Information being leaked out about the upcoming season 4 arena is showing that Blizzard is no longer making it very easy to obtain gear from the newest season. Based on the proposed requirements for obtaining this new gear it is easy to conclude that most players will not see the use of this gear anytime in the near future.

The problem that has been seen by many hardcore arena enthusiasts is that the ease of which tier level equivalant gear has been made available to the masses has made the game somewhat boring. In the days before the so called welfare epics it was a matter of pride to be able to show off your epics you obtained from dungeons. Now with the ease of which Blizzard made the previous arena gear available to everyone the thrill of having a few epics is being replaced with resentment that everyone looks basically the same.

Season 4 is being designed to allow only an elite few hardcore arena participants to achieve essentially Tier 7 equivalant gear. The new personal ratings being linked to each piece will make the casual arena players such as myself and others take a whole new look at whether putting in the time and effort to obtain these new personal ratings will be worth our many hours of dedication that will be needed.

With these new requirements you will most likely see a shift back towards the days before Burning Crusade when Raids and Instances reigned supreme. Blizzards intent with arenas was never to make all players essentially equivalent in gear and looks. In fact the arenas were added for the enjoyment of those who took their pvp seriously. However, the current system has allowed almost anyone who wanted to obtain epic level gear an easy alternative to grinding for hours in dungeons hoping that they would obtain an epic level piece of gear for their character.

The new changes are actually a good thing for the world of warcraft world. While yes Blizzard’s intention when setting welfare epics was to help those wishing to compete in arenas have a fair chance it has had some unforeseen consequences that have made the game old and stale.

I for one look forward to seeing people using different gear and creating a look all their own. I can say that seeing the same pvp gear on all players is getting quite old and a change back to the old is not that bad of an idea.