In this thread I will be listing all non-class changes that concern PvP. I will also give my opinion on it. I will update this thread whenever there is new information. Last time we had a lot of good feedback, let's try the same. As always, keep it constructive to provide Blizzard feedback which they can actually work with.
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PTR Disclaimers
- Please keep in mind that the notes below are not final, and a great deal could change before the release of patch 5.4.
- Not all the content listed may be available for testing or may only be available during a limited testing window during the 5.4 PTR. When the PTR is available, keep an eye on the PTR Discussion forum for further details.
Do keep this in mind, please. I often see people that don't seem to realize it is just the testing phase of a patch.
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Update 14/06/13
Just sharing a tweet from Brian H. that you might find particularly interesting:
Q: “The new pvp gear is 522, but whats the point if it will get scaled down to 496?”
Holinka: “[url="https://twitter.com/holinka/status/345242167909945346"]The ceiling will slowly go up next season (e.g. 1 point per week) but PvP gear will be exempt from the ceiling.[/url]”
What do you guys think of this change?
I think this will be really good. As there is a new season, the item level cap in instanced PvP needs to be increased, or getting new gear would have no point. The item level of new PvP gear is 522, so it makes sense the cap is this same number as well. However, if we would allow anyone to enter instanced PvP zones with 522 gear, PvE gear would definitely dominate because our current season's PvP gear is only item level 496.
This change should make sure that PvP gear will still be better in PvP.
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Season 14 Grievous gear is now available. Elite versions of Grievous gear will require a rating of 2000 to purchase.
A very nice change.
Right now, Elite gear is handed out for having earned a certain amount of Conquest Points. This can be done by just getting your cap every week, which isn't really tough or hard to do. It's not very Elite, at all.
If players have to reach X amount of rating in arena or rated battlegrounds (preferable only arena in my opinion, because of boosting, win-trading and dodgy stuff happening in rated battlegrounds), the Elite gear will get back some of it's past glory and be prestigious once again.
When season 13 started, patch 5.2 was live. There was a gear gap between players that played a huge factor in winning or losing. Therefore, stat and item level difference were removed, to promote an equal playground for players. The idea was that other factors, such as skill, would play a bigger role, instead of a player getting 'outgeared'. This worked quite well, in my opinion.
However, in 5.3, Blizzard introduced the scaling system that downscales any gear, with an item level of 497 or above, back to item level 496 when entering a PvP instance (battlegrounds, arena and rated battlegrounds).
In my opinion, with the scaling system active and the rating requirement back on Elite gear in 5.4, the gear should also have increased stats and item level to be more of a 'real' reward, instead of just cosmetic. It would also allow PvP-geared players to be more competitive against PvE-geared players in World PvP, which seems kind of fair to me.
Zultajie@Defias Brotherhood said:
What i do not understand though is why now add it all in a certain rating and not giving em gradually like tbc? As you also said there are no rewards for those below the said ratings which is quite high for many so there is no "within reach" goal that will push certain mindset of ppl to try a lil harder every tim
I agree with this. It would be nice to be able to get an item for your Elite set every X amount of rating. An example would be every 50-100 rating. This would motivate mid-rating players to keep trying to get higher. However, this will obviously only work if Elite gear has a significant stat and item level increase and not just cosmetic (imagine a blue coloured normal PvP set and then you get a pair of red coloured Elite boots..).
------------- https://twitter.com/ThornassEU/status/345040918535086080
Asked Holinka about his opinion on this here.
Season 13 Tyrannical gear can now be purchased with Honor Points.
I really hope the Season 14 Tyrannical gear will be the same as Season 13 Tyrannical gear, as it suggests here. Players should get a fresh start and therefore be able to get equal gear for arena as last season's players through Honor.
Season 12 Malevolent gear can now be crafted.
I like that Blizzard keeps updating the crafted gear. This doesn't only mean that alts can easily get their hands on some competitive gear, but also that there is a steady interest in professions and auction house activity throughout the expansion, instead of just at the beginning.
There is not much to comment on, but I will update it as soon as there is more information available.
