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Next WoW Expansion Title Leaked?

Gamespot reports that the German software ratings board may have accidentally tipped Blizzard's hand on the title of the next World of Warcraft expansion. "Spotted by German community site Gamona, a listing for World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King appeared on USK yesterday, accompanied by the tag 'GC-demo,' implying Blizzard will be showing Wrath of the Lich King at this year's Games Convention in Leipzig, Germany. Responding to a request for comment, a Blizzard representative stated, 'We have not yet announced any details with regard to future expansions of World of Warcraft.'" No surprise that Northrend would be the setting for the newest expansion. A bit disappointing, really.

121 comments

  1. oh noes! a title has been leaked! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    no one cares. really. wow players will play it, other will be disinterested as usual.

    film at 11.

  2. And interestingly enough... by pthor1231 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    if you go to http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/wrath you get a 403, versus an actual webpage for http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/burningcrusade .... Who knows, maybe it is an asshole web admin at blizzard

    1. Re:And interestingly enough... by Rayonic · · Score: 1

      For all we know, this is another expansion to the WoW card game. Or perhaps the board game!

    2. Re:And interestingly enough... by LiquidCoooled · · Score: 3, Funny

      Interestingly enough, if you try http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/wrathofkhan you get the following error:

      Forbidden

      Captain Kirk does not have permission to access this server.

      --
      liqbase :: faster than paper
    3. Re:And interestingly enough... by secolactico · · Score: 1

      And "gullible" isn't on the dictionary, either.

      --
      No sig
    4. Re:And interestingly enough... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I am a lowly support level employee working for Blizzard and I will make no comment about what will and won't happen that I know of, however I will comment that Blizzard has a tendency to use IP access lists on websites, for example, a few days before the release of the Burning Crusade, before the timer was showing for registrations, we could actually see the "upgrade your account" page if you were inside the building, although the expansion content only worked after midnight on launch anyway. So, this indicates there is something there, maybe something we will see soon, something we may never see or something we will only see in months or years. Anyway, as has always been the case with Blizzard, when they are ready to show us something, they will and it will, as is also always the case with Blizzard, be absolutely awesome (subject to personal point of view of course).

    5. Re:And interestingly enough... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yes it is...

  3. More appropriate title.... by MarcoG42 · · Score: 5, Funny

    World of Warcraft: Wrath of my Girlfriend! There, two birds...one stone.

    --
    If nothing else works, a total pig-headed unwillingness to look facts in the face will see us through.
    1. Re:More appropriate title.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      World of Warcraft: Lack of a Girlfriend! There, two birds...one stone. Fixed your spelling mistakes for you.
    2. Re:More appropriate title.... by MarcoG42 · · Score: 1

      You would think so, but since putting Final Fantasy II on my GF's PSP and her subsequent inability to put the damn thing down, I believe the two addictions cancel each other out.

      --
      If nothing else works, a total pig-headed unwillingness to look facts in the face will see us through.
    3. Re:More appropriate title.... by stevesliva · · Score: 1

      It's totally going to be WoW and the Deathly Hallows.

      --
      Who do you get to be an expert to tell you something's not obvious? The least insightful person you can find? -J Roberts
    4. Re:More appropriate title.... by MarcoG42 · · Score: 1

      Nah, WoW doesn't have nearly enough named NPCs to kill off to warrant that name. Zing!

      --
      If nothing else works, a total pig-headed unwillingness to look facts in the face will see us through.
    5. Re:More appropriate title.... by the_tsi · · Score: 1

      Fred Weasley is *undead*. Finally their parents can tell the twins apart.

    6. Re:More appropriate title.... by MarcoG42 · · Score: 1

      Lends a whole new, dark humor to the whole "I'm not George, I'm Fred..." running gag. "F-F-Fred...you're alive?!"

      --
      If nothing else works, a total pig-headed unwillingness to look facts in the face will see us through.
  4. Emerald Dream as well? by Tyrsenus · · Score: 3, Informative

    There's some speculation that the Emerald Dream will make it in this expansion as well.

    There's a ton of other good info at that site too.

    1. Re:Emerald Dream as well? by juuri · · Score: 1

      I'd be surprised, just a couple months ago during an interview they claimed they had a version of the emerald dream done, but it was done before changes in direction from BC and that everything, including most of the art, was going to be scrapped.

      --
      --- I do not moderate.
  5. Wow by Thumper_SVX · · Score: 2, Funny

    That title sounds like an Elvish porno... or at least the sequel...

    1. Re:Wow by g-san · · Score: 0

      Reminds me of a time when an old buddy and I were watching Lord of the Rings I, where the future king and Steve Tyler's daughter were making lovey dovey.

      My mate asks, "So an elf and a human, would that even work?"

      I replied, "Dude, where do you think half elves come from?"

    2. Re:Wow by bigtangringo · · Score: 1

      You're thinking of:

      Whorecraft - Swords, Sorcery and Sex

      --
      Yes, I am a smart ass; it's better than the alternative.
  6. Misheard by halcyon1234 · · Score: 4, Funny

    Strange, based on the story five minutes ago, I thought the expansion was going to be something like WoW: Terrorist Training Grounds

  7. disappointing my ass by Juanvaldes · · Score: 5, Interesting

    >No surprise that Northrend would be the setting for the newest expansion. A bit disappointing, really.
    Lots of folks were pissed off last year when it was revealed that the expansion would not be Northrend but instead Outland. I think this will make quite a few WoW addicts happy.

    1. Re:disappointing my ass by tbannist · · Score: 2, Insightful

      If they're still playing the game...

      But definitely Northrend would have seemed to be a better release to come before Outland. I mean after getting an alien world to explore, a frozen continent seems like a lacklustre follow up.

      --
      Fanatically anti-fanatical
    2. Re:disappointing my ass by the+unbeliever · · Score: 2, Informative

      It fits with the story, really.

      Arthas is nearly a god in the Warcraft mythos at this point, considering he wields Frostmourne, which has all the power of the Lich King in it.

      God, I'm a huge nerd.

    3. Re:disappointing my ass by megamerican · · Score: 5, Funny

      They'll change the title to WOW: An Inconvenient Truth, where global warming threatens Northrend. The cause will be from the declining numbers of pirates.

      --
      If you have something that you dont want anyone to know, maybe you shouldnt be doing it in the first place -Eric Schmidt
    4. Re:disappointing my ass by AuMatar · · Score: 3, Funny

      I knew I killed too many pirates down in Booty Bay :(

      --
      I still have more fans than freaks. WTF is wrong with you people?
    5. Re:disappointing my ass by Izmir+Stinger · · Score: 0

      The Flying Spaghetti Monster is displeased.

      --
      ~Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum sonatur.
    6. Re:disappointing my ass by NevermindPhreak · · Score: 1

      actually, Archimonde should probably be more powerful than Arthas, even as the new Lich King. Archimonde was supposed to be almost on par with Kil'Jaeden as a fellow leader of the Eredar, and Kil'Jaeden is the one responsible for turning Ner'zhul into the Lich King, who is in turn responsible for corrupting Arthas and merging with him. with Archimonde being that powerful, it's pretty disappointing that he gets killed on Mount Hyjal.

      granted, that involved a lot of people. and when the Lich King merged with Arthas, they may have become more powerful. and that was so far in the past, that the new Lich King may have become much more powerful in the meantime. but i think the next expansion will ultimately lead to Kil'Jaeden, just like BC ultimately led to Illidan.

      hopefully you feel like less of a nerd now. :)

    7. Re:disappointing my ass by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Actually, the whole area around the Frozen Throne was melted at the end, wasn't it?

  8. I originally read that as Wrath of the Lion King by ButtercupSaiyan · · Score: 1

    Thus, leading to several seconds of confusion on my part ... (when did Blizzard team up with Disney? Is it April Fool's already? etc. ... )

  9. World of Grindcraft by Hubbell · · Score: 1, Troll

    New title will be World of Grindcraft: Grinder's Paradise! New reskinned mobs and bosses with pathetically simple AI! New reskinned race! More of the same no skill point and click koreanstyle grindfest!

    1. Re:World of Grindcraft by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So I take it your guild has killed Illidan.

    2. Re:World of Grindcraft by Gravatron · · Score: 1

      I don't think WoW counts as a grindfest. Everquest was a grindfest. AC was grind. WoW's best played by just doing quests.

      well, at least till the high end. Then it's all about farming. Loot seems to flow like water in BC though, so it's not much a concern.

    3. Re:World of Grindcraft by zippthorne · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Quests whose object is... grinding.

      --
      Can you be Even More Awesome?!
    4. Re:World of Grindcraft by Gravatron · · Score: 2, Informative

      Not really. Most are fetch quests or kill quests. Even if you do "grind" usualys its only for a few minutes to collect X number of items. Compair that to say, Everquest, where you spent 95% of the time sitting at a camp pulling mobs for hours on end for only a minor advancement in level.

    5. Re:World of Grindcraft by Hubbell · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I really wish I didn't post on this topic so I could mod you down.
      Asheron's Call was not a grind except in the loosest interpretation of the word. That's like saying russians are asians, when you know damn well what the person means by asian.

    6. Re:World of Grindcraft by toleraen · · Score: 1

      When I last played EQ (7 months ago), it took maybe 4-6 hours for each level in the 50-60 range. It went up about an hour or two every 5 levels after that, until 70 where it took a more significant amount of time. Leveling in EQ really doesn't take that long anymore. Odds are you'll spend more time getting groups together than it takes to actually level.

      And maybe I'm doing it wrong, but last time I played WoW (yesterday), I spent ~2 hours non-stop killing orange mobs, and I got roughly 35% of a level. With rested xp. At level 34. With mostly blue gear. Don't kid yourself that WoW isn't a grind...it's usually much more efficient to grab a quest, go out and 'grind' the items, and then stay at that spot and continue to grind for the rest of the session.

    7. Re:World of Grindcraft by Babbster · · Score: 1

      Don't kid yourself that WoW isn't a grind...it's usually much more efficient to grab a quest, go out and 'grind' the items, and then stay at that spot and continue to grind for the rest of the session.

      I'm now entering my third month of play, and I haven't felt like that at all. I'm now level 56 and have had no trouble finding zones in which I can get multiple quests with relatively close "turn-in spots," making a bucket of XP in the process. While I'm not going to level every couple hours (nor should you since someone who plays every day would quickly lap companions who take a day or three off per week, not to mention making it so that you have less "meaningful" things to do per level), a level every 6-8 hours played is pretty standard for me, and the vast majority of my XP comes from quests (or dungeons which, to me, are even more fun).

      As far as I can tell, the only way WoW becomes a grind is if the player chooses to make it so. The huge number of quests combined with the large amount of experience provided by them (most commonly the equivalent of 15-20 even-level kills plus, of course, the occasional "phat lewt") means that a player can always be participating in a "story" and not just be clearing areas of assorted beasts and demons.
    8. Re:World of Grindcraft by ZombieWomble · · Score: 1
      Wait, so that's 6 hours of rested grinding to gain one level at level 34? I'm somewhat baffled by how wrong that sounds, although it is somewhat offset by the fact that you are approaching the game in almost exactly the wrong fashion if you're concerned about efficiency and dislike grinding.

      Grinding on oranges is a bad idea as you lose a significant chunk of dps when you go to "orange", so the loss in throughput is nowhere near offset by the increase in xp yield. Similarly, you want to be almost always questing - for most quests, this gives a 50 to 100% improvement per kill (barring some of the particularly stupid ones). Just plan your quests a little and you can generally do fistfuls of quests in a cycle round a zone, which cuts down on time lost traveling and helps mix up the variety of what you're doing to take the edge off the "grind" feeling.

      I was a bit lazy, and grabbed a copy of one of the optimal questing guides for when I wanted to try out an alt, and positively tore up the levels, even though I wasn't particularly efficient: time per level steadily increased, but it was only about 3 or 4 hours of not fully rested leveling for level 60. I can imagine you'd think the game was a grindfest if you're somehow taking twice that amount of time per level and are barely into the middle stretch of levels.

    9. Re:World of Grindcraft by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If you want to grind, consider getting a stable group and grinding in instances. If you have a good group, and run stuff like low-end scarlet monastary, razorfen kraul, or even blackfathom deeps (most will be green there, but still give decent exp), you should level quickly.

      Instance grinding also gives better loot for the level, compared to grinding on oranges, or even reds.

    10. Re:World of Grindcraft by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I guess I am doing it wrong then! Which 'optimal questing guide' did you use? And I should clarify...I don't particularly mind grinding, as long as it isn't the exact same camp every time.

    11. Re:World of Grindcraft by MeanderingMind · · Score: 1

      Killing orange mobs is your problem.

      It's counter-intuitive, but you actually level faster killing green mobs for several reasons.

      1) They are lower level than you, which means:
      -a) You are harder to hit and damage.
      -b) They are easier to hit and damage.
      -c) They do less damage as a rule.
      -d) They have less health.

      2) Orange mobs are higher level than you, which indicates the exact opposite of the above and also adds the additional possibility of sustaining Crushing Blows. Going after orange mobs is especially difficult for caster classes.

      Basically, fighting higher level mobs will get you more exp per kill, but at the high cost of time spent killing and subsequent downtime. The difference between a level 31 and a level 37 mob isn't a whole lot in terms of exp (10-20% at the absolute most), but the difference in ease of killing is substancial.

      Anything that reduces downtime is key to increasing exp/hour. Bandages over using mana to heal yourself, and food/drink are imperitive. When my Warlock was level 57 with full rest I averaged around 7 bars per hour constantly killing undead in WPL. That's 35% of a level in half the time you described more than 30 levels later.

      WoW is a grind, though perhaps less of one compared to other games. But if you're going to grind and not quest, you should be able to do better than you were especially at your level.

      --
      Thunderclone: ONE MAN ENTERS! TWO MEN LEAVE! ONE MAN ENTERS! TWO MEN LEAVE!
    12. Re:World of Grindcraft by ZombieWomble · · Score: 1

      Hmm. Buggered if I can remember what guide it was now, the last alt I leveled was back before the first expansion came out, so it's been a while. Jame's guide, perhaps? In reality, the guide isn't really that important, as provided you plan out your leveling halfway sensibly it's not really that much of a problem. I only really went looking for one as I was just lazy and didn't want to bother cross-referencing the mess of leveling zones scattered across Azeroth in the middle levels as I had switched factions and wasn't familiar with the ordering.

    13. Re:World of Grindcraft by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

      Jame's alliance leveling guide is pretty decent imo, and i think he wrote a horde one recently wow-pro.com

    14. Re:World of Grindcraft by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Joana made the horde leveling guide. Google "joana.rar" if you don't want to pay for it.

    15. Re:World of Grindcraft by zippthorne · · Score: 1

      I guess I just have a different definition of grind than you. For me, whether I have to kill 100 goretusk in order to get materials for some silly soup (which incidentally gives some bonus XP), or I have to kill 100 goretusk to get enough exp to move on to the next thing, I'm still killing some boring mob 100x.

      Sometimes, it's worse if they're hard to kill, forcing you into whatever fixed killing sequence happens to work for that particular beast. But after the four or five of 'em it takes to figure out that sequence, the remaining 96 are just tedious grinding.

      --
      Can you be Even More Awesome?!
    16. Re:World of Grindcraft by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Sounds like it imitates life perfectly.

      I'm actually losing rep with my CorporateWhore faction by posting on Slashdot during work hours.

      I'll have to grind that back up by staying late and grinding on my code.

      Then I'll go home and grind some cooking skill and work on getting a strength buff to my right arm.

      When it comes down to it, life is a pointless grind with no payoff other than hanging out with other people while you do it and collecting shinies that have no value beyond what we place on them. So saying WoW is bad because it's a grind is as damning of life in general as it is to any video game.

    17. Re:World of Grindcraft by KoldKompress · · Score: 1

      Asherons Call 1 was still one of the best MMORPGs ever. I didn't really like the direction AC2 took, other than the quest system and the Crafting system was pretty good too.
      I've done grinds in AC, but the combat was fantastic.. I never really got bored fighting, as it's a very exciting game to play, combat wise.
      And the story was pretty bitchin', yo.

    18. Re:World of Grindcraft by Hubbell · · Score: 1

      Fluid and dynamic combat via the ability to slide while performing actions. 3 playerskill being the most important factor in PVP/PVE fighting. Used to run into the middle of caulcano while Admins/Envoys watched and they would claim I was gearing as I fought for 20minutes straight not getting hit by shit.

    19. Re:World of Grindcraft by Sangui · · Score: 1

      That's your problem. You don't kill orange mobs. You kill things within 1 level of yourself.

  10. Oooh. by Funkcikle · · Score: 1

    Yet more pixel crack for me to collect! Woohoo!

  11. Soon to follow... by danbert8 · · Score: 1, Funny

    World of Warcraft: Wrath of Leeroy Jenkins

    --
    Yes it's an anecdote! Were you expecting original research in a Slashdot comment?
  12. What's up with Blizzard? by HBI · · Score: 0

    WoW has seriously lost its cool factor, and a lot of people won't be going back no matter what they put in the next expansion.

    Why aren't they ready with a successor? It's now 3 years in...

    --
    HBI's Law: Frequency of calling others Nazis is directly correlated with the likelihood of the accuser being Communist.
    1. Re:What's up with Blizzard? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's called Runescape. Rock on!

    2. Re:What's up with Blizzard? by everphilski · · Score: 1

      Why do they only have 1 expansion, with the second only on the horizon? EQ has like... 14 expansions in 8 years :P

    3. Re:What's up with Blizzard? by Sarutobi · · Score: 1

      They just cracked the 9 million user mark!

      WoW is not going down anytime soon simply because it is so profitable. Even with "only" a million users, it's still 10 million $ in revenue per month! While I hope they are working on creating new intellectual property, I think we won't see anything come out while WoW still enjoys popularity.

      And, I know Starcraft 2 has been announced, but it won't come out for a while and I don't believed it's aimed at quite the same crowd.

      --
      Think about this: Axe and Dove are actually the same company. Vincent L.B.
    4. Re:What's up with Blizzard? by everphilski · · Score: 1

      let me follow that up by saying expansions are good, but balancing the amount of land mass you have with the number of active players is important ... EQ screwed up partially in adding too much land mass (I like it, but it makes you feel alone in the world ... again, why I like it, but makes grouping a bit more difficult at times). They did correct themselves with a number of expansions that added a lot of content - soloable, groupable and raidable - with little to no additional landmass, by way of instanced dungeons and extensions on existing continents, meshing with existing zones, not creating new continents, planets or 'planes'.

      something important to keep in mind

    5. Re:What's up with Blizzard? by Fozzyuw · · Score: 1

      WoW has seriously lost its cool factor

      Really? Why and compared to what? As 'to be cool' has to be related to something. What's the 'cool' benchmark for MMO's?

      a lot of people won't be going back no matter what they put in the next expansion.

      Really? Why? I stopped playing some months ago and I have little reason to start playing again, but I would be the first to pre-order the next expansion and play it. I enjoy WoW, but only when I can progress my character. Unfortunately, 'WoW end-game' doesn't fit into my schedule so I'm pretty much done once I hit max level and I don't care for the $15/month price tag. $10/month? I'd consider playing again.

      Why aren't they ready with a successor? It's now 3 years in...

      Why should they be? Pumping out crap does not a good game make. Though, in your defense, I do believe Bliz. has enough money and resources to organize multiple teams producing content.

      Though, again, I've not played in many months and I left just before they gave Hunters a better heal spell for their pets... which I was asking for since day one. *bleh* So, something could have changed since I left.

      Cheers,
      Fozzy

      --
      "The past was erased, the erasure was forgotten, the lie became truth." ~1984 George Orwell
    6. Re:What's up with Blizzard? by everphilski · · Score: 1, Informative

      Remember, though, the bulk of those users are Chinese, paying a few pennies an hour to play. While they are making a killing, they aren't making nearly as much as most people believe.

    7. Re:What's up with Blizzard? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      WoW is why I'm desperately hoping that SWG didn't kill the future for sandbox MMOs. How many times can you experience the WoW content before you are bored out of your skull with it? No I haven't killed Illidan, I got bored after Mag and Doom Reaver - the lockouts and gear progression killed it for me, and I was already bored silly by WoW pvp about a year ago. The game is filled with beautiful content, great content, but it's static, and quickly becomes stale without any sort of customization or user created content.

    8. Re:What's up with Blizzard? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      9,000,000 subscriptions x $15/month = $ 13,500,000/month or $1.62 billion a year.

    9. Re:What's up with Blizzard? by everphilski · · Score: 1

      why troll? check out a Blizzard press release stating it, and according to this site they are paying ~5c/hour.

  13. you're all wrong by rpillala · · Score: 1

    Watch it be the Nintendo DS version.

    --
    When the axe came to the forest, the trees said, "Look out - the handle was once one of us."
  14. Actual Title Leaked by spocksbrain · · Score: 5, Funny

    World of Warcraft: The Quest for More Money

    1. Re:Actual Title Leaked by Joe+the+Lesser · · Score: 3, Funny

      Comes free when you buy 'World of Warcraft: The Flamethrower'!

      --
      "I only speak the truth"
      Karma: null(Mostly affected by an unassigned variable)
    2. Re:Actual Title Leaked by morari · · Score: 0, Flamebait

      Fact of the matter? TBC is a danmned good expansion. Damned good. By industry standards. By MMORPG standards. By Blizzard's own standards. And of course, by mine. An MMO good enough to have a "damned good" expansion? Clearly everyone has very low standards...
      --
      "He who can destroy a thing, controls a thing." --Paul Atreides, Dune
    3. Re:Actual Title Leaked by spocksbrain · · Score: 1

      You obviously havn't seen Spaceballs. Down, rabid basement dweller! Go back to your craftpipe!

  15. "leaked"? by Opportunist · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Sounds more like "hyped".

    Or does anything think Blizzard minds the free publicity and getting WoW-fans all over the world into a "wannahave" frenzy?

    --
    We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    1. Re:"leaked"? by Aereus · · Score: 1

      What exactly do you think an MMO is about? Nearly all of them are about exactly that -- leveling your character and improving their equipment. Of course you could always be disillusioned and quit. I'm sure you could start another MMO, leveling your character up and getting them new equipment...

    2. Re:"leaked"? by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      Actually that BC expansion did that for a few friends of mine. They were the proverbial WoW addicts. You didn't see them anymore, one lost his job over it (the other one didn't have one to start). Then BC. Then...

      "What? The ultrahypermegaubersword I got after 3 months of grinding is worthless with the first green drop in the new instance?"

      And they were cured.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  16. ANY more levels or item grinding, and ill quit by unity100 · · Score: 2, Interesting

    and quit like hell.

    1. Re:ANY more levels or item grinding, and ill quit by analog_line · · Score: 1

      Pardon me, but if levelling and item grinding will make you quit, why the fuck are you still playing?

    2. Re:ANY more levels or item grinding, and ill quit by unity100 · · Score: 1

      because i already grinded my way to top, and this is the first grind i made seriously in a mmo game. and i wont do it again.

  17. is this the end of the world... by micromuncher · · Score: 1

    ...of warcraft? WarCraft: Sword of One Thousand Truths.

    --
    /\/\icro/\/\uncher
  18. Hmm... by MeanderingMind · · Score: 1

    I'd appreciate it if this expansion included easier leveling up to 70/80. The amount of time and effort it takes to level and properly gear an alt is increasingly prohibitive.

    --
    Thunderclone: ONE MAN ENTERS! TWO MEN LEAVE! ONE MAN ENTERS! TWO MEN LEAVE!
    1. Re:Hmm... by jeffasselin · · Score: 1

      WHAT? Leveling to 70 was pretty much a joke, although fairly enjoyable. Gearing up at 70, with epic craftables is not very hard either.

      Instance running is a problem these days. A lot of people have quit, a lot of people don't want to run the instances anymore, and all your hear all day in Shattrath is "LF1M tank".

      --
      If he explores all forms and substances Straight homeward to their symbol-essences; He shall not die.
    2. Re:Hmm... by MeanderingMind · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Don't be so surprised.

      I work a standard 40 hour work week, and also enjoy such things as eating and sleeping. Assuming I get a decent 8 hours of sleep a night, spend 1.5 hours on food and hygene and 1 hour commuting; 5 out of 7 days of the week I have a total of 5.5 hours of free time.

      Assuming 15 days /played, that's more than 60 weekdays worth (or 12 weeks) of devoting every hour of free time to WoW to go from 1-70. However, that doesn't cover running the instances to get the required gear/rep to begin raiding, nor does it cover that if the character in question being leveled is an alt it is entirely possible that one will be continually interrupted by guildies needing another person to tank/dps some instance.

      Conversely, the typical console game completion time is 40 hours, or 80 hours if it's an unlockfest. In the time it takes to level (not gear) an alt, one could potentially complete 4-7 console games.

      The problem will only become worse as the level cap increases. There are a large number of group quests in Outland that will be difficult to complete for alts due to the lack of contemporaries, most having moved on to newer pastures save for the occaisional raid. If Blizzard intends on further increasing the level cap it will become prohibitive for new players or alts to successfully catch up to other players.

      I'm not asking for the option to instantly spawn characters at high levels. Leveling is an excellent way to allow players to understand and master a class. However, the amount of time required to do so is too much.

      I personally recommend increasing the exp received from quests by a substancial amount. This can be lessened in earlier areas where the quests are already enough to carry a player from zone to zone, but should begin to take significant effect by level 25. Multi-zoning shouldn't be a necessary measure in order to level.

      --
      Thunderclone: ONE MAN ENTERS! TWO MEN LEAVE! ONE MAN ENTERS! TWO MEN LEAVE!
    3. Re:Hmm... by NevermindPhreak · · Score: 1

      mod parent up. i honestly think the time to level to 70 should be negligible, to encourage people to develop more alts. more characters allow for more flexibility. as it stands now, i'm considering quitting because of the huge time investments WoW is requiring now.


      compare /played times with whoever says that it doesn't require a huge time investment. every time i do, it ends up dwarfing me by 2-3 times, and i used to be a "hardcore raider" in the Naxx days.

    4. Re:Hmm... by Anxarcule · · Score: 1

      I always thought WoW did a good job of providing instance content for almost all level ranges. In my experience, most people who want to speed to 70 seem to want to do so because of the instance content, but really, there is plenty to see at all level ranges. Either that, or they want to get rich quickly, but I've not yet seen a game design where one's material wealth is based on some form of either time or skill, so we can't really fault WoW in that regard.

      Of course, there are plenty of free permanent state game options for those of us who are not keen on spending a monthly subscription on anything. (Non-commercial MUDs come to mind, as do games like Kingdom of Loathing.)

    5. Re:Hmm... by irc.goatse.cx+troll · · Score: 1

      I'd like to rush to 70 just because earlier content is generally solo, as wow punishes group play with harsh xp splitting, long chain quests that you cant just jump in on, and the fact that unless your friends are lvling alts, the lvl difference alone will make it impossible to play with each other.

      Note that I'm talking purely about getting alts to 70, as I have a 70 warlock main. I think the solution would be allowing you to buy alts with gold from your main, or some kind of 70 questline to get you a free 60 or something.

      --
      Pain lasts, kid. Its how you know you're alive. Sometimes I think this growing up thing is just pain management-TheMaxx
    6. Re:Hmm... by AK+Marc · · Score: 1

      I'm confused. You make it sound like level 70 is the end of the game (comparing the time to 70 with other games), while at the same time speaking as if the game doesn't begin until level 70. If you don't enjoy playing levels 20-50, then it isn't a game I'd suggest you play. Perhaps you can pay one of the services to level your characters for you, then take them back over at level 70. I'm not sure what you are looking for out of the game, but you seem to be down on it for having so much playtime. Yet, that's a big complaint about other games (not enough playtime).

    7. Re:Hmm... by brkello · · Score: 1

      These posts always amuse me just because I have played other MMORPGs. The amount of time to level in WoW is tiny compared to other games. That is why it is popular with casuals. I have done raiding in end game guilds and while some of it is fun and interesting, it is mostly a pain in the rear. Honestly, I have the most fun leveling my characters. So much that once I hit the max level I generally cancel my subscription after doing a little raiding. Basically, what you want is a game that caters to you. I think the subscription numbers says it all...it is easy enough to level. Only when you have the "the game begins at 70" mentality do you start complaining. It really doesn't...enjoy the ride. On the other side, I can see how grinding many characters to 70 would be annoying since you have already seen the content...but at that point, you have lots of time. With your time schedule, even when you get to 70 you don't have enough time to raid, so I don't understand what you are complaining about. Once you are done leveling you won't have much to do that doesn't require a much larger time commitment.

      --
      Support a great indie game: http://www.abaddon360.com
    8. Re:Hmm... by gasaraki · · Score: 2, Informative

      Levelling is fun when you're doing quests and instances, but way too much pre-60 levelling isn't do either but running from point to point all over the world map. Quests in Shimmering Flats tell you to go to Booty Bay then to Grom'gol then back to Shimmering Flats. I won't even go into the 'epic' levelling quests like Shaman totem quests, Warlock pet quests, etc. In those days the designers though, the more of the world you cover, the harder or more rewarding the quest, In actuality it's just running around for 45 minutes to kill 3 mobs. Not fun at all.

      Also, getting an instance run on a pre-60 instance is near impossible on an old server because at any given point in time, maybe 5-10% of the players online are pre-70, and even fewer around your level. There are maybe 2-3 instances you're gauaranteed to be able to run (Horde side say WC and SM Arms/Cath), anything else, good luck.

      There is also the problem of relatively underpowered characters when levelling. At 70, even in greens/blues, it takes maybe 10 seconds to kill an even con mob and you'll lose almost no health/mana doing it. Grinding is very fast-paced with decent rewards and very little downtime. Pre-60 killing an even con can take 30 seconds and 30% or more of both your health and mana depending on your class. It's a much more frustrating experience when coming from the 70 game.

      The fact that other MMOs are even more punishing is unimportant, most people who play WoW don't other MMOs, at least any more, for that exact reason. But within WoW, there's a massive difference to the way characters level before and after Outland, and I tihnk anyone who's played Outland is going to be spoiled by how much better the design there is when going back to the old world.

    9. Re:Hmm... by tknd · · Score: 1

      I'm not asking for the option to instantly spawn characters at high levels. Leveling is an excellent way to allow players to understand and master a class. However, the amount of time required to do so is too much.

      I don't think so. Any game that contains character "levels" is broken unless it is a console single player genre where it doesn't really matter. Levels are a weak excuse to give a player a goal: the highest level can be level 60 or 70, therefore you feel as though it is necessary to attain that level. That is the very flaw because now the player is given a goal, the game has a structure, and everything else goes out the window...

      Until the player realizes the flaw: the level means nothing other than a PvE treadmill. The first time on the treadmill was probably the best. The second time, not so much. The third it starts to become a chore. The problem is knowledge about the game is retained regardless of the avatar the player controls. Therefore, the character should not grow at the game designer's intention, but at the player's intention. If the player already possesses the knowledge to use a skill, he should be allowed to use it, not be forced to go through the same mundane tasks to achieve proficiency in it that may not even teach him how to actually use the true potential.

      MMO games need to change. They need to expand horizontally instead of vertically (levels, high level areas, high level gear, etc). Some would call this approach a "skill" based approach where a player learns each skill independently of the avatar's level. In fact, the avatar may have no level associated with it. The problem with this idea is it doesn't present customer lock-in because there in fact is no treadmill. But I wager that such an approach will be better than any treadmill approach. If the player attains enjoyment through playing the game, not because of a treadmill, but because it is actually a fun game, then that will keep it in business for just as long as any treadmill burdened game.

    10. Re:Hmm... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      They are adding heroic classes which start at high lvls of experience once you achieve some status with your main.

    11. Re:Hmm... by braindrainbahrain · · Score: 1

      a "skill" based approach where a player learns each skill independently of the avatar's level. In fact, the avatar may have no level associated with it

      Funny, you just described how Eve Online works.

      See you in low sec!

    12. Re:Hmm... by Fozzyuw · · Score: 1

      Instance running is a problem these days. A lot of people have quit, a lot of people don't want to run the instances anymore, and all your hear all day in Shattrath is "LF1M tank".

      That's pretty much how I felt not long after hitting 70, which was an 'on-par' leveling schedule when the expansion was released. That's also how I felt when I hit level 60 and tried to get set pieced from places like Strat. or Scholo.

      As it was, even in a good large guild (50 or so people) very little guild members wanted to do that, or not enough of the right class combination. Heck, I'm the kind of person who, at level 70, would still enjoy going through Strat. or Scholo. to either a) finish set pieces or b) just enjoy the ambiance and story of the place so it doesn't take 2-3 hours to complete and I can understand every corner of the place.

      I won't get into the idea of trying to get people together to get 'keyed' so I could catch up to my guild raiding zone or have the hours on a Fri. or Sat. night (when I'm out at a bar or friends house having a good time) to raid.

      Funny thing. I'm a gamer. I'd call myself an addicted even. My favorite thing since I can remember was a game with "2-Players" option on a console and being able to play said game with a friend. When I started MMO's on EQ, where quests where rare, grouping was forced, and the only way to go was to grind and it was slow, I found myself meeting and interacting with more people.

      Now that MMO's are moving towards soloing and quest oriented XP, I find myself spending less time playing with someone else and more time trying to find someone to adventure with. I a way I find that this 'style' of MMO development leads to a 'care-for-yourself' and 'gimme-gimme-gimme' mentality. You'll only get a fellow group member if they have the same quest. Said group member will leave as soon as their quest is finished and will not help out on another quest, even if it's fast, simple, and easy. To some extremes, people will leave when they finish their quest (such as kill 30 mobs) and others have not (they might still need 10 more mobs). Likewise, if they get the item they want, they'll leave, port back to city, and leave the group hanging in the middle of a dungeon.

      I sometimes wonder if forced grouping and more mob grinding is better for MMO's than free-for-all solo content and questing. Of course, this only effects the individuals who log on and play. Those who organize a time with 4-5 other friends to play at the same time are not really effected as they're always in a group, despite being able to solo.

      Cheers,
      Fozzy

      --
      "The past was erased, the erasure was forgotten, the lie became truth." ~1984 George Orwell
    13. Re:Hmm... by MeanderingMind · · Score: 1

      I was talking purely within WoW itself (Chance of Blizzard removing levels: None) but I'd agree that MMORPGs could use a breath of fresh air.

      It'll be interesting when we finally see a fantasy MMORPG that doesn't use some derivative of the d20 system.

      --
      Thunderclone: ONE MAN ENTERS! TWO MEN LEAVE! ONE MAN ENTERS! TWO MEN LEAVE!
  19. Wrath of the Lich King, starring... by NewbieProgrammerMan · · Score: 1

    Lord Xykon as the new world boss, who was quoted as saying, "I think I just had an evilgasm!"

    --
    [b.belong('us') for b in bases if b.owner() == 'you']
    1. Re:Wrath of the Lich King, starring... by BriggsBU · · Score: 1

      I for one approve of our new undead overlords.

      (And kudos for reading GitP. It's awesome :-D)

  20. Its so cool to hate on WoW now by freshmayka · · Score: 1

    Just like people thought CAPS-LOCK was cruise control for cool, many people now think it makes you look cool to bash WoW.

    Sorry folks but, their subscriber base is still increasing. While it may have burned you or your friends out, it's still an extremely well made, polished, and entertaining piece of software. The only ones who think WoW isn't cool anymore are those who think it's cool to be doing "the hot new thing" versus "the old popular thing".

    I call BS on Northrend and the the title though. My money is on Maelstrom and Emerald Dream with Northrend coming in the 3rd or 4th expansion.

    1. Re:Its so cool to hate on WoW now by Toridas · · Score: 1

      Even more evidence that the expansion is going to be Northrend: In one of the more recent patches, there was a folder (accessible via an MPQ viewer) called "Expansion02" and a subfolder called "HowlingFjord," which is a region of Northrend. The folder only contained some models of a few plants, but it's still interesting that they would leave it there for people to find.

    2. Re:Its so cool to hate on WoW now by toleraen · · Score: 1

      The folder only contained some models of a few plants, but it's still interesting that they would leave it there to throw people off.

      FIFY

    3. Re:Its so cool to hate on WoW now by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Welcome to the wonderful world of the other non-brand new MMORPGs. Your new shine has worn off, people are no longer blinded by the shiny newness, and begin to find that their gripes arent outweighed by the good in the game.

      I find it funny though, alot of the people defending the piss out of WoW now, are the same ones who used to attack older MMO's such as EQ and DAoC and the like. And the other half of the people who attacked the older games are attacking the newer ones too... ah, what joy.

  21. Wrath of the Linch King by obergfellja · · Score: 0

    does anyone else see it? At a glance, it appears to say "Wrath of the Lick King" or "Wrath of the Licking"... -- In Soviet Russia, ... Alliance ganks Horde.

  22. Surprise Game at BlizzCon? by shoptroll · · Score: 1

    Honestly wouldn't be surprised if this is the "other project" that was rumored to be shown at BlizzCon this year. Considering how the last BlizzCon unveiled the 1st WoW expansion, AND they're giving away BETA keys for something (they've already suggested that it's not going to be SC2 Beta) this year, this makes a lot of sense.

    --
    Insert Sig Here
  23. Had to be Said by servognome · · Score: 1

    World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King
    Khaaan!
    --
    D6 63 0D 70 89 81 BB 8E 7B 7C 5F 5D 54 EA AB 73
    1. Re:Had to be Said by richdun · · Score: 1

      So what damn pointy eared Night Elf are we going to have to search for in the third expansion?

      "The needs of the many have better rep than the needs of the few." - Blizzard

  24. Re:I originally read that as Wrath of the Lion Kin by Xtravar · · Score: 1

    That would actually be kind of awesome. Like Kingdom Hearts (Square/Enix + Disney).

    Orcs vs Mickey!!11

    --
    Buckle your ROFL belt, we're in for some LOLs.
  25. Blizzard's usual pattern.. by borkus · · Score: 3, Insightful

    ...has been to add free new content (remember the War Effort Event) then a paid expansion. Given that many guilds are still making their way through the long string of instances, I don't think there will be any significant new content until late this year.

    In addition to Northrend, there are still several locked areas -

    *The various entrances to the Emerald dream.
    *Grim Batol
    *Uldum
    *Gilneas
    *Timbermaw Hold (the big gates in Azshara)
    *Something that looks like two PvP entrances in Azhara.

    I just hope they bring back Captain Placeholder.

    1. Re:Blizzard's usual pattern.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Don't forget about Hyjal, the present day one, not the raid in the Caverns of Time.

    2. Re:Blizzard's usual pattern.. by Rayonic · · Score: 1

      Plus:

      * Hyjal
      * Kul Tiras (island nation to the west of Menethil somewhere)
      * Undermine
      * The various buried old gods.

      Not to mention all the unfinished terrain that prevents us from using flying mounts in Azeroth.

    3. Re:Blizzard's usual pattern.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Something that looks like two PvP entrances in Azhara.

      Those would be the entrances to Azshara Crater. AC was designed as another 40-man battleground, but it was canned when AV did not start out as a great success. AV was hard enough to scrape up enough players for (before battlegroups, and before it would start with 20/side), they didn't want to split the battleground playerbase too much. Also, the battleground was very similar to the old AV, and one was plenty. So, they scrapped the crater and did Arathi Basin instead. Like other "intended but not yet done" things (such as the Hyjal entrance in Winterspring), the stubs are still in the game geometry.

    4. Re:Blizzard's usual pattern.. by paitre · · Score: 1

      Hyjal's already open, you just have to be in an elite raiding guild to be there.

      wah.

    5. Re:Blizzard's usual pattern.. by adavies42 · · Score: 1

      That's Hyjal Past, the Caverns of Time raid. He's talking about Mount Hyjal itself, accessed through the (locked) gateway in the demon section of Winterspring.

      --
      Media that can be recorded and distributed can be recorded and distributed.
      -kfg
    6. Re:Blizzard's usual pattern.. by adavies42 · · Score: 1

      Also whatever's south of Silverpine Forest (beyond the wall). Plus various spots that don't seem properly filled in--east of Burning Steppes, west of Un'goro, etc.

      --
      Media that can be recorded and distributed can be recorded and distributed.
      -kfg
    7. Re:Blizzard's usual pattern.. by Phorum · · Score: 1

      There's also still Stormrage Barrow Dens up in Moonglade, which have been promised for a long time to be high-end raiding. And Quel'Thalas still exists; physically it sits below Ghostlands and is accessable from both Hinterlands and Tirisfal along the coast.

    8. Re:Blizzard's usual pattern.. by TooDice · · Score: 1

      That's Gilneas behind the Greymane Wall. The storyline for that place would make a nice instance or even better, another rep-based faction.

      Blizzard have probably thought of this though and as a brand new storyline would need to be invented to open it up (giving a reason for the King to open the gates) they're probably saving this for when they really run out of ideas. My guess is we'll see the other side of those gates in the same expansion that we see the bubble removed from Dalaran (not far to the East of the wall, between Silverpine and Alterac).

  26. Note that it is a 403 and not a 404 error by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    If you take a quick peek you will note that the error in question is a 403 forbidden error. (Implying that that directory exists, but you are not allowed to access it)

    If you try some nonsensical subdirectories you will get a 404 not found error (again in convention with the protocol standards, indicating that the directory does not exist - and proving that the server is not "just misconfigured")

    If we add both things up, we can conclude that wrath will most likely be a further expansion to WoW.

    1. Re:Note that it is a 403 and not a 404 error by pthor1231 · · Score: 1

      yeah....thats what I said. And then I also said it could have been a really mean web admin.

  27. An Ignorant Question by blainn · · Score: 1

    Northrend is Azeroth. Flying mounts only work in Outland. This sucks, right?

    1. Re:An Ignorant Question by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yes.

  28. AC? by tepples · · Score: 1

    AC was grind. Asheron's Call or Animal Crossing?
  29. Actually... by dghcasp · · Score: 1

    If you go to mapwow.com, you'll notice that there's a new zone north of Eastern Plaguelands, and an island has popped up west of Darkshore.

    Perhaps the real title is World of Warcraft: Our Continents have Cancerous Growths.

    1. Re:Actually... by paitre · · Score: 1

      Incredibly old news, since those were added in TBC.

      But then, you knew that, and all I'm doing is replying to a troll.

      DOH!

  30. Where the hell are they going to go after this? by AlexMax2742 · · Score: 1
    Wow, killing most powerful being in Azeroth in only two expansions? Where are they going to go, lorewise, after this? Kil'Jaden is only one 'tier' up from Arthas, and after that there's only Sarganes, who seems to be the ultimate evil in the entire universe, not to mention that there's almost no locational lore associated with either of those two. Warcraft 1 was Azeroth, Warcraft 2 was Azeroth and Lorderan, Warcraft 3 was Lorderan, Northend, Kalimdor and Outland, and having already visted all of those places takes any "Oh wow, neat, I remember that place" feeling out of visiting any new content they plan to make afterwards.

    The RTS games created the lore. WoW is "destroying" it, after a fashion. Essentially, with the release of Northend, they will have about 3/4 elimated almost 10+ years worth of content and lore by shoehorning all of the major villians into "gotta kill them for epic loots" fodder, which is fine, but what happens when it all the lore runs dry and they run out of bad guys to kill? I hope they don't resort to Everquest-ish "You may bave killed the bad guys, but then there are also SUPER DUPER bad guys that are even badder than the other bad guys who were just controlling them", but with the pace that they're killing off the major villians, I hope this isn't true.

    --
    I'm the guy with the unpopular opinion
  31. Expansion issues by RogueyWon · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I'm not a particularly hardcore WoW player. I played it on and off for a month or two after launch, but back then, Final Fantasy XI was my game of choice. Since getting bored of FFXI at the start of this year, I've gone back to playing WoW at a much more casual level than I used to play FFXI, taking about 4 months to get my Draenei Paladin to 70 and only doing the occasional Karazhan raid since getting there. However, even I can see that the first expansion created a number of issues for the player base and I'm curious whether Blizzard has given any thought to addressing these.

    The first is the idea that Penny-Arcade identified as "green is the new purple". When Burning Crusade hit, almost all of the level 60 epics, which in many cases people had been grinding for over months (or even years) were suddenly obsolete compared to random "green" items that dropped from normal mobs in the new areas. I'd never been part of the pre-expansion end-game, but by the time I was level 62, I was actually better geared than many people who had. It seems almost inevitable that the new expansion will raise the level cap again. At the moment, I'm dipping my toe in the Burning Crusade end-game... once the date for the new expansion is confirmed, any motivation I have for doing so will evaporate, if it seems at all likely that any gear I obtain will be made irrelevant after 10 minutes in Northrend. If Blizzard intend to keep up a stream of expansions, as most MMO developers seem to, then unless they find a solution to this, most of their hardcore players will just leave, as any sense of purpose to the end-game evaporates.

    Next... new races or classes. Burning Crusade added two new races, but no new classes. Frankly, new races don't really give you very much, apart from a new way to level from 1-20. The addition of new classes (WoW has always been rather short on these) would be quite helpful in terms of adding a bit of variety and dispelling the slightly stagnant feel that now hovers over the game. However, this in turn brings a few issues with it. Have Blizzard now made the combined PvP and PvE balancing issues so complicated that adding new classes would be all but impossible? Part of me suspects that they have. Moreover, the lack of a flexible job system, such as FFXI's, makes it even more irritating to level up a new class from scratch.

    Burning Crusade seems to have created a whole range of rather nasty economic issues as well. As soon as it appeared, people more or less stopped running the old level 60 instances. This means that crafting recipies and ingredients that dropped only in this dungeons have become increasingly rare (just look how long you have to wait and how much you have to pay to get Enchant Weapon - Crusader on a "new" server). This is particularly problematic for people trying to level up crafts through the levels where these ingredients are key. If, following the new expansion, the availability of... for instance... the primals were to plummet, the chances for new crafters to make it to the top of their professions would be slashed dramatically. Some form of incentive for people to continue running the old instances would be very helpful.

    1. Re:Expansion issues by Stu+Charlton · · Score: 1

      I find the number of alts on a mature server tends to keep the economy alive for lower level items. Yes, they're priced higher than they were before the expansion, but not crazily so. If one is absolutely new to the game it's best they don't join a mature server unless they know people.

      As for the rep & level grind, at first I was rather disappointed, being decked out in BWL Tier 2 gear (God knows how the Naxx folk felt), but found a few things as I leveled:
      - T1 gear from Molten Core was easily replaced by greens
      - The T2 gear was usually superior to 80% of the greens that dropped. I think I switched one-two out around level 68, and the rest at 70 through blue dungeon loot.
      - Anyone in T3's from Naxx or AQ gear would probably have been able to keep it through 70.

      I haven't focused too much on faction grinding other than getting Revered for my Heroic keys. Getting exalted with Scryers was not that much work if you took your time. Comparatively, the rep grind in the original game was sheer torture.

      The biggest disappointment for me is to not be able to see the obsolete content. Our guild had BWL on farm and was working on AQ40 (Sartura) when the expansion came out. It's unlikely I'll ever get to see C'Thun or any of Naxx other than in videos, unless we decide to try it on a lark. Likewise, we currently have Gruul on farm, and are close to getting Mag down. I expect we'll be able to progress through Zul'Aman (when it comes out), Serpentshrine and The Eye through the Fall & Winter... But, depending on when the expansion comes out, it's not clear we'll see Hyjal or Black Temple.

      --
      -Stu
    2. Re:Expansion issues by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I believe the original plan was to be able to run the level 60 instances in different modes reminiscent of Diablo. I know they implemented them in the Burning Crusade, but I know I read somewhere that Blizzard was going to do the same for the instances of old.

  32. You're complaining that there is too much content? by Fross · · Score: 2, Insightful


    Assuming 15 days /played, that's more than 60 weekdays worth (or 12 weeks) of devoting every hour of free time to WoW to go from 1-70. However, that doesn't cover running the instances to get the required gear/rep to begin raiding, nor does it cover that if the character in question being leveled is an alt it is entirely possible that one will be continually interrupted by guildies needing another person to tank/dps some instance.

    Conversely, the typical console game completion time is 40 hours, or 80 hours if it's an unlockfest. In the time it takes to level (not gear) an alt, one could potentially complete 4-7 console games.


    You know, some people would be thankful that they're actually getting value for money - that one game lasted them for longer than a month. Sure there is a subscription, but it's less than the price of a console game every month :)

    I believe that playing the game is more fun than finishing the game, I'd rather have something that keeps me engrossed for a year than something I finish in a few weeks and never pick up again. I do play WoW, and I'm in a casual but skilled raiding group (Gruul, Kara, Maggy on farm, we're in TK now), and never did we actually run out of content.

    There is more than just level 60, err, 70, err, 80. Some of the nicest content is at the lowest levels (Uldaman is still my favourite instance). If what you want is to do big raids and get epixx, then yes, you will need to be the top level, and that takes a while. But enjoy the ride, don't just power through it, it's fun.


    I personally recommend increasing the exp received from quests by a substancial amount.


    Have you even played TBC? :)

  33. Re:You're complaining that there is too much conte by MeanderingMind · · Score: 1

    You know, some people would be thankful that they're actually getting value for money - that one game lasted them for longer than a month. Sure there is a subscription, but it's less than the price of a console game every month :)


    It depends on what one counts as value, and how money constrained one is. As I'm working a salaried job that more than pays my bills by a fair amount (including paying more than the minimum on loans and leases), I can well afford the difference if I believe it provides more value to me.

    I believe that playing the game is more fun than finishing the game, I'd rather have something that keeps me engrossed for a year than something I finish in a few weeks and never pick up again. I do play WoW, and I'm in a casual but skilled raiding group (Gruul, Kara, Maggy on farm, we're in TK now), and never did we actually run out of content.


    Technically, you can't finish the game, there's always more to do. Like you said, there's always more content. It's how MMORPGs are. I'm the nut who always goes for 100% in every console game I play anyway, exploring content is something I do.

    There is more than just level 60, err, 70, err, 80. Some of the nicest content is at the lowest levels (Uldaman is still my favourite instance). If what you want is to do big raids and get epixx, then yes, you will need to be the top level, and that takes a while. But enjoy the ride, don't just power through it, it's fun.


    I've been playing WoW for over 2 years now. I didn't have a level 60 before TBC came out, and I only hit level 70 a couple of months ago.

    The problem is not that I don't enjoy questing and Azeroth, it's that I enjoy playing with people more, and playing with my friends even more than that. If there were lots of people playing between levels 20 and 58, I'd be a lot more inclined to take the sweet time I used to take leveling (see 2 years of playing the game before I even hit level 60). However, Azeroth is largely a dead place following STV. I've run around Feralas, Un'goro, WPL and other zones without seeing or hearing another soul, and when I do see people they're more often of the other faction.

    The reason I may seem eager to reach Outland is because that is where the people are. It is where my friends and guildies are, and everyone else I want to play with. I honestly could care less about raiding and epix, BGs and World PvP, or farming of any kind. The only reason I do any of that is because it's fun to do it with other people.

    What I'm complaining about is that there is a large and formidable barrier to this which only serves to be increased by another 10 levels. If I were to get some real life friends of mine into WoW today, they probably could not catch up to my 70 and guild by the time the new expansion comes out. If I want to reroll a class to help my guild fill a hole, by the time I've finished the guild needs are likely to have changed.

    The majority of the playerbase will always be at or near max level, and however nice the old content is it will always be far hard to find people to experience it with.

    Have you even played TBC? :)


    Yes, and ironically BC is part of the problem.

    The difference in quest exp from Azeroth to Outland is ridiculous. I've seen a fair amount of people simply stop question around level 52 because the effort is not worth the reward. The quests are largely designed to prepare and lead into content few people do anymore. It's more time efficient and even more fun to simply grind out 6-10 levels in order to reach outland where you can get 10k exp for quests as simple as those from Newbie areas.

    I'm not asking for Outland to have vastly increased quest exp, I'm asking for Azeroth to get a boost. Quests seemed one of the better ways to do it, but overall there's a significant exp difference on all counts between Azeroth and Outland. I think the disparity between the two is something that can and should be fixed, and will help the issue I'm pointing out.
    --
    Thunderclone: ONE MAN ENTERS! TWO MEN LEAVE! ONE MAN ENTERS! TWO MEN LEAVE!