How many people are spending VPs on CPs and doing PVP?

[econ21]

How many people here have taken up PVP as we come to the end of the expansion? And how are you finding it?

Having gotten all needed offspec VP gear, I've been converting my VPs to conquest points for the last month or so to get the arena gear. In part, this is because the paladin arena gear is one of the best sets we've had aesthetically and I would like to use it for transmog in the future. And in part, it's for something to do (PVP) - as PVE (DS and LFR) on my main only take up a limited amount of time.

The fact that you are limited to 1000 VPs per week but can get 1650 CPs encourages you to PVP to get the extra 650 at least. And with your first random or call to arms BG win giving you 100 VPs (and subsequent ones giving you 50 CPs), it's not hard to accrue the extra without having to do arena. (Getting 1650 CPs from BGs alone, not converting VPs, is time consuming and not something I'd recommend).

I used to dislike PVP, but tried to make a go of it in part to become a better player all round - to move from clicking to keybinding and to become more mobile.

Having done a fair amount of random battlegrounds, I am starting to warm to PvP. I suspect it is very gear dependent - doing PvP with low resilience, perhaps especially as a tank, is a dispiriting experience. By contrast, I suspect that I am now about as well geared as any other players in random BGs (I have the 5 piece arena set) and better geared than most. I know we lack vengeance, but gemming for strength, and given my likely gear advantage, I do decent damage and have excellent survivability.

Going solo into random BGs does risk turning you into a BG chat rager, but entering with a few guildies on Teamspeak makes it a much more pleasant experience. The coordination also improves your odds of success.

I am also starting to appreciate the strategic aspect of battlegrounds. Contrary to the chat ragers, there is usually not one right way to win. The best strategy depends in large part on what the other side are doing. Of course, gear and skill do impact massively - sometimes, one side can just steamroller the other and no amount of strategy can save the underpowered side. But sometimes, smart play can triumph.

Are other people doing PVP? Do you go as tank or offspec? How are you finding it?

[warden]

I'm doing exactly that right now, and having a blast, but doing it as ret (my mainspec). I'm not the most serious of pvpers, but doing it with guildies is a ton of fun.

[Gab]

Personally, I would recommend doing arenas to cap Conq. If you do well you can easily cap in well under an hour. 1350 points in 30-45 minutes is awesome. Even if you do extremely poor you're still looking at under 2 hours. It's a lot more effective for conq points vs time spent than Random or Weekend BGs, unless of course you also need the honor.

You need only 8 wins, at 180 conq per win, to reach the standard 1350 conq arena cap. Or 4 wins if you are converting valor to conq.

There are a lot of people doing arenas only to cap their conq, so it's not like you are going to be running into a lot of semi/serious geared teams at the low end of the MMR spectrum. You'll win a lot more often then you might think, and again even if you do terribly it's not going to take long.

[PsiVen]

I probably would, since I have about 10,000 VP sitting around doing nothing. But if I actually PvPed regularly I'm sure I would have most of the CP the proper way anyway. The weekly cap does a very good job of preventing someone who's never even thought of PvPing on that toon from suddenly picking it up and running with it.

I do enjoy PvPing on my alts more than my paladin when I have time. I'm betting against MoP having any meaningful improvements to Prot PvP, so...

[econ21]

I may give Arena a go - some PvPers have joined my guild and we've been having a blast at Darkmoon Faire Arena. With strangers, I'd probably have to go Ret: I am pretty sure it's a better spec for PvP, but I am much more comfortable playing Prot. I should try Ret in some random BGs if just to see how much more damage I can do. It's zero cost as Prot PvP gear is essentially the same as Ret PVP gear.

There is quite a barrier to getting into PvP. I found getting a full honour set on my main relatively painless (JP conversions, lots of Tol Barad, an AV weekend and being bored helped). But it seems quite a hill to climb on my warrior alt and I quite understand people not bothering if they prefer to play another character.

[KysenMurrin]

I levelled my current Paladin as PvP-only, but I don't do arena, I don't know anyone who does rated BGs, and I just lost interest because I was too far behind the gear curve when I dinged 85. It didn't help that I blew a lot of my early points on Justice gear to get a tank set together that I've not actually used.

[econ21]

Um, I think AV is the Call to Arms this weekend. I'm not sure whether to try to gear up my warrior alt with honour gear or get a few more CPs for my paladin main.