More Bars Than You

Having finally crested the 70 mark a few weeks back, my “on” time has mainly been dedicated to the likes of fishing and cooking dailies. As you can imagine, that leaves a lot of free time, as I don’t think either were invented with any intention other than a mild distraction. “Aww, what the Hellfire,” I thought, trying in futility to say something witty to myself. “Why not hit up the BGs. You used to do it all the time with your hunter. You’re level 70, so you won’t get slapped around in Alterac Valley, and you’ll make a little XP and honor too.”

It has been pointed out that I don't use enough pictures in my posts. Here is an artistic rendition of my heroic WSG flag cap.

Of course, if you’re in the know, I was very wrong on two points. It turned out the AV bracket is 70 to 79, and I did, in fact, get slapped around. I didn’t expect us to win. I can count the number of times the Alliance has won AV in the evenings on Shadowburn on one hand. Yes, I earned my Hunter’s Black Battlestrider through almost 30 grueling losses. I was only hoping to be of some use, which I was not. I think my greatest contribution was passing out Mark of the Wild as people left the graveyard. I did manage to down someone with a 5k crit, though I have no idea how.

More depressing was the realization that I’d almost never PvP’d my Druid. 70 levels, and I’d never even seen the far side of Warsong Gulch (which I quickly reconciled with a flag cap) or killed a boss in AV or done anything to put my Honor Kills up over 1000. So enamored was I by the nostalgia of my Hunter’s merits and successes and chart-topping, kill-soaked brilliance, that I hadn’t paused to consider that I might PvP my Druid like a fat-thumbed gorilla who has had his mouse carefully replaced with a rabid badger. And I’d say that’s just how well I did, except I’d be insulting the badger. It wasn’t that I didn’t know what I was doing. I know my Druid abilities and when to use them, but knowledge alone does not keep one from acting the fool.

For example, I had a priest two levels my senior (it was all I could do just to find people near my level) on the ropes and ready for the 5-point killing blow when she slapped me with a fear.

• Professional Solution: Quickly slap Berserk to break out. Feral Charge right back to her location. Strike the killing blow. Be ready to react if she survives.
• My Solution: Panic and fumble for the Berserk button. Realize that I never put it on the quick bar. Throw hands up in frustration. Get killed by a 78 Blood Elf Paladin while running in circles.

Don't blame me because you suck.

It all comes with practice, I suppose. My failure rides in the back of my mind, though. Once I get my affairs in order, my bags packed and the extra stuff auctioned, I’m leaving my alts behind and headed for the PvP server of Ner’zhul. Oh, I’ve leveled on PvP servers before, but I’ve never reached a level where I might actually stand a chance against the people I came across. No, it was pretty much just my level 30s getting repeatedly trounced by 80s a few times an hour. Having my 70ish getting trounced by 80s, or eventually my 80 trounced by 80s in far superior gear and numbers probably won’t be any different, but the very idea that if I gain some handle on my PvPness I could potentially challenge equal-powered foes in honorable combat has me tingling. It’ll probably never happen. The equal-powered part, that is. From what I’m told, PvP will forever be about finding that unfair advantage and wielding it against anyone weaker than you. I can dream, though. I can dream.