Why Forever is wary of rated PvP, as described on 15 October, and what it said about battlegrounds

On Blizzard’s official PvP episode of The WoW: Forever Podcast, published on 15 October, a listener asked whether Forever’s PvP would evolve over time, with more battlegrounds, rewards and perhaps a more competitive system. The questioner read that as meaning rated battlegrounds or arenas.

Wary of rated competition

The answer said that, looking back, the impact of arenas and rated battlegrounds is clear, and that the respondent would be very wary of adding that kind of highly competitive rated PvP to a Classic-adjacent game.

Part of what was fun about the original game, in this account, was that it was not really balanced around 2v2s or 3v3s. It was more like everyone in a 10v10 or a 15v15, using their own toolkits to win fights in the middle and to take or defend objectives. That, the answer said, is the space to be in for a while.

The reason given was that rated competition tends to warp the playing field, and the way players perceive abilities and classes.

Not a permanent no

The answer was explicit that this does not mean there will never be any kind of competitive experience. It is something to be very careful about. Read it as caution, not a ban, and not as a promise of any rated mode either.

Battlegrounds to come

The same exchange said new battlegrounds would keep coming, with new game types and locations players have not seen before. That is the direction stated on 15 October, not a schedule.

One idea from it needs care: a king-of-the-hill battleground inside Blackrock Mountain. The respondent described that as a personal dream and said they would see whether it ever comes to fruition. It is not an announced battleground.

This account paraphrases the 15 October recording. It is not a transcript, and it does not describe the live game.