Character Transfers to PvP Servers

No, there isn't any news on this front. And to the best of my knowledge it's not anything SOE is actively considering. Gallenite's statement on the subject from back in February:

"The short answer is that we want to make sure the server gets a chance to establish itself with all of its residents "growing up" under the same kind of hazards, which means: on the PvP server.

If at some point in the future it wouldn't be detrimental to do transfers, we'll see then. For now, though, there are zero plans for opening transfers of established chars to PvP at any point. "

So this is just my preemptive strike against the idea of character transfers to the PvP servers. It's a reasonable time to think about it now because the population of the PvP servers has calmed a bit as some people have grown bored with the novelty or discovered the atmosphere was not for them. And there have been some requests on the forums for transfers.

But I don't like the idea. Everything is harder on the PvP servers. I did a simple fed-ex quest the other night which, on a PvE server, would have been a fairly mindless run. Instead I had to fight twice, evac once and stealth my way around the zone. You can't just grind xp where and whenever you wish. You first have to see if it's safe and then you have to be aware and ready for a fight at all times.

These challenges are a lot of fun. But I feel like I earn every level with effort. And I'd hate to see someone level up a character with comparative ease (I say comparative because it's certainly not easy) on a PvE server and then just transfer over to Nagafen or Venekor. It would make me feel a little cheated. I like knowing that all the people I group with and all the people I battle against have gone through the same trials I have gone through.

And the economy is much tougher, for me at least. Simple things like harvesting take on a new difficulty level in PvP. I'm constantly broke and carefully debating each purchase to a level I never was on PvE. And to me, that's a near perfect economy. I'd hate to see someone transfer over with a bunch of plat, or even great gear and all Adept III spells.

You could, of course, only allow people to transfer with no coin, gear or items. But I'd still have an issue with it. I like Nagafen and Venekor the way they are. And if there are any population issues (which I don't really think there are), I hope new PvP content such as PvP quests and the Exile faction will help draw in new people. If SOE wanted to open another PvP server which allowed transfers, that would be fine with me, though I don't know if the population would support it. None of this addresses the Qeynos/Freeport population imbalance, but that's a subject for another day.