Are you a PvP novice hoping to get into SWTOR's Warzone PvP? ZAM Editor-in-Chief Chris "Pwyff" Tom has got you covered!

2012 is going to be a spectacular year for MMORPGs and the MMO industry at large, but as we celebrate the first week of the New Year, the only thing players want to discuss is BioWare's Star Wars: The Old Republic. Now, I have a lot of edgy editorial content to throw down from the top of my soap box, but ever since I began my adventures in The Old Republic, one thing has bothered me more than any other: Warzone PvP. No, this isn't a discussion of what can be done to change Warzone PvP, because I actually enjoy it (usually), but, throughout my hundreds of Warzone games played during the closed beta and official launch, I have come to the conclusion that many of you, dear Warzone PvPers (particularly anyone on Warriors of Shadow Empire), have no idea what you're doing.

No idea at all…

But do not despair! I am here to deliver unto you a compiled list of general PvP tips for all class roles! Let's get on with it!

General PvP Tips and Strategies

• It is possible to look like a different class through the use of mods. Currently speaking, my Powertech looks exactly like a Sith Juggernaut because I picked up some customizable PvP armor. Learn to recognize enemy classes by their weaponry, their buffs, or even their resource bars (ammunition, energy, force, heat, rage, etc).

• If you want to maximize your Warzone Commendation and Valor gain per Warzone, then medals will be the most important objective for you. Medals offer 5 Warzone Commendations and 50 Valor per Medal earned. Even at level 10, there should be no reason you can't grab at least five medals per Warzone. I will indicate what medals are easily achievable within the specific role categories.

• Ledges and hazards are the greatest equalizers in SWTOR PvP. A smart Powertech / Vanguard can easily win any 1v1 fight by Grappling / Harpooning an enemy onto the Huttball Fire Panels before stunning them. Never attack a target with your back to a hazard or a ledge, as they can shove you into the hazard, or off the ledge.

• Whenever you enter combat, you are afflicted with the "Trauma" debuff, which reduces all healing received by 30%. This debuff lasts about 10-20 seconds after you exit combat, so if you're going for the 2.5k healing medal (via using a non-PvP medpack) then remember to wait for your Trauma debuff to expire. Otherwise you will be reducing the heal of your medpack by a whopping 30%.

• Vanguards / Powertechs are the only advanced class that can pull enemies to them. [Edit: As well as Assassins / Shadows, although they need to spec fairly deep into their tank tree to get their pull, while VGs & PTs get theirs at lv. 22] This makes them particularly dangerous in Huttball, where one quick yank onto a Fire Panel usually translates to death. If you see a Powertech or Vanguard near a panel or near the acid pit, try to keep a barricade between you so that, even if they Grapple / Harpoon you, the barricade will stop your momentum.

• When ambushing Sages / Sorcerers or Commandos / Mercenaries in melee range, use any anti-knockback buffs within the first five seconds of the fight. These classes have access to AoE knockback abilities, and they tend to panic whenever an enemy is on them, so their first instinct is to immediately use their knockback skill. Once that fails, their second instinct is to stun you, so if you really want to get them, be ready to use your CC-breaker ability.

• Powerups are essential to maximizing your Warzone potential. In every Warzone there are three potential powerups: Damage / Healing (+% Damage and +% Healing), Speed (+Movement Speed) and Health (Instant Heal). Knowing where these powerups are can let you swing 1v1 fights by running to them for a quick heal.

• Warzone Commendations cap at 1,000. If you get near the cap, either convert those Warzone Commendations into Mercenary Commendations (3:1 ratio) or purchase some items with those commendations.

• Regular medpacks and PvP-only medpacks are currently on separate cooldowns, so if you really think you can score that Huttball with an extra 3,000 heal, pop both for a mega heal.

• Healing is currently very strong in PvP, especially with tanks being able to mitigate a lot of team damage. If you can heal and you want to win more Warzones, learn to heal.

• Line-of-sight is very well done in SWTOR, which means you should try not to fight in open spaces, as this opens you up to all sorts of sniper fire. Instead, fight near pillars or under ledges so that you can evade shots when possible.

• Even if there are no hazards nearby, be sure to push or separate tanks from their healers. Tanks can Guard their healers, which significantly reduces the damage the healer takes. Pushing them apart outranges the Guard ability, thereby allowing you to freely DPS the healer.

• In the Voidstar, if you see someone planting or defusing the bomb, try to engage enemies so that they face away from the objective. This way they'll be focused on you and your teammate will have a better chance of defusing / planting undetected. If you see an enemy making for your teammate, try to interrupt him or stun him.

• In the Voidstar, if your team is on defense and the enemy blows through one of your doors, do not stick around to fight. Try to make your way through the blown doors to defend the next set of objectives. It is entirely possible for an aggressive team to get "caught" behind the objective line. From here, the attacking team can simply blitz through to plant bombs while the defending team struggles to catch up.

• In Huttball, it is possible to easily score the ball multiple times by having a stealth player sit on the top ledge of the enemy side, waiting for a pass. Simply grab the Huttball, run straight up the lower ramp by the acid pool, and throw the ball up to your waiting teammate on the ledge. From there, he or she simply needs to run down the ramp to score the ball.

• In Huttball, avoid throwing all of your stuns on the enemy ball carrier if they are in no danger. This builds their resolve and can lead to them being immune to crowd control effects when they make a real push to score the ball. Alternatively, a great strategy as a tank is to get the Huttball, stand under a ledge, and build your resolve by getting stunned. Once your resolve meter is full, jump to an enemy on a ledge and run the ball in without worry of being pushed off or stunned on a fire panel.

• As a final follow-up point for Huttball, if the enemy ball carrier is standing under a ledge or in the pit by your goal, do not stand on the edge to attack him. Smart ball carriers are just waiting for someone to jump on with the ball, and by standing in a safe area, you may be giving him an out.

• In the Alderaan Civil War, the side turrets are the best turrets to have. Once you cap a side turret, your team can take the far left or the far right speeders (respectively) in order to take a direct path to the turret. If you do not control the side turret, the far left / far right speeders disappear, forcing you to ride a speeder to the middle of the map before you run to the turret. In other words, holding a side turret means that you can defend and reinforce that turret faster than the enemy team.