Player-vs-Player (PvP) combat in any game can be intensive and exciting.
It can also be panic-inducing if you're not prepared, which is why so many players turn to online and downloadable help and strategy guides to see them through.
The challenge though is in selecting the right guide in advance, to avoid being led astray or wasting your hard-earned money.
But how? Look online for guide reviews or track down other players in game who may have used the guides in the past.
Look for honest opinions, don't rely solely on the guide's sales pitch.
But what should you look for or ask about? First off - warning signs of a bad guide:

• Generic Content: Does your game have 15 different character classes with wildly different weapons and skills, and yet the guide description makes no mention of class-by-class specific walkthroughs and content? Generic material often means they didn't do their homework, or leveled up in only one class and are trying to pass off that experience as universally useful, even if it isn't.
  
• Fluff or Duplicate Content: Do they recount the same attack grouping over and over? Do they include background information on weapons, classes, guilds, or factions that you can readily find ingame? They may just be padding their page count so they can brag about having "500 detail packed pages!"
• Illegal or Bannable Cheats or Macros: Don't take the shortcut, and don't tolerate guide's that promote it.
  You want to enjoy the game and dominate in PvP, not get banned by a GM thanks to following a guide's advice.
  
• Inexperienced Authors: Can't identify who the players are behind the game? Get the eerie sense that it was written in a hurry by players who are just learning as they go? All good signs to stay away.
  Try to identify who the players are (by name, guild, etc) selling the guide.
  If that's not possible, take a serious look at any credentials they claim.
  Have they been in since beta? Can they point to specific examples of PVP success? If not, tread carefully.
  

Ok, now what? How about some signs of a high quality guide:

• Experienced Players: See above.
  Do they identify themselves or their guilds in advance? Can they point to real, believable PvP experience? You want to be learning from the best, not just the first guys who threw an eBook together.
  
• Quality (and Believable) Testimonials: Do they include testimonials from players who actually used their guides? Try looking those players up ingame or online.
  Are they real?
• Class, Race, or Profession-based Walkthroughs: A high-quality PvP guide recognizes the huge variations in PvP gear, equipment, strategy, and skill development that exist in most games.
  You don't want something generic and have to hope you can figure out how it applies to your character.
  Looks for specifics!
• High Quality, Detailed Screenshots: A picture is worth 1,000 words, right? Don't get stuck reading a wall of text when you can find great PvP guides that don't just tell you, but show you how things are done ingame.
  Good screenshots are also a sign that the authors invested real time and energy into their guide.
  
• Money Back Guarantee: What if you get the guide, and it's horrible? Also look for a money-back guarantee, which typically vary from 30-60 days.
  Always look for the fine print.
  
• Free Updates: Whatever game you play, be it WoW or Warhammer, Conan or EVE, it will change as bug fixes and expansion packs roll out.
  Make sure your investment in a PvP Guide stands the test of time and offers free updates through forums, emails, or a premium online community.
  

Enjoy your combat and dominate the battlefield by thinking smart and selecting the right PvP guide for your game.