What? Me? PK? Never (again)!

People ask me what my stance is on PKing and specifically PKers in Abyss, and for the most part, maybe surprisingly, I don't have a problem with it.  However... (you knew there was a caveat right?)

What I don't condone is the farming of kill points off of unwilling combatants.  An unwilling combatant is someone who's in Abyss pretty much just to grind or farm mats, they're not there to PvP other players.  They'll pretty much just keep their head down, their mouth shut, and go about their business.

Of course I fully understand that technically, the Abyss is NOT a grind map, several CSRs have stated this fact quite bluntly, and that's fine.  I take that risk myself quite often when I'm leveling up characters below 80.  Again, I'm never in Abyss to PvP, I'm there to grind.  Period.  If I were there to PvP, I wouldn't be in a map 20 levels higher than my current level would I?  What threat do I pose to someone 30 levels higher than myself?  Zero.

Yes, I've been PKed before, did they know it was me?  I couldn't say for sure, it's not like I ask them.  If I happen to get killed, I just click out or wait, I don't say anything to the PKer, what's the sense?  Me, personally, I'm never one to announce who I am when I'm on an alt.  People figure it out sometimes or ask if I have a main, but it's not something I generally disclose.  Honestly, I'd rather people not know since I'm better able to see who they truly are without some kind of fake mask they put on to talk to me.

But anyway, yeah, I don't think the farming of kill points is at all something to be proud of or to hang your hat on.  But that's me.  People have different values, different reasons for doing or not doing things, and that's perfectly fine.  You do what you do, I'll do what I do.  Just don't expect me to forget.       ^. ~

Have I ever considered being a PKer?  This may surprise some of you, but yes at one time I did.  I have a 5x Fighter named HeavensVengeance.  After I acquired my Rage of Cainance, I thought maybe I might try my hand at PKing.  Afterall, I swung the biggest stick in 4x.  Keep in mind that this was in late 2008, early 2009, my 'main' Fighter, WinterLace had already out leveled the use of that Rage of Cainance, so I made another Fighter solely for the purposes of PKing. And of course, nobody except a few of my closest friends knew that was me.  I had complete anonymity, so why not right?  No damage to my reputation if nobody knows this is me......

I found out a few things about myself as I sat there, reputation-less, completely anonymous in 4x Abyss:
1.  I'm not a hunter.
2.  I was really bored.
3.  This wasn't for me, it's not who I am.

I'm not a hunter.  You know, I tried.  I really did.  I actually ran around 4x Abyss hunting players.  I'd enter the room they were in and see them grinding there.  They'd see me and have no idea what the heck kind of weapon I was holding since the ROC was extremely rare back then, and of course we had no silly Cabal weapon skins.  So I'd look at them... look at my Axe... then leave.  I just couldn't bring myself to do it.  Why ruin someone else's day?  Why impose my will on someone simply because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time?  I did kill a male Archer once, I think I may have 2 hit him... he just gave me a  "  = (   " and it killed me.  So after that, no more hunting.

I was really bored.  Yep.  Since I refused to hunt, all I would do was sit at the entry-way and wait for others to attack me.  Most people I just ended up chatting with instead.  Or they'd ask for a 1 Vs. 1, which I accepted.  I'd often wander into 5x also since it was a little busier back then.  I fared well there since my ROC was basically the equivalent of a GOC Axe, there were no +10s back then.  So yeah, hours of sitting there, scrolls burning, a few people to chat with, but nobody I'd consider a 'friend'.  I did the same with WinterLace later on at 76 and 86, but it didn't last, the boredom forced me to level.

This wasn't for me, it's not who I am.  That's the truth.  It's just not in me to be a PKer in that sense.  As I sat there mostly watching others, since nobody wanted to fight me, it all just kinda disgusted me.  The people there would kill some poor newbie then laugh in her face about it.  They'd chastise her and denigrate her until she gave up and left.  They'd do hideously juvenile things like tea-bagging the corpse.  Then the PKers would all huddle and laugh about it.  What kind of person does that?  And do I really want to, anonymously or not, ever be associated with these types?  Nope.  I felt more of a connection to the poor soul that was forced to leave the map than to the PKers.

So now that you've heard my moral spiel on PKing, when do I think it's acceptable? 

In Abyss, if you're fighting another willing and ready combatant it's perfectly okay.  You're probably pretty evenly matched and of course both of you want to be there to test your PvP skills.  Go for it!

In Abyss, if you're fighting over a grind spot, that's perfectly okay.  Some of the best grind spots are highly limited in the Abyss, think the two large rooms in 5x and the large rooms in 6x.  Then yes, you're competing for an area to grind in, that's fine.  If they want that grind spot back, come fight you for it.

Now, there's also this whole "PKK" movement which is basically like a vigilante-type system.  Some people have banded together to try and take down the PKers, which I guess is fine too.  It's basically example one above.  Everybody's there willingly to fight.

So why don't I take this route?  Well, again, it's just not in my nature.  I can be competitive, but not to the extent that the Abyss Residents are.  I don't think you can be a 'casual' PvPer in this sense, you just won't be able to compete with the Residents.  So why feed their egos?  Why subject myself to the ridicule and sophomoric behavior of the typical Resident?  I don't and I won't.  I enter Abyss, go about my business and leave.

That's where I stand, but again, I have no problems with people playing and enjoying Fiesta in whatever way they want.  Just remember actions speak volumes.