Learning from BDOs PvP Server
BDO did (in my opinion) a really good job when it came to PvP servers, which I will 1) explain and 2) try to convince you why something similar should be in ashes.
How BDO servers work (background)
To start off, BDO characters are not registered to a server, but a region. This means you can freely (with a 10 min cd) swap between servers, playing any character on said server. BDO currently hosts 37 normal servers and one PvP server (on NA, ignoring Season/Olvia).
How does BDO's PvP server work?
On a normal server: Users may flag up to engage in open world PvP. If the aggressor kills the other person, they lose Karma, which after a while will make a player go red, similar to being corrupted in Ashes.
On the PvP server: Users do not receive penalties for killing other players in the open world. For this increased danger posed on one grinding on this server, a +50% item drop rate is applied server wide. (In effect, this ends up increasing one's profit while grinding by ~20%).
Why is this a good thing?
1. It is a great risk vs. reward structure, where you can risk more (can get killed with no penalty to the aggressor) to get more (higher item drop chance), allowing for interesting player decisions.
2. It concentrates players with an itch for open world PvP into one small place where they can enjoy the game the way they want with other players who are opting into the same thing. This means less people are getting griefed by players looking to satisfy that itch.
3. Players are allowed to enter and leave this server whenever, not requiring a commitment when registering a character that locks them into being able to partake in this no hold open world PvP.
4. While there are other mechanisms to get no hold open world PvP, like guild wars, there's something extra about entering a zone and knowing you can fight anyone you see without repercussions (other than dying yourself) and knowing you are not being a jerk since the other person opted into this as well.
How could this manifest in Ashes?
While the difference in the way servers work would not allow for this system to be copied directly into ashes, there are ways ashes could create this effect. Here are a few ideas for how one could achieve this.
1. Militaristic nodes of the Metropolis stage have the option to construct a building that, under the mayor's command, can select a certain hunting ground or dungeon in the node's zone of influence. Around this area there is a visual indicator (purple line on ground, fire wall, etc.) that, once the player crosses, flags them for PvP against all other players in this area who are not allied with the player in some way. Drop tables have a higher chance in this area. Exp loss on death is removed, but the gatherables / processed good dropping on death remains as normal.
2. Same as above, but there is 1 zone per server that moves around randomly (once a week or so). This removes control by the players on the server, but gives permanence (not requiring a militaristic metropolis) and can move anywhere on the map, allowing for the existance of PvP nomads who follow this zone around the map.
3. Player groups with a ship can enlist to be a pirate that, upon enabling, enables the crew to see treasure marked on the map. All pirate crews are flagged towards each other and see the same treasure on the map. A treasure run, if not interrupted by other players, would give 1.5x to 2x the gold of a comparable non-PvP merchant run.
Would love to see everyone's input for if this design idea of PvP would be beneficial to Ashes and how else this design idea could be implemented.
