I've heard that it's better on private servers from some friends but this conflicts with me as a WoW player. In WoW, it's common knowledge that PvP on retail is better than on private server.
What are the differences between PvP on private and retail servers?
If what you're looking for is a balanced PvP, probably the retail server wins. However, Ragnarok is highly dependant on gear, cards etc, so basically the older the player is on the server, the better he is on PvP, considering equal skill. On retail, that difference can be huge (like a royal guard with Tao Gunka card); on private servers maybe that don't matter so much, because getting gear/cards is easier (again, depends on rates).
Usually, private servers have smaller communities, and the PvP is more personal, with friends, allies, vendettas etc. In retail, with more people, there's more battlegrounds, it's less to-the-heart PvP.
It depends a lot on the server like for example Existence Ragnarok Online uses its own unique PvP system which track's player's kills and gives them an aura which other players can see to warn them the person is dangerous and has been killing too much. As the points scale the aura color changes:
Red Aura 100-199
Blue Aura 200-299
Black Aura 300+
When a player hits 300+ and is killed by another player, it is possible that they could drop some items and they are sent directly to jail where they have to wait for points to drop, or bribe the jailer to let them out early. Player's who have killed too many players can hide in the market or paradise island and wait for their points to drop.
Players who pk others get experience and part of another players money that they are carrying people that kill others who have been killing too much gain a higher rate of experience and money.
Money which is given to the person going around pking others is automatically set into a bounty system over that players name. In the future others will be able to take a quest to kill that player and can claim the reward for doing so.
As you can see this is a specific type of PvP. Not your average PvP you would find in retail, nor most private servers because it is highly customized.
Each private server is different, and each person has their own idea of what "better" is, so I'll just elaborate on possible differences between the two. Also, keep in mind that private servers can be customized in any number of infinite ways.
Here's a list of all the different customizations I have experienced that have a bearing on PVP:
Again, this is not meant to decide which is "better" but only elaborate on some things that can happen. It's left to the player to decide which severs and features suit their fancy. Because of the sheer quantity of available customizations, chances are that there's always a server the player might like better than the one he is currently at.
