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Arenas Inside Look
Not all battles are fought for a noble cause or a greater good;
some hard-fought victories are earned in the name of sport. In
Azeroth and Outland, you may be fighting to protect the weak, to
avenge a comrade, or to achieve some other honorable goal. But
in the arenas, you fight for one thing, and one thing alone:
glory. How will you fare once the gates of the arena open before
you?
The Circle of BloodThe ogrish arena of the Blade's Edge
Mountains in Outland is known as The Circle of Blood. One look
at this arena conjures thoughts of countless, intense battles –
and the consequences they render in the new arena system.
Overview
Let's take a closer look at the map layout.
The Pit
This is where you and your team prepare for the match. To make
life a little easier, all spells and abilities in the pit are
free, and you'll have about one minute before the fight begins –
more than enough time to apply all the necessary buffs and to
prepare all your trash-talk and emote macros. You do have emotes
to celebrate your victory, right?
The Ramps
When you leave the pit, you'll see a ramp right in front of you
running along the left wall. These ramps lead up to the bridge,
one of the key strategic positions in the Circle of Blood.
The Bridge
This bridge divides the Circle of Blood into halves: your side
and the enemy's. You'll have a very good view of the entire
arena from here, and it's also the only way to reach the
pillars.
The Pillars
One well-aimed jump places you on top of one of the pillars
flanking the bridge on either side. If you're a ranged class,
then you should consider jumping on one of the pillars. It helps
keep enemies at a distance, and the pillars are excellent
sniping spots.
The Gutters
If you take a right after leaving the pit, you'll see one of the
Circle of Blood's two gutters. Players usually go for the bridge
at the start of a match, so if you want to avoid enemy contact
at first, the gutters on either side or under the bridge are the
places to be.
Map Walkthrough
Once the gates open, your team will have to make a decision: go
for the left ramp, the right ramp, or the center. Gunning for
the ramp near your pit will present early access to the bridge,
as well as a terrific view of what the opposing team is
planning. Of course, this also means that if you're running
toward the other side's ramps instead of your own, they'll be
able to see you coming.
Things will invariably become a little chaotic once you're on
the bridge. Ranged classes such as hunters and mages often try
to reach the relative safety of one of the pillars or hang back
at their ramp, while melee fighters such as warriors and rogues
do their best to close the distance. There's usually a lot of
fighting going on at the bridge, because controlling this
landmark often means your team controls the arena.
If the fighting gets too rough and your health drops dangerously
low, you can try to jump off the bridge and use the pillars to
break line of sight with any characters that are chasing you.
Also, if you see that your team is losing the bridge, you can
always just jump down to ground level and attempt an ordered
retreat..
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