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Contested{{#set:Faction=Contested}} Pandaria
Level Level range::1- 12; 85 - 90
Fail:Jade-forest-2.jpg
RacesPandarenPandaren Pandaren
Fail:IconSmall SerpentCloud.gifCloud serpent
Fail:IconSmall Grummle.gifGrummle
Fail:IconSmall Hozen.gifHozen
Jiang-shi
Fail:IconSmall Jinyu.gifJinyu
Kunchong
Fail:IconSmall Mantid.gifMantid
Fail:IconSmall Mistlurker.gifMistlurker
Fail:IconSmall Mogu.gifFail:IconSmall Mogu Female.gifMogu
Fail:IconSmall Saurok.gifSaurok
Fail:IconSmall Sha.gifSha
Fail:IconSmall Sprite.gifSprites
Fail:IconSmall Virmen.gifVirmen
Fail:IconSmall Yaungol.gifYaungol
RulerUnknown Pandaren leader
Locationsouthern Azeroth
Fail:Pandarenvillage.jpg
Fail:Pandaria1.jpg

Map of Pandaria for the 2012 Press Event

Fail:Pandaria map2 BlizzCon2011.png

Closeup of rough map from BlizzCon 2011

Pandaria is a legendary place of bambus forests[citation needed] and the mysterious pandaren of the Pandaren Empire located in the southern oceans of Azeroth, somewhat mirroring Northrend in location.[1]

Background[]

Pandaren hail from the distant island nation of Pandaria, which non-pandarens have never seen or ever visited to this day.[2][3][4] The Pandaren Empire was founded before the Great Sundering of the world, and is believed to be just as old as the kaldorei civilization. It shared and traded resources, goods, ideas and mystic knowledge with the haughty night elves of central Kalimdor in the years before the War of the Ancients. As the night elves' obsession with the forces of magic drove them to the brink of madness, the gentle pandaren severed ties, withdrew and closed their borders,[5] and left the night elves behind forever. The pandaren clans, or shao'dins, traveled far across the seas and established crude but beautiful cities of stone and sturdy bambus reed on an island they named Pandaria.[6] In time they built a new empire on the island. For ten millennia, the world had forgotten pandaren. Shortly after the Third War, though, a few reappeared — perhaps roused from their isolation by the Burning Legion, whose catastrophic coming shook the world.[7]

Pandarens have chosen to keep the location of their island a secret and most are content to remain there, with only the rare few pandaren choosing to leave and see the outside world.

A splinter group of pandaren arrived on Kalimdor in the aftermath of the Third War and has established a settlement in the Stonetalon Mountains of Kalimdor,[2] but the location remains as secret as that of their island homeland.

Pandaren society[]

Pandaren society has changed from its origins. Where once the pandaren were a mighty empire, standing proud beside their night elf allies, now they are a simple people who want only peace and a safe home. Yet the world is a dangerous place, and only through an acceptance of the violence that comes with life can the pandaren continue to prosper.

Pandaren society is, in many ways, compartmentalized. At their core, the pandaren treasure peace and creativity. Most pandaren are poets and singers, and the craftsmen of their culture are truly revered. The danger of their lives, however, has necessitated the evolution of a class of warriors to defend those ideals — it is these warriors, from the simplest pikeman to the great shodopans, who ensure that Pandaren culture survives.

Even the lowliest pandaren is capable of defending himself, using the fangs and stubby but needle-like claws that are a natural part of his body. All pandaren can use these natural weapons to fight and hunt, as pandaren grow up playing rough and tumble games meant to hone their abilities while learning the admonishments of their elders that such things are a last resort. In general, pandaren prefer to use the weapons they craft, feeling that their natural weapons hearken back to a primal time.

Pandaren are bipedal creatures, but their ursine forms allow them to move at tremendous speed on four limbs. When a pandaren drops down to all fours, his speed increases greatly. He must have nothing in his hands to use quadrupedal movement.

Gems of Pandaria[]

Pandaria is apparently known for its gems (which are apparently magical). The red dragons believed that three crushed gems from Pandaria are one of the components needed to rejuvenate the Sunwell.[8]

Mists of Pandaria[]

Mists of Pandaria This section concerns content exclusive to Mists of Pandaria.

Fail:Pandariaarchitecture.jpg

A picture of Pandaria, taken from the official Blizzard trailer.

Fail:Pandaria map BlizzCon2011.png

Rough map of Pandaria from BlizzCon 2011

Fail:Wandering Isle map BlizzCon2011.png

Map of the Wandering Isle start zone as presented on BlizzCon 2011

Main article: Mists of Pandaria

On July 28, 2011, Blizzard Entertainment registered the trademark "Mists of Pandaria", with international codes 009 and 041 which appear on online games. The name was confirmed to be the next expansion[9] after Cataclysm Cataclysm. According to the intro panel, the continent of Pandaria has been magically shrouded in mist since the Sundering. The expansion will also introduce a new playable Pandaren race.

Fail:Pandaria full minimap beta.jpg

Mini-map view of Pandaria from Beta[10]

Pandaria in Azeroth[]

Pandaria is the southern mirror of Northrend, so it would appear between the southern tips of Kalimdor and the Eastern Kingdoms.[1]

Count Splatula, a helpful MMO Champion forum poster made a mockup of how the updated Azeroth map might look...

The mockup as pretty close to what appeared in the Mists of Pandaria Beta build 15739:

Zones[]

Fail:WorldMap-Pandaria.jpg

Pandaria map in-game

  • The Wandering Isle ({{#vardefine:map|{{#vardefine:instance

|}}InstanceMap-{{#var:instance}}.jpg}}[[:File:{{#var:map}}|Map]]) - New Pandaren starting zone. Level 1 - 10.[11]

  • The Jade Forest ({{#vardefine:map|{{#vardefine:instance

|}}InstanceMap-{{#var:instance}}.jpg}}[[:File:{{#var:map}}|Map]]) - Eastern and beginning zone. Level 85 - 87.[11]

  • Valley of the Four Winds ({{#vardefine:map|{{#vardefine:instance

|}}InstanceMap-{{#var:instance}}.jpg}}[[:File:{{#var:map}}|Map]]) - Central southern zone. Level 86 - 87.[11]

  • Krasarang Wilds ({{#vardefine:map|{{#vardefine:instance

|}}InstanceMap-{{#var:instance}}.jpg}}[[:File:{{#var:map}}|Map]]) - Southern shore.[12] Level 86 - 90.[11]

  • Veiled Stair ({{#vardefine:map|{{#vardefine:instance

|}}InstanceMap-{{#var:instance}}.jpg}}[[:File:{{#var:map}}|Map]]) - Bridge zone linking the Valley of the Four Winds and Kun-Lai Summit. Level 87.[11]

  • Kun-Lai Summit ({{#vardefine:map|{{#vardefine:instance

|}}InstanceMap-{{#var:instance}}.jpg}}[[:File:{{#var:map}}|Map]]) - Northern zone. Level 86 - 88.[11]

  • Townlong Steppes ({{#vardefine:map|{{#vardefine:instance

|}}InstanceMap-{{#var:instance}}.jpg}}[[:File:{{#var:map}}|Map]]) - Western zone. Level 88 - 89.[11]

  • Dread Wastes ({{#vardefine:map|{{#vardefine:instance

|}}InstanceMap-{{#var:instance}}.jpg}}[[:File:{{#var:map}}|Map]]) - Southwestern zone.[12] Level 89 - 90.[11]

  • Vale of Eternal Blossoms ({{#vardefine:map|{{#vardefine:instance

|}}InstanceMap-{{#var:instance}}.jpg}}[[:File:{{#var:map}}|Map]]) - Central zone. Level 90,[11] but can get to zone via quest at level 87.[13]

In Patch 5.2[]

The following islands have been added to the Pandaria map in Patch 5.2:

  • Isle of the Thunder King ({{#vardefine:map|{{#vardefine:instance

|}}InstanceMap-{{#var:instance}}.jpg}}[[:File:{{#var:map}}|Map]]) - north of western archipelago of Townlong Steppes (took place of island on release map and changed shape)

|}}InstanceMap-{{#var:instance}}.jpg}}[[:File:{{#var:map}}|Map]]) - north of the central coast of Kun-Lai Summit

In Patch 5.4[]

Fail:Icon-information.svg This section concerns content that is not yet released.

The following islands will be added to the Pandaria map in Patch 5.4:

|}}InstanceMap-{{#var:instance}}.jpg}}[[:File:{{#var:map}}|Map]]) - off the coast of The Jade Forest (possibly southeast, but you apparently can't fly to it)[citation needed]

Getting there[]

Similar to Cataclysm zones, players will get to Pandaria via quests starting from Orgrimmar or Stormwind City.[1] However, players will not be able to fly to Pandaria with a flying mount.[citation needed]

Alliance Alliance players will start by meeting with Alliance Grand Admiral Jes-Tereth in Stormwind Keep (A [85] The King's Commandω ϖ) and then fly to the gunship Skyfire to report to Alliance Sky Admiral Rogers. The gunship will then fly the player to Pandaria where they will progress through a series of quests before ending up at Paw'don Village.[14]

Horde Horde players will start by meeting with Horde General Nazgrim in Grommash Hold (H [85] The Art of Warω τ ϖ) who tell them to meet him aboard the zeppelin Hellscream's Fist. The seppelin will then fly the player to Pandaria, complete a few quests and then end up at Honeydew Village in the Jade Forest.[15]

Getting there in Beta[]

Initially in the Beta, there were pandaren placeholder NPCs with the title <<Portal Panda>> near the bank in Orgrimmar and the Trade District bank in Stormwind City that offer to teleport players to either the faction Jade Forest coastal starting subzones (Alliance Wayward Landing / Horde Hellscream's Hope) or Neutral Dawn's Blossom in the center of the region.

While the Jade Forest was closed for a revamp between builds 15762 and 15913, Adm'rl Placeholder <Most Interesting Questgiver in the World> offered to teleport players to Valley of the Four Winds.

Flying in Pandaria[]

Players will have to reach level 90 before they can learn to fly in Pandaria by purchasing [Wisdom of the Four Winds] from flying trainers in the Vale of Eternal Blossoms. Specifically, the new skill costs 2500g from either Alliance Cloudrunner Leng <Flying Trainer> in the Shrine of Seven Stars or Horde Skydancer Shun <Flying Trainer> in the Shrine of Two Moons. You may be able to get a discount with Golden Lotus reputation.

Creatures[]

Mostly friendly
  • Cloud serpent[16] - Playful race of dragon-like creatures; some corrupted. Preferred mount of the pandaren.[17]
  • Hozen[16] (orig. Hozu) - Monkey-like race; pranksters. Courted by the Horde.[17]
  • Jinyu - Fish-like humanoids; considered wise by the pandaren.[17] Approached for help by the Alliance.[17]
  • Sprites[16] - Pranksters and embodiments of nature; some corrupted by the Sha.
  • Yaungol[16] - A newly-discovered descendent of Tauren, similar to the Taunka in Northrend.
  • Grummle[18] - Small, squat bipeds with pandaren-like facial features created by the Mogu.
Hostile
  • Jiang-shi[18] - Undead creatures.
  • Kunchong[18] - Insectoid creatures.
  • Mantid - Mantis-like race; sentient individuals existing alongside Pandaren, but separated by a wall.
  • Mistlurker[18] - Animated mist cyclops.
  • Mogu - Ancient nemesis of the Pandaren overthrown 12,000 years ago; ogre-like wraiths with the ability to create new races called flesh-shaping.[17]
  • Mushan[18] - Large, kodo-like lizards.
  • Quilen[18] - Lion-like beasts with squashed faces.
  • Saurok[16] - A fighting, lizard-like race first created by Mogu flesh-shapers.[17]
  • Sha - Manifestations of negative emotions (like anger, hatred, or fear) and energy in Pandaria; large semi-gaseous mobs that can also possess other creatures.[17]
  • Virmen[16] (orig. Verming) - Rodent-like race; small, numerous and tunnelers.

Media[]

Videos[]

History of the Pandaren The Ancient Mogu Warlords
Courtesy of Mastus

Fail:Mists of Pandaria - History of the Pandaren

Courtesy of Mastus

Fail:Mists of Pandaria - The Ancient Mogu Warlords

The Wise Jinyu The Mischievous Hozen
Courtesy of Mastus

Fail:Mists of Pandaria - The Wise Jinyu

Courtesy of Mastus

Fail:Mists of Pandaria - The Mischievous Hozen

The Formidable Mantid The Malevolent Sha
Courtesy of Mastus

Fail:Mists of Pandaria - The Formidable Mantid

Courtesy of Mastus

Fail:Mists of Pandaria - The Malevolent Sha

References[]

  1. 1,0 1,1 1,2 Blizzard Entertainment Zarhym 2011-10-28. Mists of Pandaria Developer Q&A Transcript. Official World of Warcraft Community site (US). Archived from the original on 2011-10-27. Pandaria is located on the south side of Azeroth. Think the exact opposite of Northrend. Come to think of it, we should have named it Southrend.
       Blizzard Entertainment Zarhym 2011-10-27. Mists of Pandaria Live Developer Q&A Transcript. Official World of Warcraft Community site (EU).
  2. 2,0 2,1 Alliance & Horde Compendium, pg. 21
  3. Alliance & Horde Compendium, pg. 74
  4. Dark Factions, pg. ??
  5. Dark Factions, pg. 204
  6. Manual of Monsters, pg. 76
  7. Manual of Monsters, pg. 204
  8. Lands of Conflict, pg. 115
  9. "World of Warcraft: Intro to Mists of Pandaria" panel (featuring Tom Chilton, Game Director; Cory Stockton , Lead Content Designer; and Greg Street, Lead Systems Desginer) at BlizzCon 2011
  10. Boubouille 2012-03-22. Welcome to Pandaria. MMO Champion.
  11. 11,0 11,1 11,2 11,3 11,4 11,5 11,6 11,7 11,8 Zones (sorted from highest level down). Wowhead. Retrieved on 2012-03-23.
  12. 12,0 12,1 Mists of Pandaria 2012 Press Event (Zones tab). Wowhead News (2012-03-19).
  13. A [87] A Witness to History or H [87] A Witness to History
  14. chaud 2012-08-02. Alliance Pandaria Introduction, Elite Items, Raid Release Schedule, Blue Posts, Comic. MMO Champion.
  15. chaud 2012-07-31. Beta Launcher, Brewfest Delayed, Horde Pandaria Intro, Blue Posts, Weekly Roundup. MMO Champion.
  16. 16,0 16,1 16,2 16,3 16,4 16,5 Mists of Pandaria 2012 Press Event (Bestiary tab). Wowhead News (2012-03-19). Retrieved on 2012-03-19.
  17. 17,0 17,1 17,2 17,3 17,4 17,5 17,6 Boubouille 2012-03-19. Mists of Pandaria Press Tour. MMO Champion.
  18. 18,0 18,1 18,2 18,3 18,4 18,5 Blizzard Entertainment. Bestiary. Official World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria site (US). Retrieved on 2012-03-19.
       Blizzard Entertainment. Bestiary. Official World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria site (EU). Retrieved on 2012-03-19.

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