how do arena rankings actually work?

[memeasaurusrex]

I'm 230 and beat a 308 by 7 points but only moved up one on platinum. Then I lose to a 266 by 1 and drop 5 on the platinum, how do they determine this?

[memeasaurusrex]

next i beat a 166 by 4 and get zero advancement, I don't get this system at all

[Remkar]

next i beat a 166 by 4 and get zero advancement, I don't get this system at all

You're confusing ELO and arena rank. They are two separate systems.

Your ELO changes whenever you play any non friendly game (arena or otherwise) based on whether you win, lose, or tie, and how your ELO compare to your opponent(s).

Your arena level on the other hand is a separate thing that ignores ELO and only that's into account your arena ranking and your opponents.

So, if you play a high ELO player who is only bronze level and beat them, your ELO should go up a good amount, but your arena ranking won't go up much of at all (especially if you are at a high arena level).

[memeasaurusrex]

No I get the difference between ELO and the rankings, I'm just trying to understand what makes a number go up or down, I've been stuck in platinum for a long time this season, beating another platinum gains one point on the ladder, losing always seems to drop me 4 or 5.

[Remkar]

No I get the difference between ELO and the rankings, I'm just trying to understand what makes a number go up or down, I've been stuck in platinum for a long time this season, beating another platinum gains one point on the ladder, losing always seems to drop me 4 or 5.

Ah, you were referencing ELO numbers in your question, so it sounded like you thought ELO had something to do with arena.

Exactly how much you gain/lose is all in the FAQ.

copy/pasted from FAQ:

When you win a game in Arena mode, you gain Arena points. You gain 3 Arena points when beating an opponent from the same league, 2 points when beating an opponent from league N-1, 1 point for beating an opponent from league N-2, and so on (and the same for higher leagues).

When you lose a game, you lose Arena points. However, you cannot go below 0 points.

(Note: If you play a 3+ game, the number of Arena points you get is divided by the number of opponents. So beating 5 opponents from the same league brings you 3 x 5 / 5 = 3 points).

When you reach 10 points, you are promoted to the upper league, with 1 point (ex: 'Silver - 1'). You win the corresponding trophy, and you can no longer be relegated for this season.