Phase I of Alpha Two testing will occur on weekends. Each weekend is scheduled to start on Fridays at 10 AM PT and end on Sundays at 10 PM PT. Find out more here.
Check out Alpha Two Announcements here to see the latest Alpha Two news and update notes.
Our quickest Alpha Two updates are in Discord. Testers with Alpha Two access can chat in Alpha Two channels by connecting your Discord and Intrepid accounts here.
[Information] World PvP
ArchivedUser
Guest
I’ve combined and summarized the info we’ve been given so far on open world PvP. This info is subject to change as new information is provided.
PvP is the catalyst for change in Ashes of Creation. Player combat is intended to be meaningful, ranging from caravan battles to vast open world conflicts fought for the pride of Kings.
For open world PvP, we have designed a flagging system that severely deters people from griefing other players (described below).
Our players can participate in PvP with one another without having to resort to murder. The penalties are intended to be severe enough to deter any type of spawn camping.
Players will naturally come across both PvP and PvE aspects in Ashes, which is why it is labelled as a PvX game.
PvP Zones (also called Battlegrounds)
The PvP mechanics follow static PvP zones at certain points of interest where players fight for control over cities, castles, caravans, or open world hunting grounds. These are open world PvP zones that flag everyone for battle.
- Caravans
- Castle sieges
- Node sieges
- Objective based guild wars
Outside of these zones, normal PvP flagging rules apply (see Player flagging below).
Arenas are separate instanced PvP scenarios and are not part of open world PvP.
Player flagging
There is a flagging system that's in place that highly disincentivizes outright murder.
There are three levels of flagging for world PvP.
- Non-combatant (green) - Everyone in the world starts as a non-combatant.
- Combatant (purple) - If a non-combatant enters a PvP zone (see above) they are automatically flagged as combatant while in the zone and for a period of time after leaving that zone. Players are also flagged as combatants if they attack another player. If the attacked players fight back, they are also flagged as combatants, otherwise the attacked player will remain flagged as a non-combatant. Players can kill combatants without repercussions, and are encouraged to do so, since dying while a Combatant means you suffer reduced death penalties (See Player death below).
- Corrupt (red) - If a combatant player kills a non-combatant player, they will be flagged as corrupt. If a non-combatant attacks a corrupt player, the non-combatant will not flag as a combatant.
Party members, raid members, guild members and alliance members do not flag each other.
Caravans (see also)
The caravan system is an open world PvP system that revolves around opportunity and risk. Caravans facilitate the transfer of goods for players wishing to turn a profit. Initiating a caravan from one city to another will create an objective that players will need to defend while it moves along its chosen route to the selected destination.
- Caravans are initiated by players with a diverse choice of routes and launch windows, making them difficult to "zerg".
- Caravans will have carrying capacity limits and customisable stats, such as defensive points, speed and number of hired NPC guards.
- Caravans create an open PvP zone that flags players for combat (purple) to defend or destroy the caravans. Players will be able to state their intentions to attack or defend via a user interface.
- Caravans are for transfer of personal goods, quests and supplies to build castles and nodes.
- A group will be required to successfully attack a caravan.
- Caravans are physical and can run you over.
- If a caravan is destroyed, it will drop a portion of the goods it is transporting.
Player corruption
A player’s corruption score increases with each non-combatant player killed.
The wider the level disparity between the players the more corruption will be gained.
The higher the corruption score, the higher drop percentage when the corrupted player is killed (see Player death below).
The higher the corruption score, the more skill and stat dampening applies, until the corrupt player ultimately becomes ineffective at combat.
Corruption is removed through death. Multiple deaths may be necessary to remove all corruption. There may be other mechanics to reduce corruption.
Corruption has a visible effect on a player’s appearance.
A corrupt player’s location is revealed to bounty hunters.
Corruption duration is reduced in military nodes.
Player death
A non-combatant who dies suffers normal penalties, which include experience debt, durability loss, as well as dropping a percentage of carried raw materials.
A combatant who dies suffers these same penalties, but at half the rate of a non-combatant.
A corrupt player suffers penalties at three or four times the rate of a non-combatant, and has a chance to drop any carried/equipped items based on their current corruption score. This includes weapons, gear, and inventory items.
Corrupt players respawn at random locations in the vicinity of their death, not at regular spawn points.
Bounty hunters
Players can acquire the bounty hunter title through a quest available only to citizens of Military Stage 4 (Town) nodes.
Bounty hunters will be able to see corrupted players on their map.
Corrupted players may kill bounty hunters without acquiring additional corruption score.
Edit: Updated references and added more info on Caravans.
Edit: Added a flagging diagram
Edit: Fixed typo. Thanks @Trinnox
Edit: Clarified player respawning rule. Thanks to @UnknownSystemError and @Shunex 
Comments
This video shows the flagging system from L2 for anyone who hasn't played
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DeKhbtog_pI
The last time I had to do this in a game with this system I had to grind for 4.5 hours to try and get it off (I killed most of an entire party) but died from a random who had seen me red
The system was pretty effective. Yes some times you will get annoyed because you want to try to fight back and this does flag you.
Overall I like this system. Open pvp is the best kind. There needs to be consequences for sure, but the system has it's merits. Take for instance this example that I know every person has experienced:
You are trying to get some material (mine ore, forage plans, etc) and someone snipes your spot. From the other perspective some one is monopolizing every spot (some times bots...).
Most of the time (non open pvp) you yell, complain, or simply try to beat the other person to the spawn of the mat. It's really annoying. With open pvp you still have these things, but you can try to compete over them as well. You have to make a decision, "Is this worth going red over?"
In the event that pvp happens, you now have a more complex situation. Are they going to come back? Should I move? Did you flag/still flagged? It's the same system as every MMO but with another level of complexity. It's exciting.
If you not a big fan of this system you can still play like before.Yes worst case is you die (without fighting back) and they are now red. When you come back I bet they are gone. Those mats are not worth possibly losing gear and xp. If they are there still, call some friends and take them out. Will be fun and you might get lucky and be rewarded with some gear
Time to give up the scientific career, I guess. Always hated those boring Alchemy lessons anyway.
The biggest flaw in L2's system was P2W. Before the game went P2W nobody could afford to have a permared. The very few that did left the game (that was their "@#$%^ this i'm taking everyone out"). Lineage 2's system was near perfect.
If they just never introduced soulshots I would have been happier as we all depended on it after the first year LOL.
But seriously, before the bots took over and it went P2W, Lineage 2 didn't have a PK problem. Leveling was intense so losing xp was worth more than most any other game. People would also protect lower levels from bullies. I personally would hang out at Talking Island because PKers loved to hang out there for some reason.
My lineage 2 experience was 2006-2014. It died too much for me to stay any longer
(servers: Kain--->Chronos Main: Spraxx Lvl:98 Tank)
So I take that as if I'm going about my business, a player runs up and flags and attacks me, I'm best of just standing there and getting killed, if I fight back I also flag up, and if I die the attacking player won't get any corruption.
If the player is already corrupt, whats to stop them running into a group of non flagged players, the players flag to kill the corrupt person, only for the corrupt person to have friends near by, watching and waiting for innocent players to flag, so they can then rush in and kill them? Or whats to stop one player who has no corruption again rushing in and attacking others, letting them all get flagged when they turn around and defend themselves, and again the attacker has buddies waiting in the wings just for the moment the innocents flag?
The player being attacked may take one of the following actions:
- If they fight back, then both parties will be flagged as combattants. Because combatants have reduced death penalties, the gank squad joining in will not get much reward from this fight.
- Again, this might be bait and switch.
TL;DR There aren't any loopholes in this system. PK griefing will probably still happen but it carries huge penalties and little or no reward, so it's not going to be an epidemic like in full loot games.If you are not into this system don't join a guild that has pvp/waring in their agenda. If another guild declares war on your guild and you do not declare it back they are flagged by default (only for the declared guild), but you are not (unless you actually attack them).
In other games this meant you had to always have your pvp setup ready. I had pvp gear on a macro to switch out from my pve gear. There were also pvp items that helped you escape, and overall boosted the economy.
In lower levels I did however join a guild that did no pvp and so I was able to pve in peace. Yes I did get the occasional jerk that tried to get me to flag. I would just get naked and wait for him to hit me. I would drop, they'd go red, and would shout that there was a RED outside and I would have random people come to my rescue.
I met some of my best MMO friends simply because they wanted to help/kill REDs.
Adjacent nodes will require military nodes to provide defence, such as Bounty Hunters and defence against castle and node sieges. On the flipside, military nodes depend on scientific nodes for transportation, economic nodes for supply and religious nodes for buffs etc. I expect that the devs will be putting a lot of effort into ensuring this system is balanced at a meta level. Especially in the geographic arrangement of node types.
Nodes will be in conflict, but for specific reasons:
- Disputes over supply lines and trade routes.
- Fight for control of the zone of influence by deleveling or destroying nodes (mini battles) or metropolises (epic battles).
- Castle sieges by competing guilds, drawing in surrounding nodes into battle.
This goes to the point about balance. It would be mad for a military node to destroy nodes in their ZOI for no reason because this will ultimately weaken themselves.Let's say I find 2 (pvp-flagged) players A and B fighting somewhere in the wilderness. If I also attack A, will that turn B into a temporary ally? Or can I decide to attack both at the same time?
Or let's say I I fight someone, using a ground target aoe dot. If another (pvp-flagged) player walks into it without attacking me, will he instantly take damage from my skill? Or will I have to target him with some single target skill to show the system that I also want to fight him?
And same for aoe heals and buffs. What happens if I use them next to players who are fighting each other? Or will those support skills be limited to target group members only?
If player A and B are both flagged and fighting, you attack with AOE, you will hit both targets assuming both are within range. The way to NOT attack one of the two players is for them to be in your party.
Same scenario, If player B is in your party and you cast aoe on both player A and player B; Only player A will be hit by the attack
I can't imagine it working much differently just do to the fact of the game having no clue who your ally is unless they are in your party.
Odds are if it's not a single target buff, it will be a party buff. I don't imagine a buff that is just AOE, party or not. I have played L2 with classes that buffed if you were in range and in the same guild, THAT is pretty cool. Also, if you buff or heal a player while they are "flagged", I am willing to bet that will flag you also
Now, in Lineage 2 in order to attack another player you needed to hold Cntrl while attacking. This was implemented to prevent you from accidentally attacking a player because you meant to click on a mob instead. I wouldn't be surprised if they do something similar here.... In fact I really hope they do.
The majority of my time would be spent playing my non-corrupted main character.
Reason I ask is: what would happen if you attack a non-combatment and because (s)he's not fighting back you move on without killing him/her.