We invite the most dedicated and skilled Arena combatants around the world to enter the new World of Warcraft Arena Tournament. Your glorious victories in the tournament will not only grant recognition and renown for your prowess, but they'll earn your team a chance to win cash prizes as well.

Within a structured format comprising two six-week-long qualifying rounds, players will battle on special tournament realms purely dedicated to the competitive format of 3v3 Arena matches. The characters used on these realms are new level 70s that you create, decked to the brim with PvP armor and weapons. The top teams from each qualifier will battle in regional live events, culminating in the global finals, which will feature a total prize pool of $120,000 -- $75,000 of which will go to the grand-prize-winning team!

Tournament registration is open to any active World of Warcraft account upgraded with The Burning Crusade expansion. Registration costs one payment of €15.00 / £12.00, which grants one World of Warcraft account access to the tournament realms for the duration of the six-week tourney. Players will be able to create up to three new characters on these realms, instantly level them to 70, and deck them out with a full set of PvP gear. Then form your new 3v3 team and enter the Arenas, where a whole new level of competitive play awaits you. Good luck!

Ever wanted to try a particular race and class combo in Arena play? The tournament gives you the chance to make your ideal gladiator. With your three available character slots, you can freely experiment with different combinations - and coordinate with others to craft a "dream team."

When you create a new character on a tournament realm, it will automatically be leveled to level 70, be fitted with a basic set of gear, be given a tidy sum of gold and appear in one of the designated starting areas. Handy NPCs in the vicinity include skill trainers, gear and item vendors, a gold vendor and Arena battlemasters. Everything you'll need to prepare for the Arena Tournament battles ahead is conveniently located right in your starting area.

Trainers	Customize your character!	Custom pets for Hunters

The currency you need to pay for training (and respecs) and purchase items is freely obtainable from an NPC. New characters will be loaded with gold soon after entering the world. With money being no object, the characters you created for the tournament are free to carry as much gear as they can hold, and you can respec as often as you wish.

Accessorize your character	Short on gold? No problem!

Characters will have access to full sets of Arena armor and weapons, as well as items normally purchased with Honor, such as the PvP trinkets. In addition, a selection of raid epics with the same approximate power level as the Arena gear will be available.

Enchant your gear!	Fighting in the streets

Once you create and outfit your new gladiator, its time to join or create a new 3v3 Arena team. As on the live realms, the 3v3 teams can have up to six players total on their roster. Each of the tournament characters you play (up to three) can be on separate teams.

On tournament realms, you can roam free on the original continents of Azeroth and Kalimdor. However, instance portals leading to dungeons and Battlegrounds will be deactivated, as will the Dark Portal - thus, Outland will not be accessible on tournament realms. There will also be no computer-controlled enemies anywhere in the world.

Besides the occasional change of scenery, the only reason you'd wish to travel outside your starting area may be to engage in some open world PvP. The PvP you may encounter near the familiar "hotspots" of the world will serve as a fun diversion between matches. There is no benefit or consequences for participating in world PvP, since players do not earn Honor.

The first two weeks of each round are designated for practice - giving a chance for players to meet, form teams, gain experience playing as a team, and experiment with different lineups and strategies. During this time period, matches will not count, although your rating will change as normal. When the tourney starts in earnest, all team ratings reset to 1500. The rating and ranking system will function in the same way as on the live realms, including personal ratings. Each six-week qualifier has the same structure, thus when the second qualifier begins, ratings will reset to 1500 and another two-week practice period will commence.

After each six-week qualifier concludes, the top teams from each round will advance to the regional finals - live events to determine the best teams from each region in the tournament. The top teams that emerge from each regional final will advance to the world finals.

The 3v3 Arena battles on the tournament realms will be exactly the same as they are on the live realms - the same maps, winning conditions, and rules apply. However, there is one important distinction from the live realms - the playing field will be level in terms of gear and class availability. Since most players will be equipped in similar sets of class-specific PvP gear, more emphasis will be placed on executing a winning strategy based on teamwork and individual skill.

Entering matches will also be handled the same way -- by speaking to an Arena battlemaster and entering the queue. The battlemasters will be located near all starting areas. You can choose to join skirmishes and rated battles throughout the season.

The tournament realms will be running the same version of World of Warcraft as the live realms. Thus, there should be no disparity in game balance between the two realm types. The first iteration of the tournament will begin sometime after the release of Fury of the Sunwell, the next major content update for World of Warcraft. Any patches or hotfixes that may affect the live realms after the tournament begins will also be applied to the tournament realms.

At the world finals of the 2008 World of Warcraft Arena Tournament, the winning team will take home the impressive sum of $75,000. The second-place team will win $30,000, and the third-place team will be awarded $15,000. There will be cash prizes at each regional final as well, consisting of $15,000, $6,000, $3,000, and $1,500 for first, second, third, and fourth place respectively, while fifth- through eighth-place teams will each receive $600.

All characters and teams on the tournament realms will be searchable and have full profiles on the Armory. The Armory will also feature a ladder for the tournament realms, which will be updated daily. In addition, a special forum will be set up on the World of Warcraft website for Arena Tournament discussions. Only accounts that have been registered for the tournament will be able to post there; however, the forum will be open for viewing by anyone.

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