TBC Anniversary Honor farming at level 70 is most efficient when every battleground queue supports a clear purchase plan. Fast progress is not just a question of total Honor per hour. You also need the correct Battleground Marks, enough Resilience to stay functional in PvP, and a sensible decision about what to do with Arena Points before the move from Season 2 to Season 3. A player who farms without checking vendor costs can finish a long session with the wrong marks or spend a limited currency on a small upgrade while a stronger catch-up item is about to become available.
This guide explains the current Season 2 to Season 3 transition, the Arena Point conversion, the new position of Season 2 and Season 1 gear, and the fastest objective plans for Warsong Gulch, Arathi Basin, Eye of the Storm, and Alterac Valley. It also replaces the outdated purchase logic with a practical order for fresh level 70 characters, returning players, and established Arena competitors. The goal is to make every queue contribute to an item you actually intend to buy.
Season 2 to Season 3 Transition
Blizzard's published schedule lists the end of Arena Season 2 on August 18 with weekly realm restarts. Arena Season 3 begins on September 2 with weekly realm restarts, and the exact local moment follows the regional maintenance schedule. This transition matters to Honor farmers because it changes where older PvP sets are sold, removes the Arena rating requirement from discounted Season 2 gear, and places Season 1 gear at Honor vendors as a direct catch-up path.
At the end of Season 2, all remaining unspent Arena Points are converted into Honor Points at a rate of 1 Arena Point to 10 Honor Points. For example, 1,500 Arena Points become 15,000 Honor. This is an automatic currency conversion, not a player-selected exchange, so check both your Arena Point balance and your Honor balance before the season ends. Do not assume that Arena Points left in the currency tab will remain available for a later discounted purchase.
Spend Arena Points or Accept the Honor Conversion
The correct choice depends on the upgrade you can buy before the conversion. If an available Season 2 weapon or set piece is a major upgrade and fits your build, spending Arena Points can provide more value than turning those points into Honor. Arena gear normally occupies slots that are difficult to replace with battleground rewards, while Honor is easier to continue farming. On the other hand, accepting the conversion can be reasonable when no current Arena item improves your character, when your Honor shopping list contains several urgent pieces, or when you are deliberately building a fresh character's basic Resilience set.
Use the live vendor interface for the final decision because class, weapon type, existing gear, and current currency totals change the answer. After the transition, Season 2 gear is available at a discount from the Area 52 vendors and no longer requires an Arena rating. Season 1 gear moves to the Honor vendors in the Hall of Legends in Orgrimmar and Champion's Hall in Stormwind. The older set is not automatically the best item in every slot, but it becomes a valuable way to cover weak armor slots while you save Arena Points for stronger Season 2 or Season 3 upgrades.
| Transition point | What changes | Best action |
|---|---|---|
| Before Season 2 ends | Current Arena Points can still be used on items available from the live Arena vendors | Buy only a high-impact upgrade that is worth more to your character than the 1 to 10 Honor conversion |
| End of Season 2 | Unspent Arena Points convert automatically into Honor Points at 1 to 10 | Leave points unspent only when the resulting Honor supports a better overall purchase plan |
| Season 3 catch-up | Season 2 gear is discounted at Area 52 with no Arena rating requirement | Use it for strong weapons and set pieces that would otherwise take much longer to replace |
| Season 1 Honor access | Season 1 gear is sold by Honor vendors in Orgrimmar and Stormwind | Fill weak slots and build a functional Resilience baseline without delaying every upgrade for current-season gear |
Honor and Marks Reality Check Before You Queue
Honor farming becomes easier when you separate three resources. Honor comes from battleground participation, objectives, wins, and honorable kills. Battleground Marks come from specific battlegrounds and may still be required by particular Honor items or off-pieces. Arena Points come from rated Arena activity and are used for Arena rewards. The Season 2 conversion connects Arena Points to Honor once, but it does not turn the three systems into one interchangeable currency.
Your best Honor per hour normally comes from completing matches efficiently while collecting useful objective rewards. Chasing kills far from a flag, base, tower, or carrier can produce activity without advancing the scoreboard. A quick loss is not the target, but neither is a forty-minute stalemate with no meaningful objective progress. The most reliable approach is to increase your team's chance to win, shorten the time needed to secure that win, and rotate away from a battleground when its marks no longer support your next purchase.
Before the first queue, visit the relevant vendors or check the live item costs and write down the next two purchases. Record the Honor cost, every required mark type, and whether a better Season 1 or discounted Season 2 alternative will soon be available. If you have limited time or need a defined currency target, a structured TBC Honor Points farming plan can be used to match battleground sessions to the exact Honor and Marks required by those purchases.
| What to check | Why it matters | Decision rule |
|---|---|---|
| Current Honor balance | The Arena Point conversion may add a large amount of Honor at the season boundary | Plan purchases before the conversion so the added Honor has an immediate purpose |
| Arena Point balance | Every unspent point becomes 10 Honor when Season 2 ends | Compare an available Arena purchase with the exact Honor value of waiting |
| Required Battleground Marks | A high Honor balance does not help if the intended item also needs marks you do not have | Queue the battleground linked to the next confirmed vendor cost |
| Season 1 alternative | Season 1 gear at Honor vendors may provide a fast Resilience upgrade in an empty or weak slot | Use catch-up gear when it immediately improves survival and does not block a more important purchase |
| Discounted Season 2 alternative | Season 2 gear at Area 52 has stronger itemization than Season 1 gear and no Arena rating requirement after the transition | Reserve Arena currency for the slots where the Season 2 upgrade is most difficult to replace |
| Battleground holiday | Bonus periods can improve the value of objectives and completed matches | Use the active battleground when your group can finish its objectives consistently, but do not remain in repeated stalled games |
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Fastest Battleground Strategy at Level 70
The fastest battleground is not always the battleground with the shortest possible match. Queue time, faction win rate, premade quality, and the marks on your shopping list all affect real progress. A slightly longer battleground with a stable win plan can outperform a short queue that repeatedly ends in low-objective losses. Track complete sessions rather than judging a battleground from one unusually fast win.
Each battleground needs an opening assignment, a mid-game response rule, and an end-game condition. The opening prevents the team from scattering. The response rule tells players when to rotate instead of arriving one at a time. The end-game condition stops a winning position from turning into an unnecessary fight. These scripts work in organized groups, but they are also simple enough to post in battleground chat before the gates open.
Warsong Gulch: Control Flag Timing
Warsong Gulch is efficient when your team converts returns into captures instead of fighting endlessly in midfield. Start with a named flag carrier, a small defense group, and enough escort pressure to create a safe route. The carrier should know the planned exit and fallback position before entering the enemy base. Escort players should remove slows, crowd control pursuers, and stay close enough to react rather than chasing a low-health target in the opposite direction.
Defense has one priority: prevent the enemy carrier from leaving cleanly. A quick slow, stun, or coordinated focus call near the base gives your offense time to move. When the enemy flag is returned, your carrier and escort should already be positioned to score. If both teams have the flag, stop feeding isolated attacks and regroup for one coordinated return. WSG becomes a poor Honor farm when neither side can complete a capture, so rotate away if repeated games in your queue window become long stalemates.
Arathi Basin: Hold Stable Bases and Rotate Together
Arathi Basin rewards disciplined defense more than constant movement. Establish a realistic base count, assign defenders who will remain until relieved, and use a mobile group to respond to incoming attacks. A defender must call the number of enemies and the location early enough for the response group to arrive. Leaving a base to chase one opponent is usually more damaging than losing a kill, because a single unguarded capture can reverse the resource race.
When attacking, create a short window in which nobody can interrupt the flag interaction. Crowd control and focus fire matter because they remove defenders from that window, not because the kill count is the objective. After a successful capture, immediately replace injured attackers, position at the approaches, and stop pushing deeper unless the resource state requires another base. Fast AB wins come from holding what you take and forcing the enemy into predictable, unsuccessful attacks.
Eye of the Storm: Secure Towers Before Scoring the Flag
Eye of the Storm can produce fast games when tower control and flag runs support each other. The flag accelerates the score, but its value depends on how many towers your team controls at the moment of capture. Taking the flag with weak tower control often creates a long fight in the center while the enemy continues earning points. Begin by stabilizing your home tower, contesting the planned second tower as a group, and naming the player who will carry only after the map state supports a safe score.
Do not send several small groups into separate losing fights. Win one tower engagement, leave enough defense to prevent an immediate recap, and escort the flag through the safer route. If the enemy has stronger tower control, use the flag as pressure while the main group recovers a tower rather than forcing a low-value capture attempt. The efficient EotS loop is tower control, safe flag score, immediate reset, and another grouped rotation.
Alterac Valley: Complete Objectives and End the Map
Alterac Valley is valuable when the lobby treats it as an objective race. Towers, bunkers, commanders, graveyards, and the final boss all affect the route to completion. The common failure is to commit most of the team to a bridge or field fight that does not open the enemy base or protect a necessary objective. Constant combat can look productive while the match length removes any advantage in Honor per hour.
If your faction has momentum, continue the objective route and end the map instead of returning for unnecessary kills. If the enemy is ahead, defend an objective that can realistically change the result or complete available objectives that preserve match value. Do not split the team between an incomplete offense and an unsupported defense. AV is worth prioritizing when games in your region finish cleanly, especially during its holiday, but it should not dominate the session when several matches in a row stall without map progress.
Updated PvP Purchase Priorities
The Season 2 to Season 3 transition changes the purchase order because older gear moves into catch-up positions. A fresh character no longer needs to treat every Season 1 Arena piece as a long Arena Point project. Season 1 gear becomes available for Honor, while stronger Season 2 gear is discounted at Area 52 and loses its rating requirement. Season 3 gear remains the current competitive goal, but buying only current-season pieces can leave a character undergeared for too long.
Start by fixing the slot that prevents you from functioning in PvP. For many characters this is the faction Medallion if no reliable crowd-control break is available. After that, compare a weapon upgrade with the value of completing an important set bonus and filling several low-Resilience slots. Weapons often create the largest offensive increase, but healers or control-focused characters may gain more immediate match value from surviving longer through a two-piece or four-piece set bonus.
Season 1 Honor gear is best used as a bridge. Buy it for armor slots that are far below PvP quality, especially when the purchase gives a meaningful Resilience increase at a manageable cost. Do not replace a strong PvE or Season 2 item with Season 1 gear only because it is now easier to buy. Discounted Season 2 gear deserves priority for weapons and high-impact set pieces when the upgrade is large, while Season 3 currency should be protected for current-season items that define the final build.
| Priority | Purchase target | When it should move up | When it should move down |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Faction Medallion or another essential PvP utility item | You have no dependable answer to long crowd-control effects | Your current trinket already provides the required PvP break and utility |
| 2 | Major weapon upgrade | Discounted Season 2 gear provides a large damage, healing, or stat increase and no rating blocks the purchase | Your current weapon is already strong or the Arena Point cost would delay several more important upgrades |
| 3 | Two-piece or four-piece PvP set bonus | The bonus directly improves survival, control, resource use, or core ability performance | You would need to replace strong pieces for a weak bonus with little match impact |
| 4 | Season 1 Honor gear for weak armor slots | You are a fresh level 70 character with low Resilience and several PvE quest items | The slot can be filled soon with discounted Season 2 gear or a strong existing alternative |
| 5 | Honor off-pieces such as neck, cloak, bracers, belt, boots, and rings | The item fixes Resilience, hit, spell hit, or another required stat without using Arena Points | The stat distribution does not fit your spec or a near-term seasonal replacement is confirmed |
| 6 | Minor sidegrades and cosmetic purchases | Your functional PvP set and primary seasonal goals are complete | Any weapon, set bonus, utility, or Resilience gap remains |
This order is a framework rather than a universal Best in Slot list. A dual-wield class may need more than one weapon, a healer may value set bonuses differently from a damage dealer, and a tank-style battleground flag carrier may prioritize survival pieces above offensive upgrades. If your plan depends on regular weekly Arena payouts, a coordinated TBC Arena Points routine can help keep eligibility and purchase timing aligned across the transition instead of losing an entire reset to missed games.
Marks Plan for Honor Purchases
Battleground Marks still need deliberate planning, but the plan should begin with live vendor prices rather than a fixed assumption that every PvP item uses the same combination. The arrival of Season 1 gear at Honor vendors changes the shopping list, and different item categories can require different currencies. Write down the exact cost of the next purchase, farm only the missing mark type, and recheck the vendor after buying because the next priority may come from another source.
Use target bands instead of farming one mark to an arbitrary maximum. A target band is the number needed for the next one or two confirmed purchases plus a small buffer. Once you reach that number, move to the battleground tied to the next missing currency or choose the battleground with the best current Honor rate. This avoids the old trap of having many marks from a favorite battleground while the desired belt, boots, ring, or other off-piece needs a different mark.
| If you need | Queue priority | Fast-match focus | When to rotate away |
|---|---|---|---|
| Warsong Gulch Marks | Queue WSG until the confirmed purchase requirement and small buffer are covered | Coordinate carrier, escort, and defense so returns become immediate capture attempts | When games repeatedly stall or the next planned purchase needs another mark |
| Arathi Basin Marks | Queue AB when your faction can maintain stable bases and organized rotations | Defend captured nodes and attack with enough control to complete the flag interaction | When teams consistently abandon defense or your AB target is complete |
| Eye of the Storm Marks | Queue EotS when your group can combine tower control with safe flag scores | Secure towers first, then use the flag to accelerate an already stable map | When flag fights replace tower play or the required mark total is reached |
| Alterac Valley Marks | Queue AV when regional lobbies complete maps efficiently or the holiday improves its value | Advance the objective route, protect critical towers or bunkers, and finish the boss plan | When repeated matches become long choke fights without objective progress |
Practical Session Plan
Begin each session by checking four numbers: current Honor, Arena Points, marks for the next purchase, and the remaining cost of that purchase. During the Season 2 ending window, add the expected conversion value by multiplying unspent Arena Points by 10. This gives you a projected Honor total and prevents unnecessary farming for currency that will arrive automatically at the transition.
- Choose the next high-impact item from the updated priority table and confirm its live vendor, currency, and cost.
- Queue the battleground that supplies any missing mark, using the relevant objective script instead of treating honorable kills as the only goal.
- After several matches, compare Honor earned, marks earned, queue time, and match length. Change battlegrounds when another queue offers better progress toward the purchase.
- Recheck the plan after every purchase, after the Arena Point conversion, and when Season 3 vendors become active.
A good session ends with measurable progress even if the full item cost is not complete. You should know exactly how much Honor and how many marks remain, which battleground comes next, and whether a Season 1 or discounted Season 2 alternative changes the order. Avoid purchasing a small sidegrade simply because the currency is available. Saving for one weapon, utility item, or set bonus that changes match performance is usually better than scattering currency across several low-impact pieces.
Conclusion
The efficient TBC Anniversary Honor route at level 70 combines objective-based battleground play with the Season 2 to Season 3 vendor changes. Season 2 ends on August 18, Season 3 begins on September 2, and remaining Arena Points convert into Honor at 1 to 10. Discounted Season 2 gear at Area 52 has no Arena rating requirement, while Season 1 gear at the Honor vendors in Orgrimmar and Stormwind provides a direct catch-up option for fresh and returning characters.
Plan purchases before queues. Secure essential utility, evaluate the biggest weapon or set-bonus upgrade, use Season 1 Honor gear to repair weak slots, and reserve Arena currency for the Season 2 or Season 3 pieces that provide the strongest long-term value. Farm only the marks required by confirmed vendor costs, rotate away from stalled battlegrounds, and use the WSG, AB, EotS, and AV objective scripts to shorten matches without throwing away win probability. With this loop, every battleground advances a defined purchase instead of adding another unplanned currency balance.
