This expansion does little to truly push the innovation in the MMO genre.  I know it’s an expansion, and that means just building on the old, but I feel like Blizzard is missing chances to really push its game into the next generation. If you are a WoW player it will slip on like an old glove. However, if you have spent your time playing other MMOs over the last few years you will find a lot of the systems frustrating and dated.

WoW definitely uses the same formula and it has become obvious with Mists. Quests continue to be kill ten of these and collect ten of those. Though the game has gotten better at adding in new pieces and parts to questing, it still follows the same format it always has. The instances on the other hand are still fun to do and while boss fights continue to get more challenging, the format is still very much the same.  Go in, kill trash, kill boss, get loot, and repeat.

I suppose on the other hand you could say that World of Warcraft sticks to what works. However, there is not enough in this expansion to really get excited about in terms of innovative playstyles.  You play WoW for what it is, and don’t expect it to feel “new”.   The Pet Battle system is definitely the bright spot, and so are the Challenge Modes.