In the past, the previous season's off-set items (rings, neck, boots, etc) have been removed for purchase (if I'm remembering correctly). With the new required ratings for these items, will the older versions still be available for purchase for honor? I'm approaching 70 on a new alt and was looking forward to being able to purchase these items, but if they require an arena rating, I won't be able to.

Previously, a new 70 would be able to at least gear out these slots with veteran's or vindicator's gear and if there is a rating in place for these items a new 70 won't have that option.

So my question, after the start of season 4, will the older season's non-set gear be available to compensate for this rating requirement?

Anybody know?

I want to know this too...
those PvP boots was the only boots worth working on, and the only option anyways till SSC/TK or even past it >.>

Thank god.

Noone cares, but here is my opinion on all this.

Yes, I'll never get 2k+ for a variety of reasons. I'm ok with that. I don't mind not having access to shoulders (or weapons). I'll end up having access to everything else, my teams always bounce around in the mid 1800s.

In that regard, I'm fine with the great pvpers looking a bit different. Elitist, yes, but whatever. They "earned" it.

My problem personally is with the fact that this is a zero sum arena system. This means that OVER FIFTY PERCENT of all 70s will not have access to basically ANY of the "good" arena/honor gear in the future. As I said, I don't mind the ratings all that much but the ratings on the honor gear is, in my opinion, going overboard. Each item already represents a significant amount of time invested and I don't think it's right to require rating for them.

I have a lot of friends that suck at pvp. They'll now never have access to anything. They know they're not great, they just enjoy playing and feeling like they can progress in gear eventually. Now they won't be able to do that at all; after a certain point there is a brick wall.

It just seems to be like a case of the rich getting richer and everyone else being spit on. Self proclaimed "pvp gods" with "Great skill" should be able to roll over people like my friends (and myself half the time) without the benefit of better gear. I realize everyone says "but its only a couple stats". Add up all those stats on all of those pieces...it ends up being significant. /shrug

Oh, just for the record: I've found that pvp elitists are bigger !*#!!@%s about this stuff than raiding elitists. Anyone else notice this? Maybe it's just because there hasn't been this big of a pvp coup before while raiding has been like that forever.

This isn't just a case of seperating the good from the bad. This is cutting off literally the majority due to the zero sum system.

EDIT: I should also add that I'm more concerned than anything else about how this will effect the NEXT season. And the season after that. If the ratings continue, this means that alts/people that suck will always be two full seasons behind. In WLK, that would mean they would have NO access to gladiator gear (besides gloves) until S7.

EDIT: Woot! First!

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Q u o t e:
Yes, the Season 3 honor items will still be available for purchase without a rating requirement after Season 4 starts.

There will be two sets of "non-set" items once Season 4 begins. The Season 4 honor items (boot/belt/bracer/etc) some of which will require a rating, and the Season 3 items (boot/belt/bracer/etc) which still won't require any rating.

Just to sum up, when Season 4 begins:

Season 1 honor set: Removed

Season 2 arena set: Moved to honor, no rating requirement

Season 3 non-set honor items: Staying
Season 3 arena set: Arena rating and cost requirements lowered

Season 4 non-set honor items: Added with rating requirement
Season 4 arena set: Added to Arena with increased rating requirement

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I don't understand the justification for arena rating requirements for BG gear. That's just silly.

Whew. Thanks for the prompt reply, Drysc. You've restored my faith in humanity, lol. :)

So you force people that enjoy BGs, but not arenas, to make a cookie cutter spec and join only optimal teams because without the proper arena ratings they won't even benefit from the honor system upgrades.

Nice.

Hey Drysc, any information on why the personal rating requirement for shoulders and weapons went *UP*?



Also, some food for thought

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Q u o t e:
In any game where people are spending thousands of gold on epic gems to get 2 MORE @#$@ STAT points is a game where not having identical gear @#$@&* up balance.

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One last question: The changes I've seen do nothing to prevent someone from fighting a 1500 rated team with full s4, such as when those on a successful 5's team break into pairs and do some 2's.

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Q u o t e:
Yes, the Season 3 honor items will still be available for purchase without a rating requirement after Season 4 starts.

There will be two sets of "non-set" items once Season 4 begins. The Season 4 honor items (boot/belt/bracer/etc) some of which will require a rating, and the Season 3 items (boot/belt/bracer/etc) which still won't require any rating.

Just to sum up, when Season 4 begins:

Season 1 honor set: Removed

Season 2 arena set: Moved to honor, no rating requirement

Season 3 non-set honor items: Staying
Season 3 arena set: Arena rating and cost requirements lowered

Season 4 non-set honor items: Added with rating requirement
Season 4 arena set: Added to Arena with increased rating requirement

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Sweet, i cant wait till everything takes a certain arena rating to do.....like maybe a dungeon ....or to enter a certain zone....how bout we have talents that can only be accessed with high arena rating....

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Q u o t e:
So you force people that enjoy BGs, but not arenas, to make a cookie cutter spec and join only optimal teams because without the proper arena ratings they won't even benefit from the honor system upgrades.

Nice.

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All going as planned for Kalgan and his eSport vision.

personal rating will do nothing to the abomination that is the arena.

How will alts and new characters be able to compete in the arena? It takes a long, long time to grind out the honor to get the gear to be able to compete at the top ratings. Should anyone who wasn't in on the arenas at the start simply give up, freeze their accounts and wait for WoTLK? Or just quit the game altogether?

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Q u o t e:


Sweet, i cant wait till everything takes a certain arena rating to do.....like maybe a dungeon ....or to enter a certain zone....how bout we have talents that can only be accessed with high arena rating....

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"You cannot enter Deadmines without at least a 1500 personal arena rating."

"WTF!? I'M LEVEL 18!"

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Q u o t e:


Sweet, i cant wait till everything takes a certain arena rating to do.....like maybe a dungeon ....or to enter a certain zone....how bout we have talents that can only be accessed with high arena rating....

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I like the way you think!

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Q u o t e:
Yes, the Season 3 honor items will still be available for purchase without a rating requirement after Season 4 starts.

There will be two sets of "non-set" items once Season 4 begins. The Season 4 honor items (boot/belt/bracer/etc) some of which will require a rating, and the Season 3 items (boot/belt/bracer/etc) which still won't require any rating.

Just to sum up, when Season 4 begins:

Season 1 honor set: Removed

Season 2 arena set: Moved to honor, no rating requirement

Season 3 non-set honor items: Staying
Season 3 arena set: Arena rating and cost requirements lowered

Season 4 non-set honor items: Added with rating requirement
Season 4 arena set: Added to Arena with increased rating requirement

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I'm glad that we will finally be able to earn honour through arena now right? I mean thats the only way this makes sense.

The one good thing we can take from the original blue post that started all of this is that point selling is basically ending.

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Q u o t e:
So you force people that enjoy BGs, but not arenas, to make a cookie cutter spec and join only optimal teams because without the proper arena ratings they won't even benefit from the honor system upgrades.

Nice.

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I agree, the stupids have officially taken over Blizzard. My purchase of WotLK and continued subscription is questionable at this point.

When does AoC Release? May something?

I wish you guys did all that in a few phases, like first take out the requirements, then a few weeks later add in the new stuff. This way you give the people who are looking for a fresh start at least SOME time to catch up to the previous season people.