PvP in WoW Forever
Forever keeps the classic battlegrounds and the 14 PvP ranks, adds a new 15v15 battleground, Darkspear Islands, and rebuilds rank progress around Honor, Rank Points and seasons. PvP opens at launch on November 4.
4battlegrounds
15v15Darkspear Islands
14PvP ranks
2PvP gear sets
0arenas at launch
Darkspear Islands, the new battleground
- Size and level
- 15 players a side, open from level 30 to 60.
- How you win
- Four bases score points over time for the team that holds them. A flag spawns in the middle: carry it to one of your bases for a burst of extra points. The first team to 2,000 points wins. It plays a lot like Eye of the Storm.
- The two sides
- The Horde fights as the Darkspear Raiders, the Alliance as the Theramore Expeditionary Force. Each has a base camp with a portal into the battleground: Merchant Coast for the Horde and Northwatch for the Alliance.
- Rewards
- Both factions have reputation vendors with trinkets, rings, cloaks, weapons and armor. Marks of Honor can be turned in for reputation, and Exalted unlocks a questline for the faction tabard. Exalted with Darkspear Islands also gives a Legacy Point.
Battlegrounds at launch
| Battleground | Size | Goal |
|---|---|---|
| Warsong Gulch | 10 vs 10 | Capture the enemy flag three times. |
| Arathi Basin | 15 vs 15 | Hold the five resource bases to reach the score first. |
| Darkspear Islands | 15 vs 15 | New in Forever, from level 30. Hold four bases and carry the center flag. |
| Alterac Valley | 40 vs 40 | Push through the valley and kill the enemy general. |
Blizzard has reviewed Honor across all battlegrounds so the rates are closer together: you shouldn't feel forced into Alterac Valley just because it gives the most Honor.
Honor and Rank Points
- Honor is a currency. You earn it by killing players, finishing battlegrounds and doing PvP quests, and spend it on PvP gear.
- Rank Points move you up the ranks. They come from battlegrounds and PvP quests and take you from Private up to Grand Marshal (Alliance) or High Warlord (Horde). There is a weekly cap.
- Holiday weeks. The highlighted battleground of the week gives more Honor and more Rank Points.
- Seasons. Each season has a journey of weekly tasks that give Honor and Rank Points. Three of them also give a Legacy Point, and they stay available in later seasons. You can follow your progress in the Player vs. Player tab of the Character pane (C).
Rank rewards
| Rank | Reward |
|---|---|
| Rank 1 | Tabard |
| Rank 2 | PvP trinket |
| Rank 3 | Cloaks |
| Rank 4 | Necklace |
| Rank 5 | Combat potions |
| Rank 6 | Tabard |
| Rank 7 | Battle Standard |
| Rank 8 | Epic bracers and belt upgrade tokens |
| Rank 9 | Epic boots upgrade token |
| Rank 10 | Epic gloves upgrade token |
| Rank 11 | Mounts |
| Rank 12 | Epic legs and shoulders upgrade tokens |
| Rank 13 | Epic chest and helm upgrade tokens |
| Rank 14 | Epic weapons |
PvP gear
Honor buys two sets: a blue set, and an epic set. To get an epic piece you need the blue piece plus an Emboldened Seal, and the seals need a certain rank. Shamans get three sets to pick from: healer, melee and caster.
Good to know
- No arenas or rated battlegrounds at launch
- Neither is planned for launch. Blizzard called this its current direction, not a final answer.
- Premades meet premades
- Blizzard plans to match full premade groups against other full premades, so solo players and small groups shouldn't run into them.
- Four realm rulesets
- Normal, PvP, Roleplay and Roleplay PvP. On PvP realms nothing stops high level players from camping lower ones, so pick Normal if that worries you. Free transfers from PvP to Normal realms aren't planned.