World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria

[saldana]

i know we used to have a pretty solid contingent of guys playing Wow, and was wondering if anyone besides me is still grinding away.

I have been playing the Beta and am pretty stoked for the release of the expansion...today is patch 5.0.4, which is the major pre-expansion patch, and will introduce the new talent system, as well as all the new mechanics for characters so that you can learn to play all your toons again before MoP happens on 25Sept.

if anyone quit and cares to comeback, Blizz is still running the Scroll of Resurrection campaign...if your sub has been inactive for 90 days, you can get a rez that comes with a free bump to 80 for any toon you have and a free realm switch...i would be happy to send out scrolls if anyone wanted to come join me on Lothar (horde side)

[Grover]

I just re-subbed last week

[spleen1015]

I was looking forward to MoP, but with GW2 looking very well done so far, I'm not planning on coming back. The $15 isn't worth it when I'm getting a better experience for free.

[nicon22]

Looking forward to some new raiding content, but I'm still very unsure of what they're doing with the talents. Also still very unsure about what they did with spriests...may be time for a main change

[Vince, Pt. II]

I'm probably going to re-up...sadly, I'm that guy who has one of everything, so I don't need a character bump to 80.

Some of the changes to the game look pretty flippin' sweet, specifically the challenge mode dungeons.

[saldana]

Originally Posted by nicon22

Looking forward to some new raiding content, but I'm still very unsure of what they're doing with the talents. Also still very unsure about what they did with spriests...may be time for a main change

I am very happy that they are changing the talents today...will give me time to relearn how to play all my guys before the 25th....I know lots of guys have.more, but with 4 dual specced 85s, it is gonna take me. While, lol

[Vince, Pt. II]

For people playing the beta, how does the new talent system feel? Although I'll admit to being a raiding min/maxer at level cap, I really enjoyed creating my own builds for farming and leveling, and this new Diablo-esque system doesn't seem like it would jive well with a classic MMO.

[nicon22]

Originally Posted by saldana

I am very happy that they are changing the talents today...will give me time to relearn how to play all my guys before the 25th....I know lots of guys have.more, but with 4 dual specced 85s, it is gonna take me. While, lol

I dono, I just feel it went from a cool "sweet, I got another point for my tree!" to "well I guess I only get 6 choices to make, all of which do the same effect just in a different way." But regardless, today is the big day.

[Rizon]

Misties of Pandas will probably be the nail in the coffin for me. Pandas? No. Just, no. The game looks more and more like a children's cartoon.

Course, haven't played much over the last 3 years.

[Vince, Pt. II]

I've never understood the hatred the pandas get. Warcraft has ALWAYS been on the cartoony/tongue-in-cheek side of serious, even back in the old RTS days. The Pandaren have been around since what, Warcraft II? It's not like they manufactured them out of thin air (*cough*space goats*cough*). Sure, they're a shade on the ridiculous side, but they lead to a pretty awesome Oriental theme and the idea of a faction neutral race that chooses sides at level ten is awesome.

[saldana]

Originally Posted by nicon22

I dono, I just feel it went from a cool "sweet, I got another point for my tree!" to "well I guess I only get 6 choices to make, all of which do the same effect just in a different way." But regardless, today is the big day.

i only respecced my druid in the beta, and the choices in each row were pretty distinct...each choice seemed obvious, but then when you started playing, it became questionable if i chose the right one and would need to respec. it is much more streamlined, and actually i think it is nice that they took stuff that everyone would need out of the tree and only put in the things that create variation.

they did the same with the glyphs..primes are gone, majors have a serious impact on spells/abilities, and minors are now fun/goofy stuff...my buddy thoroughly enjoyed me turning into a stag so he could ride on me.

[saldana]

Originally Posted by Vince, Pt. II

I've never understood the hatred the pandas get. Warcraft has ALWAYS been on the cartoony/tongue-in-cheek side of serious, even back in the old RTS days. The Pandaren have been around since what, Warcraft II? It's not like they manufactured them out of thin air (*cough*space goats*cough*). Sure, they're a shade on the ridiculous side, but they lead to a pretty awesome Oriental theme and the idea of a faction neutral race that chooses sides at level ten is awesome.

and the starter zone is gorgeous...easily the nicest looking zone they have every built

[nicon22]

Originally Posted by saldana

i only respecced my druid in the beta, and the choices in each row were pretty distinct...each choice seemed obvious, but then when you started playing, it became questionable if i chose the right one and would need to respec. it is much more streamlined, and actually i think it is nice that they took stuff that everyone would need out of the tree and only put in the things that create variation.

they did the same with the glyphs..primes are gone, majors have a serious impact on spells/abilities, and minors are now fun/goofy stuff...my buddy thoroughly enjoyed me turning into a stag so he could ride on me.

Since I play priest, I'll take my tree.

1. all ways to CC
2. all movement ablities
3. all mana regen
4. all pvp survival spells
5. all self buffs
6. all new spells that do pretty much the same thing with different animations.

I just dont see the "big choice!" in these. No matter what spec I play, I have to take a CC at level 15, a movement ability at level 30, ect. that's all I'm trying to get at.

[spleen1015]

Hating on the Panda is just the cool thing to do. Having them in the game doesn't make it any more childish than it already is. That is just people looking for BS to hate about.

[Lathum]

I obviously haven't played in some time and likely wont ever again. They just did to much to phase out the casual player.

[spleen1015]

Originally Posted by Lathum

I obviously haven't played in some time and likely wont ever again. They just did to much to phase out the casual player.

I am interested why you feel that way. Everything they have done for the last 2 expansions was for the benefit of the causal player.

[Grover]

Originally Posted by Lathum

I obviously haven't played in some time and likely wont ever again. They just did to much to phase out the casual player.

I stopped playing because it was too catering to the casual player...

[Lathum]

I just didn't have to time to relearn the zones they made in Cata and learn to respec and reuse my toons. I just liked signing on and grinding levels, solo most of the time. It just seemed to me they made to many changes and I had to relearn the whole game, something I didnt have time to do. It also seemed like you were forced to run in bigger groups or dungeons all the time.

[Grover]

Originally Posted by saldana

i know we used to have a pretty solid contingent of guys playing Wow, and was wondering if anyone besides me is still grinding away.

I have been playing the Beta and am pretty stoked for the release of the expansion...today is patch 5.0.4, which is the major pre-expansion patch, and will introduce the new talent system, as well as all the new mechanics for characters so that you can learn to play all your toons again before MoP happens on 25Sept.

if anyone quit and cares to comeback, Blizz is still running the Scroll of Resurrection campaign...if your sub has been inactive for 90 days, you can get a rez that comes with a free bump to 80 for any toon you have and a free realm switch...i would be happy to send out scrolls if anyone wanted to come join me on Lothar (horde side)

I can't get a scroll, but I'll join you on Lothar, and I'm starting fresh with a level 1, depending on time I should be able to get up somewhat quickly? We'll see.

[saldana]

Originally Posted by Grover

I can't get a scroll, but I'll join you on Lothar, and I'm starting fresh with a level 1, depending on time I should be able to get up somewhat quickly? We'll see.

cool...my battletag is Saldana#1117...we have a small level 6 guild that is pretty much all real life friends...there arent alot of us, but we have every prof but leatherworking maxed...i will be on most of the evening working on respecs, so i can pop you an invite whenever.

[saldana]

Originally Posted by Lathum

I obviously haven't played in some time and likely wont ever again. They just did to much to phase out the casual player.

they really have simplified alot of things...the talent trees and glyphs are much simpler as of today...i know you were a bit confused when you logged in a couple months ago, but it really only took me about 15 minutes to relearn how to use my bear on the beta server...it would be awesome to have you back (i know you are busy...just saying it would be awesome) especially since there is gonna be alot of leveling to be done...if the amount of exp between 85 and 86 that you need in the beta is what you will actually need when the expansion happens, it is 13 million, with the quests cashing in at 111K

[Lathum]

Originally Posted by saldana

they really have simplified alot of things...the talent trees and glyphs are much simpler as of today...i know you were a bit confused when you logged in a couple months ago, but it really only took me about 15 minutes to relearn how to use my bear on the beta server...it would be awesome to have you back (i know you are busy...just saying it would be awesome) especially since there is gonna be alot of leveling to be done...if the amount of exp between 85 and 86 that you need in the beta is what you will actually need when the expansion happens, it is 13 million, with the quests cashing in at 111K

Maybe someday when we are on the same time zone

[saldana]

just over 16 hours til launch!

am i the only idiot here that will be up at 3am to start the grind to 90?

[spleen1015]

Originally Posted by saldana

just over 16 hours til launch!

am i the only idiot here that will be up at 3am to start the grind to 90?

Have fun!

[bulletsponge]

Originally Posted by saldana

just over 16 hours til launch!

am i the only idiot here that will be up at 3am to start the grind to 90?

yes.

call me when WOW2 comes out

[Thomkal]

Uh oh:

World of Warcraft hacked: Orgrimmar and Stormwind temporarily wiped out

[bulletsponge]

thats pretty funny. watching the hacker kill people flying high above and watching them fall was funny

[Vince, Pt. II]

So my old guildies cracked me on day three after release. I've gotta say that I'm really enjoying the expansion so far. The feel is much better than Cataclysm, and there is SO MUCH to do at the level cap now. Heroic dungeons are a joke, so my friends and I decided to try a challenge mode dungeon...let's just say they aren't a joke. It kicked our ass seven ways to Sunday.

Re-introducing world bosses is a very welcome change. We put together a 40-man group last week to take down the Sha of Anger, only to find the horde was already doing it. So we flew in and started a war. After an epic hour-and-a-half pvp fracas, we drove them off and were able to attempt the boss. I normally hate pvp, but that was awesome.

The designers also seem to have done a MUCH better job of training players on how to deal with mechanics before they introduce them. Running instances, I'm noticing trash mobs display boss mechanics before hand so you can become accustomed to them, and in the re-done Scarlet Monastery heroic, I was even informed when I died what killed me and given a tip to help avoid it next time.

[spleen1015]

I caved as well, the Friday after release. I'm not playing as nearly as hardcore as I was. I have enjoyed things so far. I think I have 1 toon halfway to 87 and a Monk at 27. Monk healing is cool, I think.

[Vince, Pt. II]

Monk leveling is ridiculous. In just a few hours on Saturday I got to 40. The xp boost + heirlooms is awesome. I have to decide if I want my offspec to be Brewmaster or Mistweaver though.

[frnk55]

Originally Posted by Vince, Pt. II

Monk leveling is ridiculous. In just a few hours on Saturday I got to 40. The xp boost + heirlooms is awesome. I have to decide if I want my offspec to be Brewmaster or Mistweaver though.

That's why I quit. Granted you had exp boosts but when I played hitting level 30 meant something. Yes this was vanilla of course. Now it's no fun for me.

[Vince, Pt. II]

To be fair, you can only get heirloom items if you already have a high level character, and the increased leveling speed is a buff you can choose not to have. But for someone like me, who has been through the 0-85 grind 10 times already, it's awesome to be able to rush this guy past all that stuff.

[Lathum]

So if I want to start playing again do I need to buy Pandaria and Cata, or can I just buy Pandaria?