How to Survive Next Year’s BlizzCon and What to Pre-Order This Year

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BlizzCon 2019 has come and gone, and it was a real event: the final (official) debut of Diablo IV , the first female Hearthstone’s Grandmasters Global Finals, and a major US team victory in the Overwatch World Cup – also their first win.

So many things happened at this year’s convention that I barely had time to realize half of it. This is my third BlizzCon, and I’m pretty sure the convention is slowly moving towards Comic-Con status – obviously not in size, but in personal strategies to use for a successful weekend.

If you’re thinking of going to BlizzCon next year – and you’ll want to make that decision soon, as you will be able to book two major conference hotels (Hilton Anaheim and Anaheim Marriott) for a potential BlizzCon 2020 weekend.in a few days – you will need to develop a game plan. I realize we’re a little far from worrying about this, but some of these tips apply to other interesting gatherings you attend throughout the year.

And of course, if you want to check out some of my favorite moments from BlizzCon, wait no more. Let’s start with some tips, and then we’ll briefly summarize this year’s conference – and how to get (or pre-order) everything Blizzard has announced.

Get your room in advance

If you want to be at the center of the party, I recommend booking BlizzCon hotels as soon as rooms are available – usually a year before your arrival / departure. While we have no idea when BlizzCon 2020 will take place, chances are good it will be the first weekend of November, as it has been since BlizzCon 2015 . Whether you want to get rich in the two hotels closest to the Anaheim Convention Center, or want a decent but still great deal at a nearby hotel, booking early is always better than booking late.

(However, make sure you also look for deals over the next year, so maybe, just maybe, you can save some money on your room. And don’t be afraid to book one that requires a little walk – you’ll survive. and you’ll have a lot more money to spend on conventions.)

Consider paying Blizzard more for Early Access

Here’s a controversial tip. If you’d rather make the most of your time at BlizzCon rather than enduring giant lines to get good seats at the Opening Ceremony – or even pick up congress registration materials, full stop – consider spending a little extra money on his Portal Pass. assuming Blizzard offers one in 2020).

Hopefully by this time Blizzard will further improve this software. I’ve seen a lot of people wonder if the pass was worth this year: Premium Parking didn’t feel as premium as it cost the same as everyone else (and some non-Portal Pass holders like me, allowed to park in the nearest reserved garage); Blizzard’s exclusive early access to Darkmoon Fair, where you can buy collectibles, wasn’t all that helpful; the dedicated Portal Pass lounge for relaxation didn’t look special with its lame snacks; etc. (Though I envy Portal Pass holders who received free World of Warcraft 15th anniversary mugs, while the rest of us mortals had to wait in the world’s longest line on the street.)

I didn’t pay the extra $ 300 for the Portal Pass this year (this is one of the guaranteed ways to get your BlizzCon ticket before the mad rush for the general entrance, as with Blizzard’s Benefit Dinner Pass ), so I can’t speak directly to these problems I’ve heard. That said, if you’re a bit fanatical about collecting like so many at BlizzCon, this is where you’ll want to pay a little extra so that you have the best chance of getting the most exclusive items before everyone else. Do you need a portal pass? Of course not. It just increases your shopping chances (and will probably wake you up a little later).

Know how tough it is to get things done , and plan your game accordingly.

Comic-Con is clearly insane, and I’ve ever heard of Penny Arcade Expo (PAX), affectionately referred to as LineCon. BlizzCon is undoubtedly popular, and you’re going to sit around a lot over the weekend to play demos of the early games, get autographs, buy BlizzCon exclusive loot, and more. I would like to think I have BlizzCon pretty down now and I get to bypass clusterfuck that this is a game demo area thanks to my press pass and even I always end up feeling like I could have planned a more streamlined day.

The primary problem with BlizzCon is that it’s easy to stumble upon something that you would like to do but now have no way to actually do it. Or, to put it simply, when you see a BlizzCon employee holding one of those awful “Queue limited for this experience” signs at the entrance to something fun or exclusive, you’ll know that you’ve planned your schedule poorly.

What I find most helpful is first of all coming to terms with the fact that you won’t be able to do all of this at BlizzCon. I rolled back to open until Friday’s close at BlizzCon (unfortunately I had to go home on Saturday) and I still missed a lot of events (and collectibles) I wanted to check out, including the full Blizzard Arcade game, which I was very upset about by missing her; most of the esports events that I would like to see live; and my favorite live event at Blizzcon, the awesome voice actor panels of Andrea Toyas.

And why did I miss these things? Planning and lines. I checked out the Diablo IV panel discussion ; played demos of games; Suffered in line for features such as free cartoons, throwing tokens at Capsule Toy cars, and getting developer autographs for various BlizzCon franchises. I also queued for food, stood in line at various vendors’ kiosks, and spent too much time trying to remember where I parked my car – the latter is not Blizzard’s fault.

If you try to go to BlizzCon and do whatever you want, you will fail and feel frustrated. You will also miss out on many special opportunities at the convention that you might not even have planned. And this is how I address it. I start by prioritizing all major events – panels, sessions, and more – and save them to my official BlizzCon app ( iOS , Android ).

This has not become my main list of things to do; however, by adding them to my favorites in the app, I can be notified when these events are about to start, so I can decide whether to do these pre-scheduled actions something else I am doing (including lunch).

Generally speaking, I tend to make the mistake of attending events that are more fun to watch live – like the voice actor panel – versus informal ones like a panel discussion of any new World of Warcraft expansion launching this year. I can always find out about this after the fact and will probably find out more by reading the one-on-one (or group) interviews with the game’s developers. I find the panel discussions at BlizzCon interesting but not overwhelming. This is something I can definitely check out at the hotel later if I really don’t want to be there to see any live Q&A sessions .

As for anything else that isn’t officially scheduled, I like to spend a little time planning an attack whenever I move to a new location at a convention. This includes a little walk through the showroom to get a sense of what’s going on and the line pick that I might decide first – that way I know I won’t miss priority events (free caricature or special autograph session) for things that I can do at any time (buying unlimited goods).

It is also important to know when to gamble; For example, if a salesperson’s booth is overrun with people, it might be better to try coming back again for a larger event – the esports finale, lunch break, or popular discussion – instead of wasting time. If an experience is on your average list of “things I have to do,” don’t wait two hours for it. Take a walk, do other things and assess the situation during the day; you will be able to get inside in just ten minutes, when its initial popularity has faded.

Sneak in with snacks

BlizzCon, like most other conventions, doesn’t want you to bring a backpack full of lunch or snacks with you. You get bottled water; This is it. To be honest, I was amazed that the slippery burgers at BlizzCon did not infect me with E. coli, and watching the endless queues of food trucks snaking at the convention didn’t give my stomach the confidence that food would be delivered to reasonable time frame. Frame.

What I had to do and what I didn’t do was try to steal food. I do not eat wholesome food here; but a squirrel bar (or tw0), a few muesli bars, or something that can discreetly fit into your pockets would be worth a try if nothing else than having something to eat while waiting in line for a larger lunch.

If that doesn’t work for you, or your dastardly food gets confiscated, the only other piece of advice I have on this front is to know every convention spot where you can get food. Food vans at BlizzCon may get slammed, but I’ve definitely seen reasonable lines, if not queues at all, at some of the more obscure food vendors around the congress. You will have to walk a little to assess the situation, but it is better to queue for an hour to buy a hot dog.

Nobody knows anything, so ask everyone until you get the right answer.

The problem with convention – and BlizzCon is no different – is that it seems like no one has the right answers to anything. Where are you standing? Where do you come in? Is this the correct entry? Is this the correct line? Why do half of the queue move to another location, and why do they go to something first? What is this line for? Will you get more of what you just sold?

I have found that the best way to approach these funny conventions is to never stop there if you suspect it might be wrong. Question everything. I don’t want to annoy ; please don’t bother me. But if you suspect you are getting inaccurate information, ask someone else. Ask someone in a different shirt. Like someone who seems to be working for a company, putting on conventions rather than staff conventions. Ask other members. Again, don’t annoy people with your interrogations, but don’t take answers at face value if they fail the odor test.

And even then, it never hurts to double-check. For example, this weekend I read reports that an exclusive badge – Lilith, the “blessed mother ” of Diablo IV – was sold from the Blizzard Store at Darkmoon Fair. Bad news for those who wanted it, right? I later heard that the sold out badge was refilled at some point during the day, so if you were patient or returned to the designated pin purchase location during the day, you might get what seemed out of reach. Again, healthy skepticism never hurts.

The same is true for any situation you come across in a convention, in fact. For example, I tried to use the official Blizzard BlizzCon app to load its convention-only shopping site, hoping that I could find one or two exclusive items after the big company opening ceremony. The trading portal, naturally, refused to load. Foolishly, I gave up, instead of realizing that I could also try to access the shopping portal through my regular web browser, which actually worked and could help me find some key items before they sold out.

It’s okay to miss the point.

BlizzCon Opening Day is a bit of a mess as almost everyone is trying to make their way to the main hall of the opening ceremony – the Mythic Stage – or trying to get a decent seat in any of the overcrowded areas. But here’s the thing; While these ads are fun to see in person, sitting far enough away means you’ll be watching tiny bodies from afar or, more likely, broadcasting whatever happens on the nearest projector or TV screen. At this point, why be there at all? You only really root for games with people; otherwise, any announcements you make will look just as good on your phone or laptop as they did in person.

My advice? It’s okay to miss the point. You don’t need to see the opening ceremony. Queue up for collectibles, quirky experiences, or a smart breakfast. Heck, sort it out around the demo areas for games you think might be featured. Go buy your Mystery Boxes for $ 50 of World of Warcraft loot.

Likewise, don’t be afraid to sit behind the panel in front of the panel you want to see. If you know the finals of a major esports competition is approaching on the same day, start pushing yourself closer to the spot you want throughout the day instead of battling the masses five minutes before the finals. Sure, you’ll have to sit through some content that you might not care about, but you’ll never get a decent seat if you try to launch at the last minute.

Join the community

The best way to learn about all of the exclusive features of the conference, including BlizzCon, is to harness the power of the community. Why walk a mile through a crowded venue to find out that what you wanted to buy is out of print when you can just open a Facebook group and watch (or ask directly)?

For BlizzCon, I relied on a number of social media sources to tell me what’s going on, meet cool people, and share content:

Blizzard’s Major Announcements for BlizzCon 2019

Now that you’ve checked out my list of tips – an achievement unlocked for you – let’s take a quick tour of the major announcements at BlizzCon 2019, including what you can play or buy right now (or soon).

Diablo iv

To say that I have been waiting for this for a very, very long time is to say nothing. Plus, Blizzard’s filmmaking team is the best in the business, period.

Release date: ???!?! Seriously. It’s not coming soon , and it’s not even “Blizzard is coming soon,” as stated in this year’s launch and subsequent panel discussion. I wouldn’t pay attention to Diablo IV until 2021, and even that’s ambitious. Remember, Blizzard announced Diablo III in June 2008 and the game didn’t officially launch until May 2012 – and I was there to celebrate the horrific server issues at launch as I had been planning all night long. Overview. How much fun we had together.

Preoreder: hahahahaha

World of Warcraft: Shadowlands

At the moment I need to go to Wikipedia and calculate in which World of Warcraft extension we are working. Blizzard, to her credit, is going to milk this cash cow to the very end, as much as I would love to see some action happen in World of Warcraft II (or World of Starcraft ) someday. In this latest expansion, the eighth in a row, you will travel to the underworld, to no world to befriend, choose a side, build reputation with this faction, get the sweet loot you’ve spent a month on and conquer your favorite world NPCs of Warcraft in a large openable raid. Well, it’s also a new roguelike experience at Torgast, Tower of the Damned. This large dungeon promises randomly generated layouts and tons of unlockable abilities to help you progress upward. I’m only intrigued because it is at least something that changes the repetition of old dungeons and raids .

Plus, Blizzard’s filmmaking team is still on top.

Pre-order: right now !

  • Basic version: $ 40
  • Heroic Edition: $ 60
  • Epic Edition: $ 80
  • Physical Collector’s Edition: ??? (should be available for purchase several months before the expected 2020 release date of the extension.

Overwatch 2

The PvP shooter is back with a brand new edition, though it doesn’t feel all that new compared to the regular old Overwatch so far. However, as someone who gets torn apart every time he plays Support, I’m excited to be able to team up with friends against AI bots, not really good Overwatch players. Plus, I love that Blizzard allows you to transfer your unlocked items from Overwatch directly to Overwatch 2 . Eat for Diablo III ?

Pre-order: Nothing so far, but the game will be available for PC, Xbox and PlayStation when it comes out … someday.

Descent of Dragons (Hearthstone)

I don’t play Hearthstone very much at this point, but I was intrigued by the mechanics of this add-on – putting a mega card in your deck and using it against your enemy (which probably has a great counter for that just sitting in their hand). as well as a new Battlegrounds mode. It’s an auto-bettler with some quirks, but does it … work ? Also, let’s talk about this title track.

Pre-order: right now !

  • Standard pre-order (60 packs): $ 50
  • Mega Bundle Pre-Order (100 Packs): $ 80

More…

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