I like how all the disagreeing posts have been removed.

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Now there's really no branches, there's just one path that leads to Ulduar. Oh, so you've progressed past U10? Then do U10 "Hard mode". Hooray for variety! Also the better profession patterns weren't all simply given to us by our trainer. They had to be found in these raids which encouraged running some of them over after you'd cleared them. And I may just be recreating history by saying this but I don't remember running the same heroics over and over again so easy and monotonous.

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Well, there is more to the game than just raiding. Heck, there's more to the raids and dungeons than just killing bosses. I've had no problems being entertained with my own goals in Azeroth, beyond "phat lewtz" and the like. For example, I finished getting the Explorer achievement, and am working on Loremaster. You could always roll alts to have another perspective at the game, or run PvP games or arenas for a bit.

There is no one way to play.

I'm happy for blizzard they are doing a terrific job at making such a fun game.

I enjoy the game an all but I'm more thankful for the work they do.

Programming sucks. And i'm glad i'm not doing it. But it could be worse : i could be subnetting for blizzard lol.


yea blizzard you all rock and keep up the good work. I'm sure many many WoW players don't have experience with the technology industry they only see the game itself as a simple basic play field.

Keep up the good work.

Indeed. Blizzard is actually implementing things that the players like, and not feeling limited by what they have already done (Faction/race changes). It feels like they are listening to the player base. (Ex. Everyone complained about Naxx being to easy, so you got uld + hardmodes). I think Cataclysm will be the best Xpac yet.

Thank you Ekrim for writing this. it so refreshing to see a grateful post instead of a complaining critical one. And it even cooler that most people in this thread echo your feelings.

I would like to join you in thanking Blizzard and Ghostcrawler for making such a great game. I too, follow the stories and lore behind it and like playing though the many quest chains for the stories.

The game has an art style that consistent within itself that I like. I wasn't around when the Dark Portal opened not when Aq40 was opened but I wish I was there. I was there when the pre event for Wrath came, when the scourge attack Stormwind and Ogrimmar. That was epic! I still remember the reactions of my friends when I showed that. The zombie invasion really made the game feel dangerous and that the Lich King was truly a threat. I hope to see more events like this.

There is a quest that you get from the Skybreaker, where you gain control of an abomination and blow up scourge with it. You notice that most of the scourge soldiers are risen alliance soldiers and that Cult of the Damned necromancers are rezing the fallen. I'm standing there one day watching this, thinking. "This is pointless." I realize just how powerful the Lich King really is, There is no need for him to fight directly. His army is never ending, never ceasing. The war against him is futile. I was really impressed with that scene. I don't think many people noticed this, but it was a good subtle clue of the true power of the Lich King. Good Job in adding that situation into the game.

I still remember how Shattrah City and Stormwind were rendered ghost towns during the Zombie invasion. How I watched hundreds of infected rats flood into Stornwind from the harbor. *shiver*

Than there's Northrend. I was really impressed with the beauty of that place, notably Howling Fjord and Grizzly Hills. Wow. The music just fits the visuals perfectly and set the right mood.

Yes there is something for all players whether they be hardcore or casual.

And I cant WAIT to see Cataclysm! *slobber*

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Actually, the trolling/harassing and defamatory posts have been removed. Please refrain from doing these things in the thread. Disagreeing is OK as long as it's done in a constructive and respectful way.

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Go Neth.

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My name is Ekrim. I am a Night Elf Rogue, and have been since about nine months or so after launch. This is my first character, my main character, and my favorite character. I just recently hit 80, after running around Northrend since the expansion came out. I am not what most would call a "hard core" player, having ever run a few raids successfully, and only having seen about half the instances you good people have made. Nor am I a "casual" player. I love looking into the theorycrafting of the classes, the lore of the game in general, and into the inner workings of Blizzard as revealed through your enlightening posts. I'm referring to the Blues in general, of course, but Ghostcrawler deserves special mention, I think, for both his unique position and unusual candor.

Like I said, I never really raided that much. Most would say that Blizzard only caters to this crowd or that, but I disagree. I think you cater to everyone. There is PvP aplenty for those who would seek it. There are PvE encounters in any difficulty range for people of any skill level. But most importantly, in my mind, there is a plethora of tools that let us, the average players, make whatever we want of this wonderful game. From the well-documented and open Addon system to the myriad of items that are in just for show, or a laugh, or flavor, you have all done a wonderful job.

I'd also like to state that it's wonderful that you constantly strive to add to the game. And I don't mean just the regular expansions. If you really wanted to, you could just "unlock" a new area and leave it at that. But no! That's not what Blizzard does! Is the Dark Portal opening? Let's make it explode, have an immensely powerful demon raid the capital cities, and have hordes on hordes of demons try to invade, with the players being the thin red line between Azeroth and total obliteration! And then, after they've had just about enough, we'll let them through that gate, and blow their minds!

Is the Lich King going to attack? Let's do it in style, and have the players control the event! If there was ever a series of static servers, I'd ask for one of that event. I still have a screenshot of the Naaru my zombie minions killed in Shattrath, despite my being unable to directly attack anything!

Throw in the holiday events, the recent "achievement" system that brings new meaning to old content (I'm still working on Loremaster), and your recent decision to allow EVERYONE a shot at Arthas (even if we don't get to finish him off) after that long, expansion-length buildup (he popped me like a zit, personally!), and it is obvious that you love your players, and want to take good care of them by providing the best game you can.

So, why am I stating this? Well, to be honest, I figured you could use another voice of support in this forum. While I don't read this personally, I do follow you guys through a Blue Tracker. I wanted to say that, of your buffs and nerfs, I haven't seen anything that I couldn't agree with, even though some were obvious tentative test changes. Here's hoping that your buff/fix to Vanish works as we all hope, and that it doesn't unbalance our damage too much!

Keep up the good work!
Ekrim

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Haven't seen one of these since WoTLK came out. Good stuff. Not everyone is has turned into elitest.

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Actually, the trolling/harassing and defamatory posts have been removed. Please refrain from doing these things in the thread. Disagreeing is OK as long as it's done in a constructive and respectful way.

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So Neth...Any news on Race Change? Besides soon?

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Haven't seen one of these since WoTLK came out. Good stuff. Not everyone is has turned into elitest.

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Good job making yourself sound like a douche.
Being an elitest =/= jerk.

In all honesty casuals tend to be bigger !%#@%%!s then elitests.

As for the comment on thanking blizzard, a lot of people don't agree with changes they make. Not to sound rude, but they can't even do simple things like fix warriors sword spec so it is worth the 5 points. Hell I can't count the amount of useless talents in a warriors tree. I personally can't say they are doing a good job when they wont fix simple things.

Oh and my last note is I will never think they do anything right until they stop balancing the game around /duel

nice post, we could use more like it

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Actually, the trolling/harassing and defamatory posts have been removed. Please refrain from doing these things in the thread. Disagreeing is OK as long as it's done in a constructive and respectful way.

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I'm going to be brief because you'll see this in passing and I'm sure you have a lot to do working for Blizzard so I shall not disrupt your day too much. Anyway. Some of the best criticism has come through satire. Voltaire, Moliere, Twain, Swift, etc. Sometimes you have to shake people to make a profound or lasting point especially in forums such as these where general commentary is often disregarded or is met with "lolz ur gearscore is 2500." I think the use of satire is fully warranted because the forums are the way they are.

I'd just like to pop in and add my opinion real quick.

I am a raider. I do hardmodes. I've spent entire nights doing nothing but wiping over and over again on a single boss working to get it down. Many of those nights all I have to show at the end of 4-5 hours is a repair bill of several hundred gold. It is pretty much a foregone conclusion that I'm going to kill Arthas in the Icecrown raids (both 10 and 25 man) and will at least be working on his hardmode (assuming such a thing exists!) if not conquering them. Despite all this, I was really glad to hear that Arthas will be a boss in the upcoming 5 man dungeon. I realize that not everyone has the time, gear, or inclination to devote to raiding, but that doesn't mean that they shouldn't be allowed to experience the story (to some degree) that raiders do. Similar to how Kael'thas in Magister's Terrace gave non raiders a chance to see what the Tempest Keep Kael'thas was like (which was an amazing repackaging of the experience, I might add) this will give more casual players a chance to see what Arthas is like. With the increased role that Arthas took in the storytelling while leveling up and in instances throughout the expansion, it would have been a severe let down if players that don't raid never got a chance to go head to head with him. I look forward to facing Arthas in the Halls of Reflection and hope that Blizzard continues both the method of storytelling employed in WotLK and the tight integration of the central villain into the consciousness and experience of ALL players, not just those who raid.

If you don't like how WoW is then take up programming and see how hard it is.


I hate paladins but i don't let them ruin my entire game experience.

If you don't like what blizzard does you don't have to play there game.

IN FACT it's a prividge to play World of Warcraft. Don't give me that bull that u pay to play, you signed the TOS they can disconnect you or throw you off at any second.

I'd like to pop up and say hi, WoW players and blizzard as well. I'd like to agree with the OP and to mention as well that I personally love the depth and warmth of information about development that Blizzard puts out on a regular basis through these forums. Video game development has always been a dream of mine and as I'm slowly working my way through college with that in mind, it has been a real blessing to hear Blizzard posters come out and tell us what development is like. Many other companies seem to keep that a huge secret; Blizzard makes it a point.

Blue: I'm really looking forward to Cataclysm, but I'm almost more interesting in reading the Blue Posts about developing Cataclysm. The Blue Posts coming up to Wrath of the Lich King were phenomenal; I'm hoping Cataclysm tops them, although I know you guys will be busy.

P.S.: have any quest text and dialog jobs kicking around?

Excellent post. I agree with pretty much everything. I don't know if casual would be the right word for me either, I am a hardcore altaholic. That said raiding is not really something that interests me... at all. I suppose a big part of it is I play at off times and I don't want to waste my play time looking for groups.

I think the direction Blizzard has taken with this expansion is excellent, and I really hope I get to experience the climax of this expansion in some way shape or form.

That said one thing that bothers me the most about this game to this day is, everyone says casual people want free epics yadda yadda yadda. I can only speak for myself but at 80 I simply want decent blue gear *that looks good*. ("Appearance tab" would go a looong way to fixing this) The main reason I am interested at all in epic loot is because the non epic stuff looks crappy in comparision. I think they can make the tier loot look iconic enough to keep the raiders on their pedestal, and still allow players that don't care as much about the stats to look cool. Also I really think mounts and fluff should be available to everyone outside of maybe a couple of mounts.(extremely rare raid drop/top level PvP). In BC the netherdrake was available as long as you put in the time. The pheonix and the armored netherdrake were exclusive. Seems like in Wrath there are a ton of exclusive flying mounts and the only non-exclusive ones are old models(for the most part), or far lower on the cool factor.

Once again only my opinion and one I'm sure a ton of people will disagree with, but raiders/pvp get the gear with best stats, thats a pretty damn good reward in itself I think the fluff should be more open to everyone.

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ghostcrawler is a douchebag, hes the reason pallys are op cause he loves them so, cant wait for him to roll a dk

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meanie.

You have the right attitude, Ekrim.

I wish you played on Ysera. You'd be fun to group with. :D

I agree with what you said, and I'd say I am in your same situation. I'd probably be Ulduar-geared if I didn't have my school and work obligations. Such is life though, I enjoy the game regardless.

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Actually, the trolling/harassing and defamatory posts have been removed. Please refrain from doing these things in the thread. Disagreeing is OK as long as it's done in a constructive and respectful way.

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Ghostcrawler lies to the player base... after all he promised us all ponies right? :)

On a serious note, if I was going to thank the blues for anything... it would be the insight given into the development process of the game. I find the process and timing around how this monstrous game is pushed out to the public very interesting, thanks!