World of Warcraft: Warlords of Draenor PvP First Look

Based on what we’ve seen, Blizzard’s fifth World of Warcraft expansion, Warlords of Draenor, will include plenty of new features and improvements. This is especially evident with PvP combat, where would-be adventurers will take part in exciting modes while enjoying much-needed user-interface tweaks. That said, here’s a brief look at what you can expect. 

For starters, gamers will be able to enter a new PvP Zone off the northeast coast of the Tanaan Jungle. Once there, they’ll take part in a never-ending battle with objectives that change throughout the course of the match.  One second, they’ll charge towards the opponents’ base, and the next, they’ll need to quickly collect materials and repair their fortresses to survive the onslaught; objectives will change without notice. In addition, they’ll summon creatures and even control Iron Horde war machines. 

Blizzard says it won’t cap the number of players in this zone, but thanks to its cross-realm technology, the developer promises a wide range of friends and enemies. 

From there, we have Trial of the Gladiator, a new Arena-based mode that lets users acquire gems, enchants and gear from a vendor before squaring off against different opponents, but here’s the thing. You can only earn a rating during specific days and times. The idea behind this is to group serious-minded players together, thus increasing the level of competition; Blizzard is still working on getting this right. On a side note, you’re free to practice whenever you’d like. 

Finally, you can expect several improvements. A new Battleground Score stat takes into account objective-based play, like healing, returning flags, dealing damage and interrupting objective captures. Meanwhile, you’ll be able to view flag timers and objective timers on the map, and winning in Battlegrounds may result in randomized rewards, like consumables, a PvP set item or equip item.

Granted, this is a quick look at what Warlords of Draenor’s PvP will have to offer, but we’ll learn more throughout the year. With this in mind, be sure to check out Prima Games for more WoW news in 2014.

Now read our more in-depth Warlords of Draenor preview.