And I’m Back: Blizzard Tells Me ‘What Has Changed’

And I’m Back is a mini-series column dealing with the return to Azeroth after being away for so long. The series chronicles personal reactions to changes to discoveries and making the needed adjustments to the new Azeroth.

Wow, what a difference a year plus can make. I’ve left World of Warcraft in the rear-view mirror before, but didn’t expect to come back when I did. The second passing was expected to be temporary. The lull in Cataclysm content, life and general burn being the compounding factors to my exit. Despite my reservations with entering Pandaria, it’s good to be back in Azeroth with the friends I’ve accomplished so much with.

During my absence I purposely had WoW blinders on. Day-to-day news was completely avoided. Only major items were viewed and that’s why seeing the “What Has Changed?” screen popup while selecting talents had me chuckle. While incredibly basic, the information was helpful. Then I began to think about some of the changes to my beloved rogue class.

Naturally, the three-point list Blizzard developed for people like me is what first caught my eye. Numerous “must have” talents becoming specialized spells? Loved that announcement at BlizzCon 2011. Poisons no longer taking bag space? Awesome. Fast daggers removed from the game, any dagger doing the same job? I guess my math skills and dedication mean that much less now.

The last of the three was truly a dagger through the heart. Any speed, it still hurts. I’m not a purist, I don’t believe that Blizzard shouldn’t try to expand the game to as many people as possible, but this only hurts those that took the time to care about such things as the final 1%. The cynical jerk in me wrote it off as “Thinking is too hard for the masses so let’s remove it.” Just a few moments into refining my rogue skills and I’m already upset. Hopefully the rest of the changes make up for the brainless math.

Keep up with iTZKooPA’s return to Azeroth with the And I’m Back mini-series column.