PvE vs RP vs PvP

PvE vs RP is once again a hot topic. And as usual, it didn' t take long for the "discussion" to descend to personal insults. RP Nazis vs l33tkiddie epicfarmers. Flamewars such as this always create a morbid interest in me. It's like a car crash. It's awful, but you can't help looking at it. In this particular flamewar, top Alliance PvE guilds started taking potshots at each other. Finally, the whole thing was spiced with intra-guild drama, courtesy of Crimson Gauntlet.

Personally, I think that RP, PvE and PvP should be balanced on RP/PvP servers. If you want to do all of them, then you go to an RP/PvP server. If you just want RP and PvE, then you go to an RP server. If you want PvE and PvP, then you go to a PvP server. And if you only want to PvE without anyone whining about lack of RP or getting ganked, then PvE servers are for you.

The trouble is that the optimal balance varies between each player. Some like RPing all the time, spending days in your capital of choice. Some frequent the battlegrounds or gan.. practice World PvP. And some enjoy a nice raid. If you start telling other people what their personal RP/PvP/PvE balance should be, then you get problems such as this flamewar.

Fortunately, liberal use of satire can help.