Two high priority PvP features (my opinion)

In my opinion, the following should be the two highest priority PvP features to implement.

1) Players should be able to leave town and remain in queue.
Upon finding a match, the player ought to be presented with an "accept/decline" dialogue to avoid placing AFK players in matches (same system as DotA 2 and LoL queues). Ideally a PvP tab would be added to the social panel next to public parties, so that the PvP queue is more accessible from anywhere in Wraeclast, rather than being stuck to a specific NPC.

2) There should be an "ELO-like" matchmaking system (hidden or not).
Since release I have participated in two 1v1 matches with my 3000 ES 3000 DPS dagger shadow. The first one was against a witch that I two-shot in the time it took her to lay a trap. The second was against a witch that killed me before I could get two hits in. And I didn't even see her ES drop when I did hit her. Neither match was particularly entertaining for either party (I suspect). Now before you jump at me: A) I know that currently there are too few players queuing for an ELO system to have a positive effect. Hopefully after 1) is implemented there will be enough for an ELO system to make better matches. In any case, the worst case is that there aren't enough people in queue for the ELO system to make better matches and we would get the same imbalanced matches that we currently have, but no worse. B) I'm aware that the ELO would have more to do with character gear and skill build than player skill (and for this reason an ELO should be tracked for each character, not each account). But that's kind of the point: to play against similarly geared characters (if not similarly skilled players), and try to strengthen your character and improve your build. Then of course there will be CTF which will probably be more strategic.

As you may have gathered, I haven't had the opportunity to try any of the other PvP modes as the queues have always been empty and I'm not going to sit in town staring at my screen waiting for something to happen. But PvP remains one of the biggest things drawing me to this game and I reinstalled upon receiving the email that previewed release and PvP CTF. I'm still hanging on and hoping for a fun, active PvP scene to develop in POE. From reading around the forums I gather I'm not the only one. I think implementing something like suggestions 1) and 2) would go a HUGE way toward creating that PvP scene.

I'm aware that both suggestions 1) and 2) have been made elsewhere in the forums. My goal here is just to restate and justify them in a visible way, in hopes of grabbing the attention of GGG.

Add custom/open PvP to that list. Players need to be able to set up custom PvP scenarios like 2v4 and U15 duelling when match making fails them.

Really, you could take that principle a lot farther and allow players control of PvP modulators like damage reduction, handicaps and what have you. But I'd settle for hostile options like Diablo 2.

Rank based matchmaking is great but right now I can't even seem to get a match in merciless pvp.

If there aren't many people queing it shouldn't prevent matches from being made with those that are queing.

People could very easily fix their ELO through having a friend throw matches or multiboxing..

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Barry wrote:

People could very easily fix their ELO through having a friend throw matches or multiboxing..

IDK about that. Any proper ELO/Trueskill/MMR would require whoever you're beating to have a high enough rating to affect yours. Just killing low rated guys shouldn't do much.

If it's a matter of guys tanking their ratings to boost others then keep the uncertainty really high until you've gotten a lot of games to base data off of. That would prevent any rapid ladder climbing via match fixing.

I'm not sure why people would want to fix their ELO. It would just mean their next few matches would be against people 10 levels higher with twice their HP and damage.

In any case, in these matchmaking queues you don't pick who you're against. That's why you can't easily use these tricks to raise your ELO in SC2, LoL, etc... It would only work if the current paradigm of empty queues were to continue.

First.. And second.. We need a system that allows us to do maps while in queueing. That will solve alot and make more people do PvP.

Make it happen GGG