Ton Chilton (Lead Game Designer), Greg Street (Ghostcrawler - Lead Systems Designer), and Corey Stockton (Lead Level Designer) introduced.
New arena features. Dynamic line of site (LOS), pillars moving, fire!
Ring of Valor is the new Orgrimmar Arena. It's always been in Org, just unused. They like to keep the Arenas rooted in reality instead of just a random instance. The biggest feature in Ring of Valor is animated platforms that move in non-random intervals. They don't want random aspects. They'd rather arenas be based on skill. The moving pillars interrupt LOS. You can also ride up on the pillars when they move to get away from combat.
There is also a periodic strip of fire that turns on periodically. It damages you with a 10% damage DoT, so they've done a lot of tuning on it. If you get CCed in the fire, it doesn't keep damaging you. It only gives you three ticks. People were using at as part of their strategy before they made that change. Players have to now make a choice weather to avoid or move through the fire.
Another RoV features is very close starting positions. You start below like an old Roman arena, move up, and the fights start right away, very close in to each other. It's very different and makes people think on their feet. The designers really wanted something that felt different, but still very skill-based.
Ring of Valor gameplay video shown. Shows player entering on rising platforms, new hazards, dynamic LOS. The fire hazard goes the whole width of the arena. Pillars move at opposite intervals to the fire. Players have to make a choice. Each pillar has a unique texture ontop, which lets players in coordinated games call out which pillar they are on. "Axe" or "Horn" pillar.
Dalaran Sewers is the second new arena. They wanted to make a small arena, but with lots of new gameplay mechanics. It had to fit into the look of Dalaran's seedy Sewers. "Fight Club" kind of vibe. You can actually see the arena through the grates in the floor of the sewers. Scripted NPC fights go on down there. At the center of the Arena is a timed pillar of water element that dynamically breaks LOS. Also, it has a knockback if you are standing near the water pillar when it turns on. "Area denial" when the water is on. Makes the arena even smaller.
There are no mounts allowed in this arena, though you can use Druid and Shaman travel forms. You start in raised pipes across the Arena from each other, so they had to come up with a way to keep people from hanging back in the pipe. So they added in a water element that pushes you out at the start.
Dalaran Sewers gameplay video shown. Shows the dynamic water features, including the LOS issues with the water pillar and the stairs. Part of the water feature tuning allows you to fight very close to it without the knockback. You actually have to run into it or stand under it. Crate stacks on corners of the arena area provide permanent LOS hiding places.

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