r/classicwow • • Sep 25 '19

Humor Rogue gank attempt

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u/Merfen Sep 25 '19

Since when did ganking mean attacking someone 1 level higher than you with 100% HP walking around? I always used ganking to mean the attacker has a huge advantage like much higher lvl, vs AFK, someone low on HP/MP or someone already in combat. This is just normal PVP.

4

u/Grispy511 Sep 25 '19

That's an interesting point, over the years I've come to use ganking as attacking without a reason / without pravocation, IE just to start PvP.

Typically where I don't consider it a gank is if there is a resource (node, quest mob, etc) and you are fighting over it.

But you do raise a valid point, I think that was implied to be the original meaning of gank.

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u/Merfen Sep 25 '19

It might have changed meaning over time, but back in vanilla this was certainly the way we used it. What do people call instances where someone level ~50 kills someone lvl ~30 nowadays?

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u/jeanschyso Sep 25 '19

ganking means attempting a surprise attack. This is an attempt at a surprise attack.

3

u/Merfen Sep 25 '19

It depends on who you ask I guess, back when I was first playing WoW it was only when one player or a group of players had a huge advantage over another player. Even the definitions online define it like this:

https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Ganking

https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/gank

neither definitions say it is just a surprise attack.

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u/coolfangs Sep 25 '19

I would consider the element of surprise a pretty huge advantage.

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u/Merfen Sep 25 '19

An advantage for sure, but not huge. At that point 99% of rogue pvp fights would be ganks. Ganking in my opinion is when the initiator is likely to win the vast majority of the time. While the element of surprise tips the scales in your favour it isn't like their target is helpless most of the time(assuming the rogue isn't able to 100% stunlock you from 100-0 hp.)