How did I get killed when I never flagged for PvP?

[Allwynd01]

So I was minding my own business and I was in Ratched, some enemy character comes over and kills me, I think I was near the flight master and there weren't any guards so the enemy didn't get attacked.

I don't understand how it happened when I never enabled PvP since I began playing on this server.

To my understanding, the only way to get attacked is if you have PvP enabled. I remember one time I enabled PvP many years ago on another server that is now dead and was near an enemy Mage and he used some Nova, I was in range and he got flagged for PvP and we fought, but that was an accident.

Now I was just standing reading something on the internet when I heard combat sounds, I alt-tab back into the game and see my character being attacked by an enemy faction character when I never had PvP enabled.

Can anyone explain to me how this happens?

[Bigsmerf]

I think It's possible to be attackable just because of being in a certain zone. So, for example. You can attack a non flagged alliance player in a horde zone like durotar or mulgure because that's your zone. i don't remember if it works like that in ratchet, or if I'm even right. But I believe I remember it being something like that in some cases.

[Zzerty]

That's only inside major cities.

There are many ways of getting flagged, one of them is attacking NPCs that are flagged.

[Jolikmc]

Leeet's see… According to Wowpedia, the Free Warcraft Encyclopedia that Anyone Can Edit™, a player can be flagged for PvP by doing any of the following:

• You put your PvP flag up permanently.
  (Via "/pvp" or enabling it via portrait.)
• You attack an NPC marked by a PvP flag, like most quest givers, guards, and vendors.
• You are in proximity to certain NPCs marked by a PvP flag. These NPCs are often found near settlements of an opposing faction, such as Goldshire and Razor Hill.
• You accept some of the PvP quests. You will remain flagged as long as that quest is in your quest log.
• You enter a specific territory.
  (Horde / Alliance cities (faction-depending), Battlegrounds, or Arenas.)

An example of the last one would be if you were a Horde player going from the Valley of Trials over to Ratchet, you should not have been flagged, but if you were an Alliance player doing the same, though and you got spotted by a guard, that would automatically flag you for five minutes.

As you said, if you were just idling around the Flight Master, completely unflagged, then you should not have been attacked by anything. It's possible that someone might have kited over a mob and somehow got it to aggro on you, but I think the Ratchet guards would have taken care of that? I'm sorry to be "that person", but do you happen to have any kind of proof to back up your claims of "just standing there, unflagged in Ratchet"? ):

Edit: Actually, wait a minute. If you were attacked by another player, then that player would have been demolished by Ratchet guards. Something about this smells fishy…

[Spoing]

If you buff or heal someone who is flagged, you also get flagged. I've had that happen plenty of times, I buffed someone while running down the road, and a few minutes later I get killed because I buffed a warmode character.

[Aeternusdoleo]

Leeet's see… According to Wowpedia, the Free Warcraft Encyclopedia that Anyone Can Edit™, a player can be flagged for PvP by doing any of the following:

• You put your PvP flag up permanently.
  An example of the last one would be if you were a Horde player going from the Valley of Trials over to Ratchet, you should not have been flagged, but if you were an Alliance player doing the same, though and you got spotted by a guard, that would automatically flag you for five minutes.

Getting spotted/targeted by an opposing factions guard NPCs won't flag you. But if you attack/damage them, even to stun/hold/cc them in retaliation, that'll cause you to be flagged (for 5 minutes at least).

[Zzerty]

Getting spotted/targeted by an opposing factions guard NPCs won't flag you. But if you attack/damage them, even to stun/hold/cc them in retaliation, that'll cause you to be flagged (for 5 minutes at least).

I think even reflective damage from Thorns or a shield spike will do that.