Tifferleigh the Belf vs Dragons

Yet stuck with another team of incompetent Orcs, Tifferleigh sets out to subdue the Black Dragonflight singlehandedly. Where's Chromie when you need her? I liked the questline in the Badlands though, but at the same time I also get the nagging feeling WoW doesn't want you to stand still for too long anymore. Inflated EXP and quests that are so streamlined they can be used to oil up pornstars give you a sense of urgency to keep going east.

On one hand, the extremely slick execution of it all is something I can respect. I have all graphic settings maxed out so the game looks good and the way the new skills work with the design-choice for phasing and instancing (WoW is no longer an MMO. It's multiplayer co-op with animated lobbies and a very expansive Single-Player option.) just is dream. On the other hand, questrewards that nullify the AH, paint by numbers quest solving, FMV watching for tens of thousands of exp, no incentive to work on crafts or to develop class-skill. (Tifferleigh's MM-skill Aimed Shot is nothing more than an I-win button.)... It's no wonder that the outcry for Vanilla-servers get stronger by the day.

The weird thing is that WoW is still every bit as enjoyable as it was in 2005. The atmosphere is still there and if you want to, you can lose yourself in crafting all day without advancing the story an iota. And Blizzard has become notably more skilled in telling a story as you play. I think that the Forsaken Storyline was deep and interesting, though I also felt that Sylvanas' story wasn't done yet when it adruptly ended in the Eastern Plaguelands.

But when all is said and done, Blizzard should just forget about Mists of Pandaria and start development of WoW2. This current game, wonderful as it is, is tired and outdated and Cataclysm made that painfully visible. I can't begin to imagine why Blizzard decided to bolt on yet another expansion to WoW. Okay, 10 million subs can't be wrong, but how many of those are still active?

On Tifferleigh's to do list: Finish Searing Gorge and do some dailies. Return to Western Plaguelands and farm Heavy Leather to progress Leatherworking. Find out where to go to pick up cooking again. (I might just put that on hold till Kalimdor.) Also, due to returning to WP later on, miss out on Lovely Charms. =)