i think things need to be turned on their head in order to increase participation
pvp just isn’t fun for a new player no matter how many incentives you put into it
to even be a wow arena player you have to go through so many mental bottlenecks. Leveling, learning your class and spec, getting hazed by full conquest DHs dks and warriors in Bgs wearing gnome costumes named ‘gapingbutwhole’, having to learn how arena works and how every other class and your own works in arena on top of having to find two other players who play classes viable with yours with goals similar to yours to play with.
getting into arena right now as a new player is basically repeatedly getting kicked in the balls and then the end result is still just getting kicked in the balls until you can’t take it anymore. people are leaving faster than they’re coming in and the pvp community is becoming more and more refined into only diehards who have been playing for 10+ years which makes the barrier of entry even worse for a new player
Things are just decaying and I think at this point there isn’t really a way to fix it other than a massive overhaul to influence growth instead of catering to the same people they have been for the last 15 years unsuccessfully