So what's going to happen when that WoW player base signs up for Warhammer and they find that not only is PvP emphasized far more than they are use to, but that it is also AT LEAST a bit more tactical than the 'hotbar spam and die' game they know? While we don't know all the details of WAR PvP, we can safely say it will be at least a little deeper than WoW's model, both in terms of actual gameplay types (not just instances BGs) and in terms of character skills and abilities.

My guess is that many will attempt to play it like WoW PvP, and slowly learn that such an approach is ineffective. At the same time a smaller community of PvP experienced gamers will rise up and become the example of PvP execution. Communication and group skills will overshadow the heavy gear influence players have grown accustomed to, and most players will be left with a choice, adapt or quit. What will determine the ratio of the adapt/quit population is exactly how good Warhammer Online is overall. If the game delivers on half the hype surrounding it and is overall a great game, players will find it good enough to shift focus and adapt. On the other hand if Warhammer is just another fantasy MMO, I believe many will find the 'PvP shock' too great and move back to WoW.

If Warhammer Online sounds like a title that contains a large amount of PvP, well, it does. In fact, the game is such that a player could foreseeably play the entire game in a PvP fashion while still gaining a respectable amount of money, items, and experience. PvP is based on the epicenter system, where players actually have to be in a specific area to engage or be engaged in PvP combat. On the other hand, to wash away those who are already thinking that PvP is limited to out-of-the-way areas, every city in the game will be mostly PvP areas.

Indeed, in the overall scheme of things, it is the goal to take over the enemy capital city, so cities are definitely not the safe zones to which MMORPG players may be accustomed. Quest givers cannot die, so the most basic operation of a city will still function for those players who are PvP-averse, but past that, expect to see a sizable war party at the city gates on occasion, in addition to your fellow players asking for your help in thwarting them.