PvP gear: Arena Points, Honor and what to wear in the arena

Gear from dungeons and raids makes your hero stronger against monsters. But in the arena against a live opponent different rules apply, and you need different armour for them. In Zarhold, a card MMORPG in your browser, that’s what PvP gear is for: you buy it with currency that only PvP wins give you. Here’s where to get it, how it differs from regular items and how to gear up for the arena without wasting anything.

Two PvP currencies: Arena Points and Honor

PvP wins pay two currencies. Arena Points come from the arena, Honor from battlegrounds. A loss pays nothing.

• 1v1 arena — 10 Arena Points, plus up to 10 more if the opponent is stronger.
• 2v2 arena — 20 Arena Points.
• 3v3 arena — 30 Arena Points.
• 5v5 arena — 50 Arena Points.
• Battleground — 150 Honor.

In 1v1 the bonus is +1 point for every 100 rating your opponent has above you. Both currencies are spent in the same shop on the same gear; prices in Honor are just 5 times higher. A new arena season resets rating but leaves your currency alone. How the fights themselves work: PvP in a card game.

Weekly cap and the catch-up bonus

• You can earn up to 1,000 Arena Points and up to 5,000 Honor a week. The week starts on Monday at 03:00 Moscow time.
• The cap only applies to currency: play as much as you like, and your rating keeps changing.
• Catch-up bonus. If your PvP gear is worse than that of half the heroes who fought this season, or you have no PvP items at all, your weekly cap is 1.5 times higher: 1,500 Arena Points and 7,500 Honor. Gear is measured by PvP shop prices, and the decision is made once a week.

That way a newcomer to PvP catches up with veterans instead of falling behind for good. Details are in the knowledge base: Arena Points and Honor.

The PvP shop: what to buy and where

The shop is the PvP Shop tab in the arena (patch notes also call it the Honor vendor). The switch at the top picks the currency: “For Arena Points” or “For Honor”.

• Only blue and epic items: all four armour types — cloth, leather, mail and plate — plus accessories and weapons, including off-hands.
• Tiers by level: 1, 5, 10 and then every 5 up to 60. You can buy any tier up to your level, and the next ones are visible 5 levels ahead — so you know what to save for.
• The “Usable by me” toggle leaves only what your hero can equip by class and level. Every item card in the game also says which armour and weapons your class can use.

How a PvP item differs from a regular one

Every item in Zarhold has its own kind of protection. Hardiness protects you from creatures in PvE, Resilience from damage dealt by other players. In the arena, on battlegrounds and in duels Hardiness doesn’t count at all.

A PvP item is built for fighting people:

• 1.4 times the Health of a regular item of the same level — 40% more;
• slightly less Power — ×0.85 of a regular item;
• Resilience — protection against other players’ damage; PvP items carry no Hardiness.

Why raid gear doesn’t decide the arena

In a PvP fight your whole set’s Power can’t exceed 400: a set above the ceiling is squeezed down to exactly 400, while Health stays as it is. So a hero in the strongest raid gear loses part of their damage in the arena, and a hero in PvP gear wins on Health and Resilience. More about stats in the knowledge base: stats.

Bonus items for 1v1 arena wins

Every 1v1 win has a 3% chance to put a bonus PvP item of your level straight into your bag. It’s blue or purple — half and half — and only for your class: your armour type, your weapons. You get at most 10 such items a week per hero.

Binding: PvP items are yours right away

Everything bought in the PvP shop and every arena reward becomes personal right away: you can equip it, sell it to a merchant or disenchant it, but you can’t give it to another player or list it at the Auction House. Since the 22 October update the game shows this in your bag right after the purchase and no longer offers to list such items at the Auction House. The rule is fair for everyone: PvP gear can only be earned, never bought with gold from another player. What else counts as a personal item: personal items.

How to gear up for the arena: five steps

1. Play both the arena and battlegrounds. Arena Points and Honor build up in parallel, and each has its own weekly cap.
2. Buy the tier for your level. Tiers come every 5 levels — check what opens next and decide whether to buy now or save.
3. Turn on “Usable by me”. The shop will show only what your class can wear.
4. Keep two sets. PvE gear with Hardiness for runs and PvP gear with Resilience for the arena — different fights use different protection.
5. Test yourself before a fight. The Training Yard has an “Arena Fighter” dummy that fights by PvP rules: a damage limit per round, two-turn shields and healing decay from turn 10. How the yard works: Training dummy and damage meter.

And remember the special rules of PvP combat: a fighter loses no more than 60% of their Health per round, a shield from a card lasts two turns and is capped at 30% of Health, and the bandage is the only consumable that works in the arena. All the rules are in the knowledge base: PvP combat rules.

PvP gear FAQ

Where do I buy PvP items?

In the PvP Shop tab in the arena — for Arena Points or Honor. You can buy any tier up to your level.

Can I sell a PvP item at the Auction House?

No. PvP items from the shop and arena rewards are personal right away: you can equip them, sell them to a merchant or disenchant them, but not trade them or list them at the Auction House.

Do Arena Points and Honor expire at the end of a season?

No. A new season only resets rating; your currency stays with your hero.

Does Resilience work against monsters?

No, only against other players. In dungeons, raids and the open world you’re protected by Hardiness.

The bottom line

PvP gear in Zarhold isn’t “the best gear, period” — it’s gear for fighting people: more Health, its own protection in Resilience, and a price in currency that only wins can earn. Raid power runs into the Power ceiling in the arena, so a second set is worth taking seriously. Head to the arena, earn your first points and visit the PvP shop — and to learn about rating and seasons, read Arena rating and the Hall of Fame.