“Players have been asking to see the pandaren in World of Warcraft
since the game’s launch, and we’re excited to finally be able to give
them a proper re-introduction to Azeroth,” said Mike Morhaime, CEO and
cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. “In addition to the new playable
race and class, Mists of Pandaria contains a huge amount of new
content, and we’re looking forward to sharing more information about
all of it at BlizzCon and beyond.”
In the upcoming expansion, players will be able to explore the
long-lost continent of Pandaria, which has remained hidden from the
world since the sundering of Azeroth over ten thousand years ago. In the
aftermath of the Cataclysm played out in World of Warcraft’s
third expansion, Pandaria’s heroes are emerging from their land’s lush
forests and cloud-ringed mountains to choose sides in the escalating war
between the Alliance and the Horde and to share the extraordinary
secrets of their ancient martial arts. As tensions between the factions
near a breaking point following the discovery of this new world, players
will be called upon to explore Pandaria’s exotic expanses, make contact
with its strange indigenous creatures, and unlock the world-changing
secrets that have been hiding in the mists for millennia.
New features coming in the game’s fourth expansion include:
- New Playable Race -- Pandaren: Adventure through Azeroth as World of Warcraft's first neutral race and decide whether to side with the Alliance or the Horde.
- New Playable Class -- Monk: Unlock the secrets of pandaren martial arts and do battle as a damage dealer, healer, or tank.
- Level Cap Increased to 90:Learn potent new spells and abilities while exploring uncharted zones and taking on challenging new content.
- New Zones:Explore the lush Jade Forest, treacherous Kun-Lai Summit, and other exotic areas of Pandaria designed for high-level characters, and uncover the mystery of the Wandering Isle.
- Scenarios: Join up with some friends to achieve a common goal, such as mounting a defense against invading monsters, in a flexible new type of PvE challenge.
- Dungeon “Challenge” Modes: Master the ultimate five-player time trial to earn prestige rewards in a new dungeon mode that will put your resolve and coordination to the test.
- Pet Battles: Challenge other players’ companion pets with your own collection in a new tactical mini-game, and find out who's king or queen of the pint-sized battlefield.
- New Talent System: Customize your character to suit your play style with the newly overhauled and improved talent system.
Launched in November 2004, World of Warcraft is the world’s most popular MMORPG. The game’s third expansion, Cataclysm,
sold more than 3.3 million copies within its first 24 hours of
availability, making it the fastest-selling PC game of all time, and
went on to sell more than 4.7 million copies in its first month.*World of Warcraft
is available in nine different languages -- with a tenth, Brazilian
Portuguese, slated for release this year -- and is played in North
America, Latin America, Europe, Russia, Australia, New Zealand, mainland
China, Korea, Southeast Asia, and the regions of Taiwan, Hong Kong, and
Macau.
For more information on World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria, visit Blizzard Entertainment’s official website at www.WorldofWarcraft.com. To keep pace with the continued growth of World of Warcraft
as well as development on other Blizzard games, the company is
currently hiring for numerous open positions -- more information on
available career opportunities at Blizzard can be found at http://www.blizzard.com/us/jobopp.