Accessible Arena Matchmaking 3x3/2x2

PVP Arenas
1

Hello everyone,

I would like to propose a new feature for WoW’s 2v2 and 3v3 arenas called “Fill”. This feature would allow players to queue solo for classic arenas and be matched with other random players who have also clicked on “Fill”. Here are some reasons why this idea could greatly improve our gaming experience:

1. Promote inclusion and reduce LFG elitism:
Currently, the LFG (Looking For Group) system can be discouraging for many players. Most groups often have very high requirements, such as being multi-glad or R1, creating a barrier for new players or those who haven’t reached these levels yet. With the “Fill” feature, everyone could participate in arenas regardless of their experience and meet others in the same situation.

2. Increased fluidity and opportunities for encounters:
The “Fill” system would allow players like me, who don’t always have fixed teammates, to queue solo and be quickly matched with others. This promotes encounters and can potentially lead to forming fixed groups if there’s good synergy. For example, as a warlock with a rogue friend but no healer, I could queue for 3s, and as soon as a healer also queues for “Fill”, we would be placed in an arena together.

3. A proven system in other games:
Many competitive games, such as LoL, Fortnite, and even Tarisland, already use this type of matchmaking system. Why not implement it in WoW? This would strengthen the ladder by increasing the number of players queuing without dividing it. More players could queue, improve, increase their rating for the first time, and have enriching encounters.

4. Maintaining balance and choice:
Although one might end up against fully premade teams, choosing to queue with “Fill” remains a voluntary choice. This risk is counterbalanced by the advantages offered, particularly the ability to play without constraints and meet new potential partners.

Conclusion:
The “Fill” system aligns with how players consume and participate in competitive content today. By integrating it, WoW could attract a larger player base, improve arena dynamics, and reduce entry barriers for both new and returning players.

I hope this idea will be well-received by the community and developers. Together, we could make WoW’s arenas more accessible and exciting for everyone.

Thank you for your attention.

1 Like
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As much as I agree that the extreme level of gatekeeping behind exp, title and meta class requirements for LFG is a huge issue, you cant force people to play with less experienced/skilled players if they are trying to push rating.
Solo queue option already exists via skirmish and solo shuffle.
If you have another dps in party with you queuing for skirmish will either give you a 2v2 match or a 3v3 match with a random healer, so that option already exists it just doesnt give rating.

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I don’t see how this prevents experienced players. If you don’t want to be paired with random players, you can form your group and queue in the same bracket with a premade group. Again, this works like this in League Of Legends, for example. Either you queue with your group, or you queue alone but get matched in each game with other players.

I think you haven’t fully understood my proposal. My system doesn’t block anyone. You still have the option to play with your friends or form a group to queue together. If you don’t have a group, you can join an arena by selecting ‘Fill’ and then you’ll enter an arena with people in the same situation as you. Of course, you might still face opponents who are in a premade group.

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That is still essentially what solo shuffle already does though.
Good players are still gonna get LFG, sure your system might allow people to queue and get matched with randoms but the only players that would do that are the ones that cant get a normal team in LFG.
So you would end up with teams of low exp players in a random comp with no comms getting trashed by the experienced players in proper teams and comps

The problem you mentioned, that i agree with, about all the gatekeeping and requirements to get a team in LFG these days isnt a fault necessarily of those players. Its just a symptom caused by the fact that there are extremely few “new” players in pvp in general. So theres a vastly disproportionate amount of players that have been glads, high exp, have played for years and years etc compared to the newer players that dont have those. Normally in a game its the reverse so finding a team isnt hard at any skill level.

5

Not at all, the game is totally different and does not offer Gladiator and R1 rewards.
The fact that it is a single game and not 6 rounds will allow for much more consistent queue times and it doesn’t split the bracket into two parts, resulting in more players.
Solo queue has an extremely long time because the two brackets have been completely split with this addition.

Yes, but it is a choice. Once again, on League of Legends, Fortnite, and Tarisland, it has been working like this since the beginning of the game and everyone is satisfied.
Sometimes on LoL, I made friends through the “queue” that I then added to my friends list to play in premade on the same bracket later.
At a certain level, of course, it becomes more and more complicated to play in “Fill”, but it allows players to have a first experience to meet teammates and later apply through LFG.

1 Like
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And that sort of casual play already exists with skirmish mode? So play skirmish and then add people you like during those matches and then play rated arena with them.

To give an example having a system for rated 3s that allows both normal full teams and solo/duos to queue and get matched with randoms would end up being like joining a random battleground and getting put against a full organized premade every single time lol.

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I have already tried, but most of the players in skirmish are there to complete the daily PvP quests.
So, no one wants to go into rated 3v3 afterwards.

The mindset of 3v3 players and skirmish players are totally different.
Unfortunately, I think that without rating and incentives, no player is motivated.

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Exactly, most players especially this late in a season are trying to push rating. So they, rightfully, want only full geared and similar experienced teammates.
If your new and dont have exp then first off, get geared, this is easily done through bgs, solo shuffle, or low rated 2s which is easy enough to find in LFG lot of people still doing conquest farming that dont care about trying to push rating.
Then chances are one of those folk you played 2s with might be decent, add them, build a roster of battletags to draw from etc.

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I started playing WoW seriously during BFA, so I don’t really know how WoW worked at its prime under WotLK. Could you tell me more about it? Was it extremely easy to find teammates for 3v3?

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One very big factor that is seemingly ignored is the extreme importance of teamcomps in 3v3.

If you need proof of this concept you can watch Pikas latest video where he plays in LFG with randoms at about 2400 mmr n cant win games due to the teamcomp before he switches class to a viable teamcomp n suddenly cant lose instead. Teamcomp matters far more than individual skill which is why putting random comps into a full premade is never going to be good gameplay for anyone except the premade.

While id be all for bypassing LFG all together this feature would never work due to the insane drawbacks, this would work fine in low ratings but even at basic levels of rating where people start knowing what their buttons do you´d lose to teamcomps the moment you encounter a premade.

As far as im concerned there is no games that mixes full premades against full randoms in a “competitive gamemode” n the reason for this is obvious.

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The further back you go the easier it was essentially. Its just an unavoidable side effect of a game thats been running so long. The more years its been running the more the pvp playerbase gets filled with more and more experienced people that makes it less welcoming for new people, that gap gets bigger and bigger and more pronounced as more expansions, classes and abilities come out as theres an ever increasing number of things you need to know about.
Take someone who has played for multiple years at least, they had plenty time to learn everything they need to know when there were fewer classes and abilities around, so when new stuff gets added they only have that to learn. Vs a new player joining nowadays has waaaaay too much stuff to learn all at once.

Its like comparing someone who started watching One Piece when it first came out and just needs to watch the new episode each week vs someone starting from scratch now and having a thousand episodes to catch up on lol.

12

I already proposed something slightly more precise a year ago but obviously the devs don’t care enough for such things

My essential idea was similar to what you wrote, but with an added punishment for being toxic

Example:

  1. Make a group at 2000 CR
  2. List specs you want to play with
  3. Only people between 1900 and 2100 can see your group and apply to it (maybe they can even automatically press a queue button while specifying what they want to play with before that)
  4. Those people are invited automatically if they meet the spec requirements of your group
  5. You queue up immediately after an automated ready check
  6. You play together
  7. You need to play a minimum of 2 games as a team, otherwise kicking a member will result in a penalty for LFG for let’s say 30 minutes

and this way people get a chance for 2 games every time, because obviously the first game might not go great, but if somebody plays really bad for 2 games its usually a sign to play with different people

thus if the leader is toxic and kicks early he gets a punishment for not giving a person a chance

If you don’t have friends to readily queue up with, then the system should give you people based on current CR, not max CR history

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