China =/= the only Asian influence.

[Jinto]

Considering that China heavily influenced its neighbours culturally and assimilated a number of cultures it would be difficult to be wrong in saying MoP is China-themed. It all depends on what your definition of China is.

[Hyde]

Considering that China heavily influenced its neighbours culturally and assimilated a number of cultures it would be difficult to be wrong in saying MoP is China-themed. It all depends on what your definition of China is.

Actually that is due to the size of China and a lot of other cultures influenced China. I mean you DO know that Kung Fu is actually originated from India, right?

[Jinto]

See the assimilated part -.-"

p.s. Kung Fu originating from India is pretty lolworthy. You are probably thinking of Boddhidarma though even in the context of the Kung Fu you typically see in the movies (aka the Shaolin kind) it would be a bit of a stretch.

[Albert the fish]

i REALLY hope that they don't stick to just China. a lot of cool culture to drawn from in the 'Far East'
Japan may be too much to really hope for considering the issues already existing with pandarens and japanese culture..but ya know... maybe? plus the rest of the cultures are still good to go.

[mvaliz]

Whats the bet the first warrior plate teir is Japanese samurai based, rogue leather is ninja based and mail gear is Mongolian based?

No way in heck Blizz is going to make Japanese-based armor. If you think the goverment who had a problem with ONE panda person dressed in Japanese Armor for an april fools joke in an RTS with 4 million players... how do you think they're going to react to a game with over 10 million and it's the main focus of the game?

[Deleted]

and the name of the expansion they introduced is called the Burning Crusade....

I see what you did there.

I'd love to see more japanese influence in MoP! I love the culture there, and it'd be cool to see some things

[TheEaterofSouls]

No way in heck Blizz is going to make Japanese-based armor. If you think the goverment who had a problem with ONE panda person dressed in Japanese Armor for an april fools joke in an RTS with 4 million players... how do you think they're going to react to a game with over 10 million and it's the main focus of the game?

They'd probubly just alter the armor for that part of the market. I mean they did that with an entire expansion "Wrath" I don't think one set of armor is gonna be a problem.

[mvaliz]

They'd probubly just alter the armor for that part of the market. I mean they did that with an entire expansion "Wrath" I don't think one set of armor is gonna be a problem.

There's a difference though...they didn't WANT to re-do the entire art until the Chinese government told them to do so. And they had to do it several times, in order to get that game out there. That took a LOT of manpower and hours that could've been put to better use instead of wasting valuable resources. Just because they did it doesn't mean they WANTED to do it! :P

Ever hear the expression "Once bitten, twice shy"? Chances are they're NOT going to go through that dbackle again and will simply eliminate the problem right at the start of it.

EDIT: They're already playing a massive game of chicken with the Chinese government via featuring Pandaren and Chinese themes... they're going to want to minimize ANYTHING the Chinese government could possibly nitpick them for right at the start of the game.

[Augrelle]

The Shado-pan seem awfully Japanese to me.
Kun-Lai Summit seems awfully Tibetan to me.
Townlong Steppes seems awfully Mongolian/Middle Eastern to me.
The lower half of the Valley of the Four Winds sounds awfully Vietnamese/Southeast Asian to me.
The upper half of the Valley of the Four Winds indeed seems Chinese to me.
The Vale of Eternal Blossoms seems awfully Japanese to me as well.
The Jade Forest seems like a blend of Southeast Asian jungles and bambus Chinese forests to me.

Mists of Pandaria is pan-Asian.

We also have bugs in Townlong Steppes that makes Crystal buildings and stuff. I don't see how any of that is china other then the shape of the buildings might look asian. THough thank you for pointing out for the people who just keep saying "It's based off china" when there is clearly multiple eastern influences there.

[Onionsbro]

Really? :|
Well I guess the gratuitous use of gold plating everywhere is something, but..

Lol, very true

[Falrinn]

The Pandaren themselves will probably be kept as authentically Chinese as possible, but beyond that Pandaria will likely have a much broader Asian theme to it. Even with the Pandaren they might occasionally toe the line by making things like the Shado-pan, who in a sense are inspired by ninjas but are ultimately just a more shadowy variation of the Pandaren.

What we will not see is any Pandaren NPC's dressed in samurai armor. That doesn't mean there won't be any samurai armor available, just that Pandaren won't be depicted wearing it.

---------- Post added 2012-02-28 at 08:16 PM ----------

There's a difference though...they didn't WANT to re-do the entire art until the Chinese government told them to do so. And they had to do it several times, in order to get that game out there. That took a LOT of manpower and hours that could've been put to better use instead of wasting valuable resources. Just because they did it doesn't mean they WANTED to do it! :P

Ever hear the expression "Once bitten, twice shy"? Chances are they're NOT going to go through that dbackle again and will simply eliminate the problem right at the start of it.

EDIT: They're already playing a massive game of chicken with the Chinese government via featuring Pandaren and Chinese themes... they're going to want to minimize ANYTHING the Chinese government could possibly nitpick them for right at the start of the game.

It might not be a problem at all as long as Pandaren NPC's don't wear it. Even if it is, they could just model-swap it with a different set for the Chinese release, which is a lot easier then creating all sorts of new models and skins.

[underdogba]

People seem to know an awful lot about everything to do with an expansion that we know next to nothing about!

[Zuben]

Horde is going to make friends with samurai-fishmen. Can't wait!

[Azutael]

Ohh I hope they make a samurai gear set, then make a pandaren wear it.
In your face china!

Wont likely happen, as the original pandaren had japanese armor. And was changed very quickly after to more fitting chinese style armor.

Also, better be possible to swing through bamboo like in crouching tiger, hidden dragon. That alone would make me love MoP.

[Thage]

I'm not so sure about that...
However they have been inspired by Nordic and Japanese architect.

The padogas (for want of a better term, as I'm not really well-versed in Korean culture/myth) actually hew closer to Korean in design than Japanese. The Japanese architecture comes into play in their bridges, roadside lamps, decorations, and some interior designs. They also have a heavy Greco-Roman influence in their stonework, most notably in Darnassus's main gate and the Temple of the Moon, as well as the various Highborne ruins like temples and towers.

[Queen of Hamsters]

Um...ok?

I'm sorry, but I couldn't give a flying rats...tail wether or not it's PROPERLY chinese inspired or picking goodies from all over Asia...as long as it's a good game with pretty/awesome surroundings and story, I'm all in. My first thought when entering Northrend was not to nitpick for Norwegian, Danish or Swedish styles of old, but to enjoy the settings and have a good time. Did Northrend get this much attention when it came to the style of the less "scourgey" zones?

On another note, I'm not sure that I've ever read that this expansion would be Chinese. It's Pandarian.

[Sand Person]

Whats the bet the first warrior plate teir is Japanese samurai based, rogue leather is ninja based and mail gear is Mongolian based?

i approve.

though i actually found this for plate wearers a while ago:
http://wowroleplaygear.com/2011/12/0...ter-plate-set/

[Gallahadd]

i approve.

though i actually found this for plate wearers a while ago:
http://wowroleplaygear.com/2011/12/0...ter-plate-set/

brb, just going to find that whole set to transmog for my warrior....

[sheffield]

I'm not so sure about that...
However they have been inspired by Nordic and Japanese architect.

http://www.wowhead.com/search?q=kimchi
http://www.wowhead.com/search?q=hanbok

come again?

[StationaryHawk]

Didn't they state that the Townlong Steppes was NOT going to be based off any real world culture/landscape?