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[Column] World of Warcraft: The 5.1 Effect

SBFordSBFord Former Associate EditorMember LegendaryPosts: 33,129

Last week, Blizzard Entertainment released the v5.1 patch for World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria that brought some significant changes to the game. We take a look at some of those changes. Read on!

The patch lands (pun not intended) with a series of quests to work for your faction and their constant battle over the new land of Pandaria. The quest lines allow you to summon fleets and work with heroes of both sides to prepare for war. It really makes you wonder what the agenda Blizzard now has for Warcraft. Is it something that they will continue to grow until the game reaches all out open war? If they continue to add more rewards and quest lines Horde and Alliance players may escalate their conflicts. I mean afterall the expansion just came out, however there is a lot more of a swing towards PvP style game play. Even from a PvE standpoint with quest-lines and faction achievements to drive players’ motivations. If the game really is considering taking the factions to open war eventually it could be a bold move. I know if a WoW patch or expansion launched which focused on a huge PvP upgrade to the game I would definitely be excited about playing. 

Read more of Garrett Fuller's World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria - The 5.1 Effect.

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Comments

  • DanitaKusorDanitaKusor Member UncommonPosts: 556
    I did have a look but as far as I can tell all 5.1 added was more daily quests where you kill 12 horde instead of killing 12 mogu and one new scenario. 

    The Enlightened take things Lightly

  • PandraxPandrax Member UncommonPosts: 341

    Haters gon' hate.

    This expansion is one of the best(TBC being the best expansion of any mmo). The fun factor outweights the crappy daily quests, hands down.

    ~ ~

    Had I the heavens' embroidered cloths, Enwrought with golden and silver light, The blue and the dim and the dark cloths Of night and light and the half light, I would spread the cloths under your feet: But I, being poor, have only my dreams; I have spread my dreams under your feet; Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.

  • Xstatic912Xstatic912 Member Posts: 365
    Love this patch.. Blizz is trying there best to let the War have a real effect..

    Lol @ person on pve severs complaining they feel they are being gated into pvp events.. As a member on illidan server (pvp) this patch has surely heat up the conflict a bit, but as the saying goes "nothing lasts forever", so i'm expecting in a few week for horde and alliance to just see each other and ignore each other..
  • DeivosDeivos Member EpicPosts: 3,692

    "If the game really is considering taking the factions to open war eventually it could be a bold move."

     

    War in Warcraft?!

     

    Unthinkable!

     

    EDIT: To juxtapose my sarcasm I will note two things.

    I still don't have any interest in playing WoW ever again.

    Yet I think this trend for the game is a good thing.

     

    For the people that do still play, being able to ramp up the sense of an overarching conflict would help to add purpose to the questing and activity beyond the often ignored quest text. If players know the missions they do in PvE potentially influences the control their faction has over an area it's may help their sense of immersion.

     

    I'd also be wise to note that their previous attempts at such kind of floundered though. Both in northrend and the outlands the missions that had a PvP backdrop rapidly became something that players would sprint through to get what they needed and never look back.

     

    There was nothing to hold the players to the territories. No point to them keeping the zone after they complete the missions. What's necessary is building an ongoing effect into the conflict. Things that create a disparity between the factions with an effect that, while not large, is enough for a playerbase to be swayed to action in an effort to maintain control.

     

    For example in Planetside 2 they have it so major locations confer a % bonus to the cost reduction or cooldown of obtaining  vehicles and equipment. If they continue to push the trend of conflict back into the game, I would see it as necessary to give the players a minor incentive along such lines to work with. Like expand on the crafting professions and give a 2% bonus to  the faction's skill rate, xp rate, random loot rate, etc. Little things that on their own aren't much, but is just enough that players will leap at the chance to keep it for their side by engaging in any action that serves to benefit their faction. Be it open warfare PvP ojectives or war-effort type PvE missions.

     

    So I say good trend regardless of my stance on the game personally, keep doing more with it. 

    "The knowledge of the theory of logic has no tendency whatever to make men good reasoners." - Thomas B. Macaulay

    "The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge." - Daniel J. Boorstin

  • kaliniskalinis Member Posts: 1,428

    I think its all just a way to lead up to the final raid. Where they have stated from the start horde and alliance players will battle to remove garrosh hellscream as leader of the horde. 

    Will it eventually end up in all out warfare maybe. I doubt it though. I think its just part of this expansion leading up to the removal of garrosh. 

  • HrimnirHrimnir Member RarePosts: 2,415
    /yawn

    "The surest way to corrupt a youth is to instruct him to hold in higher esteem those who think alike than those who think differently."

    - Friedrich Nietzsche

  • OzmodanOzmodan Member EpicPosts: 9,726
    Originally posted by pandrax

    Haters gon' hate.

    This expansion is one of the best(TBC being the best expansion of any mmo). The fun factor outweights the crappy daily quests, hands down.

    The word is critics.  Most people don't hate the game, just do not like some of it's current aspects.

    I get tired of faction grinds in any shape or form fast.

  • syntax42syntax42 Member UncommonPosts: 1,378
    I'm hoping this is all leading to peace between the Alliance and Horde.  The next expansion should feature a new island and a new bear-themed class whose main power shoots rainbows of love at players.  PvP arenas will be /hug contests instead of killing each other and the gear for it will require you to equip warmer, softer coats so your hugs are more effective.  Wrapping up World of Warcraft will allow everyone to move on to Blizzard's next MMO.
  • KanesterKanester Member UncommonPosts: 375
    Originally posted by Kitsunechii
    [mod edit]

    And what game might you be playing?

  • VendettaDFAVendettaDFA Member Posts: 72
    Bold move? not really. This is more akin to the TV networks running a bunch of reality shows. It takes less investment to say  "here's a patch - everyone go fight each other" than to actually come up with content that progresses the PvE side of a game. Be a fan of PvP all you want but dont kid yourself. This is the cheap way out just like the reality shows don't need to pay writers for a story.
  • OgreRaperOgreRaper Member Posts: 376
    Meh. Nothing in 5.1 that would even make me begin to think of going back to retail WoW.
  • PyukPyuk Member UncommonPosts: 762
    Originally posted by pandrax

    Haters gon' hate.

    This expansion is one of the best(TBC being the best expansion of any mmo). The fun factor outweights the crappy daily quests, hands down.

    Wow, that's objective and oozing with facts, innit. 

    I make spreadsheets at work - I don't want to make them for the games I play.

  • strangiato2112strangiato2112 Member CommonPosts: 1,538
    Originally posted by pandrax

    Haters gon' hate.

    This expansion is one of the best(TBC being the best expansion of any mmo). The fun factor outweights the crappy daily quests, hands down.

    while hes right that the xpac is indeed very, very good...

    TBC is *far* from the best expansion of any MMORPG.

    Kunark, Velious, Luclin, PoP

    Echos of Faydwer

    are all better.

  • RocknissRockniss Member Posts: 1,034
    I'm back it it right now. My shaman is more fun to play now than its ever been. As far as pvp and a back seat, I would have to disagree. I like to think of more like this, the epicness of endgame has just overshadowed what pvp is. The pvp here has been great in the past, it took a dip in Cata, we will see how mists is, if they didn't get rid of blood dks in arena then there is still work to be done. But pvp compared to other games, wow is still right up there, you just don't see it because of how awesome everything else is too.
  • RaventreeRaventree Member Posts: 456

    Anything that focuses on PVP generally gets my attention, but I would have a hard time logging back in to WoW.  I played it for 5 years and PVP mostly boiled down to jerks ganking lowbies and super elitist arena PVP which was impossible for people with laggy internet.  I don't know what the best MMO for PVP is right now, to be honest, but I doubt it is WoW.  Eve maybe?  GW2?

     

    Currently playing:
    Rift
    Played:
    SWToR, Aion,EQ, Dark Age of Camelot
    World of Warcraft, AoC

  • WhiteLanternWhiteLantern Member RarePosts: 3,306
    They removed the raid-group restriction from old-world raids. Now I can go see all of the old content I've missed out on....and farm the white chocobo maybe.

    I want a mmorpg where people have gone through misery, have gone through school stuff and actually have had sex even. -sagil

  • elockeelocke Member UncommonPosts: 4,335
    I let my sub run out before the patch hit.  Probably won't be back for a loooooong time.  Game needs more systems, stuff like housing, lotro type legendary weapons and pve skirmish systems, collectable card game added in and so forth.  I just don't look for the multi player aspect to the game anymore, too many jerks and elitist attitudes.
  • MarcelinoMarcelino Member UncommonPosts: 124

    Dalies Dalies Dalies......well tbh, i dont mind the new ones, at least they are different every day. I saw a video tho that patch 5.1 was going to "send us back out into the old world" (ie Eastern kingdoms and Kalimdor). I was looking forward to this, but it has yet to happen......

  • MarcelinoMarcelino Member UncommonPosts: 124
    "They removed the raid-group restriction from old-world raids. Now I can go see all of the old content I've missed out on....and farm the white chocobo maybe. "

     

    I did not know this!! Thankyou so much for telling me!! :D

  • zomard100zomard100 Member Posts: 228
    Best expansion and best patch. This guys from Blizzard are indestructible. 
  • expressoexpresso Member UncommonPosts: 2,218

    Mists for me is the best expansion to date, cata the worst - they're going the right way with the patches but I hit max level a month and a bit after Mists released and just never felt the itch to join my guild at end game, no fault of the game though it's as good as it's ever been.  

    As some one has already said doesn't matter what Blizzard add to their game haters are gona hate and go to all kinds of lenghs to talk down any new feature or change.

  • DEXA88DEXA88 Member UncommonPosts: 175
    This msg has been sponsored by Blizzard p:
  • WalterWhiteWalterWhite Member UncommonPosts: 411

    More dailies. Never saw that one coming. Dailies are for the people who don't have anything better to do with their day.

    Isn't it about time they changed dailies into weekly quests with higher reputation gains letting the people with families, jobs and lives enjoy the game too. That way they may just get some more subscribers, ie all the people who quit because of the daily quest repetition.

     

  • ArakaneArakane Member UncommonPosts: 204
    blizz knows the pvp niche is far from being a "majority"  and so i doubt they would be making a major move in that direction for wow.
  • MuppetierMuppetier Member UncommonPosts: 279

    I think Blizzard have been very smart with this content.

     

    Whenever they have tried to create open world PVP areas in the past they have had limited success. Now they are putting excellent PVE rewards into the new areas and placing Horde and Alliance players into close contact while they chase these rewards. This has given PVPers plenty of PVE targets.

     

    Where it doesnt work is on PVE Servers. Since you are not PVP Flagged when you enter the new area the two factions can ignore each other and the zone becomes just another questing area.

     
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