World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade Interview

Blizzard's official World of Warcraft community website has been updated with a new in-house interview with The Burning Crusade executive producer Frank Pearce. In it, Frank answers questions about his daily responsibilities, how the expansion will affect the game's high-end content, and more.
Q: Since reputation may possibly be involved in obtaining mounts, there was an official statement from one of the developers some time ago that the way reputation is being earned would receive an overhaul. Do you already have an update on how this will change?

A: We're looking to improve how faction works in The Burning Crusade, both in how it's earned and how much it figures into the gameplay. In general, reputation will be earned more quickly in the Burning Crusade, so it feels like less of a grind. You may find for example, that faction earned from killing trash mobs in an instance doesn't get capped off as quickly, or you'll get better faction jumps out of completing quests.

We also plan on including a number of linked-faction relationships, so that earning reputation with one faction may simultaneously decrease your faction with the opposing group. This is similar to how the Bloodsail Buccaneers and Steamwheedle Cartel in the current game act in opposition to one another, but the decision to do so with the factions in The Burning Crusade will create and close off more significant opportunities. Choosing to align with one over the other could open up new purchasable equipment or consumables, while closing off access to items with the other faction. Earning reputation in these linked faction relationships will be even faster than normal, as we expect players to want to try aligning with each of the opposing factions over the course of their play time.