To BlizzCon and Beyond: BlizzCon Travelogue day 4

Day two of BlizzCon 2023 achieved something that was quite unexpected: it was more. The lines were longer, the demo stations were fuller, the Overwatch World Cup was pure electricity. Everything was just simply more.

Doorbusters truly busted the doors

At 9:30 am, the main doors opened to the public. By 9:35, The the line to the Darkmoon Faire — which was the far end of Hall D — had crossed all of Hall D. Within another 10 minutes, it had hit well into Hall C, the Overwatch Hall, when it was finally capped — not by Blizzard, but by the Fire Marshalls. Any chance of entering the Darkmoon Faire was quashed. Demo stations were full of people playing games and seats were packed with those watching the feeds of streamers or the World Cup.

Checking in with Hall A and Diablo, the sign in sheet for the tattoos had already been filled before the door had opened — putting an end to my chances at a necromancer tattoo. I did manage to have a temporary one applied by a really cool tattoo printer. I had personally never seen a device like it, but part of me really wants to buy one, just to have fun at work or at parties.

The packed crowds didn’t just hit the main floor, but also in the crowd for the panels that were streamed for the public. It was by this point that people I had been running into frequently throughout the convention were observing that it did feel like more people were there for day two, and that they were certainly more hyped — as though they were waiting to see what was coming to BlizzCon before going to BlizzCon.  There was just plenty to see and do on day two.

March of the Murlocs

One of my favorite events of BlizzCon was scheduled for just after the World of Warcraft Deep Dive panel: The March of the Murlocs. Hundreds of people putting on murloc pajamas murrrggleing and gurrrggling through the halls of BlizzCon, winding their way out to the main fountain, lead by the call of a conch shell. There, in the court yard, the guttural growls of the murlocs cry out as they all gather and preen. This year’s pajama set in dark grey and electric blue was really awesome and, sadly, sold out. This meant I couldn’t join in the march, but was happy to witness it all the same.

Remains of the day

The remainder of the Con for me was spent between the Overwatch World Cup — in which Saudi Arabia defeated China — and hopping up to developer interviews. This was my first BlizzCon as a boots on the ground person, and I certainly had those boots on the ground. Between the two days, I had put on 40,000 steps — roughly 20 miles. By the time of the Blizzard Watch Podcast recap of BlizzCon, I was exhausted, hungry, and hyped. I had already put in my pre-order for The War Within, admiring the customization options of the Algarian Stormrider as well as playing around with the new transmog options.

I was also so hungry that I was not thinking straight. For a brief moment, I considered going to IHOP when Roscoe’s was still open and across the street. As I had called Roscoe’s the starting point of BlizzCon, for some it was also the end point. Gamers had once again flooded the waffle joint, and with good reason. The chicken smothered in an onion gravy on waffles hit just the right spot after a long day of games.

But wait, there’s more!

BlizzCon was over, but there has been a recent unofficial end of BlizzCon, that being the Taliesin & Evitel Weekly Reset Live. Held in the Marriot, the show is a who’s-who of Warcraft fandom, creators, and even developers. The show could easily be part of BlizzCon proper but does work best as its own event on the side. Also, taking place at the Marriot means you can dine in at the Marriot bar. A quieter venue than the Hilton — where everyone says you need to go to during BlizzCon, but is really a loud mess — the Marriot offers up a large selection of California beers on tap, an amazing lobster mac and cheese, and a really good poutine.

Wrapping up the trip to Anaheim just on the edge of the convention center grounds felt like the best way to end BlizzCon 2023. The facade had already been taken down and the court yard had been cleared. The magic of BlizzCon now moves from the physical place to our computers, with all the new and exciting games we saw showcased this weekend that we get to go home and play. This week, Warcraft will have a new patch. In a short while, Diablo 4 will have new events. WoW Classic will have Seasons of Discovery — a game I find myself surprisingly hyped about — will be released on November 30. Warcraft Rumble is out now, having launched when I’d already left home.

This weekend we saw the games, but soon comes the best part: we get to play them.