If you are not amongst the fortunate few that have a stable partner to play arenas with wherever you go, read on. This article aims to give you some guidance on how to approach and respond to other players you would like to have as your arena teammates. Apart from in-game skills relevant to the class, combinations and brackets you play, crucial to finding an appropriate partner are also irl social skills such as communication and networking. The following tips will hopefully illustrate this and draw your attention to areas you could consider developing further.

Know yourself and your objectives

Before you set on to find a new partner, it helps to be aware of your strengths, weaknesses and preferences, as well as what you want out of the game. Perhaps you are more of a rogue/mage player and less of a disc priest/rogue player? Different combinations have a variance in strategies and require you to adapt accordingly. Further to that, the combination you choose also depends on the time you can commit, as healer/dps games typically last longer than double dps. Do you aim for a high-end competitive rating or just chill games for fun? You need to be mindful of your aims and communicate these effectively to any potential teammate you interact with so that you are all on the same page and adjust your expectations correctly to avoid drama later on.

Be polite

As the old log-in interface tip reads, “kindness goes a long way”.

To attract and retain partners you need to be ready to admit your own mistakes as well as cut your partner some slack for theirs. Habits of blaming and rumination can harm your team and the relationship with your teammate. It helps to avoid them; instead, you can discuss where things went wrong in a constructive manner with an aim of improving together as a team. Approach potential teammates similarly and if they have a partner at the time you do so, there is no point throwing a tantrum over it. Be keen to listen and less ready to lecture.

Put yourself out

It goes without saying you can advertise yourself in global chat when you are looking for a teammate. When you do, it helps to be sincere about your experience and goals. Another way to put yourself out is simply hanging around the arena battlemasters, dueling hubs or doing battlegrounds – there you will hopefully find PvP oriented players who are also looking for a teammate. Depending on whether you are playing private servers or retail versions of the game, you can use in-built tools such as group finder for the same purpose. What matters is painting a truthful picture of yourself and your objectives. Nobody likes a bragger or a person with misplaced confidence and unrealistic expectations.

Ask your friends

Let your friends know that you are looking for a teammate and be open to their recommendations. Perhaps they have come across another person who is also looking or they have a better overview of the PvP landscape. By making them aware you will hopefully make the process of finding a teammate a little easier, as you will also have other people keeping an eye out for you.

Ask your opponents

Acknowledging defeat or commending your opponent for their plays is highly indicative of good sportsmanship. By doing so, you have already started to build rapport with someone you could consider later to have as a teammate instead of a rival. In relatively small communities, such as the private server ones, it is quite often the case that players who met in opposite teams go on to team up together for a future arena session. That is an additional reason why tip #2 is of significance. You could consider asking them how you could have performed better (could be an error with your Diminishing Returns management for example, or just your opener, etc.) and if they would be willing to coach you some time. 

Check the ladder

Not all players have stable arena partners; there are those who jump teams often as well people who have stayed alone in a team for some time. Unless they are inactive, you can hit them up to continue from where they stopped or start afresh. The ladder is a helpful tool to keep abreast of the PvP “scene” and will generally give you a good indication of potential teammates’ availability. In the course of scouting, though, you have to be realistic about the players you target. People with stable arena partners or huge rating disparity from your current rating are likely to turn you down, hence you should approach this pool with an open mind and with the intention of settling for less than your desired goals.

Be a visible member of the PvP communities

From discord servers to stream channels, and from premades on your server to tournaments being organised, there are usually platforms and events taking place which you can use to meet people and network with. Be authentic and spontaneous; perhaps you ask a question or put forward an opinion which strikes a chord with another player who in turn asks you to play together. Being active and visible will help you be placed on people’s radar and will significantly increase your chances of finding a teammate.

For some people, one of the most important and positive experiences out of the game was starting an arena partnership which went on to become a full-fledged friendship later on. We wish this for our readers and hope this guide sharpens their focus on possible pathways to finding an arena partner, as well as looking forward to their recommendations to make this non-exhaustive list more comprehensive.

More articles