And by "all", I mean me and my little brother, because no one will read this. Anyway, the game, "World of Warcraft", released by Blizzard Entertainment on November, 23, 2004 is definitely worth blogging about. It is renown for being one of the most addictive games of all time, and with good reason. I have played since day one, nearly four years ago, and I've played it ever since. There are so many different facets you can delve into, it's almost impossible to get bored of it. No game has the longevity or complexity as "WoW', and I doubt anything ever will again, even by the mighty Blizzard.
The other day, someone told me that they wanted to start playing Warcraft. I started rambling about how wonderful the game was, but it was useless. To understand this game at all, you had to have played it... excessively. It's not just leveling a character to 70 (soon to be 80), and winning the game because of it. Hitting 70 is just the start, and it takes days of actual playtime to get there. More than I'd like to admit.
The level cap opens up a plethora of options for your character. You could test your luck in player versus player (PVP) combat, in a multitude of ways, including "Battlegrounds", where up to 80 different human uses battle in different situations for points. There's also "Arenas", in which you battle other players in 2v2, 3v3 and 5v5 areas or a different kind of points. The points are then used to purchase better gear for your character, enhancing it's power. Also, open PVP is prominent across WoW. It simply is fighting people outside of the designated areas, but this also gives you points that can go towards gear. This is what I do. Too much. I play battlegrounds more than anything else, and have become quite good with my 70 Warlock ( just one many different classes in the game).
Player versus environment (PVE), is basically how you level, but this can also be played at 70. Throughout your leveling experience, you always have the option of doing "instances". These are harder areas where you need to group up to kill the "MOBs", to gain experience and new gear. They are even more prominent at 70. The hardest instances can be done by only the very few elite, but most can be done by any 70 that has any ability to play at all. Instances need to be done in one sitting, and the hardest ones are usually left with people with too much time on their hands. "Molten Core", is a large, and extremely difficult instance for players back when the level cap was 60. It would take upwards of 5 hours, and 40 people would all have to take part in it. It is ridiculous to say the least, but it was the only way to get the best gear, so people did it. I couldn't imagine sitting at your computer for hours on end, which is why I never really got into the instancing. An hour to two is fine with me, but when it takes up the vast majority of your day, it gets kind of sad.
Character creation is great as well. You can pick from 9 different classes (soon to be 10), each completely different from one another. You also choose your race from a selection of 10 unique species. The epic Warcraft story line is also evident in this game, which is yet another reason why the series remains so popular. Your character can choose form a number of useful professions, join a guild of other players, buy a vast variety of mounts to faster movement, just to mention a few options you can do.
There is a reason over 10 million people are playing, and will continue to play for years to come.
-XG
