We have a little more than a week until the talent system that we've had in one form or another since 2004 finally dies. It has had dizzying highs and terrifying lows, it has defined us and been the means we used to explain ourselves to others. There have been cookie-cutter builds and unusual, unorthodox builds. Cataclysm saw it get pared down after growing twice in The Burning Crusade and again in Wrath of the Lich King, but it was still basically the same fundamental system. Now, after all this time, it's going away.

Some old standby talents will be gone forever, others baked into our abilities, and still others have been made into specializations that inform our choice of role without requiring us to choose them directly. Our new talent system doesn't have a progressive tree, doesn't use a descending system, and doesn't give you a point every level or every other level to serve as a kind of carrot keeping you moving forward. For better or for worse, we've had this talent system ever since WoW went live, and this is the end of the road for it. When patch 5.0.4 goes live, we'll have a whole new talent system to kick around.

So share with us your favorite memories of the talent system that was or your fondest hopes for the talent system to come.

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It's open warfare between Alliance and Horde in Mists of Pandaria, World of Warcraft's next expansion. Jump into five new levels with new talents and class mechanics, try the new monk class, and create a pandaren character to ally with either Horde or Alliance. Look for expansion basics in our Mists FAQ, or dig into our spring press event coverage for more details!

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Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Breakfast Topics, The Burning Crusade