The Age of Conan PvP servers are some of the most brutal around. Adrenaline pumped skirmishes, fights decided by an inch of health and gut busting world battles are a common occurrence. On the other hand, however, there are dark sides to the PvP: Getting jumped by a group more than twice your size, hate spam and getting kept at the spawn point (Rez pad) can and will happen to anyone. That's what this guide is for. Some tips tricks and strategies to keep you off of the rez pad and enjoying the game! The guide is broken down into three parts: Before the battle, during the battle and after the battle.

Let's say you are about to go to scenic White Sands Island, each section will give you hints and tips on what to do before, during and after you enter the zone.

Before the Battle

If you roll on a PvP server in AoC you will be killed, period. So, if you are the kind of person that easily angers at dying at the hands of others it is highly suggested that you roll on over to a PvE server such as Set, where there is plenty of PvP but only if you look for it and are already max level.

Before you even draw your sword in defense or offense it is always a good idea to scout out an area. Using the "find players" option on the social tab will allow you to search what players are in what zone. This lets you know if there is a big PvP battle going on, if the zone is empty, if there are gankers about and the levels/class of everyone listed. While not a perfect tool it is a great scouting feature and essential if you are hunting down a single player or trying to avoid a well known ganker.

Here is a list of some good places to search:

White Sands Island - The capital of PvP and ganking for the Tortage starter area. Look out for high level (20+) rangers in this area!

Connal's Valley- Though generally not a hot spot, the long road leading from Conarch village to the second rez pad and the high bridge at the north eastern part of the zone are popular sights for highwaymen wanna-bes.

Wild Lands of Zelata - Like Connal's Valley, this place is fairly tame outside of the town of Tesso and the entrance to the sanctum of burning souls (two very popular griefer locales).

Keshatta - After you get past the influx of lowbies in the starter areas, the PvP really calms down as most people are guilded, travel in groups or just want to level making true PvP hot spots few and far between. That is until you reach Keshatta at around level 70. With grind spots, loot farming areas, a raid dungeon, two six man instances, two major quest hubs with few guards defending them and a bunch of level 80s looking to sharpen their skills (preferably on your face) Keshatta is more or less the place to go for world PvP at 80. The Oasis (entrance to the zone) and Kesh City (center of the zone) are two popular spots for gank squads. Some servers, such as Cimmeria, even have a player designated "duel pit" just inside Keshatta gates.

Now you did the search, a few well known gankers in White Sands Island, but you have like ten easy quests there! Don't let those gankers scare you off. Prepare yourself for combat!

The first thing you should do is form a group. Being a lone wolf or participating in some sort of honor bound duel is fine and all but chances are you will just be fodder for a gank group (which usually consists of 3-6 players), so make a few friends that you can call on if things ever take a turn for the worst. A group is the biggest deterrent for would-be PvPers. That Assassin that has been eying you from the shadows isn't going to step up when he sees you have a few friends with a general dislike for his sneaky tactics watching your back. If you are having trouble finding a group then try joining a guild; you get guild buffs if the guild owns a city or battle keep, most guilds have characters at certain levels ready to come out and assist their kinsmen being attacked, guild mates will become the only people that you can't kill/be killed by in the wild and you get a sweet guild tag under your name! Research your choice in guilds however as some guilds will have bad reputations, be at war with other guilds or be allied with guilds (meaning you will be restricted by guild rules on who you can and can't kill).

Now that you have some idea of what you are getting into and a group of by your side take in some of these helpful tips into consideration before you jump on into it:

• FOOD AND POTIONS. I cannot stress the importance of a food stam/health/mana buff and the health/stam/mana regeneration from potions in and before fights. This will save your life in PvP and PvE, so stay stocked up.
• Put skill points into hiding. When going AFK or when moving about in a war zone not being seen is what can keep you from getting picked off.
  
• Watch your little light/dark crystal when hiding. In dark places where the crystal under your mini-map shines black, players with a lot of points in hiding will be impossible to pull out without the use of an AoE. In places of light where the crystal is white a lowbie with 10 points in perception can pull out an assassin with over 900 in hiding.
• Rangers are your friends (when they are not shooting arrows at you). Having a Ranger on your team means it is harder for the enemy to sneak up on you in hiding. A ranger can see hidden enemies on their mini-map and can attempt to pull them out of stealth before they can make the first move, just keep in mind that the other side could have a ranger as well.
• Never accept group invites from people you don't know or haven't talked to. It is a common trick used by griefers without a ranger to invite people into their group just to find out their location on the map.
• Resource gathering zones are not always safe. Keep in mind that every time you tap a node for any resource a big red X shows up on the map alerting everyone in the zone.
• QUE UP FOR MINIGAMES! They are a great way to learn the basics of PvP in a much more balanced environment. Plus they are really fun.
• Avoid mounting in an area hot with PvP, being mounted gives you a high chance of getting knocked off, which essentially stuns you for five seconds.