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All of the latest Mists of Pandaria newsRated battlegrounds FAQ
by Mathew McCurley 
Nov 4th 2010 at 11:40PM
Some highlights include the three brackets (10v10, 15v15, 25v25); weekly conquest point caps based on your highest PvP rating in any bracket; and winning in a group comprised of 80 percent guild members awarding guild experience. Hit the jump for the full blue post.
Rated Battlegrounds FAQJudging from the posts on the forum, it looked like most players were confused about what rated battlegrounds really are and how to interact with them. Hopefully this FAQ can help clear up some of those questions. Feel free to respond with any other questions you might have and we will do our best to post up the answers in this thread.
Rated Battlegrounds are broken down into three brackets. 10v10, 15v15 and 25v25. These brackets rotate weekly and can be viewed in-game via the calendar by activating the battleground holiday filter.
Players must create a raid with the full number of players required for the current bracket before entering the queue. Any level 85 player of your faction may participate in the battle (regardless of guild association).
When players win a battle, they are rewarded conquest points, up to their weekly cap. Weekly caps are individual for each player and are based on your highest single pvp rating from the previous week (the cap resets on Tuesdays). This rating can be derived from your 2v2, 3v3, 5v5 arena, or your rated battleground rating.
Players start at zero rated battleground rating and progress upward from there. Rating is only reduced after a lost battle when the player is above their internal matchmaking rating. For the most part, a rating only goes up.
Epic ground mounts will be rewarded at the end of each season to the top 0.5% of players. Titles are also available as you gain rating in the system. The titles are rewarded directly from achievements earned from gaining the required rating.
Winning a rated battleground with a team composed of 80% guild members will result in the additional benefit of guild experience gain for your guild. The UI will display a guild banner near the minimap that lets you know if you are eligible for guild achievements and experience.
Rated Battlegrounds are broken down into three brackets. 10v10, 15v15 and 25v25. These brackets rotate weekly and can be viewed in-game via the calendar by activating the battleground holiday filter.
Players must create a raid with the full number of players required for the current bracket before entering the queue. Any level 85 player of your faction may participate in the battle (regardless of guild association).
When players win a battle, they are rewarded conquest points, up to their weekly cap. Weekly caps are individual for each player and are based on your highest single pvp rating from the previous week (the cap resets on Tuesdays). This rating can be derived from your 2v2, 3v3, 5v5 arena, or your rated battleground rating.
Players start at zero rated battleground rating and progress upward from there. Rating is only reduced after a lost battle when the player is above their internal matchmaking rating. For the most part, a rating only goes up.
Epic ground mounts will be rewarded at the end of each season to the top 0.5% of players. Titles are also available as you gain rating in the system. The titles are rewarded directly from achievements earned from gaining the required rating.
Winning a rated battleground with a team composed of 80% guild members will result in the additional benefit of guild experience gain for your guild. The UI will display a guild banner near the minimap that lets you know if you are eligible for guild achievements and experience.
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Reader Comments (Page 6 of 6)
bob Dec 2nd 2010 8:40AM
Are they then going to disallow pre-mades from the regular battle grounds?
MasterAsh Dec 2nd 2010 10:32AM
I wouldn't think so, but if you can get into premades easily enough, there's little reason to not stick with rated BGs.
I see myself BG participation (even further than usual) due to this. Premade creation for rated BGs will become just finicky as Trade channel raids, thus ensuring I don't get into one and stay behind the PvP gearcurve. This time, though, it will be worse due to what will be a heavy influx of Arena-level PvP gear.
People may think the joke's on the Trade-made premades for rated BGs because they won't have the cohesion of a regular group, but if that turns out true, then we have a whole other problem: Rated BGs will be dominated by PvP-centered guilds and groups, i.e. the same people who excel in Arena.
People claim it's impossible to rate individual contribution to a team's win in BGs, but I'm not buying it, especially after reading many great examples. Really, now, don't other non-MMO games online get around this issue easily? I'm not well-versed in online play these days, but I'm under the impression many games today rate individuals just fine while causing little to no detriment to the teamwork. And even if they don't, the rigid nature of the objectives in BGs should lend themselves very well to some individually evaluative metric without encouraging teamwork-destroying exploits.
I'm most saddened by how the current plan for rated BGs will only encourage even more exclusion. This system will work out great for those with many (many) friends or great guilds. But for those of us looking to prove ourselves in passing, those of us already excluded from Trade channel weekly raids (which were unarguably meant for passing or "casual" use) . . .forget about it.
I'm saddened that seemingly every effort to promote accessibility only encourages exclusion.
MasterAsh Dec 2nd 2010 10:33AM
"I see myself curbing my BG participation [...]"
Bah.
bo Dec 2nd 2010 10:38AM
"Rated BGs will be dominated by PvP-centered guilds and groups, i.e. the same people who excel in Arena."
This is exactly what is going to happen. This system sounds like nothing more than larger arena brackets. And I wouldn't be supprised to find the same groups farming honor points to fill gear holes as premades in non-rated bgs.
IrrelevantMoralizing Dec 3rd 2010 12:07PM
"People claim it's impossible to rate individual contribution to a team's win in BGs, but I'm not buying it, especially after reading many great examples. Really, now, don't other non-MMO games online get around this issue easily? I'm not well-versed in online play these days, but I'm under the impression many games today rate individuals just fine while causing little to no detriment to the teamwork. And even if they don't, the rigid nature of the objectives in BGs should lend themselves very well to some individually evaluative metric without encouraging teamwork-destroying exploits."
Which MMO's? How? You're making these broad claims that it should be possible without actually explaining how it should be possible. Or are you dismissing the reasoning people have laid out detailing why rating one person's contribution to a BG with 9. 14 or 24 other people is nearly impossible without leading to people finding a way to abuse it? Someone else in these comments said "with minimal effort comes minimal rewards". People want top shelf gear for queuing up solo, nuking a few people and then calling it quits. That's not how it works nor is that how it should work.