1. There is no accountability.
In any social system, there must be some form of accountability or the system will fail. In real life we have laws to deter crime and punish the law breakers, we have credit reports that punish those that dont pay their bills, we have resumes, medical reports, etc. You become accountable for your actions. However, in Darktide, you can do anything at any time to anyone and get away with it.

Examples:
a) You can switch from Anti to PK 100 times and back to Anti again and you are accepted. I can go PK right now, raid an Anti town for a month, then come back and live there in peace, go PK again for a month, lie that I was hacked, then live in that town in peace.

b) You can exploit bugs, cheat, lie, and send viruses over Mirc to hack into other's computers yet the Turbine developers will send "shout outs" to you in their Developement Chats.

c) You can post utter filth for months, camp newbie spawn points, then 1 day post how you are Anti and...you are accepted.

d) You can cheat people out of Shadow Armor, accounts, items, and money, yet be accepted back by multiple monarchies.

e) You can help "evil" people on quests and equip them with weapons used to kill other good people and still maintain allies and good status.

So basically there is no accountability. I guarantee that I can claim that I am now a PK, the whole server can sUcK mY d1cK, PK for a few months, then when I feel like leveling, say "hee hee, all done now! only a game!", join a non-PK monarchy and all would be forgiven. And I could do it more than once too.

2. Impossibility of being Anti/Good.
I submit that to be a true Anti means to be at war with everyone on the server. To illustrate my point, a little story.

Joseph joins Darktide and begins to play. He is constantly killed while shopping and leveling by PKs 40 levels higher than him and told he is o\/\/ned. He keeps a journal of all the PKs he was PKed by and screenshot proof. He gets to level 30 and decides to now seek revenge. The 1st PK he comes across he kills, then gets told by the PKs monarch (who is now an Anti) that he is KOS. So now he is at war with his 1st good guild, because of course they would prefer to fight for a loser who camped newbie spawn points than a true Anti. But he decides to be more diplomatic this time, so he posts proof of someone being a PK on the message forum of a large neutral guild, who then makes up excuses and lies for the PK. So he is now at war with the neutral guild, who puts out the word to their allies who make war too. Finally, the Anti goes to a dungeon and sees 3 PKs raiding it, and he kills them. They come back and he kills them again. The next day, all 3 are now under a neutral or anti monarch just so they can level in peace. So pretty soon, this Anti, to stay true to the code, is at war with all PKs by default and now all the "good" guilds as well, because they would rather lie about and protect some 12 year old who camps newbie spawn points and talks shit than someone who plays a mature Anti.

3. Illogic of it all

Let's face it, the majority of the players are idiots and liars. Hundreds of times I have had a member of a PK monarchy tell me they were Anti. Hundreds of times I have had someone PK my newbie scout to turn around and tell my main the newbie was a PK or attacked them 1st. Hundreds of times I have been called a pussy just before someone portal logs on me. And Im sure hundreds of non-PKs do the same types of things. If I was a PK Im sure Id hear Antis tell about how they are really a PK so dont kill them etc etc. How about this - Player A, B, and C raid a dungeon and kill 10 people who are lying down, fighting monsters, half dead etc. Then you go and kill them and are told "ur so lame".

Or how about this. Go to a website of a good guild, and you will see "We stand for justice!! We fight for good!! We are at war with XYZ PK guild!" Then you see half their members leveling in peace with them. Or how about "We are here on Dereth to fight evil no matter where it lies! We are at war with noone! (guess there is no evil on Dereth, eh?)

Or how about the PKs who want to kill level 5s as they shop, yet think it is so outrageous when you attack them at a leveling spot. "Well, I dont PK here, here Im Anti and just want to level". "I didnt kill your vassal here, so you cant attack me back here, only where I killed him". Worse still, the "Antis" who buy this argument and go about leveling in peace, knowing that those they let level will be raiding and killing their guild brothers tomorrow.

4. Game system. The system doesnt help either. PvP is constantly a buffed and prepared attacker vs an unbuffed and busy attackee who dies in 2 seconds. Out of 100 deaths, probably 1 is due to an even, prepared, buffed fight. Monarchy A raids town B and kills 10 people who are unprepared. Town B strikes back at Monarchy A's town and kills 10 people shopping and unbuffed. Unfortunately the game system dictates that if you dont kill by a "cheap" means, you dont get the kill.

Counters to my argument:

1. "It's just a game". In any game, people choose up sides and play until the game is over. I've never played paintball and had someone on the opposing team say "wtf, we are neutral! Im telling the referees". I've never played a hockey game and had one of my teammates put a puck in my own net and say "lol Im on the other team now". I've never played Age of Kings and had an enemy, in a 3v3 game, send me a message saying "lol, 4v2 now, Im on your side". The fact that it is just a game is precisely why you should choose a side and stick to it. The fact that this is just a game is precisely why PKs shouldnt be forgiven 100x in a month.

2. "Yah, Im Anti, but this Blood is my friend so I cant kill him". Let me tell you a little about friendship. A real friend doesnt care if you kill him in a game. We all make choices when we play. Out of your own free will, you joined Blood. There are benefits and there are consequences. Why should you be able to kill anyone in sight and level in peace with your friends who are Antis?

3. "People should be allowed forgiveness and fresh starts". In real life I tend to agree. In a game, it is way too rampant. Once again, any of you reading this can take a month and PK your brains out, tell people you raped their mother, and then go neutral or Anti and it's all forgiven.

What can make things better and bring some sort of order in the Chaos?

1. Game Mechanics. It has to start here. Im fully convinced that you cant let the players decide everything like on Darktide because it becomes a cesspool of confusion like Darktide has. A game run faction system. Guild war stones with war coloring. A minimum # for guilds to form and a high expense and penalty for leaving (although no penalty for kicking).

2. More courage. Would a level 40 Anti let a level 1 Blood level at his leveling spot? Of course not. So then why would he let a level 40 Blood level there? Cowardice. Not some noble goal of peace but cowardice. Why would a PK go "Anti" to level then PK again? Cowardice. Why do Antis forgive high level PKs but not low levels? Cowardice, not some noble goal of peace and forgiveness. I guarantee if TF had 5 members all under level 30, and they began to take in all the ex newbie killers of the shard like they are now, the Antis wouldnt forgive them. However, picture this. Every Anti guild from day 1 states and backs up that they NEVER will forgive a PK and would war any guild that takes them in. Darktide would be such a different and more fun place. You think the rampant cowardice and forgiveness helps you or hurts you in the long run? Breeds more or less PKs? Darktide isnt full of hardcore, brave PvPers, it is full of cowards who want to level in peace and act with no consequences. A brave, stand up person fights his enemies and isnt afraid to declare what he is and tell the truth, be he PK or Anti.

Final note. I believe everyone is to blame for the shithouse Darktide has become including myself. Maybe Im unique, but when I buy a game to PvP, I want it simple. You are my enemy, so let's fight. No bullshit, no whining, no cheating, let's war and fight it out. I dont want to have you spam me with "why!!" for hours on end. If you are going to PK then fine, Im going to Anti and we fight, what is the big deal?

KV the Anti