What is Mist of Pandaria?

It was announced today by MMO-Champion that Blizzard had trademarked "Mist of Pandaria". Based on the type of trademark filed it is most likely to be the next World of Warcraft expansion. If it is the next expansion I am going to ponder some questions.

What is Pandaria?

The island nation of the Pandaren race. Its landscape is covered in bambus forests. The beautiful cities of Pandaria were hand built from stone and bambus reed. The location of Pandaria remains a secret to any outsiders. Since the Third War more Pandaren have traveled to Kalimdor and established a settlement in Stonetalen Mountains . The location of the settlement has remained a secret.

Is there anything special about Pandaria?

Pandaria is known for its magical gems. Who knows just what kinds magic gems lie in the forests of Pandaria?

Will Pandaren be the next playable race?

I sincerely doubt it. It wouldn't follow in the format that Blizzard has previously followed.

Burning Crusade - Two New Races (Blood Elf/Draenei) +10 Level Cap

Wrath of the Lich King - Hero Class (Death Knight) +10 Level Cap

Cataclysm - Two New Races (Goblin/Worgen) +5 Level Cap

Mist of Pandaria - ?

You could argue that Pandaren are considered to be neutral however this didn't stop goblins from becoming the newest horde race. Also their racial mount is a horse which is already taken.

Do you think that there will be a new hero class?

I remember Blizzard saying what a nightmare it was to introduce a new class to World of Warcraft at a previous Blizzcon. Its adds to overall load with all the balancing that needs to be done in the game and complicates things further and further. I am not sure if Blizzard will stray from its previous format or not.

What do you think the expansion will have?

Increased Level Cap

Based on what Blizzard has done in the past regardless if it is Mist of Pandaria I would venture to say a few things. The level cap will be raised. In every expansion the level cap is raised, in Burning Crusade it was 10, in Wrath of the Lich King it was 10 and Cataclysm it was 5. I will guess that it will be increased 5 levels seeing as it appears that switched to a 5 level format now

New Quests and Story

Every expansion gets a new story line and questing area. They big question is where and who? According to the information that we have so far I would say that we will be meeting with the Pandaren for the first time and traveling to the island of Pandaria. According to Pandaren lore they are peaceful and secret creatures so I am not sure how or why we will discover them. It has been suggested that the Old Gods will play a significant role in the upcoming expansion.

Rumored to zones for the expansion

Pandaria – 1 to 10
Hiji – 10 to 20
Wolfenhold – 1 to 10
Xorothian Plains – 10 to 20

New Class or Hero Class

After being introduced to the Pandaren I believe it only seems natural that the Alliance and Horde races would have much to learn. The Pandaren have a wide variety of classes that they could potentially offer training in.

Runemaster - Monk-like arcane spell-casters who are also melee fighters who empowers themselves with magical energies by inscribing runes onto their bodies. Runemasters may be found in either the Horde or the Alliance. Though the arts of the runemaster originated among the ancient tauren, these techniques have been adopted by many races.

Wardancer - Skilled warriors who move with grace on the battlefield use shaktani warblades. The greatest hope of the wardancer is to not have to use his skills. The iconic pandaren wardancer wears a long, black tunic with gold buttons and gold trim.

Brewmaster - Known for making drinks and concoctions which give the brewmaster and others special abilities. Brewmasters practice a unique fighting style. They combine typical pandaren finesse and strength with the appearance of being drunk, stumbling apparently at random. While the path of the brewmaster might be learned by any race, the pandaren keep the craft of the brewmaster a closely guarded secret.

For me its got to be Brewmaster or Runemaster standing from lore perspective.

I think they will pick Brewmaster because of the potential for a new unique fighting system. The Death Knight offered a lot to players with the new runic power system. With the Brewmaster there could be a brand new system based on drinking to increase your fighting abilities.

I realize having an avatar drinking alcohol in computer game isn't the best idea so I won't rule out the Runemaster. The Runemaster sounds like a lot of fun too.

"Runemasters fill many roles. They are adept melee combatants. They possess runes to enhance themselves and their allies, as well as to ward certain areas and otherwise make life difficult for their opponents." -wowwiki