Free Diablo 3!!!

[Some Rogue]

For paying for a one year wow subscription.

Also, access to the wow expansion beta when it comes out.

[TheEschaton]

Oh man, pay for a thing I was gonna pay for anyways and get free shit?

[Keller]

For paying for a one year wow subscription.

Also, access to the wow expansion beta when it comes out.

Desperate move.

[Androidpk]

Diablo 3 is going to sell like mad anyways, this is far from desperate.

[TheEschaton]

I wouldn't have paid for D3, now it looks like I might be playing it.

[Fallen]

Interesting. I guess this is to ensure people wont forget about their WoW addiction when D3 comes out.

[Some Rogue]

Yeah, unless the xpac is fucking pandas. Then I'll probably be out.

[Ceyrin]

Diablo 3 is going to sell like mad anyways, this is far from desperate.

I think he meant it's desperate for people to keep playing/paying WoW.

While their numbers are still incredi-high, they're not as high as they were a couple of years ago.

As with all graphical MMOs, they get crowded out by the newer crop, and players and income are lost.

The longest I ever held down a WoW subscription was like 3 months, one of which I didn't play for.

Of course, I've only ever paid for 4 months of WoW ever, so my opinon of the game is likely biased, being that it was mildly entertaining, but not terribly impressive.

RE: Diablo3... I never finished 2. Got boring, and tedious trying to farm/collect/organize/manage all my gems/runes. Making storage space such a problem was dumb, IMO. Especially for off-line modes. Also, I'm firmly of the opinon that the AI knows what kind of weapons/armor you like to use and never gives you any. I had to level other characters up to find stuff for my main character... also gay.

[Keller]

Diablo 3 is going to sell like mad anyways, this is far from desperate.

Oh, I meant to keep WoW alive.

Obviously D3 is going to do well.

[Some Rogue]

And the new race is fucking pandas. Ugh.

[Alfster]

Yah, that's fucking gay.

[Alfster]

Monk could be cool tho

[Some Rogue]

Horde and alliance can be a panda. Not sure how well that will work...

[TheEschaton]

Did you get a virtual ticket to Blizzcon?

Also, I thought the rumor was that pandas being a playable race was never gonna happen because it would offend their Chinese playerbase too much?

What's their racial gonna be? That should be hilarious.

[Alfster]

I didn't. Directv has a sneak peak for the first few hours of the con.

[Ceyrin]

Horde and alliance can be a panda. Not sure how well that will work...

It's called...

"We didn't want to spend the dev-time on two different races... suck it up fan-boys."

[Some Rogue]

Did you get a virtual ticket to Blizzcon?

Also, I thought the rumor was that pandas being a playable race was never gonna happen because it would offend their Chinese playerbase too much?

What's their racial gonna be? That should be hilarious.

Just reading MMO-Champion for now.

Pretty sure that China thing was always just an urban legend.

[Androidpk]

It's called...

"We didn't want to spend the dev-time on two different races... suck it up fan-boys."

Wrong, if there is any company in the world that loves dev time it's Blizzard, cutting corners isn't their modus operandi.

[TheEschaton]

For serious, Blizzard is notorious for their dev time. But the first cross-faction race is pretty bizarre.

[subzero]

And the new race is fucking pandas. Ugh.

I've felt that way towards the game for a long time now. Gonna go check out the shit they're planning for the next expansion, I suppose, but it's a pretty safe bet that whatever they're doing won't be bringing me back.

[Some Rogue]

Well it is funny that WoW gets monks before GS did...

[Dugoar]

Did you get a virtual ticket to Blizzcon?

Also, I thought the rumor was that pandas being a playable race was never gonna happen because it would offend their Chinese playerbase too much?

What's their racial gonna be? That should be hilarious.

Bouncy: reduces fall damage by half.
Inner peace: double rested XP.
Gourmand: +15 to cooking.
Epicurean: double stats to food buffs.

[TheEschaton]

Oh, so they're FAT pandas.

[Ceyrin]

Wrong, if there is any company in the world that loves dev time it's Blizzard, cutting corners isn't their modus operandi.

I'm seeing a hashed-together retarded panda-race for both factions that says otherwise.

Generally though, I'm inclined to agree with the sentiment of your statement.

[Some Rogue]

Oh, so they're FAT pandas.

And drunken. Fat drunken pandas.

[subzero]

I'm seeing a hashed-together retarded panda-race for both factions that says otherwise.

Generally though, I'm inclined to agree with the sentiment of your statement.

It's kinda cool that they're neutral until level 10, where they have to choose a side, but otherwise it's lame. People are gonna be pandaren for leveling (2x rested xp) and it wouldn't surprise me to see a bunch of min-max raiders race change for the 2x food buff stats. Seems like a way to milk more money out of people to me, but what do I know?

[TheEschaton]

You know we're all gonna level up panda monks.

I wonder what their role is, melee dps?

[Androidpk]

I'm seeing a hashed-together retarded panda-race for both factions that says otherwise.


Hashed together how? Pandaren have been a neutral race in Warcraft lore since at least 2003, WC3:TFT.

[Keller]

Bouncy: reduces fall damage by half.
Inner peace: double rested XP.
Gourmand: +15 to cooking.
Epicurean: double stats to food buffs.

No kung fu: +15 unarmed?

Piss poor.

[Some Rogue]

You know we're all gonna level up panda monks.

I wonder what their role is, melee dps?

Tank, heal or dps.

[Atlanteax]

So Blizzard *knows* WoW is going to Tank at some point???

[Some Rogue]

Of course, every game developer knows that.

[TheEschaton]

at this point, I think Blizz is thinking, if there's gonna be a WoW-killer, it might as well be ours, with Diablo 3.

[subzero]

"For example, a scenario might require you to kill 25 kobolds in stage 1, then find and return 4 goldshire children, and then kill the boss"

Heh, AG tasks. Cull, escort, and dangerous critter all in one!

http://media.mmo-champion.com/images/news/2011/october/pp78.jpg

[TheEschaton]

Murderball pvp BG seems directly swiped from the SWOTR pvp I've seen.

[Jayvn]

I think we've all been successfully trolled by blizzard :(

[TheEschaton]

Looking at the talent trees, it all seems like optional utility talents, thus rendering them somewhat irrelevant. There's a talent here and there that'll be a dps or hps boost, or survivability for tanks, but not really.

[Jayvn]

so they're no longer called quest chains..and are now called 'pve scenarios'? .... and the 'pet battle' system.. I guarantee they'll be selling an app for the phone allowing you to BATTLE YOUR PET with other peoples smartphones.. calico cat cage I choose you!
I'ma roll up a Paradin panda and hop the zepprin over to thunder bruff :(

[TheEschaton]

I just don't like how they've whittled talents from 51 points at 80, to 31 at 85, to SIX at 90.

[Tgo01]

Talent changes sound interesting. So other than gear a paladin can be ready to DPS, tank or heal at any moment right? I guess at this point Blizzard might as well go ahead and make each piece of gear customizable too depending on what role the character is taking on at that moment.

[Androidpk]

I just don't like how they've whittled talents from 51 points at 80, to 31 at 85, to SIX at 90.

Six sets of skills available by 90, not six points.

[Tgo01]

Six sets of skills available by 90, not six points.

From what I understand it's six sets and you choose one talent from each set.

[TheEschaton]

You'll have a choice of 1 of 3 every 15 levels starting at level 15. So six out of a possibility of 18. Unless I'm misunderstanding, right?

[Androidpk]

Ok I read it again, by 90 you will have 6 active talents but you can switch them out at will as long as you aren't in combat. All talents will only have 1 rank too.

[Alfster]

Well. I'm stuck with Wow for a year, but at least I know i'vegot diablo 3 when it comes live. Hah.

[Some Rogue]

Well. I'm stuck with Wow for a year, but at least I know i'vegot diablo 3 when it comes live. Hah.

Kinda what I am thinking too. I can casually level my alts and get the valor points from questing and dungeons and shit and play Diablo 3 and whatever PS3 games in the meantime.

[4a6c1]

lol pandaren hunter.

*bounce bounce* (weapons fire) *bounce bounce*

[Tgo01]

I too am thinking about paying over 100 dollars for a year subscription to a game I don't really like playing all that much in order to get a free copy of a 60 dollar game.

[4a6c1]

How can you not like WoW? There are flying bird cars and glowy sea kelp armor and hundreds upon hundreds of irl guys playing female blood elves.

[Alfster]

Kinda what I am thinking too. I can casually level my alts and get the valor points from questing and dungeons and shit and play Diablo 3 and whatever PS3 games in the meantime.

mw3 baby. I haven't liked the recent battlefield games, but I'm sure I'll give it a try.

I'll probably transfer my mage back to Dunemaul.

[Some Rogue]

We've preorded Skyrim. I imagine that will take awhile to get through too.

[Atlanteax]

I miss when talent trees was a matter of great deliberation with some tweaks to accomodate your gameplay.

Now (since Cataclysm) it is essentially one "right way" to spend your points (depending on what spec you want to be), with maybe 1-3 "free" points. Otherwise, "you are doing it wrong".

[TheEschaton]

The problem with this new system is that talents will be interchangable like glyphs, before fights. Making your choices essentially irrelevant.

Blizz may see that as "freedom of choice" but when there's no ramifications for your choices, people put less thought into it.

[Ceyrin]

Hashed together how? Pandaren have been a neutral race in Warcraft lore since at least 2003, WC3:TFT.

I stand corrected. I thought this was utter fan service.

Of course, I've got very little working knowledge of Warcraft lore or the universe in general, as I've never played a single Warcraft related game except WoW, and I already explained how little I played of that.

[TheEschaton]

I dunno, after you kill Kil'Jaeden and the Lich King and Deathwing, what else is there left to do?

-TheE-

[Androidpk]

The rest of the old gods and Sargeras.

[Keller]

I dunno, after you kill Kil'Jaeden and the Lich King and Deathwing, what else is there left to do?

-TheE-

Gladiator.

High Warlord.

[TheEschaton]

I'm just saying, they announced a raid progression with no real villian, but focusing on a war between the alliance and horde.

[subzero]

Kill Jaina!

[Atlanteax]

I'm just saying, they announced a raid progression with no real villian, but focusing on a war between the alliance and horde.

A war where the Tauren and Trolls turn on Garrosh, as the Lore seems to indicate (growing resentment).

I think it is too late for Blizzard to do a full out Alliance vs Horde thing.

[TheEschaton]

Didn't realize you (still) play, Atlanteax? An internal civil war might be real interesting. With the regrowth of the world tree, the night elves might also be wary of being part of the alliance any more. Who knows?

[Androidpk]

I'm just saying, they announced a raid progression with no real villian, but focusing on a war between the alliance and horde.

That villain wouldn't be patched into the game until months after release anyways, seems better that way if that's their intention.

[Atlanteax]

Didn't realize you (still) play, Atlanteax? An internal civil war might be real interesting. With the regrowth of the world tree, the night elves might also be wary of being part of the alliance any more. Who knows?

I started playing again at Cata release, having completely missed the LK and everything ... but Firelands patch has been a step backwards (again), and I was steadily reminded of all the reasons why I quit prior.

I'm looking forward to D3, but will not be doing the 1-year of WoW thing.