Wait... I thought that veteran gear scaled so that everything was treated as a green item. Maybe that was something from the beta PTS and I never reassessed it? I overlook the strangest things sometimes.

Also, when it comes to practicing in PvP just bear in mind that simply being there and paying attention to what others do and, most vitally, getting into a group with voice coms to learn from seasoned pros (which will be the hardest part, I'm sad to say) is the practice you need more than anything else.

Cyrodiil is enough different than the PvE areas that, after a few weeks of staying solely in Cyrodiil I went to the VR 1 zone for my Alliance and promptly got owned by bees and crocodiles and such because I forgot you can't freely travel across the landscape unopposed (you have to stop and fight every 20' or so it seems) and you don't travel in straight lines but have to pay attention to all the ways you're "on rails" and you're dressed and set up for completely different kinds of fights than in PvP (I wear Akaviri leathers, have anti-player buffs and such) and strangest of all no one around you will come running to your aid when you get in trouble!

I never realized it until now but if I stood and shouted "help help!" in Cyrodiil in zone chat and my location, almost certainly some people would show up, not mock me for days on end.

When I was brand spanking new in Daggerfall way before the game was released I was so excited that I'd run into an "overworld boss" (some level 9 lurcher if I recall) that some somewhat more seasoned adventurers took pity on me and came and helped me kill it, then gently explained that the thing wasn't rare but in fact was always there, right in that spot, and in fact there's a giant skull designating this on the map. Lmao.

Cyrodiil is similar except that if you're not VR 12 you'll have trouble being taken seriously, but far more importantly you'll need to learn the lingo, the daily habits (for instance, if you resurrect at a forward camp and in doing so use it up, replace it! not only is it the polite thing to do but it could be what prevents a battle turning against your erstwhile Alliance-mates and, should anyone notice you've done this, they'll be about a billion times more predisposed to taking you seriously in the future).

Also, when you see a crapload of people in your Alliance all crouched DO NOT run up to them out of stealth, which ruins the whole hiding/ambush thing they're planning. Do not heal when stealthed, as the healing graphics make lovely little paths that reveal where the other people are that you've involuntarily given away.

Every single Keep and Resource which your Alliance controls has a Siege Merchant where you can buy soul gems, wall repair kits, oil pots, forward camps, etc. Repair walls after fights. When you capture a resource or keep, you get an AP "tick" (on defense it's within the path that circles he keep "after the fighting has died down") during which time you should repair walls so no one can get in anymore.

Do not use siege weapons you see lying around as many people use more than one at once - unless they ask you to, or it's obviously been abandoned, or it'll save the day... for instance, once a wall is breached it can be repaired by the enemy if it hasn't been hit by siege for something like 30 seconds or so, so if you see them trying to repair it (by crouching repeatedly next to it) take a shot at the hole in the wall to keep it unfixable.

Fire siege weapons are for hitting other players or destroying enemy siege or forward camps. Stone ones are for taking down walls. Firing fire siege at walls is just a waste of the real estate around the hole people are trying to make and thus a waste of resources.

DKs use Talons - double-click to roll out of them. Most other things can be Right-click+left-click "Broken Free" from. Most things can be blocked, even Volcanic Runes (which doesn't stop them from harming you, but does stop you from becoming popcorn).

Do not stand in big red circles. Move out of the big red circles.

Do NOT aggro enemy NPCs or pointless PvE mobs when riding along with others as it reveals their location and prevents you from mounting, which is the worst.

PvE mobs are VR 5 and are not scary. Virtually every enemy Alliance NPC is a terrifying machine of pure destruction and, at VR 1, should be left along when solo. I play a NB so only solo Guards can be managed by me, whereas pairs or mages just burn me to the ground. Actually, healers aren't so bad but when you see them healing interrupt them.. Although you'll almost never see anyone doing it because they're all a bunch of dress-wearing baton-twirlers, interrupting or stunning NPC healers is really important to the success of any battle.

Also, you'd never guess this from watching people fight, but you can interrupt enemy players' spells, too.

Get PvP Abilities. You get a skillpoint for every PvP rank you get, plus there's a ton of skyshards all over Cyrodiil. Spend them on Rapid Maneuvers, Purge, Caltops, and passives. Purge is especially nice because other players, unlike mobs, will cast a ton of crazy things on you, many of which you'll have no idea wtf they are.

If there's a big white pillar of light coming off you, that's Soul Strike and you're about to die. Cast purge.

If there's a black and crimson pillar of light coming off you, that's Mark Target and a NB is preventing you from going into stealth, and is going to hit you for way more damage. Cast purge.

When you're using siege weapons and something sets you on fire, press ESC to leave the siege, cast Purge, hit E to return to the siege. This is essentially how you use multiple siege weapons as well. Hit E, shoot, hit ESC, sprint to the next siege weapon, hit E, shoot, hit ESC, rinse and repeat.

Horse stamina is what prevents you from being knocked off your mount. NBs love that you're stunned for 4 seconds when this happens. Some abilities, as well as the H key, dismount you before this happens when charging into battle. It's pretty important.

Keeps have Guards that patrol around the path around it, and Mages on the towers on the corners. Guards can at least be run from. Do NOT aggro the mages on the corners. The paths around Keeps are safe from the aggro range of enemy NPCs. Learn where inside there are NPCs as well, as it is important to how many battles are fought. For instance, the inner postern has a big front door which has tons of NPCs out in front. Tricking invaders into going by these machines of death is an important stratagem.

Enemy oil and friendly oil look the same until you get close and the tooltip says either "Use Me" or "Destroy Me." When you're new it's best to avoid them.

There's ways to get past scrollgates (depending on abilities, class and whether you're alone), rules about when scrolls can be taken and where they can ultimately be places when back in your own territory, even PvE quest hubs change Alliance depending on who controls rather distant resources (which determines whether friendly or enemy NPC guards patrol the little towns).

There's so much more, but I hope that helps a little.