In my 13 years of EQ in its various forms, I've largely played blue except for a brief but glorious time on SZ when it first launched. Had to take a break due to RL and I still to this day hate that I couldn't stay with it. Was in a smokin guild too. Some of the best players I've ever played EQ or any other game with before or since. Seriously, shout out to any old Gladius Fatalis (I think that's what it was called) people who may be here. That guild was pro and I learned so much during my brief time with it.
Playing EQ pvp is kind of like driving in NYC. The first few times you do it, you think everyone is freaking insane. After a while you realize there is a method to the madness and it actually works great if everyone is on board.
The biggest thing, I think, blue players don't realize about EQ pvp is, while it's a lot harsher and less practical than in other games, certainly less hand-holdy, it breathes whole new life into a game that weve all played over and over and over. It adds randomness that doesn't exist. I can go get Jboots now for any toon on blue I want in a matter of hours. I could never have done that on live because no one knew how the spawn really worked back then. Can I do that on red now? I don't have a toon that can camp it yet, but if I did, would I just be able to do it at leisure? I doubt it. It will be actual work.
If you are blue and curious about what I'm talking about, get on the wiki and browse thru the different classes spell lists. A lot of "crap" that classes get that are barely ever used in PvE takes on a whole new life in PvP....read spells through the prism of pvp and its a whole new game for some classes....Blinds, disempowers, etc....marginally usefull spells sometimes become game changers in PvP. I'm not sure how it is here, but I can remember Rangers being one of the nastiest classes to have to deal with in the hands of a good player....Rangers are supposed to suck, right? Paladins? Not in pvp.
Then it makes you make new use of the world. On SZ we had teams....Evils had all the choice levelling areas so we had to make use of other areas....Got to grind it out with lots of great players in areas we normally wouldnt....out of necessity. My guild, for example, had everyone make their way to Rivervale area so that we could all level up and gear up on Blackened Alloy etc from Runnyeye and Bronze from Highpass. Then we all relocated to Thurgadin and started factioning so we could block evils from getting a foodhold. Or something...it's been a while....but you see what I'm getting at. It forces you to play the game strategicly, not just plan out what gear you want and going to get it. Or just havign to deal with the tactics of a raid. You have to deal with everything.
A lot of the things that turn blue players off about pvp also make sense if you look at it from a PvP perspective rather than a PvE one. Like training. Training was allowed on SZ and that is usually one of the thigns that blue players point to as evidence that pvp is just awful.....Actually, it makes complete sense. If you are going to an area, be prepared for the mobs in that area. When an entire guild of evils (with probably on average a 10 level lead) showed up to raid highpass one day while there was nothing there but a group of us, we were able to hold them off by training guards. Sounds terrbile, but you have to understand OUR territory was being INVADED by a superior force. Training balanced it. They should have come better prepared. And we would have expected the same thing if we had decided to have an outing in Neriak or something. Training is not allowed here, so this is just an example. Or no teams, as was mentioned above. The bluebie that I am, being on a FFA PvP server makes me a little nervous, but it does make total sense. You get a shithead on your same team on a teams server (and you will) it's worse than having enemies around all the time. In short, the harshness of the environment is really what evens it out.
The KEY is never to bitch. Never talk smack. The ones who do are usually pros and they know what they are getting themselves into. Blue civilians are urged to learn before saying ANYTHING to ANYONE. It's like hockey. You take your beating and give a good one yourself here and there people will respect you. You whine or bitch about it, you are marked. Show up with visible stitches and they will make a point of opening them back up for you.
I could go on.....Seriously, if you love EQ and have played for years and have gotten bored with the predictablity, but don't want to go someplace where everything has been changed around where it's not even EQ anymore, but you want a totally different way to play the game we love, RED may be your answer.
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