‘World Of Warcraft Mists Of Pandaria’ Review: Part Four

Welcome to part four of The Inquisitr’s in-game review of World Of Warcraft Mists Of Pandaria. Before we begin our latest look at the new WoW expansion, please indulge your humble author and permit me to brag just a little. Yes, my fellow gamers, you are looking at a screenshot of your favorite writer on his brand new mount. I put my nose to the grindstone yesterday, and mined so much Ghost Iron Ore I was finally able to buy my dream ride, the legendary Mechano-Hog. Now, whenever a ground mount is needed, I sit tall and proud on my goblin crafted version of a Harley Davidson Chopper. For I am Ghodzilla, a fearsome Orc hunter-biker on the prowl.

And let me tell you, I have been doing a great deal of prowling since last we met; exploring as much of Pandaria as time and my ability to remain conscious will permit. I finally reached level 88 on Saturday morning, although waking up with ‘qwerty’ imprinted on my forehead from falling asleep face down on the keyboard was certainly a surprise.

When I logged back into the game Saturday night, after about eight hours blissful, but uncomfortable sleep in an upright position, it took me about 15 minutes to figure out why there was no sound in the game. After logging out at a hot spot in Orgrimmar, the noise of all the folks firing off spells and making a general racket probably disturbed my rest. Somehow, while snoring happily, I went into my game settings and turned off the in-game sound. I am only glad I didn’t do something really dumb, like delete my main.

New Pets, New Lore, and Enjoyable Leveling:

As a hunter, combat pets are an important part of the game and Mists Of Pandria has added more new pets than anyone could ever possibly need or use. Adding to the fun, most of the named pets are tamable, which is a wonderful perk for hunters who enjoy collecting pets. I managed to tame several named pets, including a giant blue snapping turtle, a mad stork, a lonely crocodile, a giant tiger and an enormous caterpillar, who retained his size after he was tamed. Among the normal pets I added to my stable are a porcupine, a brilliantly colored crimson lory, and a mean black goat. I can’t wait to see what else I will encounter at level 89 and 90, but I am rapidly running out of room in my stable. With all the great pets now in the game, Blizzard needs to expand the number of stable slots for hunters.

So far, there have not been any quests that can’t be soloed. Although the quests are mainly the traditional WoW variety of gathering and killing monsters, the beauty of the new zones and the novel Pandarian storyline have made every moment a pleasure. The quality of the new expansion is excellent and Blizzard has done a masterful job of keeping everything fresh and exciting.

To the great credit of the developers at Blizzard, the new expansion does not simply throw epics at us. While there is plenty of green gear for quest rewards to help players level, blue items are rare and purple items are almost non-existent outside of the instances and raids. This is exactly the way it should be in World Of Warcraft. It really took the fun out of the game to be able to completely equip a character in top quality purple gear in less than 24 hours, as we were able to do during the last few months of Cataclysm.

The End-Game Is Next:

Waiting for me at level 90 are several new heroic dungeons and raids. From my conversations with my guildmates in the Lethality Guild, I have learned that the dungeons are loaded with challenging bosses and powerful gear. The Mists Of Pandaria raids hearken back to the glory days of WoW, when it took real team work and effort to defeat a major boss. After the roller coaster ride of so-so dungeons in Cataclysm, I am chomping at the bit to begin raiding in the expansion.

Well, my friends and fellow gamers, that wraps up another in-game report. Time, and my ability to stay awake permitting, my next review will include what I am sure most of you really want to read about; the end game instances and raids. I know I can’t wait to kill my first raid boss, and I certainly look forward to coming back and telling you all about it. Hopefully, I will be able to show off my very first purple. Oh wait, I already have one, but it really doesn’t count because its level 87, and I bought it on the auction house. Until next we meet, keep leveling, and have a wonderful weekend playing World Of Warcraft.