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.

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.

"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. 

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. 

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.

Originally posted by Kitsunechii
[mod edit]

And what game might you be playing?

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. 

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.

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?

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......

"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