If you’re one of the people still holding on to World of Warcraft, or maybe hoping to return when Legion arrives next year, you might want to take a look at some of the ways that PvP will be changing in the expansion. Depending on your outlook and how long you’ve been playing, the changes can either be good or bad.
For starters, Honor and Conquest are getting a huge revamp. No longer will they be currencies awarded for participating in Player versus Player combat. Instead, they’ll be replaced with levels and a form of experience. As you level up, you’ll receive access to various rewards including gold, artifact power, and a brand new set of talents that are exclusive to PvP.
So what about the gear situation? How will gear affect PvP in Legion? The short answer is that it won’t. In Legion, the stats from your gear will be nullified, effectively making combat lean more toward skill and removing the grind which some saw as a barrier to entry. It’s one of the biggest changes, but if the comments on the World of Warcraft blog are anything to go by, the community seems to be in favor of them.
There will be a new system to determine your stats in PvP, however. The new system will give you pre-determined stats uniquely configured to your specialization. Even set bonuses, enchantments, legendary bonuses, and trinket effects will be nullified under this new system. The only bonus that gear will provide is a small modifier that’s tied to your average item level. For every point that your average item level increases, your PvP stats will increase by 0.1%. Yeah. It’s seriously minor.
You can still earn gear through PvP by completing battlegrounds or arenas, but PvP gear will be the same as every other set in that it won’t have unique bonuses like stats specific to PvP or fluctuating item levels. Even the way that season rewards work will be changing. Rather than having one set of rewards, each faction will now have their own set of top players.
Finally, you can also prestige once you’ve reached level 50 honor. Seriously. World of Warcraft just got a bit more Call of Duty. Like most games where prestiging is an option, if your levels will reset as you prestige, but you’ll also receive access to additional rewards like the following examples courtesy of the blog:
- A badge, based on your Prestige Level, which appears on the scoreboard in Battlegrounds and Arenas, as well as on your nameplate and unit frame.
- A title, also based on your Prestige Level.
- A wearable faction pennant
- A new appearance for your Artifact
- A unique mount and pet
There are also two new maps on the way for arena, but if you want to take a look at those or get a better idea as to what’s going on, I recommend checking out the World of Warcraft blog. These are some big changes for the competitive community in World of Warcraft, and some players might not be too keen on them. Personally, I think they’re great. Having everyone on a level playing field should help World of Warcraft PvP to continue growing as an eSport.
What do you think of the changes coming with Legion? Are you excited to get back into the game? Let us know in the comments.