A strong underpinning of the World of Warcraft is the ongoing war between the Alliance and the Horde. Good vs Evil, Light vs Dark... a battle that will never truly end.
As members of either faction, you can take part in the war effort in many ways - raiding Alliance territory, providing supplies needed for war to open the gates to AQ, and what we're talking about here... the Battlegrounds or Battlefields, which are specifically set up for Player vs Player competition and are outside the game's regular map.
Why Play The Battlefields?
Players do not enter the Battlefields to gain experience for advancing their character to the next level, although some experience is earned when the Battlefield reward coupons are turned in.
Mainly, players enter into the Battlefields to engage in a practice called "Player Killing". In the battlefields, aside from the steps that need to be taken to "win", there is a lot of player-vs-player (PvP) action in the format of two warring factions clashing. Every battlefield you enter, you can pretty much guarantee you will be killed at least one time, even if you're not trying to kill others. (note: there is no equipment degradation when you die in the battlegrounds)
So, why not go in there ready to kill as many alliance as get in your way??!
No Experience For My Effort??!
While you do not get experience for killing players from the other faction in the Battlefields, you DO get something for the effort - Honor with the different groups in your faction.
Honor itself is what is used for player ranking in the PvP arena. Players who gather honor are rewarded with Military titles as they progress and gather more honor. Each week with the Tuesday morning update the prior week's honor is calculated and some players will find themselves promoted a rank or two, or even demoted a rank or two.
And continuing on, the military ranks players earn through their Battlefield and other PvP efforts earn the player the right to purchase special equipment, food, drink and trinkets which are superior quality to those found in shops and in the majority of drops one could attain at their level.
Won't I Get Pounded By Lvl 60's?
Glad you asked! ;)
The battlefields have level ranges: 10-19, 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60
So, you'll be faced with some tough folks for sure, but not ones that are completely out of range for you to contribute to killing.
Cool! Let's Form A Party And Join The Battlefields!
Great! Glad to hear that you're interested in trying it out. Now, some important information for players to understand as you head into the battlefields for the first time:
Join the main raid - since all those in the same raid party get honor shared for things like capturing/returning flags and honorable kills, everyone in the battlefield tends to join one big raid group to facilitate as much honor as possible for every member. For this reason, even if you join as a group, disband your party and say "invite please" or find a way to get into the main raid group.
The team is 10 ppl big - even if you enter with friends or guildmates, it's difficult to stick together because different players have different playing styles. Therefore, try to think of the entire raid group as your "team" even if you don't know them.
Do your best, but don't worry - even if you're brand new to the battlegrounds, just do your best. We all start out new at some point, and all have to figure out how to get our PvP feet under us, so don't worry about letting the team down in the mean time. If anyone's squawking at you over the raid line or through chats, just ignore them.
Battlegrounds can be started at level 10 with the Warsong Gulch "capture the flag" Battlefield. When you get to level 20 you can start to enter Arathi Basin, and at level 51 you can enter Alterac Valley.
How Do I Sign Up?
Look for Battlemasters in any large city - Origrimmar, Thunder Bluff, and Undercity all have battlemasters for fellow Hordelings.
Alternatively if you're going in with a friend or a guildmate, party up and get them to put the party in the queue. You can then leave the party and you will still be in the queue for the battlefield. When you come out, you will come out in front of the same Battlemaster your friend queued you both up from.
When Do We Play?
The games can happen at any time during the day or night, as soon as player requirements are met on both the Alliance and Horde side.
For instance, if there are 5 or more Alliance and 5 or more Horde in the queue for Warsong Gulch, a game will begin.
The evening is the best time to try to get into the Battlefields, although mid-day (near lunch) is also good.
Join in and if you're in my level range in Zul'jin, say hello! (or cheer me if you're alliance ;) )