The 2009 World of Warcraft Arena Tournament is a competition based on the Arena System in World of Warcraft. However, as distinguished from standard Arena System matches, all teams participating in the tournament will be competing on regional tournament realms -- separate from the live realms -- for a spot to play at the live events and win prizes. In addition, there is a registration fee to join. This specialized format provides a means for professional-level players to face off in a highly competitive environment that emphasizes strategy, skill, and execution over all other elements of play.

The tournament will consist of one round of regional qualifiers, followed by the regional finals. Winners of the regional finals will be invited to compete in a global world championship. The cash prize package for this tournament, including prizes awarded at the regional finals and world championship, amounts to more than $200,000.

Participating players will gain access to our dedicated tournament realms and be able to create up to three level-80 characters per registered account. This special realm will allow players to fully customize tournament characters with some of the best items available in the game. We will continue to use the 3v3 Arena format for this year's competition. Please note that the standard 2v2, 3v3, and 5v5 Arena season games will continue as normal on the live realms and will not be interrupted by this tournament.

Below is a list of new features and incentives to be added to this year's tournament:

• Level 80 character templates will now be available and outfitted with gear from the Wrath of the Lich King expansion.
• Players will gain access to the death knight as a playable class in the tournament.
• Tournament vendors have been updated with some of the best items available in Northrend, including glyphs from the new Inscription profession.
• There will be only one online qualifier for the tournament season.
• Players can earn the exclusive Armored Murloc pet for their live characters.
• Players can earn the exclusive "Vanquisher" title for their live characters over level 71.

No, the tournament realm and the tournament itself are completely separate from the Arena seasons. Players who wish to compete in the Arena seasons for the coveted in-game prizes can continue do so as normal. The World of Warcraft Arena Tournament and the dedicated tournament realms are primarily intended for professional-level players seeking to prove their skills against the best teams in the world and compete for cash prizes.

Arena teams are groups of players who choose to fight together in Arena ladder matches in rated Arena battles. Rated Arena battles affect your ladder ranking, whereas skirmish battles do not.

• If you are not a part of a team, you cannot participate in rated Arena battles.
• Your team will obtain a ranking by playing at least 10 matches per week.

We are looking at February of 2009 for the beginning of the online qualifier, but will have registration for the tournament available beforehand. We will announce more details on the Arena Tournament website.

By signing up for the tournament, players will be granted access to special tournament realms. They will be able to create up to three new level-80 characters of any race and class combination on these realms. There will be special vendors available who will have epic gear for players to choose from for equipping tournament characters. These realms have been created for the sake of the tournament and will not have any PvE instances or Battlegrounds available. Only Arenas will be available at this time.

No.

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

We have chosen a large selection of epic gear for our participants to ensure a competitive playing field. For the sake of consistency, items on the tournament realm will not always be able to correspond to the level of gear on the live realms.

Upon entering the world with a new character, nearby NPCs in your starting area will outfit the character with gear, training, class-specific needs such as soul shards and hunter pets, and all the gold you'll need. In fact, everything your character will need to participate in the tournament will be located conveniently in your starting area.

Yes, there will be a large selection of permanent enchants, gems, and glyphs to choose from, including reputation-based head and shoulder enchants.

You can create a team by purchasing an Arena Team Charter from the Arena Organizer, collecting the appropriate number of signatures on it, and then returning it him. Once the team is created, you can compete with your fellow teammates in the special tournament battlegroup.

The tournament will use the 3v3 format only, so you need at least three members including yourself.

Yes. You can have up to six players on your 3v3 Arena Tournament team for the online qualifiers. The additional players will act as "bench" players in case one of your starting three cannot play, or if you want to change the makeup of your team. If your team advances to the live events, however, you will have to choose three players to represent your team. These players can choose which characters they wish to play at the live events and may switch characters as needed.

You can participate in more than one 3v3 Arena Tournament team; however, you must meet the minimum play requirements to qualify for the tournament. Each player may only qualify for one team. If a player is a member of two qualifying teams, he or she must choose which team to play for. Each team must have three eligible participants to advance to the regional finals.

Each team must play a minimum of 200 rated games and each player, including "bench players," must participate in at least 30% of the team's total games to be eligible to advance to the regional finals. If a team were to play the minimum of 200 games, then each player on the team would have to have played in at least 60 of those games. Only three players per team will be eligible to attend the live events.

Team rankings will be available on WorldofWarcraft.com at the Armory and updated daily, with the tournament realm making up the Coliseum battlegroup.

Yes, there will be full character and team profiles for the tournament on the Armory. These profiles will be slightly different from those on the live realms to highlight the relevant PvP information more prominently.

There will be one online qualifier that will run for six weeks. The top 1000 ranked teams at the end of online qualifier will be invited to participate in a one week invitational ladder. The top eight teams from the invitational ladder will advance to the regional finals. The top teams from each regional final will be invited to represent their respective region at the global world championship. The first two weeks of each qualifier will be used for practice. After the practice period, ratings will be reset and the tournament will continue for four weeks. To encourage team stability, there will be a 150 team rating penalty for any player additions to your team during the first two weeks after the practice period. Player rosters will be locked down during the final two weeks of the tournament, and no changes may be made to your team during that time. Please make any adjustments to your final team roster prior to the roster lockdown.

Team members who are ineligible will be unable to play in the regional finals, but the rest of that member's team can continue if they can field at least three eligible team members. Eligibility is determined by residence, percentage of total team games played, and other factors.

Each team will be responsible for ensuring that their team members are eligible to compete. If a registrant is unable to participate in live events due to residence restrictions, this information will be brought to your attention when registering.

The available prizes are listed below:

• Players who participate in at least 200 rated tournament games on one character and with the same team by the end of the online qualifier will be eligible for the Armored Murloc pet for their live characters.
• Players who are a member of one of the top 1000 teams at the end of the online qualifier and have participated in at least 200 rated tournament games on a character on a qualifying team will receive the "Vanquisher" title for their live characters level 71 and over.
• The grand prize for the global invitational world championship will be $75,000 for the top team. The top team of each regional final will receive $15,000. For more information, check the complete breakdown of prizes (coming soon).
• Please Note: The characters that players use to qualify for the above prizes must play all of their qualifying games on the same team and must remain on that team for the duration of the tournament. If a player leaves their team at any time, it may void their eligibility by resetting the number of games needed to be played. The live characters players wish to receive the in-game prizes must be on the same account as the one registered for the tournament.

To participate, you must:

• Have an active subscription to World of Warcraft with an account in good standing, meaning the account is not flagged, suspended, or banned for violating any of the Terms of Service, EULA, or other rules of World of Warcraft.
• Have World of Warcraft, World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade, and World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King installed.
• Have a World of Warcraft account that has been upgraded to The Burning Crusade and Wrath of the Lich King
• Have a valid credit card to pay the per-competitor registration fee for the tournament, which is €15/£12 in Europe; 10,000 won in South Korea; $20 in North America; and NT$450 in the regions of Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau.
• Reside in a country or territory that allows participation (you will see the full list when registering).
• Complete the required information on the registration page to register for the tournament.
• Meet all eligibility requirements listed in the rules (coming soon). Players meeting these requirements will be allowed to participate in the tournament and will have access to the dedicated tournament realms in their region.