PvP

General

New additions to PvP in the upcoming expansion includes:

• One new instanced battleground named Strand of the Ancients.
• The Lake Wintergrasp non-instanced world PvP zone.
• Two new arena maps: Orgrimmar Arena and Dalaran Arena
• New world PvP objectives.
• New PvP reward systems.
• New siege weapon and destructible building gameplay.

General Information

Stone Keeper's Shards System

Lake Wintergrasp and other world PvP objectives award Stone Keeper's Shards that you can use to buy rewards you can't get through other mechanics (i.e. honor or arena points).

These Stone Keeper's Shards will also be available through PvE, so that players who want to get started in arenas can also get started through PvE.

Players of the faction in control of Lake Wintergrasp may earn Stone Keeper's Shards from every single instance in Northrend, from level 70 instances through to level 80 raid instances.

Rewards bought with these Stone Keeper's Shards will not be more powerful than other PvP items, just alternatives. Developers do not want people to feel they aren't competitive if their faction isn't winning. These objects will also offer honor and marks of honor just like you'd get from a normal instanced battlegrounds.

Faction PvP Rewards

PvP rewards will show up from various Factions as well, similar to current rare-quality PvP Faction sets.

Arena Sets

Arena 2 Items

Thanks to MMO-Champion for some of these screenshots.

Strand of the Ancients

Strand of the Ancients, the Titan-themed Northrend battleground, is a "D-Day like situation" where one Faction attacks from sea and the other one defends the large Keep at the northern end of the Battleground. Siege weapons are used throughout the battleground by both sides. Each team progresses by taking control of capture points on each tier. The attacking factions have a tough time in the beginning, since the amount of capture points you have determines how many siege vehicles you will be able to use. However, once the attackers have taken over some control points, it gets progressively more challenging for the defenders to stay in control of the keep. For more information on this new Battleground, including tons of screenshots of the zone, see our Strand of the Ancients section...

Lake Wintergrasp

Located on a frozen lake high in the mountains between Sholazar Basin, the Borean Tundra, Dragonblight, and Icecrown Glacier, Lake Wintergrasp is WoW's first open-world (non-instanced) zone solely devoted to PvP. The zone features new Titan-style architecture, laid out as a series of smaller buildings arranged around a large northern Keep. According to a fixed schedule, one Faction will always be defending the main Keep from the opposing Faction. The zone's other buildings are neutral and up for grabs to either Faction, giving varying bonuses when captured. Siege weaponry will play a large part in this zone, as all of its buildings and landmarks are destructible. A variety of new daily quests will involve action in and around Wintergrasp, including new styles of aerial combat and mounted NPC escort quests that make use of the new multi-passenger mounts. For more information on this new World PvP zone, see our Lake Wintergrasp in the World section...

New Arena Maps & Features

Information and images from the WWI PvP Panel:

Blizzard has announced two new arena maps to be added in the expansion:

• Dalaran Sewers, located in Dalaran City.
• Orgrimmar Arena, located in the Azerothian Orc capital of Orgrimmar.

Arena combat will continue to be endgame-only, meaning players will have to level all the way from 70 to 80 to begin fighting in new arena seasons. All arena rewards beyond the final pre-expansion season will be meant for level 80 characters.

These arenas will feature new gameplay mechanics, including:

• "Movable" objects. Structures and obstacles that provide changing line of sight (LOS) across the battlefield every few seconds. (For example: pillars might go up and down randomly, on a timer, etc.) These dynamic elements will make each arena feel different.
• Different styles of starting areas meant to prevent camping or exploiting.

You can find more information on these arenas on the Dalaran Arena and Orgrimmar Arena pages.

Arena Points Reset

All arena points earned in teams at the level 70 bracket will be reset to zero, but only once a player levels to 71. (If a player remains level 70, they will still have their points.)

Skirmish brackets will be available for levels 71-75 and 76-80.

Points may be earned again by rated competition at level 80.

Siege weapons will be player-controlled vehicles for use in PvP combat. There are currently 5 different types of vehicles planned, each with a specific purpose. Some can carry passengers, including a driver and sometimes gunners who control individual turrets on the vehicle.

Currently these vehicles are meant for use in the outdoor PvP zone Lake Wintergrasp and in Strand of the Ancients, where destructible buildings will play a key part in combat. Some discussion has been had of allowing these weapons to operate in other zones, including adding destructible buildings to older battlegrounds, however there has been nothing confirmed at this time.

Developers are still discussing how these vehicles will be obtained, but they have stated they want the process to be "fast-paced and fun."

Types of Siege Vehicles

Detailed information on each siege vehicle and its abilities can be found on its page. Siege Vehicles: The Demolisher, Forsaken Catapult, Siege Engine, Goblin Shredder. Flying Machine, and Flying Machine (Bomber).

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