PvP (Combat)

PvP, or player versus player combat, is a feature of Wurm where two or more players are pitted against each other in combat. PvP also extended to kingdom wide disputes, and the conquest of land and building of structures throughout the world of Wurm. Currently, the Epic and Chaos servers are Wurm's PvP servers, while the rest of the Freedom servers are PvE (player versus environment.)

On the Epic servers, players enjoy the benefits of both 2x skillgain and "the curve," which increases skill effectiveness. Together, both of the benefits make Epic PvP have more fast-paced combat. Chaos on the other hand is the oldest map in Wurm, and the start of war there dates back to 2007. PvP is much more slow paced across a larger map and requires years of work to truly succeed on the server. Chaos is also still connected directly to the Freedom cluster (meaning that you can transfer items and skills,) whereas Epic is on a separate cluster that does not allow skill or item transfer. Both PvP servers offer separate experiences.

Overview

In Wurm there are three kingdoms which actively participate in player versus player combat. These are Mol-Rehan, Jenn-Kellon, and The Horde of the Summoned. While all kingdoms are considered to be at war, the lore of Wurm suggest that members of the White Light religions should be at odds with the those of the Black Lighter religions more frequently. Throughout the history of Wurm there has been several alliances created between the different kingdoms, mainly between Mol-Rehan / Jenn-Kellon and Horde of the Summoned. Although members of different kingdoms are naturally aggressive towards each other, players are not forced to enter combat with each other, and different kingdoms can work in unison if the individual members choose to do so. PvP can happen within kingdoms as well, as there are no rules against, or mechanics preventing, combat between members of the same kingdom. On Wild there are no restrictions to PvP. The only downside to attacking members of your own kingdom is the procuring of a bed reputation, which will most likely be crippling in the long run. Wurm's PvP acts like all combat, and relies on both player stats, and player ability. Different conditions will change your likeliness to succeed in PvP, including how powerful your in game character is, and how well you execute plans and work as a team. Communication in Wurm PvP is vital, and in organized PvP, it is strongly advised that players have some means of quickly relaying information to each other. Above all, tactics and know how are the diving factors in PvP, and substantial odds can be outweighed with the proper gear, preparation, and teamwork.

PvP Related Skills

Many factors can be considered when one enter PvP in Wurm. All combat skills are used while PvPing, and these including your shield skill, weapon skill, fight skill, fighting stance skill, bow skill, archery skill, and player characteristics. Having higher in any of these can attribute to your success, however it is generally advised to be trained in at least one shield skill, weapon skill, and fighting stance of your choice. Overall fight skill is considered to be the most important skill in PvP, as it adds greatly to your overall combat rating. Having higher fight skill will allow the player to hit more, but so will having greater weapon and fighting sub skills. Having a higher shield skill is important to block both blows in up close pvp, and arrows for long ranged. Fighting stances are another choice the player must make. Currently, they can choose between Defensive, Aggressive, and Normal fighting modes, which all have their specific advantages and disadvantages. In long ranged combat, both bow and archery skill are considered important. Most frequently players use Long Bows, although Medium and Short Bows are considered to have their tactical advantages and lower ranges.

Beyond skills the other major character attribute that effects PvP are the player characteristics. Body Strength, Body Stamina, Body Control, Mind Speed, Soul Strength, and Soul Depth all have some effect on PvP. Having higher body strength will allow you to hit harder, while having higher body stamina will increase your stamina. The over all body skill increases a player's "toughness", and therefor is also considered important, although it levels on its own with your other skills. Body control is believed to increase the players chance dodge and perform critical strikes. While the effects of Mind Speed are not entirely documented, it is considered to make focusing easier, and perhaps increase chance to hit, aim, and perform special moves. Soul Strength and Soul Depth factor into spell resistance and ability to cast spells. For priest, having a high Soul Depth and Soul Strength means the ability to cast stronger spells, while for normal players it will improve their resistance to said spells, as well as to the effects of the Orb of Doom. Because of characteristics important roll in PvP, crafters who decide to fight have a notable advantage in combat, assuming they train their skills to certain standards.

Player Death

If you die in PvP you do not lose skills as you usually would. Instead, you take a .25 hit to your fight skill, as well as a small loss in body strength. If a resurrection stone is not active, or the player is not a 70+ faith Magranon priest, all items are dropped on death, and can be picked up by the opposing faction and looted. PvP can be very high risk, because losing all of your items, including valuable scale and drake, is a possibility. Players also lose their affinity on death, and it is transferred to whoever got the last hit. If you kill a player on PvP, or are apart of a kill, you can gain a few possible things. All kills on players with above 10~ fight skill will give fight skill gains. A seventy fight skill player will give roughly .25 at 70 fs. This scales as you or the enemy gains or loses in fight skill. If you get the last hit on an enemy, you will also receive their affinity. There is no limit to the number of affinities a player can have, and all players receive one upon start up, and if they lose their last one, another after a set period of time. Finally, upon killing a player or dying, a player gains or loses rank. All players start with 1000 rank, and give progressively less as they died. Contrarily, if a player with very high rank dies to one with a very low rank, the amount lost from the player is increased greatly. While you may find yourself gaining only one rank from a group kill, when you die you may lose twenty or more, as your rank has been spread across all of the players that killed you. Likewise, killing an opponent in solo combat will increase the amount of rank you gain, as there are no other players to spread the rank to. The same can be applied to fight skill.

Armor

The current most common armour in PvP is a set of plate armor with enchants of either AosP or Web Armor, but because of the most recent combat changes this may or may not effect what armour is used in PvP. Other armors are used less frequently, sometimes do to rarity, and sometimes because they are not useful in combat. Below is a list of armors, their frequency of use in PvP, and their individual advantages and disadvantages.

Cloth: Never used in PvP. It is considered too weak for combat, and is rarely even considered for PvE.

Leather: Leather is usually replaced by the more superior Studded Leather Armor.

Studded: Studded armor is rarely seen in PvP do to its weakness against piercing attacks. This makes the wearer highly susceptible to damage from swords, and pierces can often prove fatal. It has a better dodge rate than chain, and is considered to be more practical against blunt weapons. It also weighs much less than a full chain set, and is much less cumbersome to move speed.

Chain: It is easy to make, and its supplies are in abundance in the land of Wurm. It provided a decent amount of armor while not being too restricting to speed. The glance rate is higher than that of studded, and being hit results in lighter wounds.

Plate: Plate armor is extremely cumbersome to the player. While it does slow the player down immensely, it has an extremely high glance rate, and damage done the player is greatly reduced. The weight of an entire plate set is over 20kgs, and as such, decreases the overall amount a player can hold.

Drake: It is made from the hides of dragon hatchlings. Its glance rate is considered to be higher than that of chain, and it has a considerably higher dodge rate. The entire drake set decreases a players movement only slightly more than the great helm alone. While your chances of dying are reduced in drake, the loss is much greater than if one were to lose chain. Drake is expensive when compared the other armor sets, and cannot be as easily replaced.

Scale: Scale is the strongest armor available to players. It offers nearly no movement penalty, and has an extremely high (higher than plate) glance rate. The dodge rate is greater than that of drake, and weighs only slightly more than the drake set. Scale is very rare, and only a few players are seen PvPing in it. Wearing scale gives the player a substantial advantage in PvP.

Armor, especially the higher tier armors, are often enchanted with AOSP or Web Armor to give an additional advantage to the player. AOSP returns a portion of the damage done to the player, and, just as vitally, adds the hurting status to the enemy. Web armor greatly reduced the movement speed of a player, and allows the person who was hit to retreat or call in their allies to go in for the kill. What enchant one gets on their armor is a matter of preference, although it is easier for BL to get Web Armor, and WL to get AOSP.

Weapons

Like armor, weapons are also a matter of preference in PvP. Some are very rarely used, while others are much more common. It is rare to see duel wielding in PvP.

Short Sword: The short sword is rarely seen in PvP. It is does low amounts of damage, but has a high swing rate and is very accurate. It is one handed, and thus can be used with a shield.

Longsword: The longsword is one of the more commonly seen weapons in PvP. It has a high parry rate, a four second swing timer, and is fairly accurate. It is considered to be the most standard of all weapons, and used to be one of the only ones used in combat. A longsword is a one handed weapon, and thus can be used with a shield.

Two Handed Sword: The two handed sword is occasionally seen in PvP. It hits very hard, but is slower and less accurate than the longsword. It is two handed, and cannot be used with a shield. That being said it has a fair parry rate, and is considered to be the most defensive of the heavier weapons.

Small Mauls: Small mauls do slightly less damage than long swords, but hit faster and are more accurate. They also benefit from a higher parry rate. A small maul is a one handed weapon, and thus can be used with a shield.

Medium Mauls: Medium mauls deal much more damage than long swords, parry marginally less, and are about the same in terms of accuracy. A medium maul is a one handed weapon, and thus can be used with a shield.

Large Mauls: Large mauls are extremely powerful, and can cause massive damage upon hit. They are not frequently seen in PvP, but some into occasional use. They parry less than two handed swords, but deal considerable damage. They are two handed weapons.

Small Axes: Rarely used. Low/Medium damage. Low swing timer. One handed. Has a debuff of -2 CR when used.

Medium Axes: Medium/High damage. Average swing timer. One handed. Has smaller chance to parry than both swords and mauls.

Huge Axes: Very high damage. High swing timer. Two handed. Very frequently used in PvP as it is the most hard hitting weapon in the game and an excellent choice if you are not targeted.

Polearms: Rarely used. A hard hitting weapon but not frequently used in PvP besides to take down your opponents horses in which it excels but Huge axes are often preferred since they have more use.

Weapon Enchants

A high caliber PvP weapon will have around three to four, high power enchants, although they can be quite difficult to obtain. Here are the most commonly used:

Humans Demise: Increased chance to hit against humanoids (players). Most frequently found on PvP weapons. Has no cast power, just passive effect.

Wind of Ages/Blessings of the Dark: Recent changes have made high power cast of this less necessary. Having over 50 will assure maximum swing timer. Blessing of the Dark also gives increase to weapon skill gained, although this itself is not necessary for PvP.

Flaming Aura: Deals an additional wound to players equal to (power/3)% of the hit. (99/3 = 33%) (30 damage gives +10 damage burn wound).

Frost Brand: The Vynora equivalent of Flaming Aura.

Rotting Touch: Causes infection wounds that get worse over time, and need special care to be healed. Higher power generates increasingly dire wounds. Instead of adding more wounds Rotten Touch increases the damage of for example the cut done by a sword.

Life Transfer: Used many time in PvP. Does no extra damage, but heals the player when they strike another player or creature. The quantity of wounds being healed depends on damage done.

Venom: Causes poison wounds that can only be healed with farmer's salves. Ignoring these wounds can result in instant death.

Tactics

Tactics are the core of PvP. Different sides will develop their own tactics, and individual players will develop their own fighting styles and preferences. Decision making is a key part of PvP, and weighs heavily on the success of the players involved. There are a few things that are commonly agreed upon, such as taking height advantage, and focusing in one x one encounters. Different parts of the body are often aimed at to cripple or impair the enemy, and opponents are singled out based on their strength and current position in combat. PvP is often a group effort, and so organized tactics are often developed. Below is a list of things that are often considered in one on one combat.

Height Advantage: Being a significant distance above the player gives you height advantage. This adds to your combat rating, and thus increases your chance to hit and your general effectiveness in combat. Falling into a pit can be deadly, as a player must climb out with the enemy on them, while suffering from decreased combat rating do to moving, poor footing, and being beneath their enemy. Height advantage can also be gained by riding a horse, although engaging an enemy with a horse that is unequipped with barding could prove fatal to the animal.

Movement: Most likely players will be moving frequently when engaged in one on one combat. They will be seeking height advantage, and attempting to get behind the other player. Moving increases your chance to be hit, so this too must be considered while fighting.

Flanking Bonus (for being behind players): If you are behind a player, you have a greatly increased chance to hit. If it is possible, it is advised to be behind your enemy as much as possible. This is sometimes too difficult to do however, and can be considered an opportunity more than a tactic.

Pets: Having a pet in combat (usually a troll or crocodile) will give you what is known as 'gank bonus'. This greatly increases your chance to hit, and the chance of your pet hitting.

Aiming: Aiming for any spot besides the torso decreases your chance to hit the player, however the torso is also the most resistant of all body parts. While you may land more hits, they will each do considerably less damage than hits to anywhere else on the body. When chasing someone down, people generally aim for the feet/calves, which will cause the greatest slow down in movement speed. If the player is not wearing a great helm, the head is often aimed for, as a single powerful shot may kill them if it hits their unprotected face. When no obvious weak spots are present, players will normally aim for whatever piece of armor they think is weakest.

Focusing: Each level of focus grants a +1 bonus to CR. This is the equivalent of 5 levels of fight skill in PvP. In one on one combat, it is highly recommended that you focus, in order to gain the upper hand in the fight. If one player gets to high focus, whoever gets the first hit in will often be the victor, as the they will immediately be in a position of power. Focusing takes four seconds, and the player is more vulnerable during this time. If you out focus your enemy, it is arguable that the disadvantage is made up for by the levels of focus already gained.