Patch 5.0.4 ends arena season, closes arenas until Mists of Pandaria

In the middle of all the excitement about patch 5.0.4 and the many changes it brings, one change that absolutely needs to be highlighted for people who primarily PvP is that not only does the patch end the current arena season, it ends arenas themselves from the day it drops (Aug. 28) until the day Mists of Pandaria launches, Sept. 25. While so far we've heard nothing saying that battlegrounds will be affected, there will be no arenas at all for roughly a month starting next week. Rated battlegrounds will also be inaccessible.

So if you're primarily an arena player, you should be aware that you won't have access to the arenas for that time. You should still be able to access battlegrounds, but not rated battlegrounds. Nothing will reward conquest points and you won't be running any arenas or rated BG's until we're all frolicking on the sandy beaches of Pandaria.

It's open warfare between Alliance and Horde in Mists of Pandaria, World of Warcraft's next expansion. Jump into five new levels with new talents and class mechanics, try the new monk class, and create a pandaren character to ally with either Horde or Alliance. Look for expansion basics in our Mists FAQ, or dig into our spring press event coverage for more details!