Quote from: Blizzard (Source)

We want to provide some information about the direction of the Arena system. Upon the release of Wrath of the Lich King, players will find they are still able to access the Arena system at level 70 for rated matches. Those competing in the Arenas at 70 will still be able to attain items using Arena points and rankings; however, we do not currently plan to offer new items or titles for this bracket. Players who level past 70 will have their Arena points reset to 0 and be removed from all Arena teams in the level-70 bracket.

Two new skirmish brackets (71-75, 76-80) will be available for players who wish to hone their Arena skills while leveling in Northrend. Those who reach level 80 will once again have the opportunity to create new Arena teams and play in rated matches once a new season starts. New items, titles, and end-of-season rewards will be offered to the most successful teams at level 80. Additionally, the sets released for the Arenas in Wrath of the Lich King will no longer share aesthetic similarities with tiered raiding gear. We want those equipped with the best PvP rewards and those with the best raiding sets to stand out from each other. Players at level 80 will also have the opportunity to compete in two new Arenas featuring challenging new layouts, terrain hazards, and moving obstacles.

Quote from: Blizzard (Source)

This is not a bug.

In the latest WotLK beta push, we made a large change to the mana cost of spells. All player spells now cost a percentage of base mana rather than a fixed cost. Base mana is a special value determined by the player’s level and class, regardless of any effects or items that increase intellect. It is the size of a player’s mana pool if the player has zero intellect.

This change was made primarily to prevent downranking, as it’s a technique that was never quite intended. Rather than continue to find ways to penalize players for casting low-rank spells, we decided to essentially make doing so obsolete. If rank 5 and rank 6 of a spell cost the same amount of mana, but rank 6 does more damage/healing, then there is no reason to consider casting rank 5.

So, each spell line (eg. Frostbolt, Shadowbolt, Greater Heal, Rejuvenation, etc.) has a fixed percentage of base mana that it costs for most of its ranks. That means each time a player gains a level the cost will go up some. The percentages were picked to attempt to keep the costs relatively similar to what they are currently in World of Warcraft. For most spells, that percentage will drop some when the player receives their highest-rank spell in existing Burning Crusade content. This was done to better fit the existing cost curve, and to keep the mana cost for level 70 players as close as possible to existing costs. Level 70 characters will see most of their maximum rank spells change in cost slightly up or down, but not by significant amounts.

We anticipate there being some balance concerns due to this change, and our development staff will be ready to implement new spells, abilities, or talents to resolve those issues as the testing process continues.

Quote from: Blizzard (Source)

The 2008 World of Warcraft Arena Tournament Taiwan Regional Final will be taking place this weekend, August 2-3, at the World Trade Center in Taipei, Taiwan. This event will feature the top eight teams who advanced from the online qualifiers. The eight teams that will be competing are:

- Made In Taiwan (priest, warrior, druid)
- 小嵐洛 (priest, rogue, mage)
- 黑貓是白目 (warrior, rogue, druid)
- 十粒證明一切 (rogue, warlock, druid)
- 我們來娛樂的 (shaman, priest, warlock)
- 豐原駭客 小德撲會玩 (warrior, priest, druid)
- 屠魔英雄大爺集團代表隊 (rogue, hunter, priest)
- Cydonia (priest, rogue, rogue)

Be sure to follow the action at http://www.wowtaiwan.com.tw/action/2008show/index.html#over05

The event is set to run during the following times:

Friday, August 1, 7:30pm PDT to 3:00am PDT
Saturday, August 2, 7:30pm PDT to 10:00pm PDT

Quote from: Blizzard (Source)

There have been a number of questions recently on what exactly falls into the category of Win Trading in Arena matches, and therefore what is and is not considered acceptable, so we would like to provide some clarification on what is considered fair gameplay in Arena matches.

The act of Win Trading may be described as the carrying out of premeditated plans to rise in arena rating by means of determining the outcome of a match prior or during its taking place. Win trading goes against the spirit of World of Warcraft and devalues the enjoyment of the game for all players who earn their victories by competing in a fair environment.

Win Trading includes players tampering with, or otherwise abusing the queue system as well as colluding to enter into an arena match with a specific opposing team. In the case of arena collusion, we consider any situation where the standard queue possibilities are bypassed through an abuse of mechanics to be a violation of policy. This includes, but is not limited to, the act of tampering with one’s team roster with exploitive intentions as well as setting up a situation that bypasses the randomness of our queue system where a team has a specific and predetermined opponent and repeatedly faces that team. Queuing against a known and affiliated opponent gives a competitive advantage over players who are entering the queue at random. We have measures in place to take action against any account found to be using these practices to advance their characters.

These described actions all fall in line with our fair use clause in the Terms of Use, which specifically states:

Nonetheless, certain acts go beyond what is “fair” and are considered serious violations of these Terms of Use. Those acts include, but are not necessarily limited to, the following:

1. Using or exploiting errors in design, features which have not been documented, and/or “program bugs” to gain access that is otherwise not available, or to obtain a competitive advantage over other players;

With that being said we are aware that players will often face the same team multiple times in succession due to a lack of similarly rated teams in the queue. Naturally this is not in violation, nor should players worry if ever they happen upon a situation such as this, but we will invoke action against any team when the team in question creates an agreement to exchange matches or tamper with the queuing system. Regardless of the content of these games, this presents a conflict of interest that we wish to deter in order to keep our arena system competitive.

In our continued efforts to support fair gameplay we have taken steps to ensure fair and enjoyable competition in the Arena by taking action on players who are found to be involved in Win Trading. Actions for violations may include not only penalties to the account but also confiscation of any gear that has been won if deemed necessary. Our Support staff will continue to enforce fair gameplay in Arena matches and all aspects of the game and will continue to address any new concerns to ensure that the playing field is kept fair.

Quote from: Blizzard (Source)

We talked about this recently at the Worldwide Invitational actually. We are looking into allowing players to basically have two talent specs that they can switch between but we are still working out the exact details so we will have to wait and see exactly how it will function in-game.

Quote from: Blizzard (Source)

A new day, a new arena tournament update!

Standing | Team Name | Wins / Losses | Ranking
——————————————————————–
1. Play Hard Go RNG | 46 / 19 | 2010
2. PLASMA TV INC | 145 / 48 | 2002
3. la defense de ojo | 123 / 52 | 1974
4. Triple Threat | 118 / 53 | 1948
5. Dodge This | 95 / 36 | 1937
6. ojo | 151 / 65 | 1935
7. Roger | 80 / 29 | 1899
8. aÄa Agita | 96 / 33 | 1892
9. SK GAMÌNG | 87 / 25 | 1887
10. Sik | 164 / 88 | 1863
——————————————————————–

As can be seen in the updated list, the order of the top 10 teams has changed pretty significantly since yesterday. “Play Hard go RNG” having taken the lead with an 8 point buffer over “Roger” in just a single day just shows how viable it still is for anyone to qualify for the regional finals.

Quote from: Blizzard (Source)

If you missed any of the tournaments at the 2008 Worldwide Invitational now is your chance to get a piece of the action. The Tournaments page of the official Worldwide Invitational site now features a “playback” option which will allow you to watch the match of your choice. Just click on the green ‘play’ arrow to witness the devastation and destruction wrought by the world’s best StarCraft, Warcraft III and World of Warcraft Arena players. Enjoy the carnage!

Quote from: Blizzard (Source)

We’ve also said that we are adding in more outdoor PvP objectives in Wrath of the Lich King as well as a new Battleground, a new Arena, and an entire zone (non-instanced) just built for PvP. I would like to think that those helping test all of these are going to give them thorough run throughs and submit some feedback on how to make these all the best they can be. We want to both encourage PvP and simultaneously allow for people to make choices on how and when they engage in PvP. For PvE realms, the availability and choices of when to PvP or not, is easy to figure out. On PvP realms, the chances of engaging in combat anywhere at anytime are still there. The choice to do so still comes down to players. If you feel that flying mounts cause issues when it comes to PvP, then perhaps you’re one of the ones happy about the fact that flying mounts aren’t going to be readily available for use in Northrend from the start. (At least that is the plan at this point in time.)