I decided to take a few days to fully digest the new WoW expansion news before commenting. Normally for anything like this, the initial excitement can sometimes cloud judgement and can push opinions way farther to the positive than often times is warranted. This was no exception for me as i sat there watching the stream like a little kid on Christmas waiting for his presents. Some of the reveal was positive and some i felt was rather subpar.

We’re leaving garrisons behind! It’s rather sad that this is my top aspect of the new expansion but it is. I went into WoD with high expectation for what garrisons would be and could be and was thoroughly disappointed in it’s execution. Instead of a fully fleshed out housing system we were greeted with a facebook mini game that basically made doing anything on alts a complete chore. I’m beyond happy to see them go.

We’re getting a new class! Any time a new expansion is announced or released without a new class or two, i’m personally completely disappointed. I’m just so used to this aspect from other MMO’s. Since i’m still rather new to the game, i couldn’t understand how we didn’t get one in WoD. I assumed this was just how Blizzard worked but that’s no longer a viable excuse. While i’m glad to see Demon Hunters making their way to a playable class, i think it’s coming an expansion too late.

We’re getting artifact weapons! Jokes aside about garrisons being my top reason to look forward to Legion, this aspect is without a doubt my true number one and it’s not even close. Relic/legendary/artifact weapons were something FFXI and LOTRO did rather well and i’ve been hoping would finally get implemented into WoW at some point. I’ve enjoyed leveling my own powerful weapons as an expansion goes by in those games so i hope Blizz doesn’t screw this up. The blueprint is there and all they have to do is improve on it. What could possibly go wrong? More on that at a later date.

No new race. Before anyone brings up some nonsense that a new race wouldn’t fit the theme or the lore of Legion – stop before you start. I don’t want to hear anything like that. It’s nothing but an excuse always thrown around in blind support for anything Blizz does. Thankfully, i have no fanboy ties to this studio, or any other for that matter, so i can be as objective and question as much as i feel necessary. Not having at least one new race is a missed opportunity in my opinion.

More recycled characters. I know everyone seems to have some sort of man crush on Illidan and don’t mind him making a comeback, but i’m not one of them. This is a blatant attempt to recapture the players that found the Burning Crusade era the pinnacle of the games existence. Maybe it’s due to my lack of nostalgia having started the game during MoP, but i can’t see myself enjoying something like this in any other MMO i’ve played either. Once a storyline or character is concluded, i want to move on to bigger and better things. Rehashing for the sake of nostalgia sort of ruins the original telling in a way and i’m not a fan. There are better ways to do this.

No personal housing. This one aspect will stay a negative for me for every single expansion until it’s finally implemented. Oh and it better be implemented well. I’m talking fully fleshed out with ridiculous customization options. Anything short of a combination of EQ2 and Wildstar would be a huge disappointment in my eyes. You have the resources and over a decade of examples in front of you Blizz, so i want you to stop screwing around and make this happen.

Overall i think i’m cautiously optimistic about legion. A few aspects i really enjoy seem to be getting implemented but i also fear they’ll be implemented poorly. I don’t seem to be getting this grand epic feeling whatsoever towards Legion unfortunately. New expansions used to send me over the edge and take my dials to eleven. Is my overall lack of excitement due to me just being older or is it due to a lack of creativity on the developers part? I know what i think the answer is.

Wadsworth: Professor Plum, you were once a professor of psychiatry specializing in helping paranoid and homicidal lunatics suffering from delusions of grandeur.

Professor Plum: Yes, but now I work for the United Nations.

Wadsworth: So your work has not changed. – Clue (1985)