BlizzCon 2009: Rated battlegrounds and the return of PvP titles

by Allison Robert Aug 22nd 2009 at 9:30PM

One of the most widely-cheered announcements during the Game Systems panel was the introduction of rated battlegrounds and the reappearance of old PvP titles from the now-defunct ranking system. It's a question we've seen asked a lot -- plenty of people out there aren't fond of arena but love battlegrounds, and many of them chafed under the inability to get up-to-date PvP gear. It looks like Blizzard will be trying to reward better battleground play without punishing people who have the bad luck to land on an indifferent PuG. Here's what we know so far:

Whichever battleground is currently on its holiday weekend will also be a rated battleground for that week.
Battleground wins will award both rating and arena points. Battleground losses won't punish you with a ratings loss, but also won't award any points. I would assume that you can continue to accrue honor and a single BG token per loss. Points earned will be capped at a certain number (not yet known) per week to keep rated battlegrounds from feeling too "grindy."
Your battleground ratings will, like the current arena system, encompass two ratings: a personal and a match-making rating.
Old PvP rankings will make their reappearance as end-of-season titles (e.g., "Scout," "Commander," "Centurion"). No word yet on whether these are permanent or if, like the non-Gladiator arena titles, you have to earn them each season to continue displaying them.
"Special epic ground mounts" will be made available to people playing the rated battlegrounds.
Rated battleground wins will also contribute to the new guild talent system.

BlizzCon 2009 is here! WoW.com has continuing coverage, bringing you the latest in Cataclysm news, live blogs, galleries, and reports right from the convention floor. Check out WoW.com's Guide to BlizzCon for the latest!

Tags: 2009-blizzcon, arena, arena-points, battleground, battleground-revamp, battlegrounds, blizzard-blizzcon, blizzcon, blizzcon-09, blizzcon-2009, blizzcon-wow, convention, honor, honor-points, honor-system, pvp, pvp-rank, rated-battlegrounds, world-of-warcraft-convention, wow-blizzcon, wow-convention

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Battlegrounds, BlizzCon, Expansions, PvP, News items, Blizzard, WoW Social Conventions, Fan stuff, Events, Cataclysm

Reader Comments (Page 2 of 2)

I-R-PALADIN? Aug 22nd 2009 10:31PM

I hope they dont take away my old pvp ranking its a point of pride being part of wow b4 BC came out but at least ill still have an achievement lol also i can finally improve it to something better then a sergeant

RuzGofDI Aug 22nd 2009 10:54PM

I have the title, and I can't see why we can't share. If I had any voice in how this works, this is how I would do it:

PVP ranks that are reintroduced to the Honor System would be temporary. In much the same way that Gladiator titles only last for the season after they're earned, a PVP rank would only last for one season. I mean, if you remember back to the old days of the honor system, this wasn't that far off from what happened anyway. If you weren't pvping enough to retain or advance your rank, your rank would fall to lower levels. Those that have a PVP Rank Feat of Strength on their characters will have that title permanently.

I don't mind giving something to everyone. I just don't like the idea of those that went through the grind losing what they worked for to do it.

Dart Aug 22nd 2009 11:06PM

Sorry, but under Ghostcrawlers idea that everyone should experience everything.

Those titles will return and be easy to obtain.

Calling it now

MakeMeSammich Aug 25th 2009 3:00PM

I'm also a little concerned about this. While I'd be happy to let others earn titles, I have to admit I don't want mine to go away. Does anyone know for sure how these new titles will be implemented, and if veterans will be able to keep theirs?

Sergeant Anton of Magtherodin Aug 22nd 2009 11:30PM

my warrior achieved sergeant rank in vanilla wow, any word if it is reset or do i continune from rank 3, and will there be new ranks?

ZaVaZ Aug 23rd 2009 7:04PM

So what happens to our old titles?

Grey Aug 23rd 2009 2:01AM

kind of disappointed at this. I ground hard for the title I have, as well as its something those of us from original wow had that you couldn't get with the new xpacs. It easily identified you as an original wow player...

Deadlock Aug 23rd 2009 10:26AM

And now newer players have the same chance you did. How unfair!

Cryogenist Aug 23rd 2009 2:39AM

I can see Rated BG's for WSG, EotS, AB and maybe for IoC But there is no way in Hell I will play Rated AV when it is so clearly unbalanced.

Thrift Aug 23rd 2009 6:23AM

I bet that AV won't escape the whirlwind of change set to ravage Azeroth.

Sjolden Aug 23rd 2009 7:40AM

I remember back long ago before I knew how to play the game well and while I was still leveling, those old titles. I have always wanted them back. I can't wait. Plus, I know there are tons out there who can rock the bg's but suck at arenas. The Arena "arena" just isnt for everyone

Jagoex Aug 23rd 2009 12:13PM

I hold the High Warlord title from BG'ing for months non-stop back in the day, and while I do have some reservations, I am very much looking forward to the return of the honor titles.

The Battlegrounds haven't been the same post-60, when the titles were removed and cross-server games were introduced. They lack the personality that they had--half of the fun was seeing (and beating) the same group of players, and watching the entire server grow in skill, gear, and rank over time. I hate to sound corny, but it was something awesome to be saluted by the opposing faction, because they knew who you were and saw first hand what you experienced grinding for months at a time. And it was also pretty cool seeing the "noob" who just started playing WoW finally rank Lieutenant General and thank everyone who helped him along the way.

Returning the to the title system is a good thing, because it partly reinstates that personality the BGs have lost. But, like I said, I have some reservations and many questions too.

How long is a season? Do they coincide with Arena seasons (probable). If so, does that mean we are going to see another honor grind that lasts months at a time? If there is a cap (which I believe there is), will we see a large number of the top end titles being rewarded? Are all of the honor titles making a return? What happens to the current honor titles many players are displaying?

Again, even with so many question unanswered, I believe that this will be a great thing for the game. And while it does irk many with Rank 14 titles already, I believe the revived activity in the BGs will reignite the passion we had for them so long ago.

At least, that's my hope. :)

Valt Aug 23rd 2009 1:46PM

I can see it now.. Grand marshal Arthasdkpwn

Kaitain Aug 24th 2009 10:28AM

This makes me insanely happy. Arena is not nearly as good gameplay-wise as high rated players think it is. Much of the joy of WoW PvP gets flushed when you enter arena, and while Arena tactics are complex and challenging, they inherently skip a massive amount of tactics and gameplay that makes WoW great.

I actually wasn't going to pay the next expansion. I am now :-)

Hotsy Aug 24th 2009 1:33PM

Great...so now mediocre PVPers will be getting carried by more advanced players and be eligible for the top gear? I personally prefer the current setup where battlegrounds are more of a "training grounds" for the real show of talent and skill (Arenas).

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