Resolution to a few issues I had

So I downloaded the client from here and was unable to login. I was met with a persistent authentication error. I verified my username and password and even changed it a few times. I deleted and re-downloaded the no install from a variety of sources as well. Finally I noticed that the login wasn't putting all of my characters from my password in. The WoW Login interface has a character limit. My passwords are all 16+ characters, I shortened the password and that issue was resolved.

I then was met with an error of "Unable to validate game version". I deleted the client and its data a few times, re-downloaded the files but still met with the same issue. This was relatively easy to solve as I noticed the game wasn't at the correct release version. If this is your issue, your game is most likely not patched all the way. In the lower left corner it should show: 3.3.5a (12340) Release. If it does not show this or shows a different value you need to patch your game up to date. You can get the necessary patches from here: http://www.patches-scrolls.com/world_of_warcraft.php

After doing this I started getting an "Unable to connect" error. I flushed my dns, deleted my hosts file, rebooted my router, reset my router, verified my firewalls weren't blocking connectivity to the warmane servers, recreated my realmlist.wtf file, etc. Still could not resolve the issue. I updated my realmlist.wtf to this:
set realmlist logon.arena-tournament.com

Resolved the issue.

I'm glad I'm a stubborn man and saw this through to the end. Hopefully this will help a few other people out with some frustrations.