How NPK and CPK differ

Aside from the obvious (level loss and looting of equipment) there are some other major differences.

The first difference is death. In NPK you don’t generally mind dying. You just heal back up and run in. If you are fighting with a few friends and you get NPKED it isn’t that big of a deal, you will be back in the fight in a few moments. If you die in CPK not only do you have to deal with the chance of losing a level and some equipment, but your team is now down a man for the duration of the fight. Any healing or damage that you could have contributed is now taken away.

In a group situation dying can also have much larger consequences just from the reduction in morale of seeing a comrade die. Many times less experienced (or less disciplined) groups have lost winnable fights when their side in a large fight is the first to lose a player. People panic, some flee or teleport, while others just sit in the room waiting for instructions. In this brief time the more experienced team capitalizes and quickly follows up with another kill or two, completely demoralizing and breaking all resistance.

Another difference between the 2 pk types are the rules regarding looting other players mob kills, and engaging players or mobs that are already fighting. In NPK you cannot engage a player who is fighting a mob, nor can you loot the corpse of that mob once he kills it. You are also not allowed to engage the mob and steal the killing blow. In CPK if a player is fighting a mob it is legal to engage both the mob and the player. Once a monster dies it is completely legal for anybody to loot the corpse.

The last major difference is that you cannot be summoned out of CPK. You have to either walk out, cast teleport, or cast word of recall. In an outdoor CPK area you could call a dragon and fly away, but generally you would teleport first and then call the dragon.

December 2, 2011  Tags: ,   Posted in: CPK Primer

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