Season 5 FAQ continued
by Zach Yonzon 
Dec 16th 2008 at 3:00PM
Is it true that all Arena and Honor PvP gear require Arena ratings now?
No, although the very best ones do. Savage Gladiator gear are excellent rare quality items that require no Arena points to purchase but cost quite a lot of Honor. These items are also purchasable with Emblems of Heroism, so players don't even have to participate in a single Battleground or Arena match in order to buy them. [EDITED: Removed all reference to Arena requirements for Savage Gladiator gear]
Hateful Gladiator items require more Honor and Arena points and decent performance in Arenas... if you choose to buy them from an Arena Vendor. The gloves, chest, and leg pieces all drop from 10-man Archavon, so you can get Hateful Gladiator items from sheer luck. All Hateful Gladiator pieces, including the shoulders and head, are purchasable with Emblems of Valor. Most casual players will have a shot at Hateful Gladiator gear even without having an Arena team simply by joining a 10-man Archavon PUG.
Even Deadly Gladiator items, the best of the best PvP has to offer, can drop off the 25-man version of Archavon, so again players needn't worry about Arena ratings. The only real pieces that require any true participation and dedication to Arena play are the Deadly Gladiator weapons, and head and shoulder pieces. These are not available through any other avenue but Arena points and personal and team ratings of 2030 or higher.
So contrary to what many players have been crying about, this ironically makes Season 5 the most casual-friendly season and allows even complete carebears to run around in full PvP gear. It makes no sense, but the system is actually much more accessible than any other season before it.
But what about the filler pieces like the belt, boots, and bracers?
Hateful Gladiator Honor pieces do not require any Arena ratings but cost quite a bit of Honor and can be bought in the Hall of Legends in Orgrimmar or the Champion's Hall in Stormwind from the Apprentice Armor Quartermasters. Deadly Gladiator Honor pieces only cost Honor (no Arena Points required) but have moderate personal and team ratings. This means that players wanting the absolute best PvP filler gear must participate successfully in Arenas in order to purchase an Honor item.
Note that since no Arena points are required, players need only to play enough games to raise his or her personal and team rating to the required level and purchase the item. Since personal and team ratings are calculated live, players can become eligible to purchase items as soon as their ratings change with every match.
Should I even bother with Savage Gladiator gear?
It could be much worse. Savage Gladiator items are several steps above the craftable PvP sets but inferior to the easily obtainable Hateful Gladiator gear. With persistence and luck, it's far easier to get Hateful Gladiator pieces off 10-man Archavon or even Deadly Gladiator from the 25-man if you get into a group. It will take much longer (you can only try Archavon once a week) but if you shun PvP, it's definitely the best route.
On the other hand, Savage Gladiator items confer the Gladiator bonuses, which the craftable PvP sets lack. It also has higher Resilience and Stamina as well as sockets. Honor is extremely fast at Level 80 and it's possible to get over 10,000 Honor in a day casually playing Wintergrasp and some Battlegrounds. It will take some time considering the cheapest piece, the gloves, cost 50,000 Honor. I recommend pursuing the shoulder and head pieces first if you are eyeing Savage Gladiator at all. [EDITED: Removed all reference to Arena requirements from Savage Gladiator gear]
Where are the Savage and Hateful Gladiator weapons?
Good question. It seems like Blizzard has decided to restrict Gladiator weapons to the Deadly Gladiator or 2030 level. In the Beta, there were three tiers of weapons similar to how there are three tiers of armor sets, but these lower tier weapons no longer appear to be available. It remains to be seen whether they'll bring them back at some point in the future, although it's not very likely.
Will there be better Level 70 Arena rewards?
No. Go buy Wrath of the Lich King and level up. Level 80 is where it's at.
No, although the very best ones do. Savage Gladiator gear are excellent rare quality items that require no Arena points to purchase but cost quite a lot of Honor. These items are also purchasable with Emblems of Heroism, so players don't even have to participate in a single Battleground or Arena match in order to buy them. [EDITED: Removed all reference to Arena requirements for Savage Gladiator gear]
Hateful Gladiator items require more Honor and Arena points and decent performance in Arenas... if you choose to buy them from an Arena Vendor. The gloves, chest, and leg pieces all drop from 10-man Archavon, so you can get Hateful Gladiator items from sheer luck. All Hateful Gladiator pieces, including the shoulders and head, are purchasable with Emblems of Valor. Most casual players will have a shot at Hateful Gladiator gear even without having an Arena team simply by joining a 10-man Archavon PUG.
Even Deadly Gladiator items, the best of the best PvP has to offer, can drop off the 25-man version of Archavon, so again players needn't worry about Arena ratings. The only real pieces that require any true participation and dedication to Arena play are the Deadly Gladiator weapons, and head and shoulder pieces. These are not available through any other avenue but Arena points and personal and team ratings of 2030 or higher.
So contrary to what many players have been crying about, this ironically makes Season 5 the most casual-friendly season and allows even complete carebears to run around in full PvP gear. It makes no sense, but the system is actually much more accessible than any other season before it.
But what about the filler pieces like the belt, boots, and bracers?
Hateful Gladiator Honor pieces do not require any Arena ratings but cost quite a bit of Honor and can be bought in the Hall of Legends in Orgrimmar or the Champion's Hall in Stormwind from the Apprentice Armor Quartermasters. Deadly Gladiator Honor pieces only cost Honor (no Arena Points required) but have moderate personal and team ratings. This means that players wanting the absolute best PvP filler gear must participate successfully in Arenas in order to purchase an Honor item.
Note that since no Arena points are required, players need only to play enough games to raise his or her personal and team rating to the required level and purchase the item. Since personal and team ratings are calculated live, players can become eligible to purchase items as soon as their ratings change with every match.
Should I even bother with Savage Gladiator gear?
It could be much worse. Savage Gladiator items are several steps above the craftable PvP sets but inferior to the easily obtainable Hateful Gladiator gear. With persistence and luck, it's far easier to get Hateful Gladiator pieces off 10-man Archavon or even Deadly Gladiator from the 25-man if you get into a group. It will take much longer (you can only try Archavon once a week) but if you shun PvP, it's definitely the best route.
On the other hand, Savage Gladiator items confer the Gladiator bonuses, which the craftable PvP sets lack. It also has higher Resilience and Stamina as well as sockets. Honor is extremely fast at Level 80 and it's possible to get over 10,000 Honor in a day casually playing Wintergrasp and some Battlegrounds. It will take some time considering the cheapest piece, the gloves, cost 50,000 Honor. I recommend pursuing the shoulder and head pieces first if you are eyeing Savage Gladiator at all. [EDITED: Removed all reference to Arena requirements from Savage Gladiator gear]
Where are the Savage and Hateful Gladiator weapons?
Good question. It seems like Blizzard has decided to restrict Gladiator weapons to the Deadly Gladiator or 2030 level. In the Beta, there were three tiers of weapons similar to how there are three tiers of armor sets, but these lower tier weapons no longer appear to be available. It remains to be seen whether they'll bring them back at some point in the future, although it's not very likely.
Will there be better Level 70 Arena rewards?
No. Go buy Wrath of the Lich King and level up. Level 80 is where it's at.
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, PvP, Guides, Arena
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Heilig Dec 16th 2008 3:13PM
You haven't answered all my questions!
Like, what is the most polite way to tell someone in PvP gear that they're not allowed into my raid?
Mathoni Dec 16th 2008 3:16PM
Eh. No matter how you spin it or how optimistic you are about it the decent gear needs arena rating. I don't think this season is very accessible at all. Then again I'm not level 80 yet... so I'm going to get pwnd no matter how you cut it.
Raco Dec 16th 2008 3:18PM
Sorry man. PvP Gear doesn't cut it. Run some heroics.
Goldteddy Dec 20th 2008 7:10PM
Yeah Pvp gear where you need arena for real...
Gl those who can't talk with other ppl without saying screw you im going solo
Connor Murphy Dec 16th 2008 3:31PM
Are the models on wowhead the final ones? They look pretty boring, esp. since the high-end have the same model as the low-end. Call me vain but stats aren't the only reason I want to grind for new gear. Where are the flaming eagle skeletons on my shoulders???
Finnicks Dec 16th 2008 11:49PM
They're on the PvE gear, where they belong.
Exsecratus Dec 16th 2008 3:31PM
Being completely new to Arenas, and fairly new to the 70s level bracket in general, I'm looking forward to fighting in 2v2 matches with my fiancée.
Yeah, we're casual, and yeah, we're gonna suck big time, but it'll at least be an entertaining change of pace from the usual leveling.
In case you're curious, I'm a 73 FG/aff lock, and she's a 74 shadow priest. Yeah, I know.
T Dec 16th 2008 3:47PM
I said the exact same thing about the level 70 arenas a couple of months ago. My wife and I both got our rogues to 70 and figured the Arenas would be a nice diversion from BGs or heroics. I changed my mind quite quickly. Getting absolutely annihilated by vastly better geared teams make the evening pretty much suck. We were a 2-rogue team, I didn't have any heightened expectations--we were going to lose early and often. I was in no way prepared for just how ridiculous the system is.
And yeah, Blizzard has instituted changes to fix these geared players from blowing out less-geared players. Whatever. You wait til a week or so into season 5, and the flaws will pop out again. They will not go away until Blizzard gives everyone the same gear when they walk into the Arena. At that point skill is all that matters.
Until then, enjoy reading Zach and his efforts to put silver linings on the whole thing. Nice try, but arena is still gimped and it is still incorrectly implemented.
havitech Dec 16th 2008 4:00PM
I agree with you on every point, T, except one. There would still be problems with arenas, even if everyone was given equal gear.
There will always be flavor-of-the-month class combinations. The only way to avoid that is to make the classes more similar to each other, and that will hurt the game overall. Not that it has stopped Blizzard in the past.
ff Dec 16th 2008 4:42PM
All i hear from these posts is "ZOMG I DONT WANT IT, ITS NOT AN EPIC"
Enjoy your cheap blue BG gear, which is affordable and not half bad and go prance around in wintergrasp. You dont need top of the line season5 gear to play arathi basin, so why cry about it?
The reason you people miss the BC honor method was anyone who wanted to could afk in av for a couple weeks while watching TV/doing homework/reading a book/fapping, and collect epix. Now you have to go outside of your comfort box and actually put in effort for a reward. Yeah the arena system isnt perfect, but if you hate it that much, stick to BG;s and collect your decent blues until next season when the purplez will be sold for honor.
If you want the nice epics that bad, well nows your chance! You should be happy, go get an arena team, practice, play 50games a day if you have to. Earn that rating, and EARN you gear. Get something you can be proud of, stop cying to get other players achievements nerfed to the ground.
BaldOak Dec 16th 2008 11:02PM
@ff
Thank you for being capable of rational thought.
Really.
Thank you.
Von Franko Dec 16th 2008 3:31PM
http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.html?topicId=13392255320&sid=1
As far as buying gear for honor goes, according to Bornakk, everything will take either Arena Rating, Arena Points or a combo of both. So arena is a must do. =(
Agent StanSmith Dec 16th 2008 3:35PM
If only PVP wasn't so dreadfully unpleasant until you have pvp gear, it might be easier to enjoy pvp enough to earn the pvp gear.
I have enough stress and challenges in my real life without spending the evening having my corpse "facehumped" by a bored twelve year old in full Deadly.
When wearing full raid gear is the same protection as wearing a paper sack, I'll find my entertainment elsewhere.
Kryptich Dec 16th 2008 4:56PM
We all get off on the same footing here. There is nobody in "full deadly" yet. I can't stand people who always chalk up their losses to "12 year olds who play all day". The plain truth is, the people who beat you in arena are genuinely better than you, or more dedicated, or most likely both.
I'm 28, I work full time and I play wow about 12 hours a week. The whole point of the arena system is that if I succeed with what time I do have to PVP, I will be able to stay competetive gear wise. Right now its easier than ever to get your PVP gear before going into arenas. If your still not prepared, its time to start blaming somebody other than Blizzard.
Everybody want to fantasize that they are among the top tier of players, and I feel that most of you complaining about arena's being "broken" simply don't like being put in your place.
T Dec 16th 2008 3:39PM
Don't piss on my head and tell me its raining. This gear is no more casual friendly than that in the past, and to be honest, its less casual friendly in many ways. The very idea that BG PvPers, for any reason, have to go do arenas now is an insult. I hate arenas, plenty of other people hate arenas...and yet here Blizzard is, forcing it down our throats.
Not everyone wants to be in arenas, and not everyone wants to down a raid boss that gives them a CHANCE to get gear. Its not guaranteed. Rather than working on honor and badges, you're leaving it up to chance when downing Archavon. Case in point, I was on a 25 man Archavon raid yesterday. He's easy. Problem is, he dropped 2 pieces of hunter gear and two pieces of warlock gear. Which was just perfect for the zero hunters and zero warlocks in the raid. We all walked out empty-handed.
BG gear and the honor needed for it was just about perfect in TBC. You didn't need to do arena, and the tradeoff was relatively inferior gear from earlier seasons. Nothing is wrong with that. It keeps everyone happy--the arena pvp'ers get their superior gear, and battleground pvp'ers still get good, but not great, gear.
Now? Blizz is hell bent on forcing everyone into arenas, despite the fact the system is inherently flawed, and will continue to be without some major overhauls.
Cy Dec 16th 2008 3:58PM
Agree. Hell, I'd be happy to see equivalent gear that only required honor, but at like five times the cost of what it would take if you combined it with arena ratings/points. That would make it much more accessible to those of us who enjoy the occasional BG skirmish and hate the arena format.
Hendrata Dec 16th 2008 3:51PM
" It will take much longer (you can only try Archavon once a week) but if you shun PvP, it's definitely the best route. "
Umm, if you shun PvP, why do you want this gear in the first place?
Eisengel Dec 16th 2008 4:31PM
... because much if it is on level with raid progression gear and while you can queue up for a BG by yourself you can't just saunter into a Wrath instance solo and farm your own gear. For those of us with that play at low-population hours or have casual, smaller guilds, often PvP gear is the only progression after max level quest rewards.
Otuos Dec 16th 2008 3:56PM
This article totally misses the point. As the BG player is forced to either do Arena or PVE to get his EPIC PVP gear.
Many who just played BGs also hate raiding and instances, all they are doing is catering PVP gear to the PVE crowd and the Arena Fanatics. Leaving the Regular BG joe with his pants down.
And whats that about PVP weapons? only the elite should have them?
They fail big time, and they will realized soon enough...
tomhennessy Dec 16th 2008 5:05PM
BG's = pug = little coordination yelled over /p = 5Mans
Arena = premade teams, coordination, metagame = Raids
5man gear < Raid gear
GB gear < Arena gear
It's the way the system is.