Considering coming back to WoW - thoughts?

[Smitten]

So I've heard things about Mists of Pandaria. Good things.

I quit in Cataclysm after just being burnt out on logging on 6 days a week only to do H FL, H DS and RBG carries. It just wasn't getting fun, more like a job than a game. I sold my account and moved on. But all the things my friends tell me make me want to come back.

Now I'm looking to come back in a way more casual environment.

So here's the big question: Is it worth it?

What is the current state of Heroics, Challenge Modes, Arenas, Rated Battlegrounds and such. Fun? Balanced? Challenging?

What realms are decent these days (US)? Still the same Frostmourne, Illidan, KT, KJ, Tich and such? Or have people moved on to new realms? Are monks any fun?

Basically any info on the positives and negatives of Mists as well as some basic overview on PvP balance at the moment would be greatly appreciated.

Rep will be provided to people who give well thought out and insightful responses that help me decide.

Cheers!

[xsx]

To be frank you might as well skip this expansion since it's all the same WoW that we had for years now.. only with a new make-up

[sed-]

i was in the same boat as you but kept hearing friends talk bout it. after a 6month break from it i decided to just buy a month and see how it went, but little did i know i would become hooked again. all the starting dungs has been revamped and also lots of the new changes that i thought i would hate i ended up loven. i personally think you should give it a go because its like a whole knew feeling. I know i did and i dont regret it.

[calinzier]

Well IMO yes its worth it. the new dungeons are actually fun in most cases. hard? no, way to easy? normal mode yes (heroic so so), now for challenge modes.... thats where the real fun begins in the dungeon field of WoW. the challenge modes put you on an even playing field with everyone else. your uber awesome gear now becomes heroic mode gear... the timer starts and its all up to how good your team can actually work together. its ACTUALLY a challenge for most all groups.

if you like dailies then youll be more than pleased lol, or if you dislike them... plan which toon you are going to use for crafting professions, use it for dailies, or cry later when you realize you have to do ALLLLLL those dailies again on another toon. Dailies actually offer some good rewards though. some fun vanity items like a table you can flip. pointless but fun lol. they also offer some good starting gear ilvl 463, then after you p[rogress through dailies and save up some valor you can even get those purples that make us all smile like little kids. (ilvl 489 btw). heck you can even play farmer in the game now if you enjoy the little mini game scene. and some nice recopies to boot.

when it comes down to it with professions and such they have actually made them feel a little more gratifying (main professions that is) cus you know you actually took the time and put the effort in. not something you can just go YAY look the ah has everything i need WEEEE im done.

the raiding so far ( this is just from my playing point of view) has been constructed well. there are mechanics that either you follow or you die ... nothing new. BUT they have designed them ( again IMO) in a manner that it can be a "tank check" "dps check" heal check" and still the rest of the raid has to help as well. its not just one group pulling all the weight. its balanced pretty well over all.

sorry i haven't pvped much sooooo wont be much help there for ya.

then you've got the whole pokemon thing.... I at first, like many others, thought it was going to be annoying having these little pokemon kids running around.... which to my suprise is pretty mellow ( on my server at least). and i must admit... its kinda fun actually. my guild is actually hosting its own tourney with them. winner takes home 10k gold as of now.

and with some of the new stuff coming soon ( the brawlers club, having your own army, ect.) im rather excited. they are making the game more fit for an even broader audience than before. while not completely destroying the basic foundation of it. so all in all its being balanced very well i think. well worth a play if its been a while for you. and even if you dont want the hardcore gaming experience back for it.... there is more than plenty for the casual player to do and be satisfied.

[Petermedp]

Hunters and Warriors are so freaking OP right now its insane, they pretty much 2 shot everything it feels like. It's a pain trying to cap CP since its mostly Hunter/Warrior and killing you instantly.
There are so many dailys you have to do in order to be competetive in PvE imo atleast. That kinda sucks, its such a grind.

But I'd say you should give it a try, prehaps you'll like it :-)

[akeon1]

I think its a great improvement.
Heroics are not really heroic thought.

The content seems al lot more vanilla style which might please.

[ev0]

As a pvper, this expansion sucks. It's actually guided me to PVE which is boring as shit....but really pretty

[Smitten]

Thanks guys!

I decided to give it a go again. I've rep'd all the replies I could.

I think I'll miss my hardcore guild and the play style, but it's better to be casual at this stage in my life.

Hopefully I can still get in on some old guild runs and RBGs though, because it's going to be terrible to try get into a guild and say I've done X, Y and Z on a fresh account with no achievements.

Perhaps I'll have to flip the tables, and go from the carry seller to the buyer just to get some base 2400 PvP achievements to get started quicker without having to deal with the finding a group bullshit xD

[Unscrupulous]

Welcome back

[shindaustin]

I just came back for Panda wow..so far its a great expansion. I left in early Cata.

With honorbuddy and Wow+ ive really just been able to do what i want then leave the game and still have my life.
Although on the PvP side, don't roll disc priest. They're fun up till around level 80..then they get swiped off the board.

Have fun in your time back though.
-Shindaustin

[jamesgreen]

Here's something that I think will do you a lot of good:

5 Creepy Ways Video Games Are Trying to Get You Addicted | Cracked.com

This is a great read for anyone who is considering coming back to playing World of Warcraft after taking a long break. Especially someone that understands the benefits of casual play. I think in the beginning of any expansion is when the most people come back to the game which is great but I think too many people get caught up in the "grind" and burn out too quickly. Hopefully after reading that article you will be able to see through alot of the tricks that game developers use to try to stretch out the game as long as they can.

One of the BIGGEST changes about this expansion is the way rep and valor are earned and implemented. I haven't talked to many people who enjoy grinding dailies, but it seems like everyone and their mother are doing it despite HATING them. My advice to you is simple. If you find yourself doing anything in the game that you don't enjoy, DON'T DO IT. It just isn't worth grinding for hours every day for gear that will be free in just 6 months. In my opinion more people should raid at the end of an expansion while the best rewards (heroic mounts) are still available and the effort is reasonable.

[Smitten]

Well I'm already level 86 and I've heard about the dailies. I didn't do dailies in Bc, WotLK, Cata and I am not doing them in MoP.

I don't care if the rewards are 489s and mounts, I found a casual raiding guild that's 4/6H and they have no problems with members not doing the daily grind. Whether that's common or I got lucky - I am not sure :P

But I'm really enjoying the storyline in Jade Forest thus far, not to mention the scenery and detail put into the world. I can tell Blizz have put a lot of time into this, and I hope it stays this good throughout the expansion. Definitely up there with BC at the moment.