Structured PvP

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Disambig icon.png This article is about the Structured PvP game mode as a whole. For information on specifically Ranked PvP, see PvP League.
“

Take capture points, slay enemies, and earn rewards in a Player versus Player team battle. Click the crossed swords icon in the top left of your screen to enter PvP, which boosts your level to 80 for the duration of the fight.

— Level-up guide – Level 3 Rewards

All Structured PvP Maps

Structured PvP (SPvP, often just PvP) is a PvP game mode where players, divided into two teams, clash in fast-paced competitive arena combat. Teams may include from 2 to 5 players each depending on the arena type and receive points for defeating enemy players, holding capture points, and completing map-specific objectives. Structured PvP is one of the three main game modes, along with Player versus Environment and World versus World.

Unlike other game modes, in Structured PvP all characters and their equipment are normalized to have the same level of attributes. Additionally, all skills and traits are unlocked for any character regardless of their level. A standalone PvP Build system is used for gear customization.

Structured PvP has several game modes and arena types, including Unranked arenas, Ranked PvP League, Stronghold, Murderball, Automated Tournaments, and Custom Arena. Matchmaking system is utilized for most of the game modes to match players with similar skill levels.

Structured PvP has its own reward system with PvP Reward Tracks, unique currencies, items and equipment that can be used across other game modes.

Getting there[edit]

PvP Home interface
  • PvP Menu Bar icon.pngPvP panel (no default shortcut)
    • Game Browser — joining a custom arena will cause the character to join the match instantly
    • Unranked and Ranked Arenas — players can queue up from anywhere in their current map. Waypoints within a map can be used, but leaving the map results in abandoning the queue.
  • PvP Browser (map icon).pngPvP Browser NPC in the Hall of Memories in the Heart of the Mists opens the PvP panel.

Gear and builds[edit]

Primary article: PvP Build

The attributes, runes, and sigils from a character's PvE equipment are not used in structured PvP maps. Instead, equipment attributes are normalized, and players select a rune set, a sigil set, a PvP-specific amulet, and a set of specializations in the PvP Build panel. This build is maintained separately from the player's normal PvE or WvW build, and is automatically applied whenever a character enters the structured PvP lobby map. This mechanic allows players to be on an equal playing field with the same attributes, skills, and equipment options as other players. Players need to equip chest, legs and foot armor to achieve the base armor value, but hands, shoulders and head may be ignored.

Arena types[edit]

Two teams are matched up against each other. In a standard match, the objective is to be the first team to reach 500 points. Points are awarded through holding capture points, killing enemy players, or completing map-specific objectives. There are at least 3 capture points on each map, and when captured, each location grants one point every two seconds. Each player kill grants five points. If neither team reaches 500 points, the team with the most points will be declared the winner after the 15 minute time limit. Each map has unique secondary mechanics and objectives.

Custom Arenas/Hot-Join[edit]

PvP Game Browser interface

Custom Arenas, also known as hot-join, use a game selection system that allows players to join a game based on map and available space. In this arena, players can join matches already in progress, so the number of active players can change over the course of the match as people join or leave. The game tries to keep teams even by changing a player's team if the difference in numbers is two or more.

Many server-created matches with generic match settings are available. You may buy a personal Custom Arena server from the Arena Vendor by purchasing a 30 day use Custom Arena Starter Kit.pngCustom Arena Starter Kit. Additional time may be added by using a Custom Arena Time Token.pngCustom Arena Time Token while inside the arena.

Unranked and Ranked Arena[edit]

PvP arena queue interface

Unranked and ranked arenas are more competitive game modes. Each arena consists of teams of 5 versus 5, and players can queue for a game while alone or while in a group. PvP Builds are locked after the match has started. All queued players are prompted to accept the match before it can start. Once all 10 players are ready, a map will be selected through a vote-weighted random roll, and the match will begin. Ranked arenas require the account to reach PvP Rank 20 and above before participating.

Automated Tournaments[edit]

Primary article: Automated Tournaments

Automated tournaments are organized 5v5 matches. They run on an automatic schedule and may be queued for 15 minutes before they begin. They utilize standard PvP maps and require a party of 5 to register. There are both daily and monthly tournaments, where the player must compete in several daily tournaments to qualify for a monthly one. A variety of high-value prizes may be won from placing in these tournaments.

Matchmaking[edit]

Primary article: PvP Matchmaking Algorithm
  • The PvP matchmaking algorithm is the Glicko2 matchmaking rating (MMR) and helps match players with other players with similar skill levels.
  • It is used to place players queueing for Ranked and Unranked arenas.
  • The metrics used during matchmaking include: rating, rank, party size, profession, ladder position, and dishonor.
  • Players can search for parties for Unranked and Ranked Arenas in categories in the Looking For Group tool.

Auto-Balance[edit]

Volunteer Rewards.jpg
Volunteer Rewards accepted.jpg
  • Games will no longer autobalance after one team has reached 80% of the maximum score if the game ends by score.
  • Games will no longer autobalance when within two minutes of the end of the game if the game ends by time.
  • Autobalance functionality has been updated to give a new volunteer bonus to any players who volunteer for balancing, as well as giving any players balanced the winner bonus. When volunteers are lacking, random selection will be used.
    • Volunteer Rewards gives volunteers guaranteed win credit, even if they end the match on the losing team. Volunteers also receive a 25 rank points bonus. [verification requested]

Dishonor[edit]

Dishonor is a system to prevent players from joining unranked and ranked arenas after player misconduct, such as leaving or not participating (AFKing) in matches. Each instance of undesired behavior will immediately result in a timeout and increase the player's dishonor stat. Frequent misbehaving will result in increased duration of timeouts.

The dishonor system also includes a protection system and entitles the match in the players history accordingly, if one of the parameters applied.

Parameters[edit]

Desertion - You disconnect the game: You will be punished by the dishonor system.

Byes - One or more players of the enemy team disconnect from the match: You will get less rewarded for winning.

Forfeits - One or more players from your team disconnect the match: You will get no punishment.

Win/Lose ratio[edit]

Taking above parameters in consideration, a players W/L ratio can be calculated with the following formula: 

totalGames = wins + losses + desertions + byes //forfeits do not count as win or lose, making it invalid for the formula.

winRatio = ((wins + byes)/totalGames)*100 //win ratio in %
lossRatio = ((losses + desertions)/totalGames)*100 //lose ratio in %

wlRatio = winRatio/lossRatio //W/L ratio as a float.

Rewards[edit]

Match Rewards[edit]

Rewards from structured PvP matches include rank points and coin. Players joining an already running match late may receive reduced rewards. Rank points from custom arenas (hot join) is capped at 5,000 points.

Arena Rank points Coin
Lose reward
Custom Arena 200 Rank Point.png 10 Silver coin
Unranked Arena
Ranked Arena 		500 Rank Point.png 15 Silver coin
Win reward
Custom Arena 500 Rank Point.png 15 Silver coin
Unranked Arena
Ranked Arena 		1500 Rank Point.png 30 Silver coin

Maximum daily coin rewards are limited for each account for each arena type:

  • Custom Arena — maximum 5 Gold coin
  • Unranked Arena — maximum 15 Gold coin
  • Ranked Arena — maximum 15 Gold coin[verification requested]

Reward Tracks[edit]

Primary article: PvP Reward Track

Reward tracks are goals that can be activated in the PvP panel. Each track has 8 tiers, each tier has 5 rewards. Reward track progress is not related to PvP rank points[1]. Players can only make progress on a single reward track at a time. Custom Arena / hot join progression is capped at two tiers per day, thus requiring a minimum of four days to complete.

Rank Rewards[edit]

Whenever an account reaches a new PvP Rank, the player receives a rank-up chest based on the rank earned.

For every 10 ranks earned, a new finisher is unlocked for the account.

With the release of Heart of Thorns, each 10 ranks also unlocks a new jungle themed Reward Track, that gives a variation of the rank finisher.

PvP Ranked League Rewards[edit]

For the full list of rewards for PvP League, see here. Ranked PvP utilizes a "pip" system similar to WvW's Skirmish reward track system.

Automated Tournament Rewards[edit]

Each member of a team that participates in an automated tournament will receive a reward based on their team's placement.

Daily Tournaments[edit]

Participation 1st place 2nd place 3rd-4th place 5th-8th place 9th-16th place
Potion of PvP Reward.pngPotion of PvP Reward (2)
Qualifying Points.pngQualifying Points (5) 		Unidentified Dye.pngUnidentified Dye (5)
Mystic Coin.pngMystic Coin (5)
Qualifying Points.pngQualifying Points (50)
25 Gold coin 		Unidentified Dye.pngUnidentified Dye (4)
Mystic Coin.pngMystic Coin (3)
Qualifying Points.pngQualifying Points (25)
20 Gold coin 		Unidentified Dye.pngUnidentified Dye (3)
Mystic Coin.pngMystic Coin (2)
Qualifying Points.pngQualifying Points (15)
15 Gold coin 		Unidentified Dye.pngUnidentified Dye
Mystic Coin.pngMystic Coin
Qualifying Points.pngQualifying Points (10)
10 Gold coin 		Qualifying Points.pngQualifying Points (5)
5 Gold coin

Monthly Tournament[edit]

Rewards those who reach 1-32nd place
Participation 1st place 2nd place 3rd-4th place 5th-8th place 9th-16th place 17th-32nd place
Potion of PvP Reward.pngPotion of PvP Reward
Mystic Coin.pngMystic Coin 		A statue in Champion's Monument honoring your character

PvP Title Scroll.pngTournament Title Scroll: Best of the Best
Tournament Voucher.pngTournament Voucher (30)
Gold Llama Box.pngGold Llama Box
Champion's Rest Pass.pngChampion's Rest Pass (2 weeks) (2)
Mystic Coin.pngMystic Coin (100)
Champion's Winter Crown.pngChampion's Winter Crown
500 Gold coin

Tournament Voucher.pngTournament Voucher (20)
Silver Llama Box.pngSilver Llama Box
Champion's Rest Pass.pngChampion's Rest Pass (2 weeks)
Mystic Coin.pngMystic Coin (50)
Large Potion of PvP Reward.pngLarge Potion of PvP Reward
400 Gold coin 		Tournament Voucher.pngTournament Voucher (10)
Mini Bronze Llama.pngMini Bronze Llama
Champion's Rest Pass.pngChampion's Rest Pass (2 weeks)
Mystic Coin.pngMystic Coin (25)
Large Potion of PvP Reward.pngLarge Potion of PvP Reward
250 Gold coin 		Mystic Coin.pngMystic Coin (15)
Large Potion of PvP Reward.pngLarge Potion of PvP Reward
100 Gold coin 		Mystic Coin.pngMystic Coin (10)
Large Potion of PvP Reward.pngLarge Potion of PvP Reward
50 Gold coin 		Mystic Coin.pngMystic Coin (5)
Large Potion of PvP Reward.pngLarge Potion of PvP Reward
25 Gold coin

Maps[edit]

PvP map selection interface

There are several different maps for structured PvP, with the most commont type being conquest: Team Deathmatch, Stronghold and Murderball modes also exist.

Map selection[edit]

For unranked and ranked arenas, when the match is ready, players are given 15 seconds to vote on a map from a pool of three random options. At the end of the 15 seconds, or when all players have voted, a roll is performed to determine the map for the match, weighted by how many players selected each of the three options. If the vote is unanimous, the match begins immediately without a roll.

Maps by game mode[edit]

Released in Name Game Mode Public Custom Unranked Ranked Arenanet Points.png
2012-08-28 Battle of Kyhlo Conquest 1Yes 1Yes 1Yes Conquest Season Battle of Kyhlo.png
2012-08-28 Forest of Niflhel Conquest 1Yes 1Yes 1Yes Conquest Season Forest of Niflhel.png
2012-08-28 Legacy of the Foefire Conquest 1Yes 1Yes 1Yes Conquest Season Legacy of the Foefire.png
2012-08-28 Raid on the Capricorn Conquest 0No 0No 0No 0No 0No
2012-11-15 Temple of the Silent Storm Conquest 1Yes 1Yes 1Yes Conquest Season Temple of the Silent Storm.png
2013-02-26 Spirit Watch Conquest 1Yes 1Yes 1Yes 0No Spirit Watch.png
2013-07-09 Skyhammer Conquest 1Yes 1Yes 1Yes Conquest Season Skyhammer.png
2014-04-15 Courtyard Murderball 0No 1Yes 0No 0No 0No
2015-10-23 Battle of Champion's Dusk Stronghold 1Yes 1Yes 1Yes 0No Battle of Champion's Dusk.png
2016-07-26 Revenge of the Capricorn Conquest 1Yes 1Yes 1Yes Conquest Season Revenge of the Capricorn.png
2016-09-20 Eternal Coliseum Conquest 1Yes 1Yes 1Yes Conquest Season Eternal Coliseum.png
2017-06-20 Hall of the Mists Team Deathmatch 0No 1Yes 0No Team Deathmatch Season 0No
2018-03-06 Courtyard Team Deathmatch 0No 1Yes 0No 0No 0No
2018-11-13 Asura Arena Team Deathmatch 0No 1Yes 0No Team Deathmatch Season 0No
2018-11-13 Djinn's Dominion Conquest 0No 1Yes 1Yes Conquest Season Djinn's Dominion.png
2019-08-13 Auric Span Team Deathmatch 0No 1Yes 0No Team Deathmatch Season 0No

Historical tournaments[edit]

In the past, ArenaNet has sponsored and held various PvP Tournaments. The following is a list of tournaments and tournament series. Various tournaments offered prizes for competing and placing in each.

Notes[edit]

  • The PvP servers are not tied to a specific world. From the lobby, you may team up with or against players from other worlds.[2]
  • Scores are tracked on the scoreboard. Player statistics are tracked and used to generate a player ranking.[3]
  • It is possible for both teams to reach a score of 500 simultaneously. In this scenario (or if both teams are tied as time expires), the game enters an "Overtime" mode where the team that reaches a higher score, wins and subsequently ends the game.
  • The Raid on the Capricorn map, which contained an underwater capture point, was removed. It was later replaced with Revenge of the Capricorn without an underwater capture point.[4]
  • The Glorious Reward Track was added with September 2014 Feature Pack
  • Both Ranked and Unranked wins will contribute towards achievement and title totals.

Trivia[edit]

PvP Browser mock-up made available pre-release
How the PvP Browser looked at release

External links[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/game/pvp/How-is-reward-track-progress-calculated/4761383
  2. ^ Kotaku Live Q&A
  3. ^ Guild Wars 2 Interview Part 1: Fighting Fires, Rock, Paper, Shotgun
  4. ^ [1]
Structured PvP
Conquest
Battle of Kyhlo • Djinn's Dominion • Eternal Coliseum • Forest of Niflhel
Legacy of the Foefire • Revenge of the Capricorn • Skyhammer
Spirit Watch • Temple of the Silent Storm
Murderball
Courtyard
Stronghold
Battle of Champion's Dusk
Team Deathmatch
Asura Arena • Auric Span • Courtyard • Hall of the Mists
Competitions
Automated Tournaments • PvP League
Rewards
Rewards • PvP Reward Track • PvP Rank
Other
PvP Build • Custom Arena • Combat arenas
Historical
Tournament of Legends
Tournament of Glory • World Tournament Series
Guild Challenger League • Pro League • World Championship
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