World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth - Windows

Full disclosure: it's my belief that BC and WotLK were the best times to be had in Wow. Nothing has proved me wrong yet, but I still keep going back for the nostalgia feels. This is super grindy. Like, WoW is expected to be grindy and this feels grindier than grindy. And the writing itself might be better, but the story.. Blizzard, c'mon, do something new. The ol' Batman trope of dying the hero or living long enough to become the villain has been done, again and again... It seems more and more like Blizzard doesn't care what their players think, as long as they continue to make money. Unfortunately they seem to be applying free-to-play elements to a game that is not only buy-to-play, but also has a subscription fee. I understand wanting to extend content so your players need more in-game time to finish things, but Blizzard likes to double dip. So I'm gonna go ahead and not recommend this one - yet. I think it's going to take several more months for them to bake out enough changes to make the community happy. Maybe then it'll deserve a look. Until then, I'm done with Warcraft.

It's tough for me to say whether or not World of Warcraft is worthwhile for a new player, as I've been playing off and on since the game's release (heavily for the first 3 expansions, and then hardly after that). For someone like me, though, who enjoys games with lovingly-crafted environments which encourage exploration, the new Battle for Azeroth expansion is exactly what I'm looking for. There are so many fun details packed into every corner of the world, and I'm having a great time poking around and taking my time. If you remember World of Warcraft fondly and haven't played for a while, but are willing to look beyond the fact that it's likely not anywhere close to the same game that you remember (in terms of systems, community, and activities), then I'd recommend it.

Battle for Azeorth brings Warcraft back to its root sof the Alliance versus the Horde. If you haven't played recent Warcraft expansions, this game recaps the events through cutscenes and interactive quest chains, allowing you to dive right back into the lore. The gameplay mechanics have been simplified from past expansions, which makes it more accessible to new players. Content is rolling out for the game as of this review, so there is even more to experience on the way. It can take a while for it to be released, leading to some lull in the action, but you can continue to play alts or complete daily quests for rewards. It's worth picking up now to get caught up and either start or return to your journey through Azeroth.

Pros: It’s the WoW that you know and love. Lots of quests. Takes up time on boring evenings and makes you feel like you’re getting stuff done. For those returning from long ago you can auto lvl a toon to 110. This way it’s easier to jump into the new content. Cons: It’s the WoW you know and hate. It seems to take forever to get to certain meaningful quests. If you auto lvl a toon to 110 you are missing out on some of the story and sort of feel lost. And for the love of Azeroth can we please get some modern graphics. I know some people like the vintage 2005 look, but many of us have powerful gaming computers now. So Blizzard, please spend a little of the millions you’ve made on this game to improve the graphics. I mean even games on cellphones look better than WoW.

Ok, the "bad" out of the way first. The box is cheaply made. If you're a collector, this may mean something to you. Otherwise, look below. Box contents: -no dvd (just a digital code) -a Blizzard notebook -an advert about free videogames in battle.net platform(starcraft2, heartstone, wow until level 20 and hots) -another code for discounts in the blizzard store (wearables) 7th expansion for WoW and this one is pretty fun. A lot of fans asked for more faction war, and this expac delivers on that in spades! You'll get a Level 110 character boost to get you started right away if you've never played/been awhile, also great for twinking a new character. New level cap of 120. Warfront, a new 20payer coop mode, is a pretty fun PvE experience as well.

I bought it to check out the new races, only to redeem the code, and buy a new sub, to find out that I can't. You have to do weeks/months of grinding just to be able to start a new level 20 that is just a palate swap of existing races. This is for all those people that thought pandas were the low point. They weren't. Not even close. If this is their idea of "new content", they are done. This should have been a free patch, not a $50 expansion, with this absurd unlock structure.

Nothing special here, it's Battle for Azeroth. I'm a more casual WoW player but it adds some cool content, that perhaps takes too much time to unlock. But going through the story with existing characters is still just what you'd expect from any expansion. If you love WoW and want some more content, this is a fine way to get that or if you want to continue the story of the game. Not necessary for new players unless you just want to have everything available to you.

I've put so many hours into this expansion. The new zones are some of the best ever, and the most graphically intensive and unique. I came back "For the Horde!" and I've enjoyed a ton of time both alone and with friends adventuring the new dungeons/raids/zones. Definitely, recommend if you're a fan of WoW. If you're a newcomer, I advise the free trial to level 20 and if you decide you're interested, this is a great expansion to jump on.