Low Level Battlegrounds


Understanding the dynamics of the battleground is important to any player who plans on entering the battle. However, the game changes based on what level bracket you have entered in. The lower level battlegrounds are nowhere near the same as the maximum level battlegrounds due to the restrictions on gear and the lack of many talents and spells. Having only ten talent points can really change how the game works.

There are two major battlegrounds for lower level players. They are the 10-19 and the 20-29 battlegrounds. Many players who create alts (alternate characters) and get them to level 19 or 29 (with the 2.3 XP bonus 29 is much easier than before) and begin equipping them with gear that their main character (usually at the level cap) can supply. This means that their characters are much more powerful and commonly referred to as “twinks”.

There is a constant debate roaring about as to if creating these alternate BG only characters is fair to new players and generally it’s considered very unfair. New players are not going to be able to get a Crusader enchantment on both dual wielded weapons. However, that can’t stop a new player from attaining some easy to get items that may take some time but will increase their enjoyment of the BG.

With patch 2.2 the battleground matching system typically groups players up by gear with better geared players fighting better geared players most of the time. This makes it slightly more difficult to be thrown into a game dominated by characters that carry massive amounts of equipment. However, that won’t prevent it from being happened. If you’re having a hard time dealing with better equipped players then scroll down to our section that deals with this issue.

What You Need to Compete

The first thing you need is to be level 19 or 29. These two levels are the maximum for their respective battleground brackets and have the added bonus of being very easy to gain equipment for. Around level 39 you begin having to run more difficult instances and things begin to get more and more costly. Although with patch 2.3 the XP requirement is no longer as big of a deal as it was before for alternate characters.

To understand what you need to compete you have to understand what you can’t use. Potions, high level items, buffs, professions, TBC/WotLK enchantments, and other level restricted items are generally unusable by lower level characters. So you don’t really have to worry about any of these things although pre-expansion enchantments have no level requirement (thus are perfectly usable although discouraged due to how unfair they can become).

For a weapon you’ll want something that is obviously blue quality (or really good green quality). Things like Shadowfang (from Shadowfang Keep) for melee characters and Witching Stave (also from Shadowfang Keep) are always in high demand. Actually, running Shadowfang Keep over and over will get you a really nice weapon.

For armor you’re going to have a do a lot of research yourself based on what you’re able to get. However lots of quest rewards (like Seal of Sylvanas, Seal of Wrynn, Tunic of Westfall) are easy to get. Green Tinted Goggles are a popular choice as well. Mostly you’re going to want gear from instances and quests with a few world drops. Most of it should be blue quality with spots like Wrists and Hands in greens (due to how little blue quality items there are for these slots).

As for talents you’re going to have about 10-20 talent points to work with and that isn’t very much. You’re going to want to pick talents that directly assist you. For instance Rogues like Malice a lot along with Improved Sinister Strike and Improved Slice and Dice. There is no set “perfect” build at these levels due to how few combos are available and how viable they all can be. Avoid things that require a certain situation. You’re not going to be a high enough level to get any use out of those.

The last thing you’ll need is the proper mindset. Remember the rewards for the low level battlegrounds are very limited and outside of XP there is rarely any reason to go in there other than fun. If you remember that the games are for fun then it shouldn’t matter if you win or lose. Sure winning is fun but there really isn’t anything to lose from losing either. Understanding this can help you in many ways from avoiding being upset at a defeat to feeling more free to just be aggressive and try to take out as many of the enemies as you can. Since nothing is really on the line there is no reason not to hold back and have fun.

Tactics

Tactics different from class to class but the most important thing to understand is that you will want to avoid being the target. Even with great gear if everyone rushes you then you’ll die. So it’s always best to play it safe. With few abilities to escape you’ll often find yourself in an unwinnable situation where the only option to fight until the death. Don’t get discouraged, just keep trying at it. It takes a lot of patience and practice but once you get it down you’re good to go.

For Rogues you’re going to want to stealth about and find someone who is all alone. Once they are alone unleash all of your energy onto them until they are dead. Once they are dead vanish and find your next target. If you are uncovered by a large group attempt to vanish. If that doesn’t work then either stay and fight or run.

For casters you’re going to want to watch out for Rogues stealthing in and taking you out. Stay in the back of the battle casting spells and avoid direct contact with melee fighters. Warlocks will want to avoid conflict and just keep DoTs (Damage over Time spells) up while staying out of the battle. Use your Voidwalker pet as an emergency HP supply.

For melee you’re just going to want to go and kill things. Choose softer targets like casters although at this level it doesn’t make that big of a difference. Avoid being kited around by Hunters and if you see one just avoid the battle if their gear is too much for you to handle. That or get friends.

For Hunters you should follow the casters guide and just stay back. Although kiting melee around can be a very viable (yet annoying for the melee) tactic at lower levels.

Defeating the Better Equipped

If you find yourself facing someone who is walking around with Crusader enchantments and is just overwhelming then get your team together and constantly take them out. World of Warcraft isn’t built like other PvP games where gear can replace numbers. One person still only has one HP bar and they still are not immortal. If you want them dead simply use numbers to your advantage. If you’re attempting to run the flag and they’re constantly killing your runner remember that snares still work against them and that you have to be really cautious if you know that they may be around. You can also have a well equipped player that may be on your side to also join in and take them on.

The saying goes “pick on someone your own size”.

Just remember, numbers mean everything and most people who gear out their alts will be Rogues or Hunters who will usually work by themselves. Remember that the BGs are just for fun at these levels (the rewards outside of the first quests are nowhere near remarkable) so usually everyone will just want to focus on slaying other players.  


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Last Updated: Mar 29, 2016

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Get in the bush with David "Xerin" Piner as he leverages his spectacular insanity to ask the serious questions such as is Master Yi and Illidan the same person? What's for dinner? What are ways to elevate your gaming experience? David's column, Respawn, is updated near daily with some of the coolest things you'll read online, while David tackles ways to improve the game experience across the board with various hype guides to cool games.

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