Reapers/PVP

@danbeardluff I solo a galleon lol. But sometimes we use a sloop. My biggest pet peeve is just how toxic they are. There should be a better method than "well change servers to get away" because if you're in the middle of a quest, or doing something you don't want to just leave. Not to mention, whats to stop their server hopping from finding you again.

Do you feel that being a reaper instantly says "I'm a PVP player"

Question was asked before and I think someone asked another question which nobody could answer.

“Where does it say ingame, out of game or anywhere. Reaper is a pvp faction”

@burnbacon I think it's one of those instances, where, as usual, the playerbase arrives at a conclusion of their own volition, whether it be true or not, and that conclusion is then willed into existence as the "truth".

@lleorb part of what you said is accurate, the purpose of the reaper is to hunt the other companies. THAT aspect of it is accurate, but as far as non emissary ships, or other reapers in the server its different. Reapers aren't there to hunt each other.

Honestly I think reapers should not show up on the map. They should be hidden like everyone else. They should have ALL factions show up at grade 5, or none of them.

The reapers purpose should be as you said, hunt other companies, but not jump server just sinking people for the pure thrill of it. To eliminate that, remove the grade back to 1 when you jump servers. That would stop them doing that.

@burnbacon I think people assume PVP because you turn in ship logs and emissary flags. So players decided to use it as an excuse to 100% focus on just sinking others.

@restlessboredom said:

I know this has been a topic previously, but im bringing it up again... every time I get into a server, doing my own thing, there's always server hoppers that show up and try to hunt me down... They'll send a message via XBOX saying that "you are a reaper, reaper is PVP"... Do you feel that being a reaper instantly says "I'm a PVP player" or do you feel that reaper is just a bounty hunter?

Seems weird to open up with "you are a reaper, reaper is PvP."

I've said similar stuff to others before, but only in response to messages from them, confused as to why I attacked them.

Being a reaper doesn't instantly mean you're a PvP player. And regular reaper hoppers should know better than to assume that nowadays.

However, being a reaper does mean that you're engaging in high risk activity. You may not want to PvP at all, and that is okay; nothing is forcing you to. But you are marking yourself on the map for PvPers to find you. Expect PvP, even if you're not looking for it.

@theblackbellamy I don't mind if it's a battle for loot, or some purpose behind it. My issue is when they do it strictly for the toxicity of sinking ships for fun, with no gain from it beyond making the game "unfun" for others.

When I said that, I was quoting what other players tend to tell us. That's always the go to response "reaper means PVP." But it doesn't, and that's what they don't get. Too many players abuse the server hopping and the reaper ability.

@restlessboredom I'd say the answer is both yes and no, depending upon the player. They get rewards/rank from sinking ships and turning in flags, so there is an incentive to attack for those reasons. You are also clearly marked on the map, both as a warning to some but an easy target for others (referring to the ease of location and not crew skill).

But at the same time, it is not required to do so in order to advance in the faction - might take a little longer but still valid play.

It comes down to how YOU want to play the faction. Don't worry about others, they have their own interpretations - even if it is the single-minded sink on sight, PVP only crews. You could play as a bounty hunter or someone who just wants to see the world burn - it is all up to you and both carry equal merit...as long as you are a good sport when playing and not being abusive or toxic. You can still sink everything in sight and not be a jerk about it. The faction is really about freedom and I wish I could find the page that stated that in the description of the Emissary (but fear it is lost).

@dlchief58 the big issue with that is the players who sink ships for sheer fun, do become toxic. They will spawnkill until you scuttle your ship. They will bad mouth and curse at you via the in game chat, and on xbox chat they are just as toxic with their remarks. This is one instance where it was a problem. I posted this in a comment on a SOT community page on fb. It was a huge post about toxic players.

"We just had a galleon, 3 squares away, catch up to us alot faster than they should be able to. Then made an instant abrupt right turn without slowing, followed by precise aim with a cannon. To top it off, somehow they were using the harpoon as a means to travel faster. Harpooned our ship, spawn killed me multiple times, even after I attempted to leave the ship to them and swim to a nearby island.

They popped up on our map nowhere near us as grade 5 reapers, which tells me they were server hopping. Their response to it all? "get good", I hate that response from toxic players.

This was all on xbox servers."

@wolfmanbush the only downside to that is; when you attempt to complete your goals but you get hunted and spawn killed, resulting in having to change servers and start over again and again.

@restlessboredom said in Reapers/PVP:

@lleorb part of what you said is accurate, the purpose of the reaper is to hunt the other companies. THAT aspect of it is accurate, but as far as non emissary ships, or other reapers in the server its different. Reapers aren't there to hunt each other.

Honestly I think reapers should not show up on the map. They should be hidden like everyone else. They should have ALL factions show up at grade 5, or none of them.

The reapers purpose should be as you said, hunt other companies, but not jump server just sinking people for the pure thrill of it. To eliminate that, remove the grade back to 1 when you jump servers. That would stop them doing that.

Your take is also narrow and tainted by your own views. There is nothing that states they cannot attack non-emissary ships or other Reaper's Bones in game. Some will just want to see the world burn so attack anything and everything in sight. There is nothing wrong with that take as long as they are not being toxic, abusive or bullying. But at the same time that is not the only way to play the faction. That is part of what makes this game special.

I disagree with your views on visibility, it should remain as is. It would be much easier to play as a Reaper if they were invisible on the map, thus reducing the risk to reward of the faction. That is but one of the reasons why Rare fixed the silent reaper exploit.

And there is nothing inherently wrong with sinking others for the pure thrill of it, as long as they are being respectful while doing so. I do agree that the rank should be reset when you portal jump, and that applies to ALL factions not just the Reaper's Bones.

@dlchief58 the issue though is that Players ARE toxic about sinking ships for fun.

The server I'm currently on, a reaper grade 5 was sinking other ships for sheer fun. They sank us and left everything, kept sailing and sank others. They weren't taking loot, or log books, or flags. Ours were floating there when we went back. The player continually messaged my friend (we are on his ship) on xbox telling him to stop, do alliance, hold up and wait. So my buddy did that, they got close and instantly attacked and sank us. They had no intention of anything friendly. Then spawn killed us until my buddy scuttled his ship, In which when we sailed back there was our flag, log book and loot. And they were 6 squares north on the map battling another reaper.

@wolfmanbush yes, this is true. Except when the players continually harass you, pushing you to having to change servers and start over.
I've seen players post on fb, and on here, about spending an hour plus on something, for a toxic player to sink them. They'll continue to note the players don't take any of their loot, simply wanted to sink them to lose the loot they worked hard for.

@restlessboredom said in Reapers/PVP:

@dlchief58 the issue though is that Players ARE toxic about sinking ships for fun.

The server I'm currently on, a reaper grade 5 was sinking other ships for sheer fun. They sank us and left everything, kept sailing and sank others. They weren't taking loot, or log books, or flags. Ours were floating there when we went back. The player continually messaged my friend (we are on his ship) on xbox telling him to stop, do alliance, hold up and wait. So my buddy did that, they got close and instantly attacked and sank us. They had no intention of anything friendly. Then spawn killed us until my buddy scuttled his ship, In which when we sailed back there was our flag, log book and loot. And they were 6 squares north on the map battling another reaper.

If they are ACTUALLY being toxic, report them with proof to handle that. Not everyone that plays that way is toxic, and even much of your example is not even toxic. They do not need to take your loot and it is on you/your buddy if you fell for that alliance trick they used to track you down. They do not need to be friendly either, not a requirement in the game as long as they are being respectful (as in not being toxic).

The only possible toxic thing you mention here is the spawn camping. If they were doing it with no intention of sinking the ship or securing supplies/treasure, then that is a reportable offense. Since they only messaged you about forming an alliance, that is not toxic behavior. They set one of the oldest traps in the game and you fell for it. Learn from that experience, I personally only ally with people I speak with in game as voice can give you more nuances as to whether the person is trustworthy.

@dlchief58 I get what you are saying, and I understand not all players are that way, but for some reason we tend to find those players. The toxic ones seem to be on in the mornings.

A second example would be that galleon I listed in a comment above, the player attempted to chat with me on xbox, sent 7 back to back invites to chat all with the intent to curse at me, insult me, and run their mouth; based on how their messages were going. They proceeded to send 6 invites on SOT to get me into a chat. I refused. In that case I reported harassment, because that was ridiculous.

I have met some players, like earlier yesterday I met one who was duoing a sloop with his buddy, he told me this was his friend's first time playing and he was showing him the game. We ended up alliancing and doing our own things, but could see each other on map.

While there are nice people, we seem to mostly run into the spawn campers who sink for pleasure and just enjoy killing the game for others.

On a humorous note, the ship attempted a second time to get us to stop for an alliance (to sink us again) but this time thankfully we sailed on.

@wolfmanbush I understand Confucius (had to with your wisdom lol)

But sometimes the actions of others does limit your reaction to one that was not an intention of yours. Like if you have to continually change servers, it takes away from the ability to play the game. But if you stay on said server, it's unplayable due to the actions of the others on the server.

This post got away from the original question of the post. Does reaper mean PVP, or do others just push that premise on it?

I get it involves toxic players, but i think our discussions went away from reaper faction to generalized toxic players.

@restlessboredom said in Reapers/PVP:

This post got away from the original question of the post. Does reaper mean PVP, or do others just push that premise on it?

I get it involves toxic players, but i think our discussions went away from reaper faction to generalized toxic players.

And again, yes and no. PvP is incentivized by awarding rank to sinking other ships and turning in their Emissary flag. You are also marked on the map as a possible threat or a target to other ships and may attack you accordingly, so best be prepared for a battle if you fly the flag. You also get the ability to see other Emissaries on the map once you reach rank 5 on your flag, which makes hunting others easier and often times will lead to a battle or chase.

Yet at the same time, you are not forced to play that way as you are also rewarded rank and reputation for turning in anything regardless of how you obtained it. Nowhere is it said you must participate in PvP if you represent the faction, regardless of what some around here think.

While it is not the "PvP only" faction, you best be prepared for some action if you fly the flag as some do see it that way while others will hunt you for their own safety as a pre-emptive measure. There is really nothing wrong with playing a marauder like that, as long as you aren't being a bully about it.

As I said earlier, the faction is really about freedom to do what you want (and I wish I could find the page that Rare specified that, but fear it is lost).

Reaper does NOT necessarily mean pvp, at least in it's current state. There are plenty of people who PVE reaper. However if you are reaper, you should expect pvp to happen.

Toxic is not sinking any and all ships on a server, toxic is not leaving loot behind. These are simply gameplay styles that some adopt for efficiency (leaving loot, maybe they are hopping servers and don't want to waste time turning in junk loot, or see a better target that may be getting away to sell), or perhaps to get ships doing absolutely nothing on the server to leave so a more productive crew can come in.

I don't agree with their mentality but in my opinion there's a reason reaper declares your position to everyone on the map, it's free game on you to be attacked (but not abused)

@restlessboredom said in Reapers/PVP:

So I'm curious others thoughts on it. Do you feel that being a reaper instantly says "I'm a PVP player" or do you feel that reaper is just a bounty hunter?

It doesn't mean you are a "PVP player." It does mean you are open to PVP though. In fact, you could be flying any emissary and you are saying "I am open to being attacked." At the end of the day, it is a pirate game with loot to steal. An emissary of ANY faction is just a big ol flag on your boat saying "Hey if you sink me you are going to get gold."

I think people have been spoiled by emissaries so much that they forget the intended purpose of them. Every balanced game mechanic has a risk to reward ratio. Emissaries give massive gold and reputation bonuses (reward) and in return them paint a giant target on your ship for other crews (risk). This goes for any faction's emissary, but Reaper's especially. You are marked on the map for a reason.

If you're upset/confused about crews sinking you without taking the loot, you most likely just didn't have enough to bother with and they'd rather find a new crew to fight. Either way, once you've been sunk its up to the other crew what to do with the loot, as it is now theirs.

My recommendation is to recognize that emissaries make you a target. However the benefits to them are massive, and so I would continue to use them as eventually you'll be able to fight off the hoppers. I would also recommend using regular faction emissaries at first, so you can fight crews on your server who aren't hoppers so you have a better chance of developing PVP skills without getting crushed with no chance. The Reapers as a mechanic are designed to attract PVP, whether specifically stated to or not. So accept that, and decide for yourself if marking yourself for hoppers is worth the extra gold.

Happy sailings

@restlessboredom said in Reapers/PVP:

@dlchief58 the issue though is that Players ARE toxic about sinking ships for fun.

The server I'm currently on, a reaper grade 5 was sinking other ships for sheer fun. They sank us and left everything, kept sailing and sank others. They weren't taking loot, or log books, or flags. Ours were floating there when we went back. The player continually messaged my friend (we are on his ship) on xbox telling him to stop, do alliance, hold up and wait. So my buddy did that, they got close and instantly attacked and sank us. They had no intention of anything friendly. Then spawn killed us until my buddy scuttled his ship, In which when we sailed back there was our flag, log book and loot. And they were 6 squares north on the map battling another reaper.

There is nothing toxic about this encounter you described. Maybe the spawn-camping but I'd have to have to watch that to determine if that was truly toxic. Sinking people for fun isn't toxic. Betraying an alliance is part of the risk of alliances, though I think you're at fault for believing them after they already sank you.

There is very little you can do in the game that is truly "toxic" that doesn't involve chat/hot-mics. It is a sandbox game, be wary of who you trust, and no one owes you anything.

Don't label someone who is having fun their own way as toxic because it negatively affected you. In that case I could call people who sell while I chase toxic for not letting me get the loot.

@dexteriouss I, myself, was killed 3 times before he finally scuttled. I would spawn hoping the ship had been sunk and respawned somewhere. But they weren't sinking it, they actually repaired it at first then kept killing us as we'd spawn until be finally scuttled.

I get killing a player who spawns while you're sinking their ship, so they can't repair it. But they were literally just continuously killing and keeping the ship repaired so they could spawn kill.

I decided in the future I'm going to record my encounters just in case something like that happens again.

I don't mind engagement, sometimes I'll seek out engagement, but I don't do it simply to sink them and move on. And I only engage those who actively want engagement. If a ship runs, or they tell me they don't want to fight or PVP, then I don't. I sail on.

Tools not rules.

In Rare's marketing when Emissaries and The Reaper's Bones were introduced, it referred to Reapers as a PvP faction (and still does on this website explaining the game). Unfortunately, it's poorly designed and allows for just as much gold/rep to be made off PvE loot as it does for PvP loot.

It's on Rare. They have the ability to make changes...but until they do...Tools not Rules.

That said, you're opting into the highest risk / highest reward faction in the game...the Risk is that everyone can see you on the map at all times and anyone can attack you at any time for any reason. You want the reward? Enjoy the risk.

@restlessboredom said in Reapers/PVP:

I get killing a player who spawns while you're sinking their ship, so they can't repair it. But they were literally just continuously killing and keeping the ship repaired so they could spawn kill.

I decided in the future I'm going to record my encounters just in case something like that happens again.

Spawncamping by itself is not a reportable offense as far as I'm aware. That is the purpose of the scuttle button. If they were being toxic over VC or in chat then yeah, but wanting to do player v player PVP rather than naval is a way to play the game. If you don't want to engage in that, then again, scuttle.