TYING IT TOGETHER or L2PVP

     You've got all your tools. You move quickly, your abilities a finger-twitch away. You've mastered rotations and can cherry-pick your gear. But all this must combine to make a good player. Of course, as an aspiring leader, you'll run instances to pull your skills together, but one type of play you might not gravitate toward is actually a wonderful way to increase personal competence and build leadership skills.
  
    PvP.

    There is something of an understandable divide between PvE and PvP players. PvE folks see PvPers as hyperaggressive, competitive and juvenile, and believe constant PvP balancing upsets PvE balance. PvP-centered players see PvEers as whining carebears, and believe constant PvE balancing upsets PvP balance. Of course, the vast majority of players don't mind getting PvE chocolate in their PvPeanut Butter, but players who vastly prefer one tend to somewhat dislike the other.

    PvP diehards may be wrong about some things, but they're right to believe PvP makes you a better player.

    PvP improves improvisation and reflexes faster than any other sort of play. PvE content is great fun, but learning the fights is like learning a play or dance. Once you know the moves, you can do it right every time... except when some numbskull stands in the fire and you must improvise or wipe. PvP will teach you how to react to surprises and complications quickly and efficiently and without losing your cool.

    Speaking of losing your cool, hanging around PvPers will teach you to appreciate your raiders. Players' most obnoxious habits emerge in competitive PvP, and training yourself to take every last bit of obnoxiousness in stride will help immeasurably to keep perspective when you're leading your guild and/or raid. Player throws a fit over loot? Well, at least he's not teabagging your camped corpse.

    Start yourself on a regimen of one or two battlegrounds a day. Focus on learning the winning strategy in the battleground, knowing where you need to be, and knowing how to counter the abilities other classes throw at you, and how to adapt as fast as possible to changing situations without losing composure. Likewise, never let yourself get rattled by abusive or immature players. These are the very jerks who will one day feel your wrath.

    While I normally recommend a leader take charge of a leaderless situation, this does not apply to PvP. No matter how badly your team is losing, do not attempt to lead a battleground unless you're in a premade. Few people will listen to you, and most will see you as that guy whining about what everyone else is doing wrong. Instead, get really good yourself and, staying totally quiet except for the odd joke or friendly encouragement, know where to go and what to do and see to your own strategy.

    Be amazed: Other players will naturally follow your lead. When you storm a position, they'll follow. When you retreat, they'll hold back. Competent healers will keep you alive, and interested players will ask you for tips. Even if there's a more skilled player who's your typical abrasive jerk, players will gravitate to you because you're competent AND fun to be around.

    When this happens, we'll have come full circle with this section of my blog. Players respect skill, but they enjoy professionalism and grace. If you have learned to be a skilled PvPer who can sometimes turn the tide of battle, players will flock to you. If you can display patience, cunning and decorum, players will stick with you. You will be living proof of an important lesson:

    You only owe people personal competence, but it's strong leadership qualities and an admirable demeanor that keep people around. And if you can randomly pull together PvPers, PvE carebears should be a cinch.

    See you Monday, when we discuss the most basic leadership skills, that will last you well into being a big bad raid leader: How to put together a five-man.