PvP Ranking in Legacy

Members in Legacy can choose to be involved in any number of guild divisions. In this quick reference guide we will explore the PvP progression track aimed at players who wish to work their way to the top for honor, glory, and respect. This is our PvP Division and generally what to expect.

Progression

To start, there are 10 ranks within our PvP Division. Anyone can join this division. They are split into 4 tiers. Ranks 1 to 3 – tier 1, ranks 4 to 6 – tier 2, ranks 7 to 9 – tier 3. Rank 10 is its own solo final fourth tier.

When members opt-in to enter the PvP Division, they are first placed as Rank 1. At that point on a bi-monthly basis, they can challenge higher ranks within their category to a duel at the upcoming 1v1 tournament. By challenging and beating their opponent, they then take that individuals same rank. They continue this until they reach the top of their given category (Rank 3, 6, 9). At the top of their category, they can request to promote into the next tier. This is granted on a number of merits, but ultimately ends in them having to duel and beat a member of the first rank of the next category. Let’s use a couple of examples:

Example 1:

 Player A is rank 2 and wishes to advance. They would challenge someone that is rank 3. That fight would then take place in a tournament in the upcoming week, or next (twice a month). If Player A beats the person they challenge, they would then become Rank 3, rightfully earning the position.

Example 2:

Player C is rank 6 and wishes to advance to Rank 7 having trained and geared up. Instead of simply challenging someone in the higher category, they need to first get approval from the Council. The Council will check a myriad of requirements, such as activity, general attitude, gear, and more – simply to make sure Player C is not wasting the time of someone in the higher rank. After quick approval, the upcoming tournament will feature the fight with special mention of this being a newcomer to the bracket. If Player C wins, he will enter the 3rd category of ranks in this example, being considered among the very best in Imperium.

Note: Sometimes we give Ranks thematic names, such as what you’d expect in Roman or Greek-themed military ranks.

Challenges and Results

As you can see, anyone can freely challenge and fight someone in their own category, even skipping a rank if they so choose (i.e. rank 1 to 3). If they win, they simply take the rank equivalent to the person they beat. They are given a one-week cooldown and can immediately challenge someone higher the next week, pending approval.

If a member loses their match within their own category, they can immediately request a follow-up challenge against that person or someone else for the next tournament. However, if they lose a promotional match, which involves trying to go from one category to another (i.e. Rank 1 to Rank 3) and they lose, they must wait a minimum of two weeks. This is to prevent abuse from players unworthy of taking higher ranks.

Becoming a Legend

The top 10 players in the guild having fought their way to the top are known as Legends. Unlike previous categories, their position is at risk – if they lose their fights against challengers they will drop from the top 10, giving the spot to the winning challenger. There can never be more than 10 “Legends” at any given time, and the entire PvP Division is out to take those spots. It should be noted as similar to previous examples, the Top 10 spots can only be challenged by those in the 3rd tier of ranks (rank 9s).

Being a member of the Legends is a symbol of pride, and not only do they represent our best in the “Grand Tourney” event against other guilds, but provide a close-knit elite unit for events, where quality matters most in elaborate missions involving detailed objectives.

PvP Content and Structure

For the PvP Division we utilize the above progression system to best organize our teams for all layers of PvP content. If an arena team is required for a special event, such as developer-hosted tournament or social tournament in the server itself, we can quickly identify our strongest players in a split-second as needed.

PvP groups will be formed based on their ranks. If we know we are going against a generally-perceived weaker guild we can send groups that consist of individuals between rank 1 and 6 to handle the issue, reserving a group of our rank 7-9 for situations in where we know we cannot afford to lose the objective. We of course don’t actually talk like this in public, we simply refer to the roster ranks and generally know the standings of our members very well without checking.

Closing

Our PvP ranking system is setup as a counter to the popular merit-based systems out there. In many guilds to advance through the ranks you have to either be actively social, know someone in leadership, or similar. In our system – even from day 1 – you know that when you are looking at a higher rank than yourself that member is legitimately a stronger player than you. If you disagree on that fact, you have the option to prove it, in front of the entire guild in a fun tournament. Progress is earned through fighting your way to the top, then continuing to fight to hold that position.