It's been 10 years since Blizzard Entertainment launched World of Warcraft and ignited the great MMO gold rush of the aughts. In that time, World of Warcraft has grown into something more than a game; it's a cultural icon, an immensely valuable piece of intellectual property, and a brooding presence any new MMO has to consider before launch. WoW has gravity.

Just when World of Warcraft's numbers start to slide and the naysayers start planning their "WoW is dead" parties, Blizzard finds a way to make WoW resurgent. Warlords of Draenor, WoW's fifth expansion, launched late last month, bringing three million subscribers back into the game's warm embrace. For those keeping score: That's more subscribers than most MMOs ever see at their peaks.

Warlords of Draenor reworks some core World of Warcraft systems, changes up character models, implements a version of housing, and more. And with so many people returning to check it out, there's no better time for Choose My Adventure to join the fray.

My World of Warcraft

Normally on Choose My Adventure, we're playing a game with which I have little to no experience. I was a beginning pilot in Elite: Dangerous, a rookie soldier in Firefall, and a baby pugilist in Final Fantasy XIV. This won't be the case in World of Warcraft. WoW is the game that brought me into MMOs. I've been playing it since 2005 and have hit max level in every expansion, though with Cataclysm and Mists of Pandaria, hitting max level was about the only thing I did. Before that, I was a hardcore raider and an avid PvPer. I've faced off with Illidan, farmed out a Grand Marshal, wiped hard on Ragnaros, and earned a few Feat of Strength achievements. WoW and I have deep ties.

I've hit various caps on plenty of characters. At one time or another I've mained a Shaman, Rogue, Warlock, Mage, Priest, Druid, Hunter and Death knight. This won't be my first ride on the merry-go-round when it comes to World of Warcraft's mechanics or universe. And while there's a certain excitement that comes with exploring a completely new game every month, it's nice to take some time to return to my roots and chart a new adventure through a familiar world. Shaman might not have totems anymore (kind of), but WoW is still WoW.

I'm going to try to approach WoW as a new player. I won't be sending any resources over from existing characters, nor will I take advantage of any guild ties or friends. Choose My Adventure is all about the new player experience, and I will do what I can to preserve that angle. I want to see what it's like to log into the game without any of the hard advantages (money, resources) experienced players take for granted. Soft advantages (understanding mechanics and the world) aren't something I can get rid of, but I think I've been away from WoW long enough to erode some of that muscle memory.

Warlords of Draenor

This column is here to explore what happens when readers decide where we go and what we do. However, some decisions need to be made by me ahead of time simply for the sake of time limits or setting a general direction. In this particular CMA, I've made one core decision that will inform how the whole thing plays out. Instead of starting at level 1 and plowing through the content we've all seen a hundred times before, I'll be using my instant level 90 boost (free with the Warlords of Draenor expansion) to kick us directly into the new stuff. Pow!

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