Why do I hear.....

[nobbie]

Just one problem - this has been heard before on other MMORPG releases.  "The lag and problems we're seeing is because we're testing stuff out on beta servers.  It'll be fine on release, really!"

Release day comes.  Servers die under the load.

Bolty is correct. I'm currently checking the German WOW fansites for the U.S. Beta reports. The reports are the same as here: long server waiting lines, unsuccessful logins, game crashes, missing content, and the busiest servers have horrible playing lags if you've managed to login successfully. The reported ping rates also don't look very convincing yet. An average ping of 300 to 700 - depending on the game server you're playing on - seems to be quite usual, and that on a DSL modem! This is a "stress test" with lower-than-full capacity for sure, but with just one(!) single week left for further game enhancements, the servers will certainly go down on their kness when WOW is released. Remember that the game is being rushed with a clever "limited" pre-order sales strategy in light of EQ2's early release. It's still all just beta-testing, not just for the game content and balancing but also for the server loads. The fansites have reported within 24 hours 500,000(!) people wanting to test out the U.S. Beta, and you can expect at least 1,500,000 customers and early subscribers world-wide once WOW has hit the stores. Significant technical difficulties for at least one month, after WOW has gone live, can therefore be expected. Note that Blizzard has "just" experience with their proprietary, limited Battle.net system, but not yet with a VLS ("Very Large Scale") MMOG-system a la EQ or UO.

The WOW "Collector's Edition" has one free month included, so you won't have to pay $15 for a month that might turn out horrible. I don't know if the normal WOW package includes that free month. Anyway, if you have decided to play WOW, you're probably doing yourself a BIG favor if you wait with your purchase at least 4 weeks after WOW has gone live. Check the fansites often during that time and read what the first customers have to say especially about the server performances. That should save you from some grey hairs for sure ;)