In World of Warcraft, players assume the roles of legendary heroes and interact with thousands of other players online as they explore and adventure across a vast world.

Whether journeying together or questing on their own, players will engage in heroic battles, develop friendships, forge alliances, and compete with enemies for power and glory.

The game features customizable character classes with thousands of weapons, spells and abilities. With an innovative, easy-to-use interface, an action-packed combat system, and thousands of quests that build an immersive storyline, "World of Warcraft" offers a MMORPG experience that will appeal to both veteran and casual players alike.

The 2017 World of Warcraft Arena World Championship will give players more opportunities, more events and more prizing this year. There’s also a new point structure for North America and Europe, which will lead to more events at a larger scale, with the largest global prize pool in the history of the tournament.

World of Warcraft esports is leveling up! This year we’re bringing you more ways to participate, more teams, and more live action for everyone watching at home. So if you have a competitive bone in your body (and who doesn’t?), read on for an overview of the exciting changes. There are many ways you, your team, and your community can get involved.

More Teams, More Action

This year, there’ll be more opportunities to prove your teams’ prowess on the world stage:

• Extra qualifier cups in North America and Europe, giving more teams the chance to shine.
• Open signups: you don’t need an Arena rating to sign on the dotted line. What’s stopping you?
• The top eight teams will be broadcast live, giving your team the chance to show off epic skills and the audience good reason to cheer on the teams they’re passionate about.
• Minimum roster size to compete: 3 players; maximum 4 players.
• Prize pool of $6,000. Each. Pretty sweet. *nods*

Points Win Prizes: How to Qualify

To advance, teams can earn points through a variety of events:

• Online Arena Cups award points to the top teams, so the teams with the most points qualify to their regional LAN event.
• Teams can sign up to compete in as many cups in their region as they want. Go, go, go!
• Approved community-run events can also award points—so what better reason to encourage your community to get involved? The more points you have, the more chance you have of qualifying. Simple as that.

How Points Are Awarded

	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th and 6th
Online Arena Cup	160	80	36	20	12
Approved Community Events	40	20	12	8	N/A

Note that points are earned by teams, not individuals, so leaving your team means leaving some of your points behind. Safety in numbers, friends!

The Road to the World Championship Finals

Regional Championship Events—Claim Your Crown!

• 12 teams for NA and EU—up from 8 last year.
• All regional events are LAN-based, with teams competing in person.

The WoW Arena World Championship Finals

• 12 teams—up from 8 last year.
• Latin America now has a dedicated spot and China will be represented by a second team—get your game on, wherever you are.

Want to know more? Watch the announcement on Twitch