Blizzard is working on a new feature for the next World of Warcraft patch that will allow players to play as a mercenary for the opposing faction in the game’s player-versus-player battlegrounds.
Mercenary Mode will add a new NPC in Stormshield for the Alliance and Warspear for the Horde, who will allow you to betray your fellow warriors by hopping into battle disguised as the enemy. The new feature is designed to reduce queues for unrated Battlegrounds, while maintaining the illusion of Horde versus Alliance warfare.
”When you compete as a mercenary,” Blizzard explains, ”you’ll still earn all the same rewards you would have by winning or losing as your own faction (with the exception of faction-specific achievements). You’ll also have your race automatically changed into one appropriate for the opposite faction while you’re still inside the Battleground or Ashran. Perhaps most importantly, however, you’ll experience much shorter queue times, as our matchmaking system will be able to fill up groups much quicker!”
There’s no set release date for the feature just yet, and Blizzard simply lists it as coming in an upcoming patch.
