Arena

An arena is a PvP location where 4 vs 4 matches take place.

For a list of all Arenas, see Category:Arenas.

Prophecies Campaign
There are two low level arenas, namely Ascalon Arena and Shiverpeak Arena. There is a maximum level on these of 10 and 15 respectively. This is so that lower level players can have PvP battles without having their level as such a disadvantage. These two arenas are not located with the rest of the arenas on The Battle Isles, but are instead located in Tyria. A Factions character must travel to Ascalon City to be able to enter the Ascalon Arena or travel to Yak's Bend to be able to enter the Shiverpeak Arena. However, by that time, most players have long since passed the arena level caps and cannot fight in them.

When a PvE character first enters Post-Searing, they immediately have access to Ascalon Arena (provided, of course, that they have not reached above level 10 while in Pre-Searing). In order to access Shiverpeak Arena, players must reach Yak's Bend, a location at the start of the Shiverpeaks. A PvP character cannot access the low level arenas.

Factions Campaign
Once a PvE character first enters Shing Jea Monastery, they will have access to Shing Jea Arena by talking to Bauyun (Arena Guard), this arena's specifications are the same as Ascalon Arena, the max level is 10 and parties are randomly picked. As this is a location in the story of Factions, PvP characters cannot access this arena. Prophecies characters can enter the outpost upon reaching Shing Jea Monastery. By this time most Prophecies characters are at level 20 and cannot fight in the arena.

High Level Arenas
All high level arenas are located on The Battle Isles continent. These arenas are not accessed directly, but instead one must go via an arena "hub". There are two such hubs, Random Arenas and Team Arenas; the difference being that Team Arenas permits players to form their own teams, while Random Arenas forces players into random teams. Team Arenas must be unlocked by winning 5 consecutive matches in the Random Arenas. The rumored Gladiator's Arena does not exist.

The high level arenas are accessible once a PvE character reaches Lion's Arch or Kaineng Center. A PvP character automatically has access to the high level arenas.

While Heroes' Ascent is marked on the map as an arena, it is normally not considered by players as one.

History
This section refers to previous versions of Guild Wars.

The low level arenas have always been the same. As for the high level arenas:

First of all, when Guild Wars was launched, there were five high level arenas:


 * D'Alessio Arena at Lion's Arch - random teams, single map
 * Fort Koga at Henge of Denravi - random teams, single map
 * Amnoon Arena at The Amnoon Oasis - random teams, single map
 * Deldrimor Arena at Droknar's Forge - chosen teams, single map
 * The Crag at Ember Light Camp - chosen teams, single map

In the May 11th 2005 update, Deldrimor Arena was renamed to Team Arenas. D'Alessio Arena was renamed to Competition arenas This was a chosen teams, random map arena. The Crag and Fort Koga were removed, because they were accessible from Team Arenas which you would have had to reach before Henge of Denravi/Ember Light Camp. At this point, PvP characters had a choice of spawning in Competition Arenas or Team Arenas, or the tournament which was then known as Tomb of the Primeval Kings. The Amnoon Arena was removed and could be reached through the competition arena.

Finally, the January 19th 2006 update moved all high level PvP combat to The Battle Isles, accessible from Lion's Arch and later Kaineng Center. New PvP characters spawn in Isle of the Nameless, a new explorable area which allows access, via certain quests and paths, to Random Arenas (the new name for Competition Arenas) and Team Arenas.