Not all battles are fought for a noble cause or a greater good; some hard-fought victories are earned in the name of sport. In Azeroth and Outland, you may be fighting to protect the weak, to avenge a comrade, or to achieve some other honorable goal. But in the arenas, you fight for one thing, and one thing alone: glory. How will you fare once the gates of the arena open before you?
The Circle of BloodThe ogrish arena of the Blade's Edge Mountains in Outland is known as The Circle of Blood. One look at this arena conjures thoughts of countless, intense battles – and the consequences they render in the new arena system.

Overview
Let's take a closer look at the map layout.

The Pit
This is where you and your team prepare for the match. To make life a little easier, all spells and abilities in the pit are free, and you'll have about one minute before the fight begins – more than enough time to apply all the necessary buffs and to prepare all your trash-talk and emote macros. You do have emotes to celebrate your victory, right?
The Ramps
When you leave the pit, you'll see a ramp right in front of you running along the left wall. These ramps lead up to the bridge, one of the key strategic positions in the Circle of Blood.
The Bridge
This bridge divides the Circle of Blood into halves: your side and the enemy's. You'll have a very good view of the entire arena from here, and it's also the only way to reach the pillars.
The Pillars
One well-aimed jump places you on top of one of the pillars flanking the bridge on either side. If you're a ranged class, then you should consider jumping on one of the pillars. It helps keep enemies at a distance, and the pillars are excellent sniping spots.
The Gutters
If you take a right after leaving the pit, you'll see one of the Circle of Blood's two gutters. Players usually go for the bridge at the start of a match, so if you want to avoid enemy contact at first, the gutters on either side or under the bridge are the places to be.
Map Walkthrough
Once the gates open, your team will have to make a decision: go for the left ramp, the right ramp, or the center. Gunning for the ramp near your pit will present early access to the bridge, as well as a terrific view of what the opposing team is planning. Of course, this also means that if you're running toward the other side's ramps instead of your own, they'll be able to see you coming.

Things will invariably become a little chaotic once you're on the bridge. Ranged classes such as hunters and mages often try to reach the relative safety of one of the pillars or hang back at their ramp, while melee fighters such as warriors and rogues do their best to close the distance. There's usually a lot of fighting going on at the bridge, because controlling this landmark often means your team controls the arena.

If the fighting gets too rough and your health drops dangerously low, you can try to jump off the bridge and use the pillars to break line of sight with any characters that are chasing you. Also, if you see that your team is losing the bridge, you can always just jump down to ground level and attempt an ordered retreat.