Was it worth it? Was the collector’s edition of the Burning Crusade expansion pack worth an extra $20? …an extra day’s wait?

Personally, I’m still torn. The initial 36-hour delay from those lucky enough to snag BC at a midnight sale got quite the edge over me. A few were already 61 before I even stepped thru the Dark Portal, and now nearly a week later, I’m at a good 2 level disadvantage since I can’t focus on one character long enough to make a major impact. Level? PvP? Bloodelf? The lack of a rested bonus is really discouraging too…

Over time, the extra day of waiting will have little or no impact, since we’re all going to be “stuck” at 70 together, so at that point it’ll only be the extra goodies that make the difference. For those who didn’t get it, and have already upgraded your account, don’t bother looking for the CE if you want the Netherwhelp pet. Once your account has been upgraded, you can’t upgrade it again. That only leaves the other goodies to win you over. Plus, although the whelp is nice and all, it’s a little goofy looking; like a smurf and dragon had a little too much to drink in Neverland…

First off, the install discs are available both on 4 CDs and 1 DVD. Again, this just makes the install process really fast (if you use the DVD), which is something you’ll only do once, or maybe another couple of times if you destroy your machine and need to reinstall from scratch. Then you’re left with a fat jewelcase and a sleeve for storage, twice as much as without it. Net benefit over time seems to be a minor inconvenience, unless you’re a pack-rat…

Then, there’s a mousepad with a map of Outland. I already have a mousepad, and am not too interested in replacing it just yet. I suppose I could frame it or something… Net benefit: none.

Now to the goodies: A behind the scenes DVD. This contains making-of footage for the game, cinematic intro, music, voiceovers, and other little trailers. Overall, there’s apparently 5 hours of footage, all in convenient bite-size segments no longer than 20 minutes. I conquered most of the non-alliance parts in a single afternoon. The marionette mage/sheep scene was priceless… Given the price of DVDs, particularly the “bonus features”, I’d say this was worth about $5. Not a whole lot of replay value.

A 21-track CD containing the music from BC. I’m about halfway thru and have to say that I’m impressed. Although I listen to the music in game while I’m playing, I never gave it much more thought than the ambiance it presented. By itself, it is very nice. Normally I’m not into the whole classical-esque style of music, and probably would not have bought the CD alone, but I’d guess this would be your average $12 CD.

This brings us to the book: The Art of WoW:BC. Awesome. I’m a big fan of these books, and it reminds me very much of a D&D hardbound, like the Draconomicon, or even the Player’s Handbook — except chock full o’ drawings, paintings, and designs. I would say that this book alone is worth the price difference between the normal and collector’s editions. Now if only I can keep it in the really nice condition it is in…

In conclusion, I’m still torn whether it was all worth it, but I’m happy with the CE, and there’s really no going back now, is there?