Mists of Pandaria

Mists of Pandaria, exciting! Lots of interesting things came out of Blizzcon yesterday. I wasn't surprised to hear about the new Pandaren race. I don't get the whole debate how they don't fit in. We already have Worgen which are basically mutts that walk upright and Tauren- walking, talking cows, add in space goats... You get the point. I think the Pandaren are a fun, cute race. I don't think it is some silly last minute decision to add them in either. Metzen stated that the race was originally to be added in with TBC expansion. Really, what else could they have added that would be interesting?

The new Monk class seems interesting. I am sure I will make one just to experience the class and see how I like it, as well as play through the new starting area. I had a blast with the last two new starting areas and I am sure the next will be a lot of fun too.

Lots of things I didn't expect. The whole vanity pet battle system. I have tons of pets on my main and I think it will really be fun to work on them and capture new pets from the wild. It just really sounds fun, a nice detour from the normal way of life in Azeroth. Scenarios and challenges sound awesome. I am looking forward to seeing these.

I like the direction developers want to go with MoP:

What is it that the developers want to accomplish?

• Get players back into the world, experiencing it and traveling it.
• Provide more options; more content to experience and more things to do.
• Provide players with numerous ways to earn rewards and make progress on their characters.

Talent trees seem to be totally removed and talents are more like bonuses. I think it is a nice direction. I'm a bit sick of how the trees change on a regular basis all the time, so I think this will be a solid change. I've seen some of the ideas for hunters and I thought there were some really good choices, tough choices at that!

The expansion looks beautiful, I've always thought an Asian themed expansion would be such a splendid setting in WoW. I welcome the peaceful, lovely zones, they just looked awesome. It really looks to be quite far along, as does the new race and class. I am wondering how soon they will push this out. Here's to hoping that Blizzard starts churning out expansions faster.

Valor for daily quests, yes please. Does that mean raiding is null and void now? I'm sure it will be much faster to continue to do heroics and raids for valor, it is just a nice option for some. I'm glad to see more choices on character progression.

On top of all this, Blizzard has a very tempting marketing ploy, the annual pass. Basically you commit to paying for one year of WoW. You don't have to pay for it all up front either, you can pay each month with a credit card or game card. Once you commit, you cannot cancel though. The rewards are nice, basically you get into MoP beta, receive Dioblo 3 for free and Tyrael's Charger (one for every character on account and any you create, handed out when 4.3 is released). Very tempting deal indeed. It is a good marketing idea, I really don't think Blizzard is going to go under, lol, but it is nice to see them providing some incentives for players who stay and don't run off for greener pastures.

I will admit that sometimes I am pretty fickle with WoW, but this expansion, combined with 4.3, really has my attention. I am really looking forward to it. I like the direction it is going in and I think that Blizzard is starting to listen to customers and looking at many different play styles. Dire and I are going to jump on the pass and take advantage of the bonuses. Looks like we're here to stay, for a year at least, in Azeroth.

MMO-Champ has a great recap from the first day of Blizzcon, check it out here.