MMORPGs have a lot of different paths players can take to customize their own gameplay in a vast open world. When it comes to World of Warcraft, there's the endgame which consists of raiding and downing world bosses, roleplaying, grinding, and farming. Player versus player is yet another alternative, and there are some players that are so skilled at straight-up slaying their fellow gamers that they've become famous for it.
When it comes to WoW, being the best PvPer doesn't always mean being the one with the most kills. It also means knowing how to play one's chosen class, spend talent points, equip the right gear, and use professional skills to strengthen a character even more. In the sixteen years that WoW has dominated the world of MMORPGs, here are a few of the dedicated and ingenious players that make PvP their central focus.
Updated February 26, 2022, by Kristy Ambrose: New PvP players are making a name for themselves as Classic WoW marches on. The updates have continued, and there's already talk of an upcoming Wrath of the Lich King Expansion after the progression of the Burning Crusade. Twitch and Discord have given streamers another venue to reach the gaming community, and as more PvP heroes are gaining fame and notoriety in the World of Warcraft, this list has been updated to highlight a few more of those big names in the community.
11 Swifty
As a Night Elf and PVP mastermind, Swifty was one of the first players to gain the Grand Marshall title, the highest possible PvP rank on the Alliance side. He used a variety of different tactics to dominate virtually every PvP match in which he played, including his professional skills, along with less orthodox means like using bugs or other in-game tricks to gain the advantage.
Swifty received even more notoriety when he made video montages of his adventures and streamed them on YouTube, one of the first players ever to do so. He continues to support the WoW community with his videos and content creation.
10 Mute
Creator of the World of Roguecraft YouTube channel, Mute PVPs in white and gray gear — or sometimes even no gear. He does this not only to prove that classes are not gear-dependent but also because he's a badass.
The advice and methods seen in Mute's videos aren't just for Rogues. The content on his channel makes it clear that he's a big believer in knowing how to play a chosen class, and he doesn't have a lot of patience for players who can't handle a nerf.
9 Bajheera
An inspiration to Warriors everywhere, Bajheera is an Arms Warrior who spends a lot of time in the PvP arena. This dedicated streamer has been on YouTube since 2010, with experience in both retail and Classic World of Warcraft.
Plenty of WoW players of all classes have turned to Bajheera for guidance when it comes to gear, gameplay, and basically beating the hell out of enemies. He's also currently showing his prowess in Lost Ark and New World, as well as WoW Arena, on his YouTube channel.
8 Drakedog
Vanilla was a mixed bag when it came to certain classes and talents. Some were overpowered while others were useless. Drakedog was a Warlock in vanilla who proved the Destruction spec wasn't a complete waste of talent points. His first claim to fame was ganking literally every single player he came across while playing the WoW beta test.
A number of his videos are available on YouTube even 12 years after he first posted them, and his "seduce and nuke" strategy is still famous. He first took screenshots of his victories and posted them on his website, but the players he had humiliated angrily hacked his site and deleted them, so he turned to making videos instead.
7 Hydra
A savage Discipline/Holy Priest who has made a name for himself streaming his battles on Twitch, gamers can also find him on YouTube on his channel of the same name, Hydramist. He's the epitome of a successful content creator and gamer when it comes to publicity, social media, and merchandise.
Hydra mostly streams his adventures in arena matches, and the information on his websites and videos is always timely and subject to constant updates. It's a useful resource for anyone who plays arena or PvP, not just Priests.
6 Angwe
Angwe was one of the first PVPers to make terrorizing Menethil Harbor a thing. This popular transport hub for Alliance players was located in a fairly isolated location in the Wetlands. It's an Alliance territory, but virtually empty but for low-level Alliance players catching the boat to Kalimdor and Stormwind and easily accessible from the neutral Arathi Highlands.
That means it was easy pickings for higher-level 'toon rogues that were feeling bored or mischievous. Enter the elusive Angwe, who became notorious on his server and beyond for terrorizing the hapless travelers of Menethil before it was a cool thing to do.
5 Cobrak
This Warlock made Destro a viable spec during Classic, a time when this particular choice was considered a waste of talent points. Cobrak's videos were also some of the most popular at the time, and were among the first of their kind to reach more than a million views.
Battleground PvP was Cobrak's specialty, as opposed to arena gameplay. He's been uploading videos since 2008, although these days he specializes in Final Fantasy XIV. He also makes YouTube videos and streams on Twitch.
4 Reckful
A PvP legend back in the day and a winner of numerous accolades and awards, Reckful gained Rank 1 several times and took part in numerous offline Esports events. He was one of the first gamers ever to accomplish these feats, and he was also one of the first to stream his progress on Twitch.
His real name was Byron Bernstein, and unfortunately, he passed away in July of 2020. Mourners gathered in the Cathedral of Light in the game to pay their respects, and in a recent update, Blizzard added an in-game memorial for him in the form of a rogue trainer, an NPC called Reckful.
3 Vurtne
Mages were always dangerous, even to the point where they were notoriously OP in vanilla. This is player turned that up to 11, especially when it came to PvP.
Vurtne might have looked harmless at first, with his disheveled undead look, but he combined his professional skills with his existing mage powers and destroyed anyone who dared challenge him. His videos from the vanilla days can still be found on YouTube, complete with some fitting heavy metal soundtracks.
2 Hansol
A multi-rank Fire Mage, Hansol has a YouTube channel that's been consistently posting videos since 2007 as well as a full-time Twitch stream. He has been a pillar of the WoW community for more than a decade. The Mage is already a class famous for their savagery in PvP and PvE, and Hansol and his team of two or three take that power to the next level.
His specialty is arena PvP, and the compilations he has posted of various ladder grinds aren't just fun to watch. They're also veritable tutorials as to how to gear, build, and play a deadly Fire Mage. Other videos include guides for the add-ons and accessories for the best arena performance.
1 Pat PvP
Some endearing legends stand the test of time, and Pat the Tauren Warrior is one of them. In-game, the name is Pat, but he earned the nickname "PvP" thanks to his prowess in the battlegrounds.
He was the first player on his server to acquire the Valor Set, a high-level PvP reward. He combined that with the Obsidian Edged Blade, an epic weapon that made his set complete. Gamers can see his PvP videos from 2005 on YouTube, and they're still highly recommended to players who want to improve their PvP tactics and build their own powerful armor sets.