Expansion Reaction Thread

[Malakar]

Gonna start it by getting this over with: the bombing runs were freakin cool!:D

The thought of gear being so easy to get was kind of depressing to me, because it effectively devalued all the effort put in pre-expansion. But after playing, it's kind of nice to get some rewards and progression without putting in tons of farming or waiting till next week for another raid.

Leveling is suprisingly easier than I expected, 500k seemed somewhat daunting but it really doesn't feel that bad.

One thing I didn't like is when you upgrade to expansion, it's done by account rather than by char ala D2. It doesn't allow you to have one character as a level 60 twink on the same account as your level 70.

The installation was also very finicky for me, too.

Overall I'm happy so far. $40 on top of a monthly fee is kind of rape, but I suppose it's cheaper than most other hobbies out there.

Oh, and the launch was pretty smooth, considering how many people are all packed into HFP.

[Icebird]

I've only had a few hours playing with it so far, but I'm enjoying it a lot.

My first priority is my warlock. He's wearing a mix of tier 2/tier 2.5 pieces, with the Maexxna sword so I'm not expecting any immediate upgrades. But I did one Ramparts run, where a set of blue caster shoulders dropped that were surprisingly competitive with the Doomcaller Mantle I was wearing, and a blue caster ring that similarly made me think long and hard.

On quest after quest I thought to myself "well my warlock doesn't need anything here, but my warrior is going to make out like bandit". (My warrior is attired mostly in blue pvp gear).

The scene-setting on the other side of the Dark Portal is great. Once you've stopped oggling the sky, you realise there's a full on war going on below you, with huge Infernals, a Pit commander, and legions of demons.

After relocating to Honor Hold, its time to get into the questing, and its been a very pleasant experience so far. There are a huge number of quests, with lots of variety in terms of tasks. I haven't come across any of the annoying "give me 867 murloc teeth (from a bunch of toothless murlocs" collection quests yet.

They seemed to have given some thought to integrating the quests with the storyline of the zone. The Expedition Point quests which start you off with various sabotage and demolition missions, and lead to the aforementioned bombing missions are a good example.

The tilted Expedition Armory locale really gives you the feel of a broken world.

With all the people questing there, I only ran into one quest where the mobs were camped to the point where completing the quest would have been an exercise in frustration.

The Ramparts was a refreshingly short instance. I particularly liked the fact that you could jump off a balcony at the end and find yourself right beside the entrance portal for a quick exit. I also appreciate the fact that it was only a hop skip and jump from Honor Hold. Overall the travel distances in Hellfire Peninsula seem quite short for what is a large zone.

We had some server issues with the BC content servers crashing every few minutes, but performance seemed to improve later on.

Chris

[Watto44]

Haven't played it much yet, but I'm enjoying myself. (And yes, the bombing runs are very cool.:D) I like the fact that there are flight masters all over the zone, which makes it very easy to get around.

For the number of players in Hellfire Pen., everything seems fairly stable, and the mobs respawn fast enough that I can get my quests done with relative ease. I was a little disappointed with the conclusion of the Expedition Armory questline. It was certainly enjoyable, I just wanted something a little more challenging to finish it off.

Gear wise (PvP blues and rep. rewards) I've only upgraded my cloak and wand so far, although if I wasn't enchanted up the wazoo I would probably have picked up a couple more items. I also get the sense that I'll be upgrading pretty soon just for quest rewards, and would almost certainly find something to my taste if I ran Ramparts.

PvP wise, a strange truce has settled on Hellfire. I keep seeing people that would normally attack me (and vise-versa) just run past, which is an interesting feeling. (Makes me very nervous.) Miraculously I've only been ganked once (it was a misunderstanding to boot), and only MC'ed off the edge of the world once - which was kind of funny. You get the sense that the peaceful aura that's currently in Outlands won't last long, and life will certainly get interesting once it breaks.:D

I also wandered over to Shattarah (spelling?) which seems like an awesome base of opperations. Very well layed out, banks and mailboxes all over the place, interesting backstory. All in all, it has a very cool feel to it. (Reminds me a little of Sigil for the DnD fans out there.) The various reputation rewards in Shattarah look very interesting as well.

Like I said, I'm enjoying myself, but I'm also looking forward to leaving Hellfire. I'm getting a little tired of dessert style zones. (And incredibly sick of caves-with-lava instances. Do you hear me Blizzard?! RFC was cool and all, but I'm over it.)

[Quark]

(Reminds me a little of Sigil for the DnD fans out there.)

(Caveat: only know through Planescape: Torment)

With the 4 different factions, 2 directly opposing, I definitely see this:)

[Monkey]

I also wandered over to Shattarah (spelling?) which seems like an awesome base of opperations. Very well layed out, banks and mailboxes all over the place, interesting backstory. All in all, it has a very cool feel to it. (Reminds me a little of Sigil for the DnD fans out there.) The various reputation rewards in Shattarah look very interesting as well.

Shattrath.:)

Have you noticed it's impossible to attack the other faction in Shattrath? I went ahead and set my hearth with the Scryers, which lets my alliance druid hang out with the horde. Muwhahahaha!

[Artega]

(Caveat: only know through Planescape: Torment)

With the 4 different factions, 2 directly opposing, I definitely see this:)

It was a shame the Planescape campaign setting got 86'd before Black Isle could put out another game. I still regard Planescape: Torment as one of the best games ever made, if not the best; it was like an animated novel:)

[Sabra]

Outlands: With the exception of the bombing runs, the content has been very predictable, but on Stormrage - where I play, it's insane out there. Just too many people. I may give it a few more weeks and let people move on before I go back to the starting area.

Observation: I've been using minimal 3rd party mods, and trying out the Blizzard version of Scrolling Combat Text, which so far doesn't make me very happy as the text it TOO BIG and I can't figure a way to reposition or scale it. BUT since it is huge and right in your face here's what I noticed:

While on my first bombing run (those 2 portals) I noticed that I was in combat. Has anyone else experienced that?

I wonder if we'll eventually be fighting from the air?

[Mirajj]

I loved TBC in the Beta, and love it now that it's live. I do kind of miss the beta population though. Jamming most of a server's population into the same zone sucks. =/

[oldmandennis]

Kel'Thuzad has been really peaceful and stable too. The server went down once for about an hour, after 30-45 min of bad loot lag.

I hope the "world" PvP gets better, because the HFP stuff is a complete joke. You get the 5% buff for holding the objectives.... but as soon as you try and use the buff to quest or do mobs the other side will cap the towers. And its actually in your interest NOT to hold the objectives if you want the PvP rewards - you want the other side to cap them back as soon as you leave.

As far as overcrowding goes, it was only really a problem for me in two spots. The eggs the zepplin goblins wanted were impossible to get, and the number of people trying the second quest with the meteor giants caused the event to bug out. Both were doable this morning, after I gave up on them last night.

All told, I'm really happy with it. I enjoy questing, and am really glad to have a bunch of quests to do (one more rampart run and I'm off to Zangramarsh)

Bombing players and PvP NPC's is a part of another zones "world" pvp. I can't remember which zone off the top of my head.

[Artega]

Kel'Thuzad has been really peaceful and stable too. The server went down once for about an hour, after 30-45 min of bad loot lag.

I hope the "world" PvP gets better, because the HFP stuff is a complete joke. You get the 5% buff for holding the objectives.... but as soon as you try and use the buff to quest or do mobs the other side will cap the towers. And its actually in your interest NOT to hold the objectives if you want the PvP rewards - you want the other side to cap them back as soon as you leave.

As far as overcrowding goes, it was only really a problem for me in two spots. The eggs the zepplin goblins wanted were impossible to get, and the number of people trying the second quest with the meteor giants caused the event to bug out. Both were doable this morning, after I gave up on them last night.

All told, I'm really happy with it. I enjoy questing, and am really glad to have a bunch of quests to do (one more rampart run and I'm off to Zangramarsh)

Bombing players and PvP NPC's is a part of another zones "world" pvp. I can't remember which zone off the top of my head.

Halaa in Nagrand, if what I read is correct.

[Malakar]

For the number of players in Hellfire Pen., everything seems fairly stable ...

Indeed, for the sheer number of players packed into HFP, it was surprisingly stable. Only a couple server crashes, which weren't down for long... mostly just delayed reactions, which means their code is pretty damn stable. The most interesting thing though, is despite the seemlessness of the zone, it looks to be split. The town and areas around it were always quite laggy, whereas other parts of the zone were perfectly fine. Even loot lag seems to be area based now.

Considering the stability on day one, I expect the lag to go down significantly very soon. Everyone in two or three zones is worlds better than everyone in one zone.

PvP wise, a strange truce has settled on Hellfire. I keep seeing people that would normally attack me (and vise-versa) just run past, which is an interesting feeling. (Makes me very nervous.) Miraculously I've only been ganked once (it was a misunderstanding to boot), and only MC'ed off the edge of the world once - which was kind of funny. You get the sense that the peaceful aura that's currently in Outlands won't last long, and life will certainly get interesting once it breaks.:D

Yeah, it seems there's a truce on most PVP servers. It's a good thing, with the overcrowded zones nobody would ever level with constant pvp at every turn. The camped boss spawns for quests do, however, incite pvp often... the perfect amount - a little world pvp now and then but not at every turn.:)

[Epi]

While on my first bombing run (those 2 portals) I noticed that I was in combat. Has anyone else experienced that?

Didn't pay attention on combat state, but I did noticed Spirit Tap proccing from the mobs killed in the second bombing run. But I hope it does not mean anything - while these fight from air was Ok as some distraction from "traditional" quests, I still prefer to stay firmly on the ground;).

-Miiko, lvl 61 priest.

[Artega]

Yeah, it seems there's a truce on most PVP servers. It's a good thing, with the overcrowded zones nobody would ever level with constant pvp at every turn. The camped boss spawns for quests do, however, incite pvp often... the perfect amount - a little world pvp now and then but not at every turn.:)

I'm starting a war once I get to Outland. Allies have no purpose but to die by my hand.

[Sword_of_Doom]

I am absolutely loving the expansion. The server has been surprisingly stable for the most part even though we are likely going to have a realm split. But in comparison to Nov. 23, 2004 this xpac was a lot smoother and bug free. It seems they have figured out some things in 2 years of making this game.

[ima_nerd]

My favorite thing so far has only been expansion related by proxy.

I'm leveling on a new server (Maiev) with a large group of friends so we all hit the expansion at the same time. I was 41 and grinding Pirates in STV when a 42 NE Druid at 2/3-ish health comes up and roots me. Right when roots goes off, a 67 Troll Hunter from behind her one shotted her.

I honestly couldn't stop laughing.

[Descended]

The only negatives I'm feeling so far are the completely overpowering advantage Alliance has in world pvp on Durotan (which was made worse by a lot of the better geared Horde players leaving on a free character transfer a couple weeks ago -- I wouldn't be surprised if the A:H ratio was 4 or 5 to 1 now), and the overdose of desolate terrain that Helfire Peninsula provides. I really wish that the terrain in the west third of Helfire was more grasslandy, at least in ground textures and plantlife.

Zone appearance: I was very happy to proceed into Zangarmarsh. Feralas was my favorite zone, visually, before Zangarmarsh and Terrokar (sp?), but both give it a run for its money, now, and I can't wait to see the rest of the continent.

Quests: Helfire was a bit predictable, and left me feeling a little stressed due to the high speed I cycled through the quests and the crowds. However, I was feeling better by the time I hit Falcon. I guess the quests in Zangarmarsh really aren't innovative, either, but I am enjoying exploring the zone enough that it feels more rewarding.

Professions: Mining is at 324, after mostly completing Helfire P and Zangarmarsh. I use Gatherer (beta), so I occasionally alter my travel paths to check a node spawn point, but almost all my Fel Iron harvesting has been incidental. Enchanting is at 316. I disenchant all greens I don't use, and skill up with no regard to profit (I just enchant my own stuff instead of wasting time trying to sell my enchants).

Money: I'm pulling 40 to 50g an hour of play, once AH receipts are counted in. I've blown it all on equipment off the AH; I'm afraid if I don't invest money on stuff that actually upgrades me, I'll get stuck holding devaluing gold pieces. Prices are increasing on the AH, but my feeling is that gold income is increasing at an even faster pace.

Character: My main is a rogue I've built to shine in solo grinding, due to high survivability and speed (hemo with a HWL blade, rather than ambush/backstab). Going into TBC, she had just over 40% dodge, with a 0/21/30 build. My equipment was devoid of raid gear, except gloves from MC. I have managed, with a few sacrifices of attack power, to maintain my dodge at 39% at level 63, while increasing my attack power by about 50% and my hitpoints by about 20%. I have four alternate pieces of equipment I switch to in instances that drop my dodge to around 35% but give me another 100 AP or so. I am still very much enjoying playing the character in all situations. My damage output is acceptable, coming in first in three of four pug runs in Helfire instances. Recap shows my solo grinding DPS at around 300, up about 50 from my entrance through the Dark Portal.

Instances: It takes more work for me to find what instances are worth running, since Thott isn't close to completely populating its drop table information. I've determined I have no need to run ramparts or furnaces, slave pens may only be useful for rep (I want that CE Honored leather chest), and underbog will only be worth running until I get the agi/dodge cloak off the end boss. I suspect the next couple evenings of play will be devoted to underbog runs and CE rep gain.

All in all, it has totally sucked me in.

Ayyad of Durotan, Cenarion Expedition Assassin

[Watto44]

I'm starting a war once I get to Outland. Allies have no purpose but to die by my hand.

As the numbers have thinned out, pvping has increased.:)Still fairly peaceful, but that's mostly the server.

Ganking people on the roads near the Broken Hill and Stadium towers in Hellfire is incredibly fun. (Getting a little token for each is like BBQ sauce on a pizza: that extra touch that makes it special.) Reminds me of the road in WPL back in the day.:)

[Raven Vale]

I've determined I have no need to run ramparts or furnaces, slave pens may only be useful for rep (I want that CE Honored leather chest), and underbog will only be worth running until I get the agi/dodge cloak off the end boss. I suspect the next couple evenings of play will be devoted to underbog runs and CE rep gain.

All in all, it has totally sucked me in.

Ayyad of Durotan, Cenarion Expedition Assassin

I found CE rep gain to be extremely easy with no running instances , I got the chest piece within a few hours , it really helped being an herbalist , I suppose non herbalists will take a bit longer .

[Monkey]

I found CE rep gain to be extremely easy with no running instances , I got the chest piece within a few hours , it really helped being an herbalist , I suppose non herbalists will take a bit longer .

I've been pretty happy with it, myself--my druid is a single quest turn-in away from hitting honored, and other than making sure I completed CE quests I came across, I haven't gone out of my way to grind anything and I can think of 4 quests, just offhand, that I could find and turn in for them. So far (in Hellfire Peninsula, Zangarmarsh, and Terrokar) it looks like there's at least a bit of CE questing to do at every stop along the way to 70. So it will probably be quite straightforward to hit Exalted for the Earthwarden (dr00d hammer).

[Ynir]

Spangles, NE warrior, is 69.25 and counting

The best part of the expansion is grouping with people that I haven't seen for many months. We were all boxed into our places in the old progression. We have a few weeks now of churn and entropy before getting boxed into our places for the new progression.

Warrs are slowpokes because they bandage after every kill. Even so, questing 60 - 70 is nowhere near as hard as getting to 60. Speccing back to DW fury from protection smoothed the process considerably. Seeing skills increase was a forgotten pleasure.

There are no new quests that lock you down and kill you again and again, like the one in Auberdine where you dive into sunken ships filled with angry murlocks. Everything has been done to fatten us up as easily as possible.

Questing in T2 armor with GM weapons is luxurious. I replaced jewelry and accessories many times in the sequence of quests and instances through Nagrand and into Blade's Edge. Only recently have I started using new weapons. But I have not needed (or been able) to replace armor yet, which makes the process a lot less stressful.

Grinding rep and gold is better. Every mob drops something, if only a bit of 10s chaff. Hitting Stormers and Rumblers in Silithus to get empty loot windows time after time was infuriating.

I'm sure that getting keyed for Hijal will be a grind, but hopefully not like the boring and pointless treadmill for CC rep. Anyway, I'm wary of being trapped on treadmills now. I'll play some other game if they try that again.