Stepping into the Fire: PvP

This Saturday, Age of Conan opens up. For the first time I will be starting a new game with my main on a PvP server by choice. I don't count Ultima Online or EVE in this since there was no option otherwise. This is going to be interesting as I only kind of know two other people but I have been accepted in to guild before the game starts this weekend. So I have some social group to work with.

I have never been much for PvP in the past. Mostly because I tend to go off and play on my own. And in most PvP worlds loners die often. Having one or two other players guarding each other makes your survivability much higher.

But to be honest, there is nothing like the thrill of a fight with an equivalent player. When there is some sense of loss then the game gets exciting. Now for me, this does not have to be an actual fight. I have done my fair share of blockade running in EVE. It takes planning, intelligence and some quick reactions to make it though some of the more interesting gate camps. I was playing the mouse in a game of cat and mouse.

But Conan will be the first game where I intend to play a more aggressive role. In EVE and UO I spent my time as a industrialist/crafter.

Currently I have one major concern for Conan. How will the developers deal with Spawn Camping. Will there be an area of safety around resurrection points and gate in spots? Spawning is a game imposed mechanic and I don't want to have to die because of a technical issue.

This is one area I think EVE made some good choices. Camping a gate in EVE was fairly common. It was not a guaranteed gank all the time. If you prepared yourself correctly you could sneak though. However there were different types of gate camp set-ups which required slightly different counters. And if you did set yourself up to counter everything, then you may be sacrificing some other function (ie speed or cargo.)

So there are other ways then straight immunity at spawn points. I am curious to see what Age of Conan does.