(Yes, I'm a day late, whoops...)
1. A 10-level expansion
It is so very gratifying to gain levels quickly. I'm pretty sure I've commented on this before but I've really hated the five-level expansions. When levels come infrequently, it makes working through the content tedious.
Interestingly, I was expecting to get a "Draenor perk" every level rather than every other level. I guess that must have been changed during the development process. It was kind of nice, hearkening back to the old days where you got a new ability every other level. Of course, three out of the four "perks" are for abilities I don't really use...but this is a "thankful" list, not a "complaining" list. ;)
2. So many secrets
One of my favorite parts about playing MMOs is finding the "extras" hidden in the corners of the world. It's one of the reasons I don't much like TOR or STO -- there's just nothing "interesting" around unless it pertains to the mission objectives. This is in stark contrast with WoW, which has always had little bonuses for those curious players who click on just everything.
This was a theme in Pandaland, but in WoD it's ubiquitous. I took the plunge and installed HandyNotes the other day now that I'm max level, and I can't walk five feet without finding something with a purple aura sticking up out of the ground. It might actually be a little bit too much, but I'm not sad about it -- I like there to be a reason to head up that mountain pass or swim to the bottom of a particular pond. If there might be something there, the journey is always worthwhile.
3. Gathering changes
I'm less concerned about the ability to gather the "new materials" at skill 1, because let's be honest -- it would take you so long to get even a single piece of ore that it wouldn't really be worth it. It's nice, sure, but nothing to be excited about.
The bit that excites me is that I can mine in my mine and herb in my garden without needing the skill. It's not as fast or efficient, but the possibility is there. I also love how the mine puts out more than enough materials for me to keep up with my daily work orders and profession cooldowns. I haven't done it yet, but I'm pretty sure I could swap out mining for virtually anything else and be just fine. Now, if only blacksmiths could make mail...
4. Garrisons in general
The Garrisons are every bit as cool as I expected them to be. They're extremely well-executed -- just enough planning and resource management required to really make them work for you while being automatic enough that you don't really have to micromanage. I have a few complaints about the gating and the gold cost, but overall it's wonderful to have a castle of my own.
Not that Professor Blastbrew really feels at home being called "General," but that's another matter entirely ;)
5. The chance for gear upgrades
I think it's the coolest thing that you can occasionally get a rare or epic upgrade to a quest reward. It adds a bit of randomness, a "nice surprise" to your questing, that otherwise wouldn't be there. It also very much worked out in my favor in that I didn't have to spend a hundred http://www.wowhead.com/item=111366 on a gun, since I got a purple bow to drop right away from the proving grounds.
(Yes, I'm aware that the gun can be upgraded. But have you seen the cost? The goggles are going to be pricey enough.)
6. Familiar faces
I squeed about Dog making the journey from Pandaland to Draenor. Gosh, that made my day when I saw it. To have Fiona, Admiral Taylor, and Lantressor of the Blade on my team also ... these are some of my favorite characters in the whole of Warcraft, and now not only do I get to see them again, I get to work with them. They're part of my crew. That's just fantastic.
It's funny to me that I kept Lantressor's blade from the BC quest, even though I'm a hunter and had no use for it.
7. Insta-90s
Warcraft has a lot of baggage, and not all of it is fun. Particularly, the last two expansions have been a real chore to level through. (See item 1.) I'm thankful that there is now a way to get around that and jump right into the new content, even if it's prohibitively expensive to the point that I probably won't actually use it.
On the other hand, I have four 90s already, with two more in the late-80s bracket. (The Bush-the-elder era, for the history buffs among you.) With my bank alt, that's only four slots I could conceivably even pay to level to 90, and then I'd be set forever. Hmm ... tempting.
8. The reagents bank
I don't think I'm the only one here. I love the reagents bank so much, and the fact that it's more than it really needed to be makes it even better. I would have been satisfied just with a place to put my extra materials, but the fact that I can craft using materials stored there? Golden.
It does render profession bags essentially moot, but I'm okay with that.
9. The removal of guild levels
I'm not pleased with the amount that was pulled out of the game this expansion. That being said, I'm very glad that guild levels are a thing of the past. The barrier to entry for new guilds has been way too high for almost five years now. It needed to go, and now it's gone, and that means I can join whatever guild I want (or start my own) and not have to worry about what level we are and what perks we have or don't have.
Guild leveling was always a terrible idea -- there's no way a brand-new guild of ten people can compete with a thousand-member social guild. I'm so glad the concept is gone and I hope it never comes back.
10. A WoW that feels like WoW again
Maybe I'm the only one, but I haven't really been feeling it for, oh, a good four or five years now. Sure, I've been playing, but it hasn't really grabbed me. Cataclysm was a profound disappointment until the very end, and Pandaland wasn't a whole lot better -- it had its moments but overall it didn't really reach out and grab me.
But this? I love this. Leveling through Draenor felt like leveling through Northrend. Delving into the draenei and naaru again brought back memories of being a paladin, of being on a crusade for the Light. It's always been the mystic, Gnostic undertones of WoW that have really appealed to me, and they're front-and-center in a way they haven't been for quite a while.
I don't expect my hunter will stop being my main, but it feels like there's a place for my paladin in this world, and I really like that.
It's been a while in coming, but I feel like WoW is finally back on course, and I'm eager to see where the game, the story, and the world go from here.
Now to get my core hound mount...:D
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