Operation Gnomergan: How It Should Have Been Handled

Last night, I stayed up past our raid time to finish Operation Gnomergan.  My impression of it was kind of nonchalant.  Think about the epic quest lines that have occurred in Wrath of the Lich King.  Wrathgate.  The ICC 5 Mans.  The trolls and Drak'Tharon Keep/Gundrak.  Even the Black Knight quest line was better in my opinion than Operation Gnomergan and that was mostly making fun of Monty Python.  Yes, it did have its funny moments like the speeches from Bravehart and Independence Day, but the payoff does not equal what I went through.  Especially considering it is going to be an endless loop until Cataclysm.  And what did I get for my effort.  Some gold, a novelty item that turns me into a gnome, (I'm wondering what it will do for my gnome mage) and a cloak.

So looking back, could it have been handled differently?  Maybe.  Here are some of my thoughts on how it could have been handled.

1) Level 80 Heroic 5 man Dungeon - Wouldn't it have been much better to do all the lead up to open up the heroic 5 man dungeon version of the event.  I don't even care if it drops higher than ICC 5 man gear, but it would have seemed a lot more epic.  Plus, it would be like the ICC 5 mans where you would have the High Tinkerer with you instead of Jania. 

2) Phased Event - Ok, so your first foray into Gnomergan left it to where you were exploded out of the area and back to Ironforge.  Fine.  Don't end the quest line there.  Make it to where you have to figure out what you need to take care of the bomb.  There can even be multiple stops along the way, but don't just stop it until most of your goal is succeeded.  I felt like at the end I did all of that for nothing except some cheap laughs and a little gold.

3) Make More Tie Ins With Cataclysm - Imagine the reason that the gnomes did not get further is because of a massive earthquake that backed them up to the surface instead of a bomb going off.  It would have seemed better if there was more of a tie in to what is going to happen.  Even Blizzard said this is part of the Cataclysm world event.  It should feel like it.

4) Make Rewards More Valuable - If I got more than a novelty item, I would have said ok.  Maybe some Frost badges (not that I need them on my main) or an epic shirt even with no stats.  Or even a pet or a title would have made it worth it.  It just has to seem that the reward is worth the time I invested in it. 

I have not done the troll event so it might be better, but as of right now, I was sorely disappointed with Operation Gnomergan.  I'm really  hoping Blizzard comes out and says this is only part 1.  I really am hoping.

Also, I am going to be on Leet Sauced tonight, which is a new podcast that is being started by some guys in my guild.  I would encourage you to check them out when the episodes start coming out. I will add the site to my links soon.  Also, any other podcasters out there, I'm open for coming on your show as well.