Shacknews Managing Editor John Keefer returns to World of Warcraft to explore the new world of Pandaria. Read his travelogue to discover more about his ongoing journey.

It was a long row to hoe, but my hunter finally reached his limit in the new World of Warcraft expansion, Mists of Pandaria. Now that I finished all the basic quests, I inevitably asked: "what do I do now?"

As with previous expansions and content patches, there are daily quests to earn standing with the various new factions and earn better gear for raids and heroic dungeons. But aside from the usual errands the factions have you run, Blizzard has included a new minigame that would make Zynga proud: Farming.

Read more: Three fun factions to farm rep for »

Now that you've had a few weeks to prance gaily around the definitely-not-Asian land of Pandaria, it's time to put on your raiding trousers and get down to serious business. Blizzard yesterday opened up the Mogu'shan Vaults, World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria's first raid for you to throw your corpses at in the hope of striking shiny loot.

Read more: October's raid schedule »

Shacknews Managing Editor John Keefer returns to World of Warcraft to explore the new world of Pandaria. Read his travelogue to discover more about his ongoing journey.

My hunter had to clear off some cobwebs before taking a trip to the Isle of Pandaria for the new World of Warcraft expansion. He hadn't been adventuring since just after the Cataclysm. He was maxed out at 85, but his gear was somewhat lacking, having not raided much with the guild after a self-imposed hiatus. But the allure of a new adventure brought me back, and while I was confident in his ability, my skills were rusty and so much had changed since I had last visited Stormwind. After a bit of research and practice, though, I was right as rain, and ready to see what the new continent had to offer.

My first glimpse of the new land offered a sense of déjà vu. The Horde was there, spreading their chaos as always, but the new surroundings had the feel of Stranglethorn Vale in the Eastern Kingdoms or Nagrand in Outland. I was battling monkey-like Hozen (I fully expected a quest telling me to kill the "Leader Hozen") and making friends with fish-like Jinyu. Except for the Oriental musical ambiance, it was almost a feeling of "been there, done that."

Read more: And finally, a kung-fu panda... »

The Horde and Alliance are at war again, and it finally spilled over to the panda lands very early this morning with the launch of Mists of Pandaria, the newest expansion for World of Warcraft. Many players have been playing non-stop since the servers clicked over to the new content at midnight PT.

Read more: Play a monk or be a panda »

Good Afternoon, Shack. I got my World of Warcraft Collector's Edition for Mists of Pandaria today and if you are familiar with Blizzard, then you know the usual inclusions in a CE. You get a cool coffee table art book, a mouse pad, a soundtrack, a behind the scenes video and the game on DVD. And when you finally enter your special decoder-ring serial number, you will log into the game and find each of your characters has a special in-game mount and in-game pet, perfect to test out with the new pet battle system.

Read more: A Chinese dragon for pet battles »

Blizzard is laying the groundwork for its next World of Warcraft expansion, Mists of Pandaria. Before you jump into a world of pandas, the game client will receive the 5.0.4 patch. The biggest changes come to classes and the new talent system, and there's plenty to check out.

Read more: Changes to classes, talents, and more »

If you fancy playing a pandaman in World of Warcraft but don't much fancy actually buying the Mists of Pandaria expansion, good news! Blizzard will be opening every race up to all players, whether they own the expansion which introduced them or not. Yes you, person who somehow has kept playing WoW all these years without buying a single expansion, will soon be able to have goblins, werewolves, space-goats and all that jazz.

Read more: Arriving with patch 5.0.4 on August 28 »

You really have to hand it to Blizzard. They sure have a way of making something appealing through their cinematics. Whether you like the idea of Kung Fu pandas in World of Warcraft or not, this new opening cinematic for Mists of Pandaria is pretty compelling.

Watch: Human vs. Orc vs. Pandaran »

If you have been chomping at the bit to create a new Pandaren monk in World of Warcraft, you'll get you chance when the Mists of Pandaria expansion launches on September 25. If just having the game isn't enough, Blizzard also detailed the tschotskes available in the special editions.

Read more: Digital Deluxe and Collector's editions available for pre-order now »

Every so often, Blizzard enlists its still faithful World of Warcraft players to bring new blood into the game for a free item. It's that time again, and the prize this time is yet another new mount, the Obsidian Nightwing.

There is a difference in this mount, though.This time, you become the winged panther and players will get to ride on your back. With the debut of the new mount, Blizzard is retiring the X-53 Touring Rocket as a Recruit-a-Friend reward.

Read more: Only for new player sign ups »

Spider-Man and The Evil Dead director Sam Raimi signed up to direct the long-planned World of Warcraft movie adaptation way back in 2009, but we've heard little about it since. At Comic-Con, though, Raimi revealed that he's no longer on the project, but it does seem to be going ahead.

Read more: Will it still come out? »

Not one to let old equipment go to waste, Blizzard made some old World of Warcraft server blades available for auction, and the response garnered hundreds of thousands of dollars for the company's charity of choice, St. Jude's Children's Hospital.

See: Blades garner more than $330,000 »

World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria brings the Pandaren race to playable form in the upcoming Word of Warcraft expansion. And, as with any new race comes a host of new phrases, dances, and history. It also brings new mounts so the new race can ride around Azeroth in style.

Read more: Feed and water regularly »

Usually when preparing for a raid in World of Warcraft, I'd disenchant a bunch of items to get enchants ready for any new gear I won. Every once in a while, I'd get sidetracked and come back to DE a vital piece of epic gear instead of the trash I had intended. Panic usually ensued.

Read more: Sold, disenchanted or destroyed items »

Though it's surely madness to suggest that anyone will have time to play both Diablo III and World of Warcraft, Blizzard is hoping a few brave or foolhardy souls will try. WoW's Annual Pass offer, which includes Mists of Pandaria beta access and Diablo 3 for free, ends on Monday, April 30, so consider this a reminder for the mad.

Read more: What you get for your cash