Structred PvP updates
ArenaNet is bringing in some major support for sPvP. We've seen a bit of this with different queue structures, changing tournament types, new maps, and the recent introduction of leaderboards. The team is stepping up its game, however, with the incoming patch. Custom arenas and spectator mode will both be making their beta debut.
Arena starter kits and time tokens will be available through the gem store. The starter kit will, as you may have guessed, allow you to set up your arena. It also comes with a month of time for your custom space. Time tokens will be necessary to keep your arena open after that month. Anybody can contribute time to an arena; if you're splitting with your guild, or you spend a lot of time in someone's arena and want to help out, you can totally just apply your time token to it and be good to go.
You have all sorts of controls over your custom arena, should you have both the capacity and interest to make one. You can set a name, a password (or a lack of password), a logon message, the team size, the time and score limit, the respawn type and timing, whether or not the "ready" button is in use, the number of players required to kick the game off, the number of slots that are reserved for members, the membership list, the list of banned players, map rotation, whether or not you want progression (that is, if kills, losses, and the like will be recorded), whether you want players to be able to swap out gear and skills, and whether or not autobalancing happens.
That's a lot of options! To help you navigate them, ANet has overhauled the browser to be way more helpful and informative. You'll be able to see which custom arenas you can join and search by certain settings. You can also save custom arenas as favorites so they're easy to find.
Spectator mode will be available for hotjoinable sPvP and in custom arenas. As you enter a match, you'll have an option to join as red team, blue team, random team, or spectator. You'll be able to pick a player's point of view to see from; this will allow you to inspect all of her gear, traits, and skills. You'll also be able to choose from fixed cameras that hang out near high-traffic areas if you'd rather see combat around a specific point rather than the way a single player is maneuvering.
At present, spectator mode is possible only for live spectating, without any option for playback.