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Blizzard Enertainment community manager Zarhym recently posted an answer to fan questions about the perceived lighter tone of the upcoming World of Warcraft expansion Mists of Pandaria. The post explains some of the reasons for the expansion and offers assurances that the game is "not all unicorns and butterflies."

We think, more than seven years into World of Warcraft’s life cycle, it’s time to start some new stories. Previous expansions relied heavily on heroes and villains established in the Warcraft RTS games. We aren’t content to rest on our laurels though. We want to introduce some new characters to get to know. We want to have some new enemies to fight. Perhaps, most importantly, we want to start sowing the seeds for future stories. Nothing is lamer than finding out that the boss you’re supposed to kill is someone you’ve never heard of. It’s a lot more fun when you get to know the bad guys, get a reason to hate them, and feel like you’re thwarting their diabolical plans and not just killing them for loot.

We’ve focused a lot on the lighter side of Mists of Pandaria as a contrast to the world-ending vibe of Cataclysm. It’s not all unicorns and butterflies however. There are dark secrets lurking beneath the new continent, and in some ways they’re even more insidious, because you get to experience the beautiful new landscapes before they become threatened and sometimes even destroyed.

Blizzard Forums: Why MoP?

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World Of Warcraft: Mists Of Pandaria (add to watch list)

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