Howdy, Stranger!
It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
Quick Links
[Review] World of Warcraft: Warlords of Draenor - Bringing Back the Glory Days
SBFord
Former Associate EditorMember LegendaryPosts: 33,129
Right from the get-go, it needs to be said that Warlords of Draenor is a fantastic expansion. It has hit many of the right notes in all the right ways beginning with the stat and skill pruning that has been much discussed over the last year or so. Players have fewer skills, but better ones overall. Traveling through the world on the way to 100, fighting in both normal and heroic dungeons, anywhere in Draenor requires thought. That’s right, it’s not just a face roll on the keyboard. Even mundane monsters move and have special attacks that give players pause to consider, at least the first time or two through an area.
Read more of Suzie Ford's World of Warcraft: Warlords of Draenor - Bringing Back the Glory Days.
)
Comments
Nice review. Pretty fair, overall.
I do, also, appreciate that you didn't give too much weight to the launch issues. I've seen some ding gamers severely for that sort of thing but, ultimately, when it's an online game (especially an MMORPG), you will have issues with external factors like DDOS attacks, hacking, bots, etc. What's quite evident after all these years is that if someone wants to make you have a crappy launch, it will be done.
Crazkanuk
----------------
Azarelos - 90 Hunter - Emerald
Durnzig - 90 Paladin - Emerald
Demonicron - 90 Death Knight - Emerald Dream - US
Tankinpain - 90 Monk - Azjol-Nerub - US
Brindell - 90 Warrior - Emerald Dream - US
----------------
Solid review Suzie. after 8 years away from the game I came back last month and I am truly enjoying it. Only level 51 right now, but soon I will be able to experience the new expansion.
This has truly been the best expansion imho, and it kind of reflects what the OP wrote.
There just seems like way more to do and a reason for doing it. The Garrison is nothing short of ingenious the way all the systems in it tie together.
I'm not sure if it is bringing back the glory days, but it has sure stepped in the right direction.
Death is nothing to us, since when we are, Death has not come, and when death has come, we are not.
"have added exponentially to the overall grind in the game. Again, it’s not a bad thing, particularly in light of the fact that the grind is split in so many different directions"
Really? Because there is MORE grind it's not a bad thing? Other games get shot down for their grind but WoW, because they added so much grind, everything is wonderful?
"...so many achievements to earn, so many followers to raise to epic, so many raids to run, so many stories to hear,..."
So, basically, if there were an innovation score it'd be between 0/10 and 1/10? But this is Warcraft, and everything is great, even the things that suck in any other game.
GLHF
I boosted my DK to 90, played to 95 and have now switched to leveling my BM Hunter through standard content knowing how cool 90+ is. I do log into my DK as well to do Garrison missions, gathering, etc.
Bottom line, the expansion has filled me with renewed vigor.
"Warlords of Draenor has set itself squarely in the top two of most players’ “favorite WoW expansion” list."
Pretty bold claim. So it is either better than TBC or WoTLK. Is that really the case honestly? (Not trolling, genuine question)
Yes. It really is that good.
Can't disagree, but IMO, I think that more complex systems could be planned for the future. I say that only because if I was the boss at Blizz, dumbing down is a great way to get new, younger users. My son is more invested now that he can easily create his own build without my help, so he's playing more and he wants to get more out of it.
This could be a possibility. It could be a reset, basically. You scoop up a bunch of new users, now begin slowly increasing complexity, then ramping it down again to the point of adding more and more users. This could actually be how a lifecycle of an "old" MMORPG looks. Usually how does it go? Nothing changes, they just release more and more content until such a point that a year or two later they're dead. Is it the lack of adaptation, the lack of focus on your developing audience, that actually causes games to fold?
That's just 100% speculation, I have zero evidence, but it's a possibility. I can't see it going the route of being a 4 button game.
Crazkanuk
----------------
Azarelos - 90 Hunter - Emerald
Durnzig - 90 Paladin - Emerald
Demonicron - 90 Death Knight - Emerald Dream - US
Tankinpain - 90 Monk - Azjol-Nerub - US
Brindell - 90 Warrior - Emerald Dream - US
----------------
I was on the fence, but I do have to say, that the early expansion experience right now, is surpassing BC. For the first 5 months of BC when you hit 70 the only thing outside of pvp you could do was run dungeons. Because literally everything was tied to dungeons. Rep -> Dungeons. Unlocking Heroics -> Dungeons. Justice points -> Dungeons. Gear -> Dungeons. Dailies? Not implemented yet. BC was basically a dungeon grind until you got keyed for Kara which still remains one of the best raids.
I haven't been into Highmaul yet, but WoD zones are some of the best Blizzard has ever designed. The music is easily the best. The dungeons are quite good (though I'd really like some long BRD style dungeons), but I'll have to tip my hat to ICC and Magister's Terrace for best non-BRD dungeons.
Loot comes from all types of sources, and what I really appreciate about crafting is that what you make is. . .
1. Wearable and not vendor trash
2. Upgradable and rerollable so that it will stay current
3. Because of the gating mechanism, it's actually worth selling whereas people used to eschew crafting gear for the sake of selling mats which were worth more than the useless gear you could craft.
Similar with the Apexis crystals. You can buy heroic level gear and then upgrade it to raid level. It really lets you fill in slots as needed.
PvP reward boxes are awesome. They've made entry into PvP much easier, whereas you used to have to slog through as fodder for weeks getting whatever honor you could to actually compete with PvP geared players. Also PvP gear scales by 100 item levels in PvP, so geared PvE'ers can't just waltz in and destroy dedicated PvPers.
The garrison issue is overblown. Once you hit 100 it greatly subsides in time required. Your followers will hit their level 100 and you won't be sending them on 1 hour quests, you'll likely be aiming for 8hr-10hr quests for more valuable rewards.
And Heroics no longer just require item level to get in, you have to unlock them by completing Silver Proving Grounds (a solo instance where you have to beat a set number of waves of various mob types for your selected role). The forums are pretty funny right now with people who are (clearly bad) unable to complete it and therefore won't be stinking up your group.
So I'd say there's way more to do now than there ever was, and what is there is actually really well done. We'll see how future patches play out and how fun the raids are.
rpg/mmorg history: Dun Darach>Bloodwych>Bards Tale 1-3>Eye of the beholder > Might and Magic 2,3,5 > FFVII> Baldur's Gate 1, 2 > Planescape Torment >Morrowind > WOW > oblivion > LOTR > Guild Wars (1900hrs elementalist) Vanguard. > GW2(1000 elementalist), Wildstar
Now playing GW2, AOW 3, ESO, LOTR, Elite D
Probably the same reason I see level 100's running around doing low level content now... they wanted to play the new stuff first.
rpg/mmorg history: Dun Darach>Bloodwych>Bards Tale 1-3>Eye of the beholder > Might and Magic 2,3,5 > FFVII> Baldur's Gate 1, 2 > Planescape Torment >Morrowind > WOW > oblivion > LOTR > Guild Wars (1900hrs elementalist) Vanguard. > GW2(1000 elementalist), Wildstar
Now playing GW2, AOW 3, ESO, LOTR, Elite D
Ummm, the newer content begins at max level. You don't get garrisons pre-90, for one thing. Not to mention, the zones/environments are markedly better at later levels due to Blizzard updating their graphical technology.
And like the poster above said, he wanted to see if it was worth the wait to level all the way up from the beginning. If you don't see all the bells and whistles that you get to experience at max levels, then you don't know if it's worth it to invest all the time getting to that point.
Honestly, Bladestrom, anybody with even the smallest inkling of common sense would understand why someone would do this. But you, on the other hand, use it as yet another excuse to trash Blizzard. Unbelievable.
Solid review.
For the first time in its history WoW is rated on par with the other professional reviewers on mmorpg.com
8.7 vs 8.6 here.
Grtz for this honest review.