Warlords of Draenor - Scouting Report
  • Purchasing Warlords of Draenor will give you one free boost to level 90 right away.
  • Blizzard will be testing allowing you to purchase a character upgrade directly.
  • Warlords of Draenor will be available for pre-purchase digitally Soon™.
  • Both Standard and Digital Deluxe editions will be available, along with a physical collector's edition.
  • Purchasing the Digital Deluxe edition will give you a pet and mount right away.

Originally Posted by Blizzard (Blue Tracker)
It’s the New Year, and 2014 is going to be a big one for World of Warcraft. This November marks the game’s 10-year anniversary and the 20-year anniversary of the entire Warcraft series. We’re looking forward to celebrating these milestones with everyone, but in the meantime, we’ve got a few Warlords of Draenor–related updates to share.

Preparing for Battle
At BlizzCon, we laid out our plans to send you into battle against some of the biggest and baddest enemies in Warcraft history. While the Iron Horde gears up for war on Draenor, back here on earth we’re making preparations for the expansion’s upcoming closed beta test. If you’d like to be considered, now’s a great time to make sure you’re opted in to Warcraft betas and that the hardware specs in your Beta Profile are up to date. (Full instructions can be found here.)


Report from the Front Lines
From the outset, players will find themselves hurled into a chaotic conflict with the Iron Horde at a new Dark Portal on Draenor. The situation for Azeroth is grim, and the war effort needs heroes—from new recruits to retired champions to warriors still tending wounds earned at the Siege of Orgrimmar. To get everyone straight to the action, when you buy the expansion, it will come with a boost to level 90 for one character on your WoW account. We’re getting ready to test the functionality for that on the PTR, and we wanted to provide a quick update on how it will work with the upcoming expansion presales.

Warlords of Draenor will be available for pre-purchase digitally Soon™, and we’re once again planning to have standard digital and Digital Deluxe versions (along with a physical Collector’s Edition—more on that at a later date). This time, if you pre-purchase the Digital Deluxe edition you’ll get your exclusive World of Warcraft pet and mount right away, allowing you to bring a little bit of Draenor past into Azeroth present.

In addition, when you pre-purchase either digital version, we’re going to grant you your level-90 boost at the time of pre-purchase. That’s a little different from the plan we laid out at BlizzCon, but based on the feedback, it’s obvious that many of you would like the chance to get acquainted with a new class before heading into the expansion. This will also give more players the opportunity to experience the current end-game content and the events leading up to Garrosh’s exodus to Draenor. Maybe you’ll get your Legendary cloak from Wrathion and level 90–100 Heirloom weapon in the process.


Bolster the Ranks
We’ve also heard feedback from players that they’d be interested in boosting multiple characters to 90, including alts they play with friends on other factions and realms. We’ve been evaluating ways to make that possible without having players go through roundabout methods (such as purchasing multiple boxes and performing multiple character transfers), and in the near future we’ll be testing out a feature that gives you the option to purchase a character upgrade directly. We’ll have more information to share later—including details on our character-upgrade plans for Asian regions where players don’t buy expansion boxes—but you’ll start seeing pieces of the process soon on the PTR, so keep an eye out.

We’re looking forward to the closed beta test, and we’re excited we’re able to give players their character boost immediately upon pre-purchasing—hopefully that will help tide you over while you’re waiting for the epic battle for Draenor to begin. Stay tuned for more information on presales and our beta plans, and we hope you’ll join in and help us test this stuff out when it hits the PTR.
This article was originally published in forum thread: Warlords of Draenor- Scouting Report started by chaud View original post
Comments 292 Comments
  1. Arcnail's Avatar
    Paying to have a character leveled for you, on top of a monthly sub, is garbage. Period.
  1. martinboy's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Talonkaine View Post
    Blizzard... I've always supported everything you have done, but being able to purchase level 90 boosts makes me very angry.

    If you look at my account I am about to have 16 level 90 characters... working towards having 22 characters.. 11 from each faction, covering one of each race. This is my goal before WoD. I've been working on leveling all these toons since Vanilla WoW. I've spend hundred and hundreds of dollars with race and faction changes to get my toons on the sames servers and factions. When I get all 11 classes on both Horde and Alliance this will be a great accomplishment that people may find rather impressive for the amount of time that was involved.

    However, come the near future as you say... someone with a big pocket book can purchase and achieve what has take me YEARS to accomplish. This to me is a huge sell out, and just another way for the company to make a quick buck. Not to mention a HUGE kick in my private parts. Even if they were $100+ per level 90 character I am still against this feature being added.

    Please do not ruin this game.
    This sounds more like a "dont ruin me being a special snowflake" QQ....
  1. mmoc5f651aac41's Avatar
    I like the idea of getting a free boost to level 90. It will welcome new players to the game which we need atm.

    I'm looking forward to this expansion. Outland is one hell of a place!
  1. Gangplank's Avatar
    At BlizzCon, we laid out our plans to send you into battle against some of the biggest and baddest enemies in Warcraft history.
    What is this post from? BlizzCon 2006? The Burning Crusade was actually the expansion that pitted players against the biggest and baddest enemies in Warcraft history:

    Kil'jaeden
    Archimonde
    Magtheradon
    Illidan
    Kael'thas
    Lady Vashj

    And if that wasn't enough, Wrath of the Lich King pretty much cleaned up any remaining "big bads" in WoW history: Arthas, Anub'arak, Kel'thuzad

    Concerning "buying levels", a big 'who cares' to that. I have no problem with someone wanting to skip content that they've already done (probably numerous times). Anyone saying it's buying power doesn't know what buying power actually is. Having a level 90 is NOT power.
  1. Faroth's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by CaptainArlong View Post
    It's always funny how people hate on ideas like this by saying it doesn't give people time to learn their class. This is World of Warcraft, it is nowhere near being a hard game to learn. If you can't learn a class in an hour, something is wrong.
    Also remember that buying an insta-90 will put you through a tutorial phased zone storyline where you'll gain access to abilities and learn what they do similar to the Death Knight starting experience.

    It won't be buy a 90, login, you're in Stormwind with all abilities, good luck.

    - - - Updated - - -

    Quote Originally Posted by Gangplank View Post
    What is this post from? BlizzCon 2006? The Burning Crusade was actually the expansion that pitted players against the biggest and baddest enemies in Warcraft history:

    Kil'jaeden
    Archimonde
    Magtheradon
    Illidan
    Kael'thas
    Lady Vashj

    And if that wasn't enough, Wrath of the Lich King pretty much cleaned up any remaining "big bads" in WoW history: Arthas, Anub'arak, Kel'thuzad
    They're referring to Warcraft 1-2 "big bads" while as so far we've cleaned up Warcraft 3 "big bads."
  1. quras's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Faroth View Post
    SNIP....

    They're referring to Warcraft 1-2 "big bads" while as so far we've cleaned up Warcraft 3 "big bads."
    They are and I already killed them too.

    -------------------------------------------------

    Why buy power leveling from a 3rd party group?

    There is no reason - Just buy it from blizzard.

    I wonder just how big the cash shop will be this expansion along with having to pay a sub?
  1. Gangplank's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Faroth View Post
    They're referring to Warcraft 1-2 "big bads" while as so far we've cleaned up Warcraft 3 "big bads."
    I get that. But those "big bads" weren't galactic threats like the WC3 ones. From a lore perspective, they pale in comparison. That's what I'm disappointed with. It's almost like we're going backwards in the context of lore difficulty. Each expansion introduces new villains that aren't quite as powerful (in lore) as the previous expansion.

    Kil'Jaeden > Arthas > Deathwing > Garrosh > younger Garrosh?
  1. Snowcharm's Avatar
    And the presents for 10/20 years old will be drum roll....a tabard that increases rep and xp by 1%
  1. Brewhan's Avatar
    WoD release date is June 24th dont worry guise
  1. Dawnseven's Avatar
    Jeez, at this point, I'm thrilled just to have news, forget what it actually says.

    - - - Updated - - -

    I really dislike the buying 90s thing. Not enough to cry over it necessarily, but I still dislike it. The one free one for everybody was fine, but I'd no longer be impressed (for lack of a better word) with people that have a full account or one of each class, since I won't know whether they worked their ass off for it or just dropped a couple hundred bucks. I know you'd still be able to do it anyway by purchasing multiple licenses and paying for multiple character transfers, but ... meh. I just don't like it.
  1. Kromkar's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by quras View Post
    They are and I already killed them too.

    -------------------------------------------------

    Why buy power leveling from a 3rd party group?

    There is no reason - Just buy it from blizzard.

    I wonder just how big the cash shop will be this expansion along with having to pay a sub?
    So then let them sell "Gold" also?
    ---
    And I hope I get the damn Beta key this time,im sick of watching worthless youtubers posting crap none stop and destroying the game for people that want to try out for them selves,I will not buy the damn game this time if I dont get the Beta key I've left the game 7 months ago and willing too come back..
  1. Caliph's Avatar
    I feel excited about this. already have my new horde dk on a horde favored pve realm @85, gonna auto lvl a pally, and i'll buy a 90 mage. This auto lvl stuff has me excited. no more pre WOD leveling is awesome. oh yeah the expansion doesn't sound bad either.
  1. Dawnseven's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Gangplank View Post
    Having a level 90 is NOT power.
    I don't know that this is true. Resources are power. A level 90 is, if nothing else, a resource. They're able to make the most of amount of money running around in the world, whether you're raiding (with more 90s you have more lockouts to burn), farming, running dailies or whatever. There could also be a hit to the economy. You going to keep buying gems or shoulder or gear enchants? Or are you going to drop a few dollars and spend a few minutes to get yourself a level 90 jewelcrafter, scribe and enchanter? (And yes, I know you have to spend time and money leveling the professions too, but if your character is at level 90 then leveling the professions to max is nothing but a speed bump.)
  1. mmoc275ad24627's Avatar
    Buy a lvl 90? HELL NO!
  1. mmoc63f52cb002's Avatar
    Sigh.

    You know your game sucks when people want to spend money to skip entire parts of it.

    Seriously, what incentive do they have to make levelling enjoyable if people will just pay to skip it...?
  1. jbombard's Avatar
    In a string of bad decisions, this has got to be the worst decision made by Blizzard yet.
  1. Dawnseven's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by martinboy View Post
    This sounds more like a "dont ruin me being a special snowflake" QQ....
    Sorry, I think @Talonkaine has a point. I have 15 90s myself. Do I think I'm a special snowflake? No. Do I care whether or not you (or anyone else) is impressed with my feat? No. But like Talonkaine I've worked my ass off to get those characters to 90 and level their professions (and work their freaking farms every day LOL) and it belittles the personal sense of accomplishment when you suddenly change course and let people drop a few dollars to get the same level.

    To throw in some George Costanza ... "it's not you it's me". I don't give a fig if you have 15 90s too. It doesn't hurt my feelings or make me a lesser player. It's just nice to know that if you DO you probably worked for it just as hard as I did.
  1. mmoc4954163bc3's Avatar
    Ye its a good thing. Imagine inviting your friend to this old game.. hey just level 90 levels before you can join me. I hope 90-100 doesnt take ages aswell. WoW have a new direction and new type of players now.
  1. Hendor's Avatar
    I stopped playing in Cata, didn't buy Mop. If I get WOD for a free boost for my 85 to 90, do I need to purchase Mop?
  1. derpkitteh's Avatar
    i kinda hope it gets to the point they start selling gear... i hate having to do raid finder with other people, just because i need a sword instead of a stupid polearm.

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