World of Warcraft esports is leveling up! This year we’re bringing you more ways to participate, more teams, and more live action for everyone watching at home. So if you have a competitive bone in your body (and who doesn’t?), read on for an overview of the exciting changes. There are many ways you, your team, and your community can get involved.
More Teams, More Action
This year, there’ll be more opportunities to prove your teams’ prowess on the world stage:
•Extra qualifier cups in North America and Europe, giving more teams the chance to shine.
•Open signups: you don’t need an Arena rating to sign on the dotted line. What’s stopping you?
•The top eight teams will be broadcast live, giving your team the chance to show off epic skills and the audience good reason to cheer on the teams they’re passionate about.
•Prize pool of $6,000. Each.
Points Win Prizes: How to Qualify
To advance, teams can earn points through a variety of events:
•Online Arena Cups award points to the top teams, so the teams with the most points qualify to their regional LAN event.
•Teams can sign up to compete in as many cups in their region as they want. Go, go, go!
•Approved community-run events can also award points—so what better reason to encourage your community to get involved? The more points you have, the more chance you have of qualifying. Simple as that.
How Points Are Awarded
1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th & 6th
Online Arena Cup 160 80 36 20 12
Approved Community Events 40 20 12 8 N/A
Note that points are earned by teams, not individuals, so leaving your team means leaving some of your points behind. Safety in numbers, friends!
Regional Championship Events—Claim Your Crown!•12 teams for NA and EU—up from 8 last year.
•All regional events are LAN-based, with teams competing in person.
The WoW Arena World Championship Finals•12 teams—up from 8 last year.
•Latin America now has a dedicated spot and China will be represented by a second team—get your game on, wherever you are.
Want to know more? Watch our announcement on Twitch here.
Join us!
Not looking to participate but want to follow the action? We’ll be updating you soon on when and how you can catch the epic battles, so you can follow your favourite team along the glorious road to the WoW Arena World Championship Finals.
Up for the challenge? Keep your eyes peeled for event announcement and rules in the coming weeks.
Fact Sheet: World of Warcraft Esports 2017
In 2017, Blizzard is expanding the World of Warcraft Arena World Championship to give players more opportunities, more events and more prizing. There’s a new point structure for North America and Europe, which will lead to more events at a larger scale, with the largest global prize pool in the history of the tournament.
2017 World of Warcraft Arena World Championship – Structure Breakdown:
World of Warcraft Arena Championship Highlights:
· More Teams, More Action
o Open signups: no arena rating required in 2017
o Additional qualifier cups in North America and Europe, giving more teams the chance to shine
o All quarterfinals (Top 8) will be broadcast live, giving teams the chance to show off their skills and the audience at home an opportunity to cheer on their favorite teams
o North America and Europe will have five qualifiers each in 2017 with a point system
o The Qualifiers in North America and Europe will have prize pools of $6,000 each
o With the point system in North America and Europe, teams will be granted one “free” roster swap throughout qualifiers. Each subsequent roster swap will cost teams 50% of their remaining points
· Larger Regional Events
o North America and Europe will have 12 teams qualify for their respective regional events
o All regional events will be LAN events with teams competing in person
o Each of the Regionals will offer $100,000 prize pools
· World of Warcraft Arena World Championship Finals
o 12 teams will qualify for the World of Warcraft Arena World Championship Finals
o Latin America (1) and China (2) now have their own World of Warcraft Arena World Championship Finals spots
o The World of Warcraft Arena World Championship will boast a prize pool of $280,000
Point Distribution (for North America and Europe):
Finish: 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th & 6th
Online Arena Cup: 160 80 36 20 12
Approved Community Events: 40 20 12 8 N/A