*fwhee*

To kick off Mists of Pandaria's release, September 24th will have a huge number of launch parties all around the world, including Irvine, Cologne, London, Moscow, Madrid, Mexico City, Sao Paulo, and Taipei. All who attend will be treated to activites, entertainment, and giveaways before the game's midnight launch!

Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard, had this to say:

"We can't wait to meet up with players around the world and celebrate with them at the official launch events. A lot of hard work and long hours went into making Mists of Pandaria a truly epic expansion, so we're really looking forward to coming together and having some fun with the community before everyone takes off for the new continent."

As is typical for big-name releases, the expansion comes in the standard edition and the 60$ Collector's Edition, containing behind-the-scenes DVDs, a soundtrack, a 200 page artbook, in-game pets, StarCraft II/Diablo III bonuses, and a mousepad. Most big-name game retailers, like GameStop for the US or GAME for the UK, will have more information on global launches and special editions.

And, as always, the crack team at Wowhead will be covering all the in-game content leading up to, during, and in the aftermath of Mists of Pandaria's launch, including the new Monk class, the Pandaren, the new zones, and the pet-battle system. 

Who's going to make it to Blizzard's launch party? 

Julian "Mirai" Williams