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[sazzy]

Blizzard invited a bunch of press and fan sites over March 13-15 at their HQ in Irvine, CA to give them a hands-on preview and updates on the next World of Warcraft expansion: Mists of Pandaria.

Features revealed:

• New continent ~5x size of Twilight Highlands

• New Race: Pandaren

• New Class: Monk

• 9 dungeons (6 new, 3 revisited)

• 3 raids - 14 bosses - at launch

• Challenge Mode Dungeons (basically, time trial version of dungeons. Gear item level scales according to the dungeon level)

• Scenarios (Short instances)

• Pet Battle System (let's see if it becomes the Pokemon Online!)

• New Talent System

• World Raid Bosses - 2 at launch

• The final patch of Mists of Pandaria will be the Siege of Orgrimmar! Both factions lay siege to the city to bring Garrosh down and end his reign of Warchief.

• Revised LFR loot rules!

Official webpage:
http://us.battle.net/wow/en/

Official Mists of Pandaria webpage:
http://us.battle.net/wow/en/game/mists-of-pandaria/

Official Mists of Pandaria FAQ
http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/03/19/mists-of-pandaria-march-2012-faq/#continued

High res Videos! (YouTube)
Valley of the Four Winds
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=CW10kgH9TWM

The Wandering Isle
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=y4G21700CTc

Scarlet Monastery & Scholomance
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=vQHFgLJ-Q2s

The Jade Forest
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=WnuC4t6x3hw

Some videos and screenshots were inadvertantly leaked:
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=466904

Other non-official links:
http://www.mmo-champion.com/content/
http://wow.joystiq.com/
http://www.wowhead.com/


Can we start the HYPE now?

EDIT2:

There will be three raids with 14 bosses at launch.
There will be two world bosses at launch.

If you only have a few minutes to read about the Mists of Pandaria press tour, we have summarized the major points below. If you have time later you should really go back and read the whole thing!

•The final patch of Mists of Pandaria will be the Siege of Orgrimmar! Both factions lay siege to the city to bring Garrosh down and end his reign of Warchief.
•The new LFR loot system will allow everyone to roll individually. Upon winning a roll, if the boss has an item that you can use, you will win it. It will only be in LFR to begin with, but can be added to other parts of the game later.
•An 11th character slot has been added.
•AoE Looting has been added.
•There will not be an item squish in Mist of Pandaria.
•No new race models are ready to be added yet.
•There will be nine level 90 heroics for players as well as three raids with 14 raid bosses and three difficulties. There will be an additional two world bosses.
•Scenarios will take place at level 90, in an instance, and reward reputation and Valor points. They don't need a healer, tank, and DPS, just DPS is fine. Each will take 10 to 30 minutes to complete and five or more will be available for launch.
•In Challenge Modes, the vast majority of players will most likely earn a bronze medal even if they are a relatively unskilled player. After a player earns all the medals at the Bronze level, they will be rewarded with an achievement and title. Completing all of the Silver medals will earn a set of spectacular gear for transmogrification, and completing all of the gold will earn a unique epic flying mount. Challenge modes will be available for the six new dungeons at launch.
•Cloud Serpents are the Pandaren's mount of choice. You can raise your own by doing 20 days of daily quests.
•Warlocks got the most class changes in MoP, along with new pets.
•There will be more mounts and less color swaps for different rewards.
•They are adding armor to creatures to give them varied appearances, something other than just simple color changes.
•There are now seven zones, up from five. This was done to add more content to the game and give players a less linear progression path so that leveling for a second or third time isn’t the exact same.
•There will be one new arena and two new battlegrounds at launch.
•PvP pet battles are going to be fun and causal, only tracking the number of wins and not the number of losses. When fighting another player, you cannot see the other players name or communicate with them.
•Currently, every race except Goblin and Worgen can learn the ways of the monk.
•The Pre Mists of Pandaria Patch will be roughly two weeks before launch and bring simple rewards. It might involve a scenario with Theramore and the Alliance vs Horde theme. Chen Stormstout might also come to the local cities and get players excited about what is coming.

•Challenge modes are meant to be a little harder than heroics
•They feel only a few percent of players on each realm will ever get gold, and they like that.

•LFR Loot System•Everyone rolls on the items from a boss individually.
•If you win the roll, the system checks the boss’s loot table and if there is an item for you, you win it.
•This way other people cannot impact what you win, only the roll you get can.
•You aren’t always guaranteed something. If the boss doesn’t have an item you can use then you won’t win anything.
•It could be added to more parts of the game in the future, but LFR is a good place to start.

Mists of Pandaria Press Tour Achievements
This is the list of achievements available during the Press Tour of Mists of Pandaria.
http://www.mmo-champion.com/threads...hievements-Press-Tour?p=15993273#post15993273

EDIT3:

OMFG!!! Update the OT!

Mists of Pandaria Map!

UPDATE THE OT!

More pics for the OT (casuals are interested in the female Panda)!

EDIT4:

New pictures.

Pretty.

Really loving the scenery.

EDIT5:

Anyone looking for high quality assets can find such here: http://us.media.blizzard.com/blizzard/_downloads/presskits/presskit-wow-mists-march-event.zip

Press kit portal: http://us.blizzard.com/en-us/company/press/presskits.html

EDIT6:

World of Warcraft®: Mists of Pandaria™ Fact Sheet
March 2012 Media Event

Alliance warships prowl the seas. Horde armies thunder across Kalimdor. Tensions between these factions edge closer to erupting in a savage war that threatens to consume all of Azeroth. Against this backdrop of impending conflict, an uncharted island mysteriously appears...

Shrouded in fog since the world was sundered more than ten thousand years ago, the ancient realm of Pandaria has remained unspoiled by war. Its lush forests and cloud-ringed mountains are home to a complex ecosystem of indigenous races and exotic creatures. Will the mists of Pandaria part to reveal the world's salvation… or will the battle to control this breathtaking new land push the Alliance and the Horde over the brink into total annihilation?

Blizzard Entertainment's Mists of Pandaria™, the fourth expansion for World of Warcraft®, unveils an entirely new continent for players to explore and reintroduces the enigmatic pandaren as a playable race. All but the bravest pandaren explorers have been hidden from the world for thousands of years. Now, in the aftermath of the Cataclysm, Pandaria's wandering heroes are stepping forward to declare their allegiance to either the Alliance or the Horde.

Mists of Pandaria also introduces an exciting new player class: the monk. Pandaren masters will share the extraordinary secrets of their ancient martial arts with members of both the Alliance and the Horde. Depending on how they choose to channel their energy, monks can be effective at dealing damage, tanking, or healing.

Even more content and features await as players journey to the new level cap of 90, including flexible scenarios for smaller bands of adventurers, challenge modes for fearless dungeoneers, and strategic companion pet battles.

Key Features:

• New Playable Race -- Pandaren: Decide whether to side with the Alliance or the Horde as World of Warcraft’s first neutral playable race, and explore their unique starting zone: the Wandering Isle.
• New Playable Class -- Monk: Unlock the secrets of pandaren martial arts and do battle as a damage dealer, healer, or tank.
• New Continent: Explore the lush Jade Forest, treacherous Kun-Lai Summit, and other exotic new zones of Pandaria designed for high-level characters.
• Scenarios: Join up with some friends to achieve a common goal, such as mounting a defense against invading monsters, in a flexible new type of PvE challenge.
• Dungeon “Challenge” Modes: Master the ultimate 5-player time trial and earn prestige rewards in a new dungeon mode that will put your resolve and coordination to the test.
• Pet Battles: Challenge other players’ companion pets with your own collection in a new tactical mini-game. Level up your companions and discover pets in the wild to round out your roster.
• Level Cap Increased to 90: Learn potent new spells and abilities while exploring uncharted zones and taking on challenging new content.
• New Talent System: Customize your character to suit your play style with the newly overhauled and improved talent system.

 

[Raide]

Looks pretty cool but with Diablo 3 dated, nothing WoW does will drag me back. After playing since the EU Beta, thats enough WoW for me.

 

[Westlo]

Pretty sure nothing can bring me back.... But let's see what blizzard have up their sleeves...

 

[K.Sabot]

The only thing that can bring me back.

TATSUMAKI SEMPUKYAKU

also do some work on female pandaren.

 

[sazzy]

Added: New Talent System
Added: World Raid Bosses

 

[Piggus]

Played this at Blizzcon and the reception there was, well, pretty bizarre. I can't stand WoW but it was weird seeing hardcore fans react so negatively. I guess we'll see how it really turns out.

 

[Yoshichan]

I am so fucking pumped. Stayed awake the whole night for this (currently 6:30am).

BRING IT ON BLIZZARD!

 

[Andiie]

I've got work in just under an hour, so I have to wait a little longer. Thinking about it at work is gonna kill me...

 

[johnsmith]

I am so fucking pumped. Stayed awake the whole night for this (currently 6:30am).

BRING IT ON BLIZZARD!

wouldn't it have been easier to go to sleep and just wake up early?

 

[Yoshichan]

Played this at Blizzcon and the reception there was, well, pretty bizarre. I can't stand WoW but it was weird seeing hardcore fans react so negatively. I guess we'll see how it really turns out.

Hardcore WoW fans always react negatively. Almost all stat-changes (including the new talent-trees) in Cataclysm were received pretty badly, even if it was superior in every way, shape and form.

wouldn't it have been easier to go to sleep and just wake up early?

Not when you raid in WoW

 

[DJIzana]

Hope to see Monk talents! (Even though I don't play... a Monk / Asian themed expansion has the possibility of bringing me back.)

 

[sazzy]

Added links.

 

[speedpop]

It will still be cool to check out some of the proper media impressions and such.

 

[Yoshichan]

Hopefully they'll show us how monk healing works! Gonna be soooooo good :_:

 

[sazzy]

Someone on the MMOchamp forums has been saying that the beta client will go live at midning pst and the beta will start on the 20th :O

 

[Yoshichan]

Someone on the MMOchamp forums has been saying that the beta client will go live at midning pst and the beta will start on the 20th :O

Waaaaaay too early

 

[Thoraxes]

Hardcore WoW fans always react negatively. Almost all stat-changes (including the new talent-trees) in Cataclysm were received pretty badly, even if it was superior in every way, shape and form.

Not when you raid in WoW

Boy do I remember the trees

Spoiler

when I was in the alpha

:

 

[Voidguts]

Hopefully they'll show us how monk healing works! Gonna be soooooo good :_:

interested in this as well - supposedly they fight to heal/have no "cast on target" healing spells from what I've read on other forums etc.. that would be insane. if that is true it would be pretty OP/nuts in 5-mans.. my resto shammy's sweet, sweet 1k lightning bolt dps would start to look pretty undesirable.. haha. 3am needs to hurry up. MY BRAIN!

 

[Yoshichan]

Holy mother of God, I had almost forgotten how huge the old talent trees were :3

 

[sazzy]

Waaaaaay too early

you're probably right. but i hope you're wrong

 

[Thoraxes]

Holy mother of God, I had almost forgotten how huge the old talent trees were :3

That's why I was happy when they announced the revamp :lol

 

[DJIzana]

interested in this as well - supposedly they fight to heal/have no "cast on target" healing spells from what I've read on other forums etc.. that would be insane. if that is true it would be pretty OP/nuts in 5-mans.. my resto shammy's sweet, sweet 1k lightning bolt dps would start to look pretty undesirable.. haha. 3am needs to hurry up, MY BRAIN!

They scrapped the idea of no mana resource idea right? due to balance issues or am I mistaken?

 

[Yoshichan]

you're probably right. but i hope you're wrong

So do I man, so do I

 

[Thoraxes]

They scrapped the idea of no mana resource idea right? due to balance issues or am I mistaken?

Healing Monks use mana they said, while the others have a unique resource. Probably activates with the specialization.

 

[Yoshichan]

What's the monk healing-spec called anyway? Did they reveal any names yet?

 

[HarryDemeanor]

Boy do I remember the trees

Spoiler

when I was in the alpha

:

Holy shit at those talent trees. Good thing they did the revamp. Just imagine how they would look in MoP if they kept it going.

 

[sazzy]

I like the new talent system and their new philsophy of 'we will give you everything you need' and 'choose what you want'.

I rolled druid with my first toon (march 2011). Experimented and found out where to put talent points - took a long time and it was kinda frustrating.

When I rolled a DK next, I just simply referred to a cookie-cutter build to find out where to put the next point. Saved time.

So I definitly think the new system will work better.

 

[sazzy]

What's the monk healing-spec called anyway? Did they reveal any names yet?

They put it up on a slide at BlizzCon. I forget what it was called tho

 

[Sciz]

What's the monk healing-spec called anyway? Did they reveal any names yet?

Tank: Brewmaster
Healer: Mistweaver
DPS: Windwalker

 

[Yoshichan]

Tank: Brewmaster
Healer: Mistweaver
DPS: Windwalker

Windwalker sounds really, really good!

GET HYPE!!!!!!!!

GET HYPE!!!!!!!!

 

[sazzy]

1 hour to go!!

edit: i feel like Yoshichan and me are the most excited right now lol

 

[Oni Link 666]

Do I see a new Rogue set on the right? Looks pretty cool. It's very Ninja-like. I hope they keep going in that direction with the Rogue gear. Rogue sets have looked really shitty all through Cataclysm.

 

[Sir Abacus]

Played this at Blizzcon and the reception there was, well, pretty bizarre. I can't stand WoW but it was weird seeing hardcore fans react so negatively. I guess we'll see how it really turns out.

I don't know which keynote you were at but as soon as Pandaren came up the place erupted with cheering. Maybe because a decent proportion of the people there actually give a damn about WoW lore, remember how awesome Chen Stormstout was in TFT and didn't just put it down to "LOL KUNGFU PANDA CLONE".

They put it up on a slide at BlizzCon. I forget what it was called tho

Mistwalker.

I'll be going for Challenge Mode. It made PSO god amongst MMORPGs and it'll really help Blizzard to have a real competitive environment for PvE.

 

[DJIzana]

Do I see a new Rogue set on the right? Looks pretty cool. It's very Ninja-like. I hope they keep going in that direction with the Rogue gear. Rogue sets have looked really shitty all through Cataclysm.

I like the Sakkat I see behind the Rogue... I want to transmorg that if I come back.

 

[dimb]

Boy do I remember the trees

Spoiler

when I was in the alpha

:

These look amazingly awesome. Would have loved having that kind of choice with spec.

 

[Thoraxes]

1 hour to go!!

edit: i feel like Yoshichan and me are the most excited right now lol

I am too!

I've been playing for about 7 years!

 

[Yoshichan]

edit: i feel like Yoshichan and me are the most excited right now lol

Man, all I've done these past 3 hours is sitting in a cozy place (inside the eye of Wailing Caverns) with my best buddies. We're telling ghost stories to each other while the time is ticking <,< we're all trying to be as patient as possible BUT IT'S HARD TO CONTAIN OUR EXCITEMENT :_:

 

[Thoraxes]

Man, all I've done these past 3 hours has been sitting in a cozy place (inside the eye of Wailing Caverns) with my best buddies. We're telling ghost stories to each other while the time is ticking <,< we're all trying to be as patient as possible BUT IT'S HARD TO CONTAIN OUR EXCITEMENT :_:

It seems your friend teddy uses the best druid staff model in the game, too.

It's crazy that the Pillar was only reused for the arena staff and nothing else ever again.

 

[Nelo Ice]

This expansion looks pretty damn fun may stick with WoW after my first month thanks to the ridiculous deal to come back lol. Course I keep changing my mind on what toon to use my free 80 boost on.

 

[mysteriousmage09]

Only reason I would go back is to see the new areas and bulldoze through the new content. Cataclysm was a huge let down when all was said and done, especially Dragon's Soul. There art and design for the world is always top notch but I have no faith in their content developers anymore. Game was the best back in BC imo.

 

[squidyj]

I predict a lot of Pandaren bashing.

 

[Sir Abacus]

These look amazingly awesome. Would have loved having that kind of choice with spec.

Even with that many points there really wasn't much choice. It was all passive filler crap.

 

[Yoshichan]

It seems your friend teddy uses the best druid staff model in the game, too

You compliment her weapon, but what about me :_:

I've always wanted to be a paladin... but when I turned into a druid, I had no choice but to transmog to a mace &#9829;

 

[dimb]

Even with that many points there really wasn't much choice. It was all passive filler crap.

Couldn't be worse than the final Cataclysm trees, where you are pretty much checking the box available as you go.

 

[sazzy]

Please PM me if anyone wants pictures/banners/etc in the OP now or when the NDA lifts.

I don't use any image hosting site so relying on community effort

 

[Thoraxes]

You compliment her weapon, but what about me :_:

http://i.imgur.com/W73Um.png

I've always wanted to be a paladin... but when I turned into a druid, I had no choice but to transmog to a mace &#9829;

I couldn't tell what it was sitting down >.>
But I loooooove that one too.

I made my own transmog set look horrible on purpose lol

 

[Sir Abacus]

It'll be better when we get Pandaria trees. Since almost all of the abilities are either utility or come down to personal preference we'll probably see a lot more variety in how people play their classes.

 

[sazzy]

Any chance of a world event happening in SW?

 

[Cipherr]

Couldn't be worse than the final Cataclysm trees, where you are pretty much checking the box available as you go.

It actually was worse. That system was terrible, and the game is better off not having continued that madness. So much stupid filler crap in order to make the tree "bigger". In cata, they just removed the crap filler and made a lot of it baseline for your class or turned it into hotswappable glyphs.

They are doing it again in MoP also. Making a ton of stuff in the talent trees everyone takes anyway baseline. Then making the talents fringe stuff.

 

[Yoshichan]

Yeah, old talent tree is all nostalgia. It is a god damn mess though.