An expansion is coming, that means a complete gear reset which will put all the new level 85 players at the same starting point. This is the perfect time to get ahead of the game and get geared for Player vs. Player combat. In World of Warcraft, it's historically been very difficult to break into the PvP scene midway into an expansion due to the daunting task of collecting gear which often requires you to kill players who already have much better gear than you. It creates a sort of Catch 22 where you need the gear to get the gear, if you start early you'll avoid that frustrating situation.

Hit 85 Quickly

The first step to gearing for PvP in Cataclysm is going to be to hit 85 as fast as possible. Arena Season 9 is scheduled to begin a week after Cataclysm releases which means that the early birds are going to quickly get to PvPing and earning gear. If you don't want to get left behind this is an absolutely necessary part of the process.

Start Grinding Honor

There are two components of the PvP gear 'set' which are comprised of the pieces purchased with the elite Arena Points (Conquest Points in Cataclysm) and the lower level 'off-set' pieces purchased with Honor Points. As of patch 4.0.1 you can already start grinding Honor Points up to a cap of 4000 points.

As of 4.0.1 you can already start farming Honor Points for Cataclysm

As you level up you'll be able to play Battlegrounds and farm more Honor Points, stockpiling these early and quickly will be vital since they'll likely purchase critical pieces of gear like the PvP Trinket, and the strong off-set pieces. If you can get a full set of off-pieces quickly you'll definitely have an advantage over most players you'll encounter in Rated BGs and Arenas.

The Importance of a Good Weapon

One of the most difficult things to do at any point in the game is obtain a powerful weapon. This is particularly vital to melee classes and Hunters whose damage is primarily based on their weapon. Do your homework and take a look at the loot tables of the new Cataclysm Heroic instances. That's most likely where you'll be farming for the weapon you need to crush the competition.

Rated BGs and Arenas will offer weapons comparable to what's available from raiding, and that's what you will eventually be aiming for as you gear for PvP. Getting a nice weapon from a Heroic 5 player instance and quickly getting into Rated BGs or Arenas before your competition gears up will allow you to get your hands on these coveted weapons before the competition gets too fierce.

Make use of Crafted Gear

Crafted gear is never more powerful than at the beginning of an expansion. There are always tons of new, powerful recipes which are often as good or better than the items that are available from Heroics.

The Craftable Titansteel Destroyer was a staple of the early days of Wrath of the Lich King

Get in on the ground floor for Rated BGs & Arenas

A big benefit of gearing out for PvP quickly using this method will be that you'll likely come in contact with other like-minded individuals. New expansions are often a time when players form new guilds and relationships as their friends move on or come back to the game. Getting in on PvP early and making these sorts of social connections will leave you poised  to jump into the highly competitive world of Rated BG and Arena play and exploit the advantages of your newly-farmed gear.

Key Points

  • Level to 85 quickly by any means necessary.
  • Start grinding Honor Points in BGs and Tol Barad
  • Get started in Rated BGs and Arenas ASAP to farm Conquest Points
  • Hit up Heroic 5-player instances to fill the gaps in your PvP set and pick up a sweet weapon
  • Develop social relationships in the PvP community so you can use your gear to the fullest

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Last Updated: Mar 13, 2016

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