There are undoubtedly many battleground aficionados out there waiting to see what new challenges the expansion holds for them. The new arena included in Mists of Pandaria is still being kept under close wraps by Blizzard, thought it is known to be named Tol’vir Proving Grounds and is found in Uldum, but the two battlegrounds are almost finished (or entirely finished) and considerable information is now available about them. Mists of Pandaria PvP Strategy Guide
Silvershard Mine is a 10 versus 10 battleground located in an abandoned Venture Company mine in Stranglethorn Vale. In this battle, your team attempts to control three mine cars at the point when they reach a depot at the edge of the battleground. This is a highly tactical battleground which is meant to avoid the depressing “foregone conclusions” that often plague Arathi Basin and the Battle for Gilneas, in which it is usually impossible to reverse a defeat once it has begun.
The other battleground is Temple of Kotmogu, another 10 versus 10 battleground whose setting is in the kung-fu panda-inhabited island of Pandaria – specifically, in a zone named the Vale of Eternal Flowers. This battleground is based on the infamous “Murderball” PvP model, in which a lethal artifact must be held in order to keep adding up victory points. The WoW variant adds the twist that more points are earned based on how exposed to danger the carrier of the deadly artifact is. Mists of Pandaria PvP Guide
The complexities of Silvershard Mine
Silvershard Mine looks like an exciting choice for tactically minded PvP players, since simply flailing about wildly, even if it is with great strength, might well result in a loss to a team that is more cunning. The battleground map includes a central location from which mine cars spawn and move outwards along rail lines that run outwards to depots around the edge of the map. At the start of the game, three mine cars spawn and begin rolling in opposite directions, along the tracks that lead to the depots. Mists of Pandaria PvP Guide
A number of other tracks crisscross the battleground, all leading ultimately to depots but taking longer and more complex routes. Switches can be thrown at various points along the tracks to divert the mine car onto one of the longer tracks (or, presumably, back to the shorter routes if the switching is handled dexterously). This, then, is the basic tactical material with which your team needs to work. Mists of Pandaria PvP Guide
Victory is achieved by earning three points. One victory point is gained each time a mine car reaches a depot while under the control of your team. Control of a mine car is gained in much the same way as control of a base in Eye of the Storm – each mine car has a control slider which is moved towards the Alliance or Horde side according to the number of characters near it, though in this case the “base” is a constantly moving object. Mists of Pandaria PvP Strategy Guide
The ability to switch mine cars to different, longer tracks is what adds tactical complexity to the battleground. Either side can switch a mine car if they hold the switch lever. Accordingly, your team will need to accomplish the following tasks, with better timing than the enemy displays while achieving the same goals, in order to win: Mists of Pandaria PvP Guide
