I have been playing WoW since Vanilla. That’s a long time. I love this game for a lot of reasons but I am also realistic and I am aware of its flaws. I am neither a fanboy nor a hater. This expansion brings some changes that are welcome but overall I don't think it addresses the main issues with the game at all. What is worse, Blizzard getting crazy and silly with the lore in an attempt to keep people will just drive them away. I believe the underlying problem causing subscribers to depart is Blizzard has over-publicized this game. The game is not a mystery anymore. There was a time when you explored and did not know what you would find. There were elements of the game to be uncovered and worked through. Now every aspect of this game is COMPLETELY published and walked through before it even launches and when it does hit your hard drive it’s just a mad dash to do what you already planned, go to the places you have already seen, and fight the fights you already researched. That’s not a successful model for an MMO, that’s a recipe for boring. Blizzard is becoming a victim of its own success. I personally wish they would go back to the roots of what made them successful to begin with release material that people find engaging and full of adventure. Also, while I like Asian culture and mythology it really doesn’t fit well in high fantasy, it’s its own genre. Despite my concerns, I subscribed for the annual pass deal. Blizzard allows you to use the 6-month billing, making it a very good deal since you get Diablo 3 for free. That is a bargain for a world class MMO subscription when you subtract out the price of a game that everyone was going to buy anyway… I just hope having Bruce Lee show up next to Legolas doesn’t give me bad dreams.
I stopped playing WoW because of an accident with mu credit card. Missed one expansion and found that Blizzard have become exceptionally greedy in their pricing strategy. It costs a "fortune" to start playing the game. The last two expansions have not had their price cut and the monthly subscription just kills it. I mean, just look at the prices.... It costs over 75 Eur to start playing the game for a new person(after their price drop). Yeah... You can't chose the any new races without buying the expansion... If you want to play Panda, you have to pay the full price, which will probably balloon by 35 Eur... Yay! For massive corporate greed... and idiots in accounting. I mean, because they did not slash the price of the older expansion packs(WotLK is still 35Eur as download) and not included one free month with the quite expensive upgrades; they did not get my 36 months of monthly subscriptions (36 * 13 Eur = 468 Eur) that is almost 8x revenue loss vs the price of the upgrade to cataclysm.
Maybe they should give away all expansions before the newest one (and maybe even the game itself) for free, or at least heavily discounted. I can see what you mean in that anyone who doesn't currently play now has a huge barrier to entry if they want to be able to play the game with all of the content.
A quick look at gamestop prices and you can pick up the original + burning crusade for $20, but the next three expansions (counting the new one coming soon) are all $40 each, and then tack on the subscription price (i don't know if/how many of the games come with any free time). But you end up looking at $140 just to be up to date when the expansion gets released, plus another $15/month. Granted some may argue there's a lot of content, but it certainly isn't helping persuade people who want to start playing the game and have access to what most of the other 11 million subscribers probably have.
It's a lot of content but no one plays anything but the new content. I firmly believe that everything but the latest expansion should come in a bundle for no more than $20 and the latest expansion can be priced whatever you want to price it.
Agreed. The cost of the game is way over priced. I can understand the monthly fee, but a game should _never_ cost more than $40-60, for ALL expansions. Imo they need to release two versions. One that is upgrade only, for say $25-30, and then a full version that includes everything for $50.
The other problem is their Blizz store. $25 for mounts? $15 for mini pets? The minipets are now BoE so you can sell them for gold? (Essentially legalizing gold buying)
Want to rename your character? $15.
This doesn't even factor in transfers. With how easy it is to get to 85, most people have a lot of characters and want to bring all of them when they go play with friends. To transfer 3 characters to a different server, that's $75 ($25/ea). Whats that you say? They're on a different faction too? Add another $90 ($30/ea). That's $165! I wouldn't have a problem paying $25 or $30 if it let me transfer multiple characters on one server, but it doesn't.
Oh, and want the mobile armory? That's a separate $3/mo subscription.
I completely agree. Nothing really feels new when you read about so many aspects of it months before its release. In Vanilla there was so much mystery and I could spend hours at a time just exploring the map and getting lost. Back then, everyone was still learning how to play well and there were no obvious optimum specializations and ability rotations. Now everything feels so formulaic and calculated with little variation from character to character. Even with new content, you feel like you have played it already.
Why call criticism complaining? Some people are validly expressing that they feel the new direction is a bit ridiculous. Why do diehard fans just accept everything pushed in front of them as perfection and then feel the need to defend it when it is questioned? The fact is Blizzard does not need to impress you. You accept whatever they push out. They need to impress the people who are not going to love everything Warcraft, just for the sake of it.
The simple fact that people have been using the same 'criticism' for five years or so turns it into complaining. It's monotonous. As a person on the outside, looking in, nothing has really changed since Blizzard started releasing expansions.
Not one, but two posts on a topic from an uninfluenced outsider looking in. I wish I had the time and drive to read articles and post my expert opinions about topics that I have no vested interest in, just for the sheer monotony of it all.
I dont mean to offend MMO players, but this is why I dont play MMOs. I want a game with a definte ending to the story, a climatic final battle if you will, so you can say you "beat" the game. I just dont see the point of playing a game that goes on and on and on without a final resolution to the story. That is too much like real life. I just cant see how you would not become bored with it eventually. Anyway, I suppose if you like meeting up with people on line or have friends to play with (neither of which I have) it can be fun, but its not my style. So again, please dont be offended if you like MMOs. Obviously many people do.
I think MMO's are more about being the best than beating the game. Some people like it, some don't. Everyone is entitled to an opinion, including you, so no reason to be concerned about offending people.
WoW is much better with friends (RL or Online) though, but personally having Online only friends kinda lost it's appeal to me. Especially knowing that if you ever quit you likely wont talk to them again... kinda made me stop trying to make actual friends in WoW.
Haven't had the chance to play since middle of August due to a move. That said I've been well moved in for the past month almost and have no inclination to resub, I was already doing 5-6 month stretches since expansions started rolling out. That said I certainly see nothing mind blowing or game changing. They are re-doing talents yet again as another selling point, hilarious.
In any case my biggest disappointment after reading all the information from BlizzCon regarding MoP is a playable Panda race. If this is what the developers envision and the direction the game is going it certainly does not increase my chances to purchase 5.0 and try it out. Of all the interesting humanoid forms that exist in lore/legend and in the WoW universe to introduce a Panda race of bears that are monks no less is pitiful. I certainly do not believe this will lower declining subs, sure it will sell well initially but after everyone has tried out whatever is new it really is the same WoW Expansion Re-Hash that adds a new race, class maybe and overhauls the talent point system. Meh.
Now you can ride around your mount and everyone will know you signed up for a 1 year contract.
We saw this in the cell phone industry. Carrier A has horrible service so people ditch to carrier B. Carrier B degrades service and people go to C. Instead of making service better, we now get contracts. Same thing with WoW. Let's not make our service better, let's keep our subscribers locked into contracts.
If you want to show people how dedicated you are to the game, pull out your vanilla Collector's Edition Panda Cub, Zergling or Mini Diablo don't sign a 1 year contract to save a few bucks on a game you'll never play because you'll be spending all your time playing WoW anyway.
I watched the opening ceremony at BlizzCon. I have always enjoy Blizzard Games and played WoW the first two years. I even thought about getting back into when they had Cataclysm but seriously Panda’s. I thought it was just a joke when I was watching it. These characters and this realm have no place in this game. It is a sad attempt to appease the Asian market, kinda like when they added the Koreans into AOE2. While I will remain fan of the company for the high quality product they consistently supply and will play Diablo III. WoW is finished in my mind and had become a joke.
Mists of Pandaria, to me, is when WoW jumped the shark. This is really a drastic departure for the lore and frankly, there are a lot of other story arcs I would like to see addressed and visited in an expansion; Chinese mythology doesn't interest me in the slightest.
I think on some level, Blizzard themselves knows this is risky and this is why they are trying to lock people into a year sub with free Diablo III and beta invite. I've been playing since WoW's launch but I will not be buying this expansion.
I don't think Blizzard is having a problem retaining current players so much as it is having a problem attracting new players.
The game has become too expensive.
World of Warcraft + The Burning Crusade: $20 (Battle Chest) Wrath of the Lich King: $40 Cataclysm: $40 Monthly Subscription: $14-$15
Up front cost: $100 6 month investment (about how long I typically play games): $190 12 month investment: $280
That is a lot to ask and a lot of players aren't happy with some of the changes.
This move reeks of desperation to keep the MONEY coming in but not the PLAYERS coming in. Offering a free copy of Diablo III keeps the money flow but it doesn't keep the player online which is the actual problem.
Why so upset about pandas in the realm? Did anyone play Warcraft 3? Pandaren Brewmaster? No? I loved that guy, and am a bit tempted to play WoW (I never really have) because that race will be playable. I absolutely love the spontaneity of Blizzard's decision realizing that their April fool's joke was actually a great idea. Keep up the good work, apparently Activision hasn't sucked out your soul completely yet.
I gave Cataclysm a chance but stopped played a few months ago. This expansion overall is very sloppy and the new changes are both a blessing and a detriment. I'm not sure if I am right but I started to feel the developers are no longer as enthusiastic about the game. Many class changes they make just doesn't make sense. If you play a certain class for years and suddenly they change an ability to knock it down but doesn't fix the implication of breaking the ability. It seems they just crunch numbers and ensure that you don't get excessive numbers. When some classes are dependent on RNG which means the ability either hits hard or soft based on random generated numbers then your ability suddenly becomes a lottery.
As for Pandas, I just don't get it. The players all voted for races like Nagas, Murlocs, Wryms, etc.. Then they pulled Pandas out of nowhere. No only is it unfitting for the lore, they decide to give it a touch of Disney.
Blizzard is starting to get cocky that even if the game is broken, they will still come..
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Wetworkz - Saturday, October 22, 2011 - link
I have been playing WoW since Vanilla. That’s a long time. I love this game for a lot of reasons but I am also realistic and I am aware of its flaws. I am neither a fanboy nor a hater. This expansion brings some changes that are welcome but overall I don't think it addresses the main issues with the game at all. What is worse, Blizzard getting crazy and silly with the lore in an attempt to keep people will just drive them away. I believe the underlying problem causing subscribers to depart is Blizzard has over-publicized this game. The game is not a mystery anymore. There was a time when you explored and did not know what you would find. There were elements of the game to be uncovered and worked through. Now every aspect of this game is COMPLETELY published and walked through before it even launches and when it does hit your hard drive it’s just a mad dash to do what you already planned, go to the places you have already seen, and fight the fights you already researched. That’s not a successful model for an MMO, that’s a recipe for boring. Blizzard is becoming a victim of its own success. I personally wish they would go back to the roots of what made them successful to begin with release material that people find engaging and full of adventure. Also, while I like Asian culture and mythology it really doesn’t fit well in high fantasy, it’s its own genre. Despite my concerns, I subscribed for the annual pass deal. Blizzard allows you to use the 6-month billing, making it a very good deal since you get Diablo 3 for free. That is a bargain for a world class MMO subscription when you subtract out the price of a game that everyone was going to buy anyway… I just hope having Bruce Lee show up next to Legolas doesn’t give me bad dreams.jalexoid - Saturday, October 22, 2011 - link
I stopped playing WoW because of an accident with mu credit card. Missed one expansion and found that Blizzard have become exceptionally greedy in their pricing strategy. It costs a "fortune" to start playing the game. The last two expansions have not had their price cut and the monthly subscription just kills it.I mean, just look at the prices.... It costs over 75 Eur to start playing the game for a new person(after their price drop). Yeah... You can't chose the any new races without buying the expansion... If you want to play Panda, you have to pay the full price, which will probably balloon by 35 Eur...
Yay! For massive corporate greed... and idiots in accounting. I mean, because they did not slash the price of the older expansion packs(WotLK is still 35Eur as download) and not included one free month with the quite expensive upgrades; they did not get my 36 months of monthly subscriptions (36 * 13 Eur = 468 Eur) that is almost 8x revenue loss vs the price of the upgrade to cataclysm.
inighthawki - Saturday, October 22, 2011 - link
Maybe they should give away all expansions before the newest one (and maybe even the game itself) for free, or at least heavily discounted. I can see what you mean in that anyone who doesn't currently play now has a huge barrier to entry if they want to be able to play the game with all of the content.A quick look at gamestop prices and you can pick up the original + burning crusade for $20, but the next three expansions (counting the new one coming soon) are all $40 each, and then tack on the subscription price (i don't know if/how many of the games come with any free time). But you end up looking at $140 just to be up to date when the expansion gets released, plus another $15/month. Granted some may argue there's a lot of content, but it certainly isn't helping persuade people who want to start playing the game and have access to what most of the other 11 million subscribers probably have.
tayb - Sunday, October 23, 2011 - link
It's a lot of content but no one plays anything but the new content. I firmly believe that everything but the latest expansion should come in a bundle for no more than $20 and the latest expansion can be priced whatever you want to price it.daniel142005 - Sunday, October 23, 2011 - link
Agreed. The cost of the game is way over priced. I can understand the monthly fee, but a game should _never_ cost more than $40-60, for ALL expansions. Imo they need to release two versions. One that is upgrade only, for say $25-30, and then a full version that includes everything for $50.The other problem is their Blizz store. $25 for mounts? $15 for mini pets? The minipets are now BoE so you can sell them for gold? (Essentially legalizing gold buying)
Want to rename your character? $15.
This doesn't even factor in transfers. With how easy it is to get to 85, most people have a lot of characters and want to bring all of them when they go play with friends. To transfer 3 characters to a different server, that's $75 ($25/ea). Whats that you say? They're on a different faction too? Add another $90 ($30/ea). That's $165! I wouldn't have a problem paying $25 or $30 if it let me transfer multiple characters on one server, but it doesn't.
Oh, and want the mobile armory? That's a separate $3/mo subscription.
The list goes on...
Grizzlebee - Saturday, October 22, 2011 - link
I completely agree. Nothing really feels new when you read about so many aspects of it months before its release. In Vanilla there was so much mystery and I could spend hours at a time just exploring the map and getting lost. Back then, everyone was still learning how to play well and there were no obvious optimum specializations and ability rotations. Now everything feels so formulaic and calculated with little variation from character to character. Even with new content, you feel like you have played it already.jibz - Saturday, October 22, 2011 - link
Kung-Fu Pandas and Pokemons? Thank you Blizzard. Now the constant temptation to reactivate my account is much, much easier to resist.Now if I could just resist trying The Old Republic...
seamonkey79 - Saturday, October 22, 2011 - link
The complainers are getting to be as boring and cliched as they claim Warcraft is.Wetworkz - Saturday, October 22, 2011 - link
Why call criticism complaining? Some people are validly expressing that they feel the new direction is a bit ridiculous. Why do diehard fans just accept everything pushed in front of them as perfection and then feel the need to defend it when it is questioned? The fact is Blizzard does not need to impress you. You accept whatever they push out. They need to impress the people who are not going to love everything Warcraft, just for the sake of it.seamonkey79 - Saturday, October 22, 2011 - link
Who said I was a diehard fan?The simple fact that people have been using the same 'criticism' for five years or so turns it into complaining. It's monotonous. As a person on the outside, looking in, nothing has really changed since Blizzard started releasing expansions.
Wetworkz - Sunday, October 23, 2011 - link
Not one, but two posts on a topic from an uninfluenced outsider looking in. I wish I had the time and drive to read articles and post my expert opinions about topics that I have no vested interest in, just for the sheer monotony of it all.frozentundra123456 - Saturday, October 22, 2011 - link
I dont mean to offend MMO players, but this is why I dont play MMOs. I want a game with a definte ending to the story, a climatic final battle if you will, so you can say you "beat" the game.I just dont see the point of playing a game that goes on and on and on without a final resolution to the story. That is too much like real life. I just cant see how you would not become bored with it eventually.
Anyway, I suppose if you like meeting up with people on line or have friends to play with
(neither of which I have) it can be fun, but its not my style. So again, please dont be offended if you like MMOs. Obviously many people do.
daniel142005 - Sunday, October 23, 2011 - link
I think MMO's are more about being the best than beating the game. Some people like it, some don't. Everyone is entitled to an opinion, including you, so no reason to be concerned about offending people.WoW is much better with friends (RL or Online) though, but personally having Online only friends kinda lost it's appeal to me. Especially knowing that if you ever quit you likely wont talk to them again... kinda made me stop trying to make actual friends in WoW.
Sind - Sunday, October 23, 2011 - link
Haven't had the chance to play since middle of August due to a move. That said I've been well moved in for the past month almost and have no inclination to resub, I was already doing 5-6 month stretches since expansions started rolling out. That said I certainly see nothing mind blowing or game changing. They are re-doing talents yet again as another selling point, hilarious.In any case my biggest disappointment after reading all the information from BlizzCon regarding MoP is a playable Panda race. If this is what the developers envision and the direction the game is going it certainly does not increase my chances to purchase 5.0 and try it out. Of all the interesting humanoid forms that exist in lore/legend and in the WoW universe to introduce a Panda race of bears that are monks no less is pitiful. I certainly do not believe this will lower declining subs, sure it will sell well initially but after everyone has tried out whatever is new it really is the same WoW Expansion Re-Hash that adds a new race, class maybe and overhauls the talent point system. Meh.
Sind - Sunday, October 23, 2011 - link
and of course it's geared towards China.blwest - Sunday, October 23, 2011 - link
Now you can ride around your mount and everyone will know you signed up for a 1 year contract.We saw this in the cell phone industry. Carrier A has horrible service so people ditch to carrier B. Carrier B degrades service and people go to C. Instead of making service better, we now get contracts. Same thing with WoW. Let's not make our service better, let's keep our subscribers locked into contracts.
If you want to show people how dedicated you are to the game, pull out your vanilla Collector's Edition Panda Cub, Zergling or Mini Diablo don't sign a 1 year contract to save a few bucks on a game you'll never play because you'll be spending all your time playing WoW anyway.
ErinL - Sunday, October 23, 2011 - link
I admit when WoW first started, I was tempted, but never did buy into it. Thank god...I simply can't see any value to this. Why would I pay so much in subscription fees, plus upgrades plus the cost of the game?
piroroadkill - Monday, October 24, 2011 - link
I know, right?It's sleazy of Blizzard to charge high monthly fees AND expansion costs. Also makes it crazy expensive to start actually playing the game.
The expansions should be free, and digital download only (or in a box for a small cost).
lizardking7112 - Sunday, October 23, 2011 - link
I watched the opening ceremony at BlizzCon. I have always enjoy Blizzard Games and played WoW the first two years. I even thought about getting back into when they had Cataclysm but seriously Panda’s. I thought it was just a joke when I was watching it. These characters and this realm have no place in this game. It is a sad attempt to appease the Asian market, kinda like when they added the Koreans into AOE2. While I will remain fan of the company for the high quality product they consistently supply and will play Diablo III. WoW is finished in my mind and had become a joke.Aikouka - Monday, October 24, 2011 - link
"These characters and this realm have no place in this game"What was that game that featured the Pandaren Brewmaster Chen Stormstout? Oh yeah, WarCraft III.
CosmoJoe - Sunday, October 23, 2011 - link
Mists of Pandaria, to me, is when WoW jumped the shark. This is really a drastic departure for the lore and frankly, there are a lot of other story arcs I would like to see addressed and visited in an expansion; Chinese mythology doesn't interest me in the slightest.I think on some level, Blizzard themselves knows this is risky and this is why they are trying to lock people into a year sub with free Diablo III and beta invite. I've been playing since WoW's launch but I will not be buying this expansion.
tayb - Sunday, October 23, 2011 - link
I don't think Blizzard is having a problem retaining current players so much as it is having a problem attracting new players.The game has become too expensive.
World of Warcraft + The Burning Crusade: $20 (Battle Chest)
Wrath of the Lich King: $40
Cataclysm: $40
Monthly Subscription: $14-$15
Up front cost: $100
6 month investment (about how long I typically play games): $190
12 month investment: $280
That is a lot to ask and a lot of players aren't happy with some of the changes.
This move reeks of desperation to keep the MONEY coming in but not the PLAYERS coming in. Offering a free copy of Diablo III keeps the money flow but it doesn't keep the player online which is the actual problem.
wizdum - Tuesday, October 25, 2011 - link
Why so upset about pandas in the realm? Did anyone play Warcraft 3? Pandaren Brewmaster? No? I loved that guy, and am a bit tempted to play WoW (I never really have) because that race will be playable. I absolutely love the spontaneity of Blizzard's decision realizing that their April fool's joke was actually a great idea. Keep up the good work, apparently Activision hasn't sucked out your soul completely yet.vision33r - Saturday, October 29, 2011 - link
I gave Cataclysm a chance but stopped played a few months ago. This expansion overall is very sloppy and the new changes are both a blessing and a detriment. I'm not sure if I am right but I started to feel the developers are no longer as enthusiastic about the game. Many class changes they make just doesn't make sense. If you play a certain class for years and suddenly they change an ability to knock it down but doesn't fix the implication of breaking the ability. It seems they just crunch numbers and ensure that you don't get excessive numbers. When some classes are dependent on RNG which means the ability either hits hard or soft based on random generated numbers then your ability suddenly becomes a lottery.As for Pandas, I just don't get it. The players all voted for races like Nagas, Murlocs, Wryms, etc.. Then they pulled Pandas out of nowhere. No only is it unfitting for the lore, they decide to give it a touch of Disney.
Blizzard is starting to get cocky that even if the game is broken, they will still come..
Sorry I'm no longer interested in WOW.