World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria

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World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria

Developer(s)	Blizzard Entertainment
Publisher(s)	Blizzard Entertainment
Platforms	Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X
Genre(s)	MMORPG

World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria, colloquially known as MoP or Pandaria, will be the fourth expansion pack for World of Warcraft. It was officially announced on October 21, 2011 at BlizzCon 2011 and is expected for release in the second half of 2012.

Following successful campaigns against the Lich King in Northrend and Deathwing, the expansion refocuses primarily on the war between the Alliance and Horde, in the wake of the accidental rediscovery of the mythical and long-forgotten lands of Pandaria, a continent far to the south that has until now been shrouded in magical mists. With both factions landing on Pandaria, adventurers rediscover the ancient Pandaren people, whose wisdom will help guide them to new destinies. As conflicts heat up between the Alliance and Horde, the land will change over time, with subsequent patches escalating the conflict between Alliance leader Varian Wrynn and the increasingly crazed Horde warchief Garrosh Hellscream, with Hellscream's descent into madness eventually becoming the catalyst for the expansion's concluding showdown.^[1]

Lore

From the official site:

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. It is the homeland of the enigmatic Pandaren, a race that celebrates life to the fullest even while under siege by an ancient menace.

The new continent reveals itself to a broken world just as the Alliance and Horde are spiraling ever closer to a war that will consume all of Azeroth. Will the mists of Pandaria part to reveal the world's salvation? Or will the battle to control this rich and breathtaking new land push the two mighty factions over the brink of war and into total annihilation? The answers await within Pandaria's mysterious shores!

As a first for Blizzard, the storyline for Mists of Pandaria will split into multiple chapters. The story arc that introduces Pandaria - where players will discover the continent and level up, helping to solve problems and figure out what happened for the past 10,000 years and why - will be included entirely within the initial expansion release. Later chapters in the storyline bring the war between the Horde and the Alliance back into focus, including changing parts of Pandaria (ostensibly via phasing) to show additional settlements, and eventually return the players back to the rest of the world for a final showdown with Garrosh Hellscream.^[2]

A Mists of Pandaria pre-release patch will be issued roughly two weeks before launch, possibly involving Theramore (in the continuing Alliance vs Horde conflict) as well as possibly the character Chen Stormstout. ^[2]

Features

Level cap raised to 90
New class: Monk, a leather-wearing hybrid class with three specializations: the Brewmaster (a tanking class), the Mistweaver (hybrid healing similar to Discipline priests), and the Windwalker (melee DPS). Monks use Chi as their resource.
New race: Pandaren, playable by both Alliance and Horde; players will decide which faction to join when ending the questchain on Wandering Isle, and will then be able to communicate with that faction.
Talent system revamp: removal of point-based talent trees in favor of player class specialization being separated from talent choices, with a six-tier, three-choice per tier talent system determining play style
PVE Scenarios, a queueable "micro-dungeon" play system for end-game content without needing traditional tank/healer/DPS roles
Dungeon Challenge Modes, specialized versions of dungeons featuring timed content (similar to Baron runs in Stratholme)
Pet Battle System, a leveling system for companion pets, described by Blizzard as a new mini-game system
Account Wide Achievements, pets and mounts
Character slots per server increased to 11 (for those who have purchased the expansion)^[2]
Area of Effect looting, a looting system that allows gathering items from multiple corpses with one click, a feature in several other MMO games.^[2]
Cross-Realm Zones, enable players to meet up and group with other players in under populated zones flagged for this
Black Market, bid on special items that are not normally sold by NPCs

New zones

Main article: Pandaria

Pandaria is a single, unified continent, located south of Zandalari isles, influenced by Asian landscapes. There are nine new zones, eight of which are on Pandaria itself, and a ninth as a starting area for the pandaren.^[1]

The flying mounts on Pandaria will be handled in a similiar way as they were in The Burning Crusade - meaning no flying mounts until reaching the level cap. It is because the designers want players to get immersed in the world and enjoy the effort put into the continent while leveling, rather than just fly over it.

The Wandering Isle (1-10): An "island" separated from Pandaria for millennia, a living creature which wanders the oceans of Azeroth. This is an introductory zone for new Pandaren characters.
The Jade Forest (85-86): A lush rainforest filled with tall stone spires, this is the initial landing zone for both factions and the introduction to the new continent. It will contain one dungeon, the Temple of the Jade Serpent.
Valley of the Four Winds (86-87): The lush farmland of Pandaria, that is considered the 'breadbasket' of the land. Contains the dungeon Stormstout Brewery. One of two concurrent leveling zones.
Krasarang Wilds (86-87): The coastal rainforest endangered by Mogu, located on the southernmost part of the continent. The second of two concurrent leveling zones for 86-87 characters.
Kun-Lai Summit (87-88): The frozen northern mountainous reaches of Pandaria, under attack from Zandalari trolls and marauders from the west. Contains the dungeon Shado-pan Monastery.
Townlong Steppes (88-89): The current homeland of the vicious Mantid people, separated from the rest of Pandaria by a "great wall". Location of the dungeon Siege of Niuzao Temple.
Dread Wastes (89-90): The mantid homeland, now overrun by the Sha of Fear, has been corrupted into a horrifying wasteland of swamps and scorched earth. Players will have to fight their way into the lair of the mantid queen herself to rout out the source of the corruption. The raid Heart of Fear is located here.
The Veiled Stair: A mini-zone situated in the mountains between The Jade Forest, Valley of the Four Winds, and Vale of Eternal Blossoms, with a portal to the Terrace of the Endless Spring raid. It is used by characters for transportation to the Kun-Lai Summit. This was formerly known in beta as "The Hidden Path" but was changed as of April 24.
Vale of Eternal Blossoms (90): The central homeland of the Pandaren Empire, high atop the central mountains of Pandaria. Will contain the horde/alliance cities of the expansion at its center, with secrets "buried below this mystical font of power". It also contains the Gate of the Setting Sun and Mogu'shan Palace dungeons and the Mogu'shan Vaults raid.

Dungeon and raid content

The expansion will feature nine high-level dungeons (six of which are new to the world and will be found in the continent of Pandaria alone) and three raids. The new Challenge Mode option will require to complete dungeons as fast as possible to earn medals. The world bosses will also make their reappearance.

New and original

Temple of the Jade Serpent: Level 85-86, Located in the Jade Forest, this temple is the very first dungeon encountered in Pandaria and is occupied by the Sha of Doubt, the creature which is manifestations of evil energy.
Stormstout Brewery: Found in the Valley of the Four Winds, the Brewery is where the brewmaster Chen Stormstout, along with his niece Li Li seek to discover the whereabouts of his ancestors; players must deal with the Hozen, the Virmen and the evil Alementals.
Shado-pan Monastery: Atop the Kun-Lai Summit, this monastery is a retreat of the mysterious Shado-pan Clan. The Sha have escaped from their cages and the adventurers must stop them.
Gate of the Setting Sun: A dungeon that takes place at the Great Pandarian Wall (on the border between the Dread Wastes and the Vale of Eternal Blossoms), with the Mantid attempting to break down the wall and the Shado-pan defending.
Mogu'shan Palace: A dungeon found in the eastern Vale of Eternal Blossoms, part of the Mogu complex filled with the legacy of the former rulers of ancient Pandaria.
Siege of Niuzao Temple: A dungeon on an island in the western Townlong Steppes featuring the Mantid.

Classic dungeons

Scholomance: The twisted school of sorcery in Azeroth's Western Plaguelands, this leveling dungeon is being updated to heroic level for endgame content. The dungeon has been reconfigured and there are five bosses; Rattlegore and Ras Froswhisper have been moved to new rooms, while Jandice Barov, Darkmaster Gandling and Kirtonos the Herald remain.
Scarlet Halls: Also known as the Scarlet Monastery Armory & Library wings, these two wings have been combined into a three-boss dungeon, with Houndmaster Loksey, Herod and Arcanist Doan replaced by Houndmaster Braun,Armmaster Harlan and Flameweaver Koegle respectively.
Scarlet Monastery: Also known as the Scarlet Monastery Graveyard & Chapel wings, these two wings have been combined into a five-boss dungeon, with Bloodmage Thalnos (now Thalnos the Soulrender) updated, High Inquisitor Fairbanks and Scarlet Commander Mograine have been replaced by Brother Korlof and Commander Durand to match current lore and High Inquisitor Whitemane, who remains.
Ragefire Chasm: This classic dungeon has been updated with new mobs, bosses, and quests to match the current storyline.

Raid content

Mogu'shan Vaults: This raid dungeon is found in the Kun-Lai Summit, accessible from the vaults area in the northeastern portion of the map. It harbors the hidden secrets of the ancient Mogu empire. From Blizzcon 2011: "This six-boss raid... invites you to explore the hidden secrets of the elusive Mogu empire, one of the new indigenous Pandarian races." According to Cory Stockton of Blizzard in March 2012: "In this raid you're actually fighting more of a ghost side of the Mogu. So as where you would be fighting living Mogu in the dungeon, here you will see a ghost version."
Terrace of Endless Spring: A Sha-themed raid; a "super super huge raid boss and that whole raid circles around him and he has turned other local creatures into Sha". It also is referred to as "Terrace of Eternity" in the beta files. The raid door is located in The Veiled Stair, a small mini-zone east of the Vale.
Heart of Fear: A Mantid-themed raid where players will be fighting the Mantid empress, located within a huge rotting tree in the southwestern part of the Dread Wastes.

Future content

Siege of Orgrimmar: The final part of the expansion will be focused on the assault at the orc capital of Orgrimmar by the Alliance and Horde forces, and a final showdown with the Warchief Garrosh Hellscream, who will become progressively more unstable and corrupted over the course of the expansion.

Factions and organizations

Several new factions will be introduced in this expansion. Blizzard intends for reputation building to be a more rewarding and less grindy process, in which reaching Exalted is something to be proud of.

Shado-pan clan, an elite faction of pandaren in Kun-Lai Summit who are experts on the Sha, tasked with protecting the continent from their influence. You have to earn their trust, gradually working your way up through the ranks.
The August Celestials, four powerful ancestral spirits that watch over Pandaria. Players will be called to action at their ancient temples.
The Golden Lotus, a secret society of guardians selected by the August Celestials to watch over the Vale of Eternal Blossoms, which is under assault from the mogu and mantid. Initially you will be required to scout and explore for them, and different threats will appear in the zone each day for you to help stop. As the faction grows to trust you, they will eventually send you onto the front lines of their conflict. You will also gain access to their historical vaults.
Klaxxi: Keepers of the mantid culture, these stoic mantid lords have determined that their own queen has been corrupted and must be destroyed. Although wary of outsiders, it may be possible to earn the trust of the Klaxxi, gaining access to their unique arms and armor.
Order of the Cloud Serpent: This order of flying warriors was founded long ago, during the Zandalari wars. Gain their favor, and they’ll reveal the secrets of training a cloud serpent to become a loyal mount.
The Lorewalkers, a faction responsible for archiving the lore of Pandaria which is connected to the Golden Lotus. You can bring them objects and artifacts from all over the world, and they will give presentations and information on the history of Pandaria.
Artisans, a trio of three factions representing the backbone of Pandaren culture:
- The Brewmasters, various pandaren brewmasters will be traveling the world in search of ingredients. Finding Brewmasters will unlock scenarios in which you help them find ingredients for their brews.
- The Tillers, a faction which represents the farmers who make the Valley of the Four Winds their home. Different farmers will appear in the farmer's market each day to offer a variety of daily quests. Players will also be given a plot of land on Farmer Yun's Songsong Ranch, where they can plant and harvest cooking ingredients, herbs, gifts for NPCs to help build reputation, and a companion pet which you can grow. You'll also be able to decorate the farm as you progress, adding animals, orchards, etc.
- The Anglers, a faction of simple fishermen.

User Interface

The Launcher has a new Asian feel to it
Spellbook now has a tab for each of Active and Passive skills instead of the previous 'specialization'
Specialization at Level 10 will now grant the bonus moves automatically (instead of buying)
Each specialization can be further refined at levels 15, 30, 45, 60, 75 and 90 with one of three talents (only one per level range)
Northshire now has it's own map. Coldridge Valley also appears to be getting the same treatment (NYI).
Sellers of goods now have a new drop-down to refine the display.

Class Changes

Hunter

Ranged weapons no longer have a minimum distance requirement
No longer have melee abilities

Player versus Player content

Battlegrounds

Silver Shard Mines: Located in Stranglethorn Vale
Temple of Kotmogu: A new battleground area set in Pandaria.

Arenas

Tol'vir Proving Grounds - Arena situated in Uldum, very similiar to Nagrand Arena.

New Crafting Content

The range 525-600 will be known as Zen Master

Primary Professions

Mining: Three new metals, Trillium, Ghost Iron and Manticyte
Jewelcrafting: Six new green-level jewels for prospecting, Tiger Opal (red), Sunstone (yellow), Lapis Lazuli (blue), Alexandrite (green), Pandarian Garnet (orange) and Roguestone (purple); six new blue-level jewels, Vermillion Onyx (orange), [River's Heart] (blue), Sun's Radiance (yellow), Wild Jade (green), Imperial Amethyst (purple) and Primordial Ruby (red); a new meta jewel, Primal Diamond; and a new Jewelcrafting-only gem, Serpent's Eye
Skinning: Tanji Leather Scraps, combining 5 into Tanji Leather, Prismatic Scale and the new Magnificent Hide (possibly a blue-level hide item like Arctic Fur or Pristine Hide)
Alchemy: The "Alchemist's Flask," which is the new alchemy-only standard flask, and the Zen Alchemist Stone
Tailoring: The new cloth is called [Windwool Cloth]
Inscription: Milling creates Shadow Pigment and the special-class Misty Pigment
Engineering: Features the new "Tinker's Gear" cogwheel
Enchanting: Items disenchant to Ethereal Shards and Sha Crystals
Herbalism: Herbs include Golden Lotus, Fool's Cap, Snow Lily and Silkweed

Secondary Professions

Archeology: Mogu and Pandaren Artifacts
Cooking will have new quests, cooking recipes, ingredients, and credits. More details can be seen here.
First Aid trainers offer [Windwool Bandage] at skill 500, and [Heavy Windwool Bandage] at skill 550

New creatures

August Celestials

Four creatures known as the August Celestials watch over Pandaria.

Yu'lon / Fei the Jade Serpent - Watches over the Jade Forest.
Chi-Ji the Red Crane - Watches over the Valley of the Four Winds.
Xuen the White Tiger - Watches over Kun-Lai Summit.
Niuzao the Black Yak - Watches over Townlong Steppes.

Humanoid

Grummle - A race created by the Mogu to act as slaves
Hozen - Similar to a monkey^[1]
Jinyu - A fish-like creature^[3]
Mantid - An insect race, which will be featured in dungeons and raids. Unlike the silithid, they are intelligent and are able to use weapons
Mogu - The original inhabitants of Pandaria 12,000 years ago, warring with the Pandaren over their land
Saurok - A reptilian race created by the Mogu
Virmen - Similar to kobolds, but they obsess over vegetables instead of candles
Yaungol - Another cousin race of the tauren, seperated by the Sundering. They live in the lowland planes of Kun-Lai Summit, having been driven from their homes by the Mantid.