These changes also affect the concept of 'point-selling', the idea of selling weekly arena points by having point-buyers (players who buy arena points for gold) playing the minimal 30% needed in order to obtain points (example: team plays 7 games, point buyers play 3 games for 30%) - making these types of gold-earning schemes harder to operate in the future due to point-buyers needing personal rating to obtain items.
These changes also will tie arena players to their personal and team ratings in order to obtain arena points and items; making pvp gloves, off-hand, belts, necklaces and trinkets the only items available to non-personal rating requirements.
"Quoted from Drysc:
While Season 3 is still going strong, we wanted to announce ahead of time the rating requirements that will be present for arena items once Season 4 begins. We also wanted to give everyone a heads up to some changes that will be in an upcoming patch, altering how points are gained and players are matched in the arena system. The patch with these changes is scheduled to release before the start of Season 4.
First though, the rating requirement changes:
When Season 4 begins, Season 3 items will be reduced in personal and team arena rating requirement to:
Shoulders: 1950
Weapon: 1800
The new Season 4 items will have the below personal and team arena rating requirements:
Shoulders: 2200
Weapon: 2050
Head: 1700
Chest: 1600
Legs: 1550
Gloves: none
Off-hand: none
In addition, some of the Season 4 quality items that will be purchasable with honor will also carry a personal and team arena rating requirement:
Boots: 1700
Ring: 1650
Bracers: 1575
Belt: none
Necklace: none
Trinket: none
The Season 2 items, which will move to the honor system when Season 4 begins, will continue to have no rating requirement.
The changes to the rating requirements for these items reflect the nature of the items, their power, and the relative difficulty that should be had when attempting to obtain them. These items are comparable to those found in the newest 25 person raid zone, Sunwell Plateau, and should therefore also feel very challenging to obtain.
To help ensure that the challenge in obtaining these items stays true to those achieving these ratings, we'll also be implementing new rules with an upcoming patch to curb practices that undermine the core concepts of the arena system.
These rules are as follows:
"If a character’s personal rating is more than 150 points below the team rating, they will earn points based on their personal rating instead of the team rating."
This means that a player cannot join a highly rated team and begin earning points based purely on the pre-established rating of the team before they joined it. They'll need to compete, improve, and gain a personal rating worthy of the points they would receive.
"If the average personal rating of the players queuing for a game is more than 150 points below the team’s rating, the team will be queued against an opponent matching or similar to the average personal rating."
This means that players cannot join a highly rated team and immediately face highly rated opponents, easily and quickly bringing their personal rating up. Instead they'll need to again compete, improve, and earn their rating.
We're excited to see these changes implemented, which will continue to emphasize the strong competitive nature of the arenas, and the challenge in obtaining the highest end rewards available for PvP."
While Season 3 is still going strong, we wanted to announce ahead of time the rating requirements that will be present for arena items once Season 4 begins. We also wanted to give everyone a heads up to some changes that will be in an upcoming patch, altering how points are gained and players are matched in the arena system. The patch with these changes is scheduled to release before the start of Season 4.
First though, the rating requirement changes:
When Season 4 begins, Season 3 items will be reduced in personal and team arena rating requirement to:
Shoulders: 1950
Weapon: 1800
The new Season 4 items will have the below personal and team arena rating requirements:
Shoulders: 2200
Weapon: 2050
Head: 1700
Chest: 1600
Legs: 1550
Gloves: none
Off-hand: none
In addition, some of the Season 4 quality items that will be purchasable with honor will also carry a personal and team arena rating requirement:
Boots: 1700
Ring: 1650
Bracers: 1575
Belt: none
Necklace: none
Trinket: none
The Season 2 items, which will move to the honor system when Season 4 begins, will continue to have no rating requirement.
The changes to the rating requirements for these items reflect the nature of the items, their power, and the relative difficulty that should be had when attempting to obtain them. These items are comparable to those found in the newest 25 person raid zone, Sunwell Plateau, and should therefore also feel very challenging to obtain.
To help ensure that the challenge in obtaining these items stays true to those achieving these ratings, we'll also be implementing new rules with an upcoming patch to curb practices that undermine the core concepts of the arena system.
These rules are as follows:
"If a character’s personal rating is more than 150 points below the team rating, they will earn points based on their personal rating instead of the team rating."
This means that a player cannot join a highly rated team and begin earning points based purely on the pre-established rating of the team before they joined it. They'll need to compete, improve, and gain a personal rating worthy of the points they would receive.
"If the average personal rating of the players queuing for a game is more than 150 points below the team’s rating, the team will be queued against an opponent matching or similar to the average personal rating."
This means that players cannot join a highly rated team and immediately face highly rated opponents, easily and quickly bringing their personal rating up. Instead they'll need to again compete, improve, and earn their rating.
We're excited to see these changes implemented, which will continue to emphasize the strong competitive nature of the arenas, and the challenge in obtaining the highest end rewards available for PvP."
source: MMO-Champion
I say leave the tournament realms up forever and give the normal realms unrated gear. That is THE way to seperate the wheat from the chaff.
Damnit, Blizz hit me right in the kisser!
Anyway, as you said, not good for everyone but good for competitive play none the less, wich is what they were aiming for with Arena
Learn to play.
Yeah i like these changes, even my ratings arnt as high yet. But ill wait with buying maybe the points needed drop for venge when s4 comes out. :)
Not that I really thought WoW would be a great PvP game anyhow, but things like this guarantees it won't.
Unsuscribed.
You'll have to carefully select the ppl you'r playing with now, instead of just taking in ppl for money and "giving" them items they normally can only dream about. This change stops or at least nerfs point-traders in a great way.
To be really honest, I'm for such a change although i definately see the negative aspects of it aswell.
Think about it, the differences between low/mid rated players and lets say semi-high rated teams will become greater and greater as we get further into the season, meaning they'll continue to get an edge over the players who haven't got the rating and therefor as time evolves it'll just become more and more difficult to get the best gear if your team isnt so high rated.
I just think it'll make gearing up alts very hard aswell, unless u go for season3 gear first .... (waste of time)
But as many before me has stated I believe this is a nice step in the right direction.
Regarding points and personal rating im not really sure weither this is a good or bad decision, even though im one of the guys earning alot of money on different kinds of boosting it feels kinda nice seeing as this will make full set a bit more, exclusive?:P
Sucky with the average rating decision though=/ this will wipe out teamswitching to a big extent and your choices when making an arenateam will be more of a longterm decision (atleast during the first 1/3 of the season). Also this will make one person teamswitching the whole teams issue since it lowers their avg rating when playing coz who wants to win 5 rating every game and risk being countercomped and loose 25 -.-