Rhun Ruins

It's a neat scene with some interesting exploration to be had. But after that initial run through, I'm not sure why you'd revisit. Some observations and opinions:

-I spent about two hours there on Saturday night Eastern time and never saw another player there. The same thing happened to me when blood bay was released. I kind of wonder why we need so many dedicated PVP zones that very few ever visit. Maybe when PVP systems get more developed, it will become evident, but I thought surely a brand new PVP zone would have some activity the first few days of release.

-I'm torn about having reasons to revisit the scene. I'd love to have a story reason to return, but hate trying to quest in an open PVP environment. Not a big fan of having rare loot hidden in PVP scenes either. Maybe organized PVP events in the area?

I think many of the new scenes share this problem of being very pretty and well designed, but with little reason to be there. Hopefully, that will all become gelled together when questing, guild warfare, and other 'reason for being' systems come online.

Has anyone else even gone into Rhun to check it out?

 

I've been meaning to stop by. But what you describe sounds familiar with the Serpent Spine Mine feedback. Keep in mind that the 'nearby players' in a pvp zone isn't going to show you enemies if you haven't seen/targeted them yet. Many players think it works the same way as other zones as I've certainly caught people off guard (and vice versa).

I'm curious if you ever visit the other ruins and shards....I will stop by from time to time to collect obsidian chips and to farm nodes, keeping my eye open for the occasional chaos boss. I'm kinda assuming these nodes are not as plentiful or even easy to get to?

 

Sure, I meant just exploring the area I never encountered another player.

Not too much. I dislike unorganized PVP. I haven't found the need to farm obsidian chips yet. I'm not strong enough to take on the bosses. I've gone in several just to see them, but usually once I go the first time, I don't go back. And it's a bit of an inconvenience to considering I have to put on PVP gear (i.e. remove anything from my character that has greater than zero value to ensure another player never, ever can profit from my death ).

 

Therein lies the problem with optional PvP. Many (not all) PvPers don't want a challenge, they want an easy victory and the spoils from it. Namely, they want to hunt non-PvPers. The Non-PvPers avoid the exploration during the first few days because they share the same thoughts you have. The belief that the zone will be populated with skilled PvP players exploring the new area creates a huge disincentive for the majority of PvE and predatory minded PvP players to enter the zone.

PvPers interested in PvP for the risk and challenge of it are far fewer. Check out the zone like you did and find it abandoned. And so they never bother returning because there is nothing there.

 

I went to Rhun because I wanted to explore a cool new area. I'm glad I did, but I suspect your right about PVPer's coming in looking for easy prey (or any prey) and being disappointed.

I think another issue is that most players are simply 'tangible reward' players. They only go to the places that provide the greatest exp, greatest resource gathering rate, or greatest percent chance of rare drop. Since sieges caught everyone's attention this release, nobody went to Rhun and I suspect few went to Serpents spine mines. This is one of the reasons I always find the 'we want open PVP because it is fun argument' disingenuous because given the choice faster gathering and rare drops vs. open PVP, it seems the vast majority choose the former. They really do need some sort of organized PVP rewards for guilds and factions to have incentives for controlling these areas. Hopefully rewards more creative than resources and rare drops.

There's a few secrets in their I haven't discovered yet. I'll probably go exploring at least one more time before it is overrun with killers .

 

I will eventually go there for this reason as well. But I feel no need to rush into the zone, especially one that is likely to be lethal to me. But exploration only gives reason for a single trip. And then I'll be back to going to the best areas for risk/reward turnout. I enjoy exploring, but my time is very limited and the risk/reward value of new scenes is usually not enough for me to progress meaningfully. When my play time already leaves me falling further and further behind, its just something I can put off to another day.

 

I guess NON PVP'ers out number the PVP'ers? I am a NON pvp'er . Always will be in this game.... I loved PVP in DAOC (Dark Age of Camelot) . The best game EVER ..... Pvp there had a purpose .... I never liked Open pvp, and tend to avoid those games, Consensual PvP is good for those who like it, and for those of us who Don't. So, I am all for Consensual PVP. So, I guess they need to do a poll on what the PVP crowd would want done, to make the PVP crowd want to go to those zones, but not make it so us NON pvp people don't lose out on content that is only in a PVP zone, would make the game unfair for others ....