Questions about BlackRock

[Auldrakar]

Hi, I'm new here, and was considering joining, but haven't done so yet, I was hoping someone here with more knowledge could answer my questions.

Is this server still popular? Are there short queue times for the BG's?

If you're starting out, competitive will you be with the free gear? Will you get absolutely destroyed if you're in starter gear?

Also, where is the server located, and is the lag going to be bad for someone in the US?

[Ezrage]

1. Yes, a lot of players are active on the BlackRock realm. It's cross-realm, so when you join battlegrounds and arenas, you'll be matched against players from other WOTLK realms.

2. Starting with relentless gear should be fine. In battlegrounds, you'll face opponents with similar gear, so you won’t be completely overwhelmed. However, in arenas, even with a newly created team or in SoloQ 3v3, you’ll be up against BiS players, so expect some tough matches, but also opportunities for fair competition.

[Auldrakar]

1. Yes, a lot of players are active on the BlackRock realm. It's cross-realm, so when you join battlegrounds and arenas, you'll be matched against players from other WOTLK realms.

2. Starting with relentless gear should be fine. In battlegrounds, you'll face opponents with similar gear, so you won’t be completely overwhelmed. However, in arenas, even with a newly created team or in SoloQ 3v3, you’ll be up against BiS players, so expect some tough matches, but also opportunities for fair competition.

Hey Ezrage, that's awesome to hear, you've made me way more eager to join.

A couple more questions if you don't mind. Do you get all your gear from PvP on blackrock, or will you have to do raids and stuff?

Does Blackrock have the same class balance as WoTLK back when it was in retail (or a certain point of WoTLK) or is there their own balance changes that the people who run the shards have implemented?

[Blauwbaard]

This is by far the biggest and most competitive wotlk pvp private server as far as I know. Very alive, you can always find games and bg's, any time of the day.

You won't have to do any raids, in fact, you can't, as there are no mobs on the entire world map. You start with full relentless gear and can already buy the wrathful offparts without any rating required. Gear is bought with honor points or arena points, to be earned in bg's and arenas. It doesn't take very long to collect the full gear. Also, there is a templace NPC that automatically sets your talents, glyphs and starter gear so it saves you some time if you just want to look around (of course you can adjust your gear and talents at any time).

You mention class balance. This server is in the original 3.3.5a balance patch. However, the gear goes up until item level 284, with practically all warriors at higher ratings carrying Shadowmourne. At the highest level, the warrior class dominates the 2v2 ladder, as they scale insanely well with this gear. (I only play 2v2 so I can't say anything about 3v3).

In my opinion, they should put the highest attainable item level at 264 instead of 284, I think that makes it more balanced. But apart from that, I think this is a fantastic server. There is even a spectator NPC that lets you spectate other player's arena games, and it also lets you replay older games, including your own, which gives the opportunity for you to analyse games and come up with new strategies.

[Auldrakar]

This is by far the biggest and most competitive wotlk pvp private server as far as I know. Very alive, you can always find games and bg's, any time of the day.

You won't have to do any raids, in fact, you can't, as there are no mobs on the entire world map. You start with full relentless gear and can already buy the wrathful offparts without any rating required. Gear is bought with honor points or arena points, to be earned in bg's and arenas. It doesn't take very long to collect the full gear. Also, there is a templace NPC that automatically sets your talents, glyphs and starter gear so it saves you some time if you just want to look around (of course you can adjust your gear and talents at any time).

You mention class balance. This server is in the original 3.3.5a balance patch. However, the gear goes up until item level 284, with practically all warriors at higher ratings carrying Shadowmourne. At the highest level, the warrior class dominates the 2v2 ladder, as they scale insanely well with this gear. (I only play 2v2 so I can't say anything about 3v3).

In my opinion, they should put the highest attainable item level at 264 instead of 284, I think that makes it more balanced. But apart from that, I think this is a fantastic server. There is even a spectator NPC that lets you spectate other player's arena games, and it also lets you replay older games, including your own, which gives the opportunity for you to analyse games and come up with new strategies.

Tyvm for the info. That sucks to hear about Warriors being OP with good gear, but I'm loving what I'm hearing. I've been dying for a good MMO to play for years, and, in the absence of one, I think it'll be good to fall back on WoW PvP combat.

[boylesa2]

Given that warriors dominate the 2v2 ladder with Shadowmourne and item level 284 gear, what specific adjustments could the server implement to improve class balance without significantly impacting gameplay for other classes?