STAGE · The wider Bay
The Arena
Draft — Draft: checked against the game source, not yet read through end to endUnlocks at character level 6Bouts, ladders and rated play, introduced by The Herald's Call.
This page is further along your path. Read ahead if you’re curious; you can return when you reach this stage.
What the Arena offers
The Arena is a dedicated online match system. It includes a ladder of AI opponents, rated matchmaking and bouts that players can arrange or watch. The Arena window presents its own pages and bout cards. Its rules are handled by the relay, not by ordinary damage between players in the shared world.
The ladder and rated matchmaking are different activities. The ladder advances through its configured opponents; rated matches pair players and update their ratings. Exhibition and private sessions provide other ways to stage or watch bouts. The season clock groups ratings and rewards into fixed eight-week periods.
Start with the introduction
Reach character level 6 and receive The Herald's Call.
Follow the quest to the Arena and read the available Arena window pages.
Choose a ladder bout or a player match that fits what you want to do. Check whether the option is rated before you enter.
An account is needed for the persistent rated ladder. A rating begins at 1,000; a result moves both ratings according to the rating law, within its 100–4,000 bounds. Repeated matches against the same opponent have a daily and season count limit for rating purposes. After that, a bout may still happen but no longer counts as rated progress.
Common mistakes
Assuming world combat applies unchanged. The Arena uses a separate referee and match rules.
Treating every bout as rated. Check its label and the pair's remaining counted matches.
Confusing the ladder with a season rating. The ladder is a bout sequence; rated matchmaking changes your rating.
Next
Sources & checked facts
src/net/arena/arenaLaw.js:ARENA_SEASON_S, rating bounds andeloAfter, ladder and match lawsserver/src/index.js: relay-run Arena bouts and match handlingserver-account/src/arena.js: account ratings, season records and rated-match limitssrc/ui/arena/arenaWindow.js: Arena pages and bout cardssrc/systems/questlines/qlLines.js:introArena, The Herald's Call gatesrc/net/duel/duelRef.js: separate duel refereeResearch:
handbook/research/S1.md,handbook/research/Q1.md