Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Video, Expansions, Game mechanics, Launches, MMO industry, Opinion, Anniversary

World of Warcraft's eighth anniversary arrives after a rough year for the franchise. Cataclysm, the expansion that redesigned much of the old world and trumpeted the return of archvillain Deathwing, also saw subscriber numbers drop from their highest point, reached during the Wrath of the Lich King years. Players expressed discontent over the empty zones and the lack of anything to do save run endless heroic dungeons or chain battlegrounds.

It's said that humans often prepare to fight the next war by devising tactics to deal with the last war, and World of Warcraft's newest expansion, Mists of Pandaria, is definitely a reaction to player complaints about the previous one. The past year saw the game transition from one with two separate, segregated endgames to a game with a great deal more variety for players who've reached max level. Whether you loved or hated Cataclysm, you can't deny that the past year has seen more change than the entire expansion dedicated to changing the game ever provided.

Continue reading Parting the mists: World of Warcraft turns eight

Parting the mists: World of Warcraft turns eight originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 23 Nov 2012 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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