Background downloader active, potentially heralding patch 5.0.4

This afternoon, the World of Warcraft background downloader kicked in and began pulling down 6GB of data toward the Mists of Pandaria pre-expansion patch. The launcher displays a 21GB download but jumps quickly toward 15GB completed without actually downloading them -- the first 15GB is data that has either been downloaded previously or is already a part of our current World of Warcraft installation. Today's download is only that final 6GB.

Update: Zarhym has confirmed that this data is for the upcoming Mists of Pandaria patch.

It's open warfare between Alliance and Horde in Mists of Pandaria, World of Warcraft's next expansion. Jump into five new levels with new talents and class mechanics, try the new monk class, and create a pandaren character to ally with either Horde or Alliance. Look for expansion basics in our Mists FAQ, or dig into our spring press event coverage for more details!