Quite frankly, I was waiting for Blizzard to tell us about PvP for the expansion because I was delighted with what they announced at Gamescom (we had asked a few questions during the interview).
So today we have more details through the official blog post (in the spoiler tag at the end of the article)!
- Honor and conquest will no longer be currencies. Players of maximum level (110 therefore) always gain honor which is used to raise a honor level (level 50 max.).
- As your Honor level increases, you gain Gold, Weapon Power, and the ability to choose new talents that are exclusive to PvP but in addition to those in PvE.
- Upon entering PvP, your PvE stats are reset to zero and the game provides you with predefined fixed values depending on your specialization. Bonuses from sets, jewels and enchantments no longer have any effects.
- That said, each item level point (ilvl) adds 0,1% to all stats (compared to 1% currently).
- There is therefore no more specific PvP equipment. All equipment gained in PvE and PvP will be usable for both.
- PvP season end rewards will be distributed to a percentage of the top players of both factions.
- PvP seasons will be shorter so there will be more rewards over the same period of time.
- Once at Honor level 50, players will have the opportunity to upgrade to a Prestige level which will reset the Honor level to 1 (therefore no longer access to PvP Talents) but which will provide rewards:
- A badge, based on your prestige level, which is displayed on the battlefield and arena scores screen, as well as on your info bar and unit portrait.
- A title, also based on your level of prestige.
- A faction pennon to wear.
- A new look for your Artifact.
- A unique mount and mascot.
- There will be 2 new arenas: the Arena of Val'Sharah and the Bastion of the Rook.
We feel a desire from the developers to put skill and mastery of the specialization back at the center of PvP, and therefore no longer the possibility of choosing the statistics that we want.
Wowhead also datamined what would appear to be Prestige rewards, including a Prestigious War Wolf and a Prestigious Warhorse.
Several questions still come to mind:
- What is the ilvl that is used as the basis for calculating the bonus percentage on the equipment?
- How will matchmaking work according to the honor system?
- How many prestige levels will there be?
Official article
Perfect Blizzard sourceWe've got a lot of great PvP changes planned for Legion. Today we want to take you through some of these changes in more detail.
The honor system
In Legion, Honor and Conquest Points are no longer currencies used to purchase equipment from merchants. Players who have reached maximum level earn Honor Points for fighting in a battlefield or arena, in the same way that lower-level players receive experience points. Earning Honor Points increases your Honor Level, up to a maximum of 50. Along the way, you get rewards like Gold, Weapon Power, and access to new Skill Skills. honor reserved for PvP.
Honor talents are special talents that are active only when in a PvP instance such as a battlefield or arena, or engaged in PvP combat, and in addition to normal talents. They unlock one by one as the honor level increases. So at honor level 10 you have one choice available on each row, but as you progress others unlock and allow you to change your approach to playing in PvP.
For example, an Honor Level 10 Windwalker Monk can choose Searing Tiger Palm, which allows ranged Tiger Palm to be used to charge and slow the target; an honor level 46 Restoration druid has access to Deep Roots, with which the effect of Roots no longer negates when the target takes damage.
Your Honor Talent choices can have a big impact on your playstyle, and allow you to tailor your skills to the type of PvP content you're participating in, or even the style of other players!
What about the equipment?
So if you no longer earn Honor or Conquest points for buying coins, how will your gear contribute to your character's power in PvP? The answer is ... not at all, or hardly at all.
In Legion, as soon as you enter a PvP instance, the characteristics of your equipment are neutralized and the game provides you with predefined characteristics according to your specialization. Additionally, all set bonuses, enchantments, legendary bonuses, or jewelry effects are disabled, even if your artifact and its powers remain active.
Your gear's only contribution to your character's power is a small modifier calculated based on your average item level. For every point earned on your average item level, your set of predefined PvP attributes increase by 0,1%. So a 25 point difference in average item level between two players is only a 2,5% difference in stats, down from 25% now. So there is still a slight interest in upgrading your gear, which is a concept we find important for World of Warcraft, but the payoff is much more measured.
These changes have some important advantages. First, it balances the odds a lot between all participants in organized PvP. Of course, you have to unlock all of your Honor Talents to reach your full potential, but it is possible to defend yourself well in battle in the meantime.
Second, it gives us a lot more control to make adjustments to PvP-only play. If a Specialization's Mastery is too strong in PvP, no problem - we just need to reduce its Mastery score. If a certain specialization gets killed too easily, we just need to increase its Stamina. If a healer is having too much trouble keeping his teammates alive, we can increase their spell power. In short, we can balance the classes for PvP and exclusively for PvP.
Equip yourself to fight
Even though gear has little impact on your character's pure potency in Instanced PvP, and even if you no longer need to spend Honor or Conquest points to buy coins from merchants, we want you to still be able to win. equipment through PvP. We're very happy with how the hardened vault system works for Random Battlegrounds and Skirmishes, and we're working on a similar system for Legion, with some significant improvements.
In Legion, all you need to do is complete battlegrounds or arenas to earn equipment. The quality of the rewards increases with your rating. Obviously, this is in addition to the Honor Points obtained to unlock Honor Talents.
We're also getting rid of the idea of PvP-only gear. With your stats preset, jewelry and set bonuses turned off, and item level input reduced, we don't have to make you wear a different set of gear in PvP. So in Legion, there is only one type of gear regardless of where it comes from, with no specific PvP characteristics or fluctuating levels, and the best players in both PvP and PvE content will be able to earn the best gear.
The season of renewal
Legion will also be an opportunity to revisit how the PvP seasons work and their rewards. Over the years, we've noticed that high-level PvP players tend to join a certain faction, even if it isn't their preferred one. Race balancing plays a role in this trend, but we also think a lot of players just pick which faction they think the best players are in.
In Legion, we will therefore be giving the PvP end-of-season rewards separately to the top players in each faction, as a percentage, instead of judging on the whole. So even if you think that one faction has an advantage over the other, you can still play the one that interests you without having to worry about losing your chances of ranking as a gladiator.
In addition, we are planning to have shorter and more frequent PvP seasons. As your Honor level will not drop to zero between seasons and the impact of gear has been greatly reduced, you will almost immediately be at your peak, instead of waiting several weeks to assemble. a new set of equipment. We will therefore be able to run the PvP seasons more often, and therefore distribute rewards more regularly.
For prestige
However, you will have a difficult choice to make when you reach Honor Level 50. You can choose the Prestige option, which will reset your Honor Level to 1 and therefore again restrict access to Honor Talents. In turn, this will increase your Prestige level, which grants access to several other rewards. For example :
- A badge, based on your prestige level, which is displayed on the battlefield and arena scores screen, as well as on your info bar and unit portrait.
- A title, also based on your level of prestige.
- A faction pennon to wear.
- A new look for your Artifact.
- A unique mount and mascot.
The higher your prestige level rises, the better the rewards. For us, this system is a great way to deliver unique rewards to players who are not interested in hunting for high ratings, but who enjoy PvP.
Change of scenery
One last announcement, and not the least: two new arenas will be added to Legion.
Located in the bastion of the Rook, this arena has a large statue in the center and three side alcoves. Access to these is restricted by a series of doors, which open and close randomly during the game. When they are closed, you can use them to get to safety out of sight of your opponents ... But be careful! They can reopen at any time.
Another arena, located in the forests of Val'sharah, is under development. Upon entering, you are locked in a dome of lianas, which retract at the start of the game and open up the rest of the field. In the center are three statues that can block the lines of sight, but they are very close to each other so you will have to stay in motion if you want to play defensively.
We can't wait to release all of these PvP enhancements with World of Warcraft: Legion, and we hope you too! See you very soon in the heart of the battle.
