GB: We've read that you don't intend on allowing player-killing, but instead support dueling and possibly other PvP formats. Will this be true for all server shards? Will there be any way to play an evil character in the game, even if it doesn't include PKing?

Jon: We don’t have any plans to create “open” PvP servers at launch. That said, we do have a very robust PvP system.

First, players can challenge each other to consensual duels at any time. These duels take place on the public maps, but nobody else can interfere. Players can fight each other just for fun, or raise the stakes by fighting a rated duel and/or placing a wager on the fight. Each character starts out with a rating of 1,000. That rating is adjusted (up for a win, down for a loss) whenever characters fight in a rated duel. The amount of adjustment depends on the relative rating of your opponent. So if you fight characters with equal or higher ratings, you’ll gain more if you win. The great thing about this kind of system over a straight win/loss ratio or tracking “total kills” is that you can’t just keep killing low level or low rated characters to move up the ladder, and at the same time, anyone can become a top rated duelist. Even if you only play a few hours a week, you can earn a respectable (or even very high) rating.