Most people expect Vanilla PvP ranks to work like “earn X honor, get the rank”. They do not. It is a weekly competition against your own faction.
Honor is weekly and relative
You earn honor from kills and battleground wins all week. At the weekly reset, the server looks at everyone on your faction who earned honor and ranks you against each other. Your reward is based on where you placed in that line, not on a fixed honor number. A quiet week where few people grind can move you up faster than a busy week with the same effort.
Rank points, not a straight climb
Your standing is stored as rank points, and each week you gain points based on your placement. There is a ceiling on how many points you can gain in one week, which is why no one goes from nothing to the top in a few weeks. There is also decay: sit out a week and you lose points. The rank you display is your points translated into the 14-rank ladder.
Why rank 14 takes so long
Because of the weekly cap and the decay, the top rank takes months of placing near the top of your faction every week, with no weeks off. In practice it takes organised premade groups playing many hours a week for months. Most people stop well short of it on purpose.
If you just want the gear
The rank rewards come in at several rungs, not only at the top. The mid-rank weapons and armour are reachable with regular play, not a premade grind. Pick the reward you want and aim for its rank, not rank 14.