The Queue: Stripes edition
by Adam Holisky 
Feb 13th 2009 at 8:00PM
Welcome back to The Queue, WoW Insider's daily Q&A column where the WoW Insider team answers your questions about the World of Warcraft. Adam Holisky will be your host today.
Today in The Queue we're going to spend the entire time answering a question we got from a U.S. Marine currently deployed in Iraq. And while the above YouTube clip has very little (or nothing) to do with the Marines or Iraq, I think that everyone can use a little more Bill Murray in their life.
Thalimor asked...
"I currently am a Marine deployed in Iraq and I was wondering how much the game will change in one year? I am worried that when I do get back, it will feel completely different. What are your thoughts?"
First and foremost, thanks for your service. I hope that things are as safe as possible for you and your fellow servicemen and servicewomen.
I'm going to answer your question in two parts. First, what has happened to WoW in the past year. And second, what will probably happen to WoW in the following year. That should cover the entire timeframe for yourself and others in your situation.
How WoW has changed in one year
WoW has changed a bit, but nothing that makes the game unrecognizable. The major changes focus around Patch 2.4, Wrath of the Lich King, and the Blizzard conventions
Patch 2.4 and the Sunwell Plateau
Patch 2.4 was on the Public Test Realm (PTR) servers and brought with it a whole new raiding experience in the Sunwell Plateau. The Sunwell (or SWP) was to many the hardest content in the game up to that point. While most guilds could get through Black Temple and Mount Hyjal in a few months of consistent effort, many found that it took a month and some change just down one boss. This is important because it reflected a true hard-core raiding environment. Blizzard later came out at BlizzCon in October of 2008 and said that they don't want to have another raid instance as hard as Sunwell. Many hard core players today are lamenting at the easiness of current raiding content, and want something along the difficulties of SWP back.
Wrath of the Lich King
In March of last year we began to hear the rumblings that the Wrath alpha testing was underway, and we finally got solid confirmation of this on April 10th, 2008. The news was quite big on the internet, and Wrath news would continue to be a big thing for the remainder of 2008. You can check out our Wrath of the Lich King information page for everything that we've written (and it's a lot – I'd estimate around 400,000 words or so overall). But since no one probably has the time to read through all that, the major points are that the level cap has been raised to 80, there is a new continent in Northrend where all the leveling will take place, and Naxxramas has moved up north and is now an introductory level 80 raiding dungeon. There are also significant changes to all the classes – some changed a ton (Protection Warriors) and some changed not so much (Rogues). The Wrath story is still developing, and I'll cover it more later. Oh, and Wrath introduced these little things called the Death Knight and Achievements.
Server (In)stability
I wish that I could say things have improved here from a year ago, unfortunately I can't. The servers are pretty bad at point, and much worse than they were a year ago. Where queues were virtually unheard of for most of 2008, they are now common place. Sever lag is such that on some nights raiding becomes more or less impossible, and many players feel that Blizzard isn't living up their end of the deal here. We've had some recent improvements in this area, but there still is a lot left to be desired.
World Wide Invitational and BlizzCon
Blizzard threw two big bashes again last year. The World Wide Invitational (WWI) happened in Paris, France in June; while BlizzCon was held in LA in early October. Both of these two conventions were huge successes in terms of what they delivered for the fans, but both sold out within minutes of tickets going on sale. The BlizzCon ticket debacle was quite a PR problem for Blizzard, and they're going to have to work hard to make sure it doesn't happen again. We covered both extensively, if you're interested in going back and reading what went on during them.
Where WoW will be in a year from now
It's hard to predict exactly what will happen. I think the changes to the game will happen in a few areas:
Expansion #3
We're most likely going to hear about this before the year's end. I know that Blizzard is already working hard on it, and they'll start releasing details when they're ready. And while there are a lot of rumors about these details – they are just rumors. You probably don't want to believe any of them. Anyone that knows the truth isn't going to be talking about it.
Nonetheless, when the news of the new expansion hits, it'll be big and control the news cycle for quite a while. I guarantee you won't miss it.
Content Patches 3.1, 3.2, and 3.3
Patch 3.1 is going to be hitting the PTR soon, and be released in a couple months or so. It'll bring a new raid to the table, along with some significant changes to the classes and the ever popular dual specs. Patch 3.2 will likely be released towards the end of the summer or early fall and have another new raid (no one knows what it is, and anyone who says they do is probably lying). Patch 3.3 will release the Ice crown Citadel, the final raid of Wrath of the Lich King where players get to face Arthas. I could see Patch 3.3 coming out this year, but I could also see it coming out next year.
Class tweaks, but no mind blowing changes
I wouldn't expect there to be any major mind blowing changes to any of the classes. We're not going to see Paladins get an iWin button or any crazy stuff like that. We will see a few classes get nerfed, a few buffed, and then some random and odd changes like removing consumable ammunition. But overall Blizzard set the path for the classes with the release of Wrath and they're not going to deviate much from that until the next expansion (and even then, I doubt we'll see the level of class changes we saw in Wrath).
Will you recognize the game?
Hands down, yes. World of Warcraft has the same look and feel it did as when it was released. The mechanics of group play and raiding have changed a bunch, but you'd still be able to sit down and pickup the game without any problem. This will hold true a year from now as well. Blizzard has created a golden ticket they're not going to let go of – a game that's easy to begin and difficult to master.
If you have further questions, feel free to leave a comment and I'll answer them in future versions of The Queue. You can also submit questions via our tip line. I know there are a lot of folks in your shoes, and I'm more than happy to take some time out of my day and answer as much and I can.
/salute!
Editor's Note: Comments on this edition of The Queue have been locked. Feel free to send any questions in via our tip line.
Have questions about the World of Warcraft? The WoW Insider crew is here with The Queue, our daily Q&A column! Leave your questions in the comments and we'll do our best to answer 'em!Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, The Queue
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
stealthkilla Feb 16th 2009 5:41PM
Nice post! I would agree that, although it has changed a lot since the game started, it still has the same feel.
Cuetip Feb 13th 2009 8:24PM
"easy to win and hard to master" couldn't have put it better, great post :)
MusedMoose Feb 13th 2009 8:25PM
/salute Thalimor
Thank you for your service.
mirilene Feb 13th 2009 8:35PM
I would also mention the removal of +healing and the consolidation of +hit and +crit?
Depending on his class, that could be a pretty major change.
Tejinashi Feb 13th 2009 8:38PM
I am not american so I don't get this, whole.. yea brown nose at the troops mentality I mean Great your doing it /salute to you indeed. And I am not saying this post doss it per say, but yea. I just don't get it.
Great article - I agree easy to start on this game hard to master.
Esoteroth Feb 13th 2009 8:48PM
we don't brown nose the troops but we do respect them for doing what most of us wouldn't...if you don't like it don't hang around us americans
Daniel Feb 13th 2009 10:13PM
Ok, I am not trying to start a flame war here but I want to comment on the original comment. I am an American and I don't get the "brown nosing" of the troops either. I do respect people who serve their country, but I've never understood why we single out people who are in the military as something special. And don't give me this BS about giving their lives. Police officers and firefighters give their lives in the line of duty as well, every year.
I am not disrespecting our troops. But I don't understand why we single them out for special praise when they are plenty of other people in the country who also serve, who risk their lives, and who get far less recognition. Maybe when WoWInsider does a special firefighter edition, I'll be happier.
RipeTomatoe Feb 13th 2009 10:17PM
I would like to say that it is not ONLY Americans, If someone has offered to give up what they have here, and go fight, with a chance of loss of their life, I DO salute them. /Salute
Good luck to you, sir.
Jamesisgreat Feb 13th 2009 10:46PM
As a Brit that lives in the US, it was a bit strange for me to see this glorifying of the military when I first moved here. However, you've got to understand that, compared to Europe for example, the US is a very military orientated country - surprisingly so. You'll see people in army uniforms everywhere ( I live on a uni campus and constantly see people head off to lectures in full uniform). So the general attitude towards the military is a lot more jingoistic than it is in western Europe. Secondly - try not to judge the solider by the war. At least as many people join the services here because they really have no other options as far as well paying job goes, as they do because they want to go fight the 'axis of evil' for their patriotic duty or any of that rubbish.
But I definitely do feel that other professions such as social workers etc could use at least as much respect and recognition over here as could the military.
Anyway apologies for the thesis - as a very liberal Brit that has a brother-in-law in the US Navy, I've realised that not everything is black and white. And it's especially not red, white and blue ;)
Gizen Feb 13th 2009 10:47PM
Not choosing a side in the argument, but just commenting. The difference between police/firefighters and army personnel are at the end of the day, though both have put their lives on the line, the police and the firefighters get to go home to their families. The military personnel on the other hand are halfway across the world and do not get that option.
Pemo Feb 14th 2009 12:51AM
I am in the military, and when I first got out of boot camp I couldn't understand why so many people were thanking me randomly. Even people on myspace would randomly message me and comment on my service. Not all is well, however. When I was in training, we could only go off of the instalation in our dress uniform. My first experience with this, a car drove by and they threw an egg at me and dumped a soda on me as they drove by. I got in a lot of trouble for it, and had to pay out the butt for a new uniform.
Now I no longer see the respect shown to us, such as in this article, as "brown nosing". We sacrifice a lot of freedom and happiness in order to allow others to keep them, and offer a peaceful mind to other Americans. I would much prefer a /salute than a /spit.
Azghoul Feb 13th 2009 8:47PM
Well post number 5 we "brown nose" our soldiers since they choose to serve and defend our nation. Im sure in whatever communist crap hole you live in you are required to serve the "collective" but here in the good ol' USA we have the bravest CHOOSE to defend and protect us. So /salute to our fine servicemen/women thank you for preserving our freedom. Im sure the rest of the world would be sad if they didnt have America to leech off of.
Korgak Feb 13th 2009 8:52PM
The sun never sets on the British empire
my2cents Feb 13th 2009 9:11PM
I don't wish to start a flame war, but I have to say something:
First, just because someone isn't American doesn't mean they live in a "communist craphole." Second, don't be so quick to assume that the world is a better place because of America. I'm not saying you're wrong or right, but judging by the rest of your post I think it's safe to assume you're not educated on world affairs. Simply put, it's far more complicated than you're making it sound.
Now, with that said I am an American myself and happy and proud to be one. I hope for our troops to all come home safe and sound. I just can't stand the "I'm American, and therefore better than everyone else in the world" attitude that some of the more ignorant members of our society hold. It makes us all look bad! ;)
Hereticae Feb 13th 2009 9:37PM
Please dont forget america and its gluttonous greed is responsible for the economic crisis, so please, before saying that everywhere else is a "communist craphole" go fix your own problems.
Colonel Kurtz Feb 13th 2009 9:38PM
/ignore Azghoul
Esoteroth Feb 13th 2009 8:49PM
amen
Bubsa Feb 13th 2009 8:55PM
Without wanting to turn this into a military/war debate, all I'll say is: Why I don't support the war and wouldn't enroll to go off and fight, the common thing we must all surely share is the safe return of all the men and women involved, whether to the US, the UK (where I'm from) or even Azeroth.
Come home safe, all of you. Besides, we could always do with more tanks.
Bubsa Feb 13th 2009 8:56PM
*While I don't support, bloomin' typos.
Kylenne Feb 13th 2009 11:00PM
Well said. I abhor war in general, due to having worked extensively with veterans and seeing what it does to people; I believe very strongly in the idea of "precious blood and treasure" only being used when absolutely critical. I protested the Iraq war before it even started.
That said, I support the troops, 100%. It's not about "brownnosing" as that ignorant asshole up thread said. It's about recognizing the supreme sacrifices that men and women in uniform make every single day. As I said, I do a lot of volunteer work with veterans through the local VA. Too often people who strap cheap "support the troops" magnets made in China on the back of their SUVs forget about the people who have to fight them. People getting stop lossed doing 2 and 3 tours, losing their jobs and the families left behind being foreclosed on because of it, despite laws in place that are supposed to protect them from that. No one likes to talk about the mental and physical scars that are left when they finally do come home. Or the female soldiers who are raped. Or the many soldiers who commit suicide.
I also admire and respect cops and firefighters (Hi! I'm a native New Yorker who worked in the North Tower on 9/11), and believe they do not get nearly their due, it is not a zero sum game. One can show respect for every individual who puts on a uniform and risks life and limb to protect us all. Part of why I work with vets is to show my appreciation for everything they've given (both my parents are ex-military, and I have many extended family who are serving, two who are currently deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan). Some have lost everything in the service of this country. Instead of asking why people "brownnose" them, why don't these jerks GTFO off WoW Insider and go down to their local VA Hospital and talk to a few. Find out their stories.