The Verdict...

Disclaimers out of the way, I know this is beta, I know this is not finished product.

I’m not going to sugar coat this, I am sorry to say, the pandaren starting zone was boring. After playing through the goblin and worgen starting zones several times in the last few years, I am disappointed. Blizzard set the bar very high and the pandaren zone does not measure up.

I want this to be constructive, I have tons of respect and admiration for the artists and writers at Blizzard. There were so many awesome moments for the goblin and worgen, with dragons and volcanoes and earthquakes.

For me, one of the few epic moments with the pandaren was flying down to speak with the turtle. Understanding that your whole life has been contained on the back of a giant turtle swimming in the ocean was pretty neat. The moment prior to this, however, with the old master should have been huge, but what happened barely registered even though I suspected what was happening.

Having two companions guiding you on your adventure should have been a great way to tell a story, but I really don’t think it added much to the proceedings. The choice at the end did make me feel bad about leaving one of them behind, but the decision could have been made more dramatic, with each companion pleading their case.

I am also a bit put off by the carebear/hothead alliance/horde stereotypes. I would have been impressed if what we knew was going to happen all along had been just the opposite.

It comes down to this: When I get a new friend to try Warcraft, I am not going to suggest they try the pandaren, I am going to insist they start with a goblin or worgen.