| World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria | |
|---|---|
Official Logo |
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| Developer(s) | Blizzard Entertainment |
| Publisher(s) | Blizzard Entertainment |
| Series | Warcraft |
| Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X |
| Release date(s) | TBA |
| Genre(s) | Fantasy, MMORPG |
| Mode(s) | Online |
| Media/distribution | DVD DL, digital distribution |
World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria is the fourth World of Warcraft expansion pack. It was announced on October 21, 2011 by Chris Metzen at BlizzCon 2011.[1]
Contents |
Mists of Pandaria will raise the level cap from level 85 to 90. It will introduce a new class, Monk, along with the new playable race, Pandaren. The vanity pet system will be overhauled and will include a pet battle system. New PVE scenarios will be introduced, and Challenge Modes will be added for dungeons.[2] The existing 31-point talent trees will be replaced by a new system of tiered talents that are awarded every 15 levels. Blizzard has stated that there are plans for nine new dungeons, three new raids, and four new battlegrounds.[2][3]
Discovery of Pandaria is made after a naval battle between the Horde and the Alliance. It had previously been hidden by magic since The Sundering.[3][2]
Pandaria is a new continent that will be located south of the Azeroth continent, opposite of Northrend.[4] Several zones have been announced, including the Jade Forest, Valley of the Four Winds, Vale of Eternal Blossoms, Townlong Steppes, and the Kun-Lai Summit. The Jade Forest will be the first zone, and the entry point for the Alliance and Horde. It will feature lush rainforest and stone spires, and introduce the player to the Hozu and Jinyu races. It will contain the Temple of the Jade Serpent, one of the new dungeons, and introduce the Sha enemy. The Valley of the Four Winds will include Pandaren farm lands, with a coastal jungle. The Stormstout Brewery, another new dungeon, is located in the valley.
The Wandering Isle is a roaming giant turtle[2] where Pandaren player characters begin their adventure, which they leave after choosing a faction.[5]
Pandaria will play host to new races that the players will encounter. One is the Jinyu, a race that is similar to the Murlocs and Naga. There will be the Hozu, a monkey like race, and the Verming, who are related to Kobolds. The Mantids are an insectoid race with some of Pandaria's raids planned on them. Players will encounter the Mogu, who were the first to inhabit Pandaria, and the Sha, who are "the manifestation of negative energy on Pandaria".[6]
Blizzard has announced that players will not be able to fly in Pandaria until they have reached the maximum level.[3] There will be auction houses scattered across the five zones of Pandaria.[7]
Monks use an energy-like resource called "Chi" to power basic abilities like Jab and Roll.[8][2] The basic Jab attack is used to generate Light and Dark forces, which are then used for more advanced attacks.[8] The monk class does not have an auto-attack like the other classes.[8][3] The monk class has three specializations known as: Brewmaster (tanking), Windwalker (melee damage), and Mistweaver (healing).[8] Some details of the healing specialization have included that it will heal through "proximity" based heals, by dropping statues that pulse healing as they perform attacks on the enemy target.[8][2] Blizzard announced that choosing the healing specialization will give the monk a mana bar like other healers. Monks will wear the leather armor class. Every race except Goblin and Worgen can be a monk.
Unlike previous races in World of Warcraft, which are tied to either the Alliance or Horde in-game factions, Pandaren are reported to be faction-neutral for the early levels of the game. Until level 10 the Pandaren player character is faction-less and then the player chooses to align with either the Horde or the Alliance.[3] The languages reported to be known by Pandarians are Common and Pandarian. In an interview with Kat Hunter, Chris Metzen jokingly said the languages had not yet been chosen but Pig Latin was a strong candidate.[9] Pandarens can be Hunters, Monks, Mages, Priests, Rogues, Shamans, and Warriors.
At Blizzcon 2011 it was revealed that the new instances would include Temple of the Jade Serpent, Stormstout Brewery and Shando-Pan Monastery. It was later revealed that the 4 parts of Scarlet Monastery – Library, Graveyard, Armory and Cathedral – will become heroics in Mists of Pandaria.
MMO-Champion reported the possibility of Mists of Pandaria being the new expansion title based on a trademark application by Blizzard submitted on July 28, 2011 and approved August 2, 2011 trademarking the title "Mists of Pandaria".[10]
On October 21, 2011 Chris Metzen announced Mists of Pandaria during the opening ceremonies.
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