The expansion is coming November 13^th for World of Warcraft and historically it can be a frustrating battle just to get it on day one. There are a ton of options for you to take and some may be more risk than reward if you need that fresh expansion fix on day one. Let’s look at the various ways you can secure a copy of the game on release day and the odds of actually getting into your hand.

Physical Copy vs. Digital Distribution

There could be a chance that Blizzard will sell the expansion on day one through their online shop. This would let you avoid availability issues, pre-ordering, waiting for delivery, and/or a drive to a store and will let you get it as soon as possible. There are a few snags though. The first one is that it might not be for sale on launch day. Even if it is, there will be a massive multi-gigabyte torrent that you’ll have to hop on to get the game client. For those of us that are unlucky with the Blizzard Downloader and the sheer amount of people that will be on it… well, I’m sure you can get the picture. You might be delayed by a day or two just to get the client and the first patch.

So, should you hold out and just get it online? In my opinion, no. You’ll pay the same price, you won’t get the physical copy of the game (which can make reinstalling so much easier) and you might get into a bad situation downloading the game. So a physical copy route may be better. If it’s announced that you can get a copy online then maybe, if you feel confident that the Blizzard Downloader will run fast enough for you.

Online Ordering
Why did the delivery carrier drive by and deliver the game to the neighbor?

If you buy the game online then expect to get it a day or two later, even with overnight shipping. Standard shipping will be take about three days (some forms of free shipping may take weeks) and it’ll usually ship a day before launch. November 13^th is a Thursday, so if it ships on the 12^th with three day shipping you’ll get it on a Friday and overnight you’ll get it on launch day (Wednesday). If you ships on the 13^th, overnight you’ll get it on a Friday and three day will sadly be on a Monday (most delivery companies avoid Saturdays and Sundays).

So, with this in mind, you’ll be taking a good risk. From what I’ve known, some online retailers may take a few days processing your order before even shipping it. It varies from retailer to retailer and often times it comes down to luck. In summary, going and buying online is a very risky maneuver even if it worked for you last year.

Brick & Mortar
Welcome to ______, have you preordered our latest football game?

Pre-ordering is pretty much your best chance at getting the game launch date. Game retailers (everyone but Wal-Mart pretty much) will allow you to pre-order a game to guarantee that your copy will be there on launch day. The fun about this is that these stores will generally only have enough copies to fill their pre-orders on launch day. So that’s the catch. With computer games and location it’ll vary, but if you’re going to get the game you might as well put a few bucks down on it right now.

Pre-ordering is a simple process in which you put down a non-refundable “deposit” towards a game. When you buy the game they’ll take off your deposit from the total cost of the game and will often give you some game specific goodies depending on what chain is doing the pre-ordering. On launch day you can then go in there and you’ll have a copy reserved for you.

That’s generally your best bet. It’s just a few dollars right now and you’ll have the game on launch day (and sometimes at midnight depending on the store). If you want the collector’s edition then this is traditionally the only way you’ll be able to snag it.

So in summary, if getting the game is your goal then pre-ordering it at a local store is your best bet. Online ordering will probably delay it by a day or more but if you pre-order it then you’ll likely end up with it on launch day (and many stores have midnight launch parties to boot).

What happens if I don’t pre-order it and want it launch day?

Many stores will hold extra copies in sort of an “embargo” until after the launch to make pre-ordering the only option to get it. Other stores will have it out on the shelves and then it comes down to simple luck. A good rule of thumb is that game stores will likely sell out asap while major retail outlets that have electronics departments will generally be overlooked. This is even truer if they’re away from the beaten path.

There is usually enough supply to meet demand on launch date and last year many people didn’t have to go far to get their game. However, depending on where you live you may end up with some problems. So it’s best to secure your copy now instead of waiting forever for someone to restock or traveling store to store.

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