For years Arenas have been the only way for competitive PVP players to really get the items and excitement they expected. In WoW Cataclysm, we will have a chance to experience rated battlegrounds and this should really bring alot of excitement and fun back into World of Warcraft PvPers.

If you were around before any expansion, and had the joy of playing in premade teams versus other premade teams in Arathi Basin or Warsong Gulch, you know about the kind of excitement I’m talking about. There really is nothing like it, and Rated Battlegrounds in WoW Cataclysm will allow us to experience all again, and perhaps make it even much more fun than before with arena level loot and competitive and rated gameplay.

Here’s a inside look at what’s in store for rated battle grounds in Wow Cataclysm: 

• Rated Battlegrounds will be an alternative way to get arena points -yes that’s right, you finally have an alternative to playing arena.
• Each week, one of the BG will be the Rated Battleground of the week. This was done in previous years with battlegrounds providing more honor.
• Winning  battleground matches will improve your rating and give you points. Losing will not lower your rating. So no need to stress, I like it.
• New PvP titles will be added, as your rating inceases you will also unlock higher titles. If you earned a PvP title you will keep it.
• When a Battleground is rated for the week, its normal non-rated version will still be available. That means you can still play ultra-casually on your favorite battle ground during these weeks and not face the wrath of premade teams.
• The amount of Arena Points will be limited to prevent grinding and ruining your life. I’m not sure about this rule – any serious player will get the same amount of arena points, which in the end negates any difference between skilled and not skilled. (if there is such a thing)
• You will also earn guild level by playing these rated battlegrounds with your guildmates. This means we will see alot of guild teams, and so you better start making friends. I dont need to remind everyone how much of a raping it is when a premade team faces off against a pick-up team.

That’s the information we have so far about rated battlegrounds. It is a welcomed change, and especially when we start hearing more about these new battlegrounds in WoW Cataclysm, we will see exactly how fun it should be. At the very least class balance in WoW Cataclysm should take a breather with this implementation by allowing less viable classes and specs the chance to collect arena points.