast is struggling right now. The server that I remember from 2 years ago that was full of commanders, guilds, and militia in almost all of the time zones (frequently queueing multiple maps) is gone, and TC is a very different place today. Luckily, I'm also a very different player than I was 2 years ago, and the combination of the two has allowed me to find new ways to enjoy WvW.

 

In my previous WvW life, I was a zergling. I ran the build that I was told, I fulfilled the role I was assigned, and I stuck to the commander like white on rice. That was fun and it is one way you can play WvW (I still do this for around half of my WvW time). However, this time around, I'm getting a lot of satisfaction out of sentrying, defending, and havocing. 

 

A perfect example is yesterday afternoon. I zoned into TCBL and a commander and small group (not really Zerg size) was running around capping stuff. I joined them just as they took Hills, and I decided to make it my new home. I told the commander my intention (as a side note a sentry/defender who is in TS with a commander is worth at least 5 who aren't) and he told me "I haven't bothered to siege or defend Hills this afternoon because they keep flipping it." I said to him, "I understand, but that stops now." Over the next 2.5 hours I proceeded to siege the entire Keep, add useful improvement and tactics, and defend from enemy attacks. I'm especially proud of one of my counter attacks that slowed the enemy long enough allow reinforcements, including the commander and our Zerg, to arrive, saving Hills from certain disaster. Turns out one door trebuchet at an outer gate is worth at least 3 arrowcarts, especially when the enemy commander is too stupid to keep his Zerg away from your supply draining putrid cows. (For those who are interested we still own Hills and it's been 17 hours since I was there.) Over the past few weeks, I've noticed that if I make a tower or keep my new "home" help starts to materialize. As Hills started to upgrade, I got visits from roamers who captured the camps that send supplies to Hills, escorted yaks, and helped me refresh the boatload of siege weapons I had build for Hills's defense. 

 

Yes, when TC was strong I would never have taken on this role, mostly because it was already being done by others. However the new state of affairs has given me incentive to learn how to siege and defend towers and keeps, how to efficiently capture camps by myself or with just a few other people, how to keep myself alive when a thief tries to gank me (when will thieves learn that not all eles are squishy?!?!), and more. I really feel like my personal actions contribute to our score (a keep or even a tower saved from the enemy contributes a significant amount of points to the skirmish score). Yes, my former WvW commanders have contacted me and asked me if I'd like to transfer. Some have even offered to pay my transfer fee. But I'm torn. Server loyalty is a relic now with server linking and the large changes many servers including TC have undergone, and it would be nice to be on a "winning" server for those extra pips. On the other hand, I'm learning a ton and it feels like I'm making an actual impact. It's the classic struggle of intrinsic vs. extrinsic rewards, and I'm not sure whats going to win in the end.

 

See you in the Mists!

 

PS I'm going to get together the resources I've been using to learn about WvW life outside of the Zerg. I'll hopefully post them in the next entry.

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