There will without a doubt be more than one type of PvP (player vs. player) available within the game. We will offer the ability to engage in arena battles (which, to be fair, should be seen as far more exciting than typical arena fares in other MMOs as we’ve taken measures to make them more interesting) as well as PvP during other times. The exact scope of PvP will be tested in Beta and may be server-dependant upon release.

We realize that some individuals have a great deal of animosity towards PvP systems. This is one of the "sticky points" for MMOGs, and it’s not something we take lightly. In any given discussion you will hear people screaming for "full-PvP" as well as those who claim to never need to engage another player, and who fear "griefing" will be prominent in any game with PvP. We have designed the game from the ground up with the intention to include PvP. As such it is not an afterthought or a second priority. It will be balanced as such, alongside PvE (player vs. environment) combat.

The most important thing for us in designing the role of PvP in the game was simply to make it have a reason. There’s no point in killing people for the sake of killing them. That’s an artificial thing which can only happen in a game. In reality the people playing those characters would most likely shy away from most fights, let alone shootouts. As such, we wanted to provide impetus to actually want to engage in PvP when appropriate. In addition, we wanted to make a reasonable system which penalizes inappropriate and asocial behavior. These things being present make the PvP aspects of TCoS far more "livable" for the majority of players