14 DAY TRIAL // Blizzard is currently undergoing an internal alpha test of the upcoming expansion for its massively multiplayer online role-playing game World of Warcraft, titled Warlords of Draenor, which is due out later this year.
The expansion will introduce many changes to the game's systems, in addition to a visual overhaul of the dated character models and their animations, which will breathe new life into player avatars worldwide, allowing them to be more expressive.
Making the thing you see most, your in-game character, look much better, is indeed a welcome change, but the most interesting alteration to the experience comes in the form of an overhaul of the game's systems, such as the squishing (numerical reduction) of all stats, damage, and health figures, which were getting a little out of hand once players’ health pools started counting millions upon millions.
The latest Battle.net blog post details some of the changes that will be made to the PvP system, from how PvP gear will change in Warlords of Draenor to how players will be able to earn it.
According to the official statement, the changes will greatly improve the way in which players grind for PvP gear, first of all by vastly enhancing the bonus rewards players earn from doing Random or Call to Arms Battlegrounds.
As such, at the end of a match, a player will earn a Bronze, Silver, of Gold Strongbox – possibly all of them, depending on how good their team did in the match, even if they come up on the losing side.
Inside the Strongboxes, players will find any number of rewards, from Honor and Conquest points to even pieces of gear, making for a great incentive to keep up the fight and get a better reward even if your team has no chance of winning.
In addition to this, Skirmishes, the unranked Arenas, will be introduced back into the game with the Warlords of Draenor expansion, and will also have some rewards tied to them, allowing players to earn their honor by partaking in skirmishes, should they prefer.
This means that players who are just starting out will be able to acquire a set of gear similar to the honor items they can currently get, only much faster, in order to get them going in their PvP pursuit as quickly as possible.
After the starter gear, players will be able to purchase a new set of Veteran's gear, whose PvP item level will be halfway between the starter gear and the Gladiator's Gear, allowing people who want to step into rated PvP later in the season to do so without being very far behind in terms of gear.
When it comes to Gladiator's gear, Blizzard states that it's happy with how Conquest points have worked during Season 15, and that Rated Battlegrounds and Arenas will have the same base Conquest points cap, which can be increased by players with high ratings.
In addition to this, winning a Rated Battleground will give players a bonus roll token for a shot at a piece of Gladiator's gear, similar to the Celestial world bosses on the Timeless Isle, providing an extra incentive for running Rated Battlegrounds.