Why are so many people against Arena in Swtor?

Well, we are free to debate the merits of either method. As I said, I was trying to prevent "FOTM Roulette" and that seemed like the best way to do it.

What you need to consider is there are no arenas, yet classes are currently getting tweaked.

Class re-balancing is going to happen either way.

Certain classes would only own in the Arena if the Arena design itself was inherently flawed. I'm still more for rated WZs, but Arena could work, as long as the design included a few key features.

1: Dynamic environment. The arenas should have a properly interactive environment. Elevation changes, LOS, and even some hazard stuff, to encourage tactical thinking instead of strategic.

2: A reasonable time limit. 5-7 minute time limits for matches. If time runs out and all players are still standing, Tie, no rewards. If one player is down on one team, that team loses. If one player is down on each team, 2 minutes sudden death, followed by a draw.

3: Alternative win condition. Put a control point in the middle. In the case of a no-deaths tie, the team with more time controlling that point wins, encouraging players to actually engage within the short timer.

The inclusion of features like this would force players to actually engage if they wanted to win, instead of getting 30 minute LOS-fests like WoW Arenas could turn into.

+1 I agree

A lot of these posts are:

I don't want Arenas because...[Enter Assumption Here]

The biggest issue is that they are all assumptions, and aren't necessarily true nor how BW would implement Arena's if they so choose to do so.

-There doesn't have to be gear grind or any special gear associated with Arena.
-There can be separate ability sets for Arena so that it doesn't effect PvE or Warzones.

It is very possible for BW to do a good job and create an Arena that does not effect the rest of the game in the slightest. An arena would make a lot of people happy, and if they can do it in a way that doesn't "break" the rest of the game, then they probably should.

I don't think anybody (or at least very few) want an Arena for the sake of L33T gear, or balancing.

I want them cause they can be a ton of fun. I like competition, I don't need any rewards, I just like to win. Like playing a pick-up game of basketball, there aren't any rewards besides beating the other team.

I'm all for Arena... but only if there is a 1v1 system as well as 2v2, 3v3 and 5v5... Not everyone is able to pvp in a team arena environment - it would also be extremely good for balance monitoring imo

There already is an arena, it's on Tatooine.

This is where smaller battles of 2v2 & 3v3 & 5v5 should take place. Organize a tournament and use bouncers to guard the entrances/exits. Boom, there's your arenas.

All I see here is whining for another avenue to gain pvp gear where "skill" and class balance dominates.

As he stated Tatooine is the perfect place to setup an arena. If you enjoy playing in Arenas that's reward enough isn't it?

Perhaps people should be asking for a non-pvp spectating area overlooking the pit in the ffa zone.

class based MMOs should never emphasize small scale pvp. It is a nightmare for balance, and the genre is simply not suited to it. No matter how much people want to claim "skill" is the reason, was the fact that rogue mage priest dominated arenas for a season just a coincidence that skilled players played those classes? or was is class balance? Same thing for sl/sl/shadow set ups.

Was it a coincidence that pretty much every season of Wow arena has a certain class composition that rolls through people?