So Blizzard is trolling all WoW players now.

[Morgan Evanar]

Mists of Pandaria.

HAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAAHAHHAHAHA

Truly no one at Bliz really cares any more. I could not have anticipated a more obvious troll of the player base.

[Sanis Prent]

Lucas Syndrome

(__)_)~~~~~~[you will still pay money for this]

[Yog]

Kung fu pandas?

Uhmm.. Blizzard, 1st of april is still 5 months out.

[Dasquian Belargic]

|I What a joke.

[Atreyu]

Eh, I let my sub lapse nearly 7 months ago and have barely thought about the game since - I'm more anticipating The Old Republic.

[Droo]

Not that I'm interested in playing WoW anymore. But have I missed something? I saw the expansion announcement and the teaser yesterday but my mind didn't race to thinking it was something that awful. It looked like just another expansion. :huh

Edit: Actually, when I cast my mind back to the announcement of the BC, WotLK, and Cata expansions, I have to admit it's incredibly underwhelming.

[Dasquian Belargic]

I feel like this trailer sums up why it's so crappy:

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"We ventured to a new alien world, we held the line as death itself rose like a tide, we have endured the breaking of the world, etc...

...and now we meet some Pandas."

It just feels like Blizzard has run out of ideas.

[Peter McCoy]

I'm with Droo when I say I don't see myself playing WoW again for a long, long, long, long time - if ever. But I honestly don't think it's that bad. The new race, yeah, that's not very original. But the new continent looks great. To an extent the Night Elves were inspired by asian culture in their architecture, but this is just more directly influenced and I really like it.

I wonder if the new monk class will be similar to it's Diablo 3 incarnation. Given how the other WoW classes have very strong Diablo similarities I think so.

[Sanis Prent]

The new monk class will be similar to Jack Black. It's moves will be shredding air guitar and cock pushups.

[Figrin D'an]

It's pretty clear that Blizzard has transitioned WoW from flagship status to being a lower effort cash cow. It still brings in a ton of money for them, but they are clearly focusing their creative efforts on other projects (last two parts of Starcraft 2, Diablo 3, Titan).

The signs were there in Cataclysm that the game was becoming long in the tooth with few new innovative features or interesting content. Mists of Pandaria seems to be full of a lot of gimics to try to keep people interested (i mean really... a pet battle system? World of Pokemon?)

Glad I quit playing when I did.

[Tear]

Not sure I fully understand the outrage over this expansion. The Pandaren have been a part of the Warcraft mythos dating back to Warcraft 3 (At least that's when I noticed them). The first neutral race. A new class, Monk, again not surprising.

The Pandaren look great. They're animations are fantastic. The setting looks neat. They're introducing new ways to quest and complete challenges for experience.

Blizzard isn't about giving players something they do not want. If they're introducing Pandaren, monks, this new pokemon thing ( I knew a huge amount of people who collected pets back when they were useless), there is obviously a demand.

It looks like a fun expansion. I see it doesn't have the usual dangerous/gasp/awe impact as the prior expansions did. Fighting the burning legion in outlands, or battling the scourge in Northrend had those ominous undertones.

Adventuring in mysterious Pandara is just that: An adventure. As opposed to the usual disastrous threat that comes with each expansion. Maybe that is the disconnect.

[Morgan Evanar]

Not sure I fully understand the outrage over this expansion. The Pandaren have been a part of the Warcraft mythos dating back to Warcraft 3 (At least that's when I noticed them). The first neutral race. A new class, Monk, again not surprising.

The Pandaren look great. They're animations are fantastic. The setting looks neat. They're introducing new ways to quest and complete challenges for experience.

Blizzard isn't about giving players something they do not want. If they're introducing Pandaren, monks, this new pokemon thing ( I knew a huge amount of people who collected pets back when they were useless), there is obviously a demand.

It looks like a fun expansion. I see it doesn't have the usual dangerous/gasp/awe impact as the prior expansions did. Fighting the burning legion in outlands, or battling the scourge in Northrend had those ominous undertones.

Adventuring in mysterious Pandara is just that: An adventure. As opposed to the usual disastrous threat that comes with each expansion. Maybe that is the disconnect.

It's Just Another Expansion. After the release of Wrath you can say objectively that something changed at Blizz regarding WoW. But to think this is anything but a big hehehehoohohohohahah to their raiding playerbase who has been playing since release, you're kidding yourself. I guess it has casual appeal, but in terms of any weight in WoW lore, the Pandaren are the jokiest of jokes. They could have made a storyline regarding the Horde and Alliance fighting over something full of politics, double crosses, intrigue and betrayals, but obviously we gotta have sentient pandas.

Because PANDAS

[Tear]

Love the Pandas Morg. LOVE THEM!!

[Sanis Prent]

Any species unwilling or unable to procreate to replenish their numbers without substantial outside assistance deserves only derision and scorn.

[Dasquian Belargic]

Not sure I fully understand the outrage over this expansion. The Pandaren have been a part of the Warcraft mythos dating back to Warcraft 3 (At least that's when I noticed them). The first neutral race. A new class, Monk, again not surprising.

The Pandaren look great. They're animations are fantastic. The setting looks neat. They're introducing new ways to quest and complete challenges for experience.

Blizzard isn't about giving players something they do not want. If they're introducing Pandaren, monks, this new pokemon thing ( I knew a huge amount of people who collected pets back when they were useless), there is obviously a demand.

It looks like a fun expansion. I see it doesn't have the usual dangerous/gasp/awe impact as the prior expansions did. Fighting the burning legion in outlands, or battling the scourge in Northrend had those ominous undertones.

Adventuring in mysterious Pandara is just that: An adventure. As opposed to the usual disastrous threat that comes with each expansion. Maybe that is the disconnect.

It's Just Another Expansion. After the release of Wrath you can say objectively that something changed at Blizz regarding WoW. But to think this is anything but a big hehehehoohohohohahah to their raiding playerbase who has been playing since release, you're kidding yourself. I guess it has casual appeal, but in terms of any weight in WoW lore, the Pandaren are the jokiest of jokes. They could have made a storyline regarding the Horde and Alliance fighting over something full of politics, double crosses, intrigue and betrayals, but obviously we gotta have sentient pandas.

Because PANDAS


and Pokemon! :3

[Morgan Evanar]

Love the Pandas Morg. LOVE THEM!!Yes, no, doo dooo dee doot.

Anyway I am mocking Blizzard primarily because this is completely hilarious. I mean that sincerely. This is the funniest thing Bliz could have done. I never would have guessed they would go all out and ride the Totally Awesome Sweet Alabama Liquid Snake. I knew from Cata that what Fig said was true: the people who made WoW work weren't on it any more, and it's on sustaining mode, as in not getting the full front line Blizzard Tender Lovin'. I'm not actually upset about this. It was inevitable. I'd prefer that the awesome people at Bliz move on to other projects and don't get burned out working on WoW.

I have no idea if I'll actually buy this or not. I don't even have the WoW client installed any more on my PCs. I'll probably be playing through Ye Olde Republic when this thing sniffs release.

Possibly the only thing that could have been a bigger troll of the player base if there was an expansion completely about Trolls and Troll Lore with more Troll centered dungeons and raids. Because the only people who like that stuff is Bliz.

[Dasquian Belargic]

I'll probably be playing through Ye Olde Republic when this thing sniffs release.

Exactly. Who gives a toss about pandas, we've got the whole galaxy to explore!

[Crusader]

Pandarian's have been part of Warcraft ever since War3: The Frozen Throne and people have been asking for them as player races since the beginning of WoW.

My other 5cent on this topic is that Blizzard fell in my grace when they "adjusted" their own damn lore for Burning Crusade so that the alliance could get a blue demon and the horde hot chicks.

The good and bad thing about Blizzard is that they will never release a game that wont sell or is not good that is why they have already killed 2 projects we know about: Warcraft Adventures and Starcraft: Ghost

Blizzard took no chances there and they will not in the future. I see this expansian as pure fanservice and a business decision: One more expansion for the masses means not having to fire your content team for another year. Maybe their next big thing will be far enough in development to move those people to this project. Plus they do not run out of content for the die hard fans while the competition has finally catched up after half a decade.

All in all Blizzard fans are like Iphone users. They will never leave that company as long as they get their fix. Even if it is the same fix as the last year with a better camera and voice control.

[Dasquian Belargic]

More trolling? http://uk.pc.ign.com/articles/122/1220230p1.html?utm_campaign=twposts&utm_source=twitter

'Scroll of Resurrection' gives instant level 80 and free Cata expansion plus free faction swap and realm swap.

[Atreyu]

Strikes me as more of a pitch to ex-players from Burning Crusade/Wrath days - get a character insta-leveled to 80, then you get Cata for free to continue leveling to 85. Plus you get the free realm/faction swap so you can play with your buddies (who have probably changed servers 3 times since you last played).

I can potentially see the appeal - the new-vanilla 1-60 areas introduced in Cata were great but Outland and Northrend burnt me right out when I tried to level my Goblin through the 60s and 70s (I think I gave up at 72). This deal promises to skip all that and get right into the most recent expansion.

Of course, you need buddies who are actually still playing the game to 'cast' this deal on you to get it in the first place. |I

[Xel-Naga]

But I already own Cataclysm and have several level 85's. Sad Panda... :C

[Dasquian Belargic]

Yeah I suppose it's a great pitch to players who have left the game but for anyone who has been active lately, leveling new chars, it must be kind of annoying.

[Atreyu]

World Premiere of Mists of Pandaria Opening Cinematic in August (http://us.battle.net/wow/en/blog/6576986/World_Premiere_of_Mists_of_Pandaria_Opening_Cinema tic-6_29_2012)

I'm guessing that with it being shown off in August that the expansion itself probably won't be out until Oct/Nov.

[Dasquian Belargic]

They usually release new expansions in the winter time, so that would make sense.

You know, if it was a single player RPG, I would probably love to play Mists of Pandaria. As it stands, I wouldn't go through the rigmarole of installing WoW again to try it.

[Atreyu]

I still keep it installed (even though I practically never play and haven't subbed since April 2011). I find every so often I get the 'itch' to try it again, so I just log on under my free account for an hour or so and mess around with a new character until I grow bored and that does me for another couple of months.

Mists I think will be make-or-break for me though. If I don't acquire the latest expansion I see little reason in keeping the rest of the game installed since it will be no longer up to date and thus no sense in re-subscribing ever again.

[Atreyu]

::bump::

Don't know if anybody has bothered to get the new expansion (it's been out for 2 weeks now) but was reading through some random MMO news and found some interesting info:

World Of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria Release Week Numbers Are In, Officially Down From Cataclysm (http://www.idigitaltimes.com/articles/11621/20121004/world-warcraft-mists-pandaria-release-week-numbers.htm)

Whilst the numbers are still impressive on their own (2.7M in the 1st week), it's well beneath Cata (3.3M in it's 1st day) and even WOTLK (2.8M in it's 1st day), hovering in TBC territory (and that was released over 5.5 years ago).

I haven't decided whether to jump back into it or not (part of me wouldn't mind having another run with my good old Forsaken hunter) however a check on Wowarmory (or whatever they call it now) revealed that my old guild hasn't had any active players at all in the last week. Looks like it may have died out. :\

[Crusader]

Reviews for the expansion are pretty good/decent but it is time for Blizzard to release a new IP/MMO.

[Atreyu]

Well they're busy working on Titan, which I expect to be released within another 1-2 years.