World of Warcraft: Cataclysm

[Kaotik]

I figured it might be time for this, with all the confirmed info and such floating around now

So, what is WoW: Cataclysm? The next expansion, coming sometime 2010, my own bet is 2nd half. Azeroth is torn apart when Neltharion the Earth-Warder, later known as Deathwing the Destroyer, returns. Queen Azshara has her share of fun, too.

hat's new in it? Shameless copy pastes (with possible small edits by me to remove most obvious doubles) from http://www.mmo-champion.com (my apologies for possible doubles)

Trailer:
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First MMO-Champions original leak

World of Warcraft: Cataclysm

World of Warcraft: Cataclysm is the next expansion for World of Warcraft. Dark and forgotten threats that have long stayed out of sight have finally arrived on our shores, unleashing a cataclysmic event upon Azeroth and now preparing more nefarius plans to take it back.

Level Cap
The level cap in the next expansion will be slightly lower than expected this time around; 85.

This suggests Blizzard wants more room for expansions before hitting the level 100 cap. With less leveling to do (along with the revamped leveling listed below likely to increase the speed and ease of leveling), leveling a new race remains appealing for new and existing players alike.

Leveling from 80-85 should be a much bigger deal, the idea is to make sure that gaining a level really means something and doesn't make you feel like you just have 4 more levels to go.

New Classes
Cataclysm doesn't introduce any new classes to the game. Instead, Blizzard have offered more race and classes combinations to players. The Some of these have alreadly been datamined from the 3.2.2 Test Realms. The An Injured Colleague quest and it's new Night Elf counter-part help to introduce the lore for these new race and class combinations, so we can probably expect to see more of these for some of the less traditional ones.


•Human Hunter
•Orc Mage
•Night Elf Mage
•Dwarf Mage
•Blood Elf Warrior
•Dwarf Shaman
•Undead Hunter
•Tauren Paladin
•Tauren Priest
•Gnome Priest
•Troll Druid


New Races
The events of the cataclysm has caused two new races to seek new allies. The Goblins for the Horde and the Worgen for the Alliance.

Goblins
Deathwing once again sought the services of the goblins, as slaves. Unable to refuse such an offer, the goblins were enslaved by him. A large group have resisted however. With their previous homes devastated by the cataclysm, they escaping to an island off the coast of The Barrens. As they strive to recover, they come across an Orc captured on an Alliance ship and rescue him. The Orc turns out to be none other than Thrall himself, and in return offers the Goblins a place within the Horde. These events are carried out in a quest line, allowing players to experience first-hand the reasons behind the Goblins' shift from neutrality.

Worgen
The cataclysm has cracked open the Greymane Wall, finally revealing what has happened to the kingdom of Gilneas and its citizens. With the Worgen curse taken hold, they have found a partial cure, allowing thme to retain their Human minds even when transformed. Venturing forth from Gilneas and seeking help from the Alliance, they have decided to join them, to combat the new threats of Cataclysm.

Gilneas will make extensive use of the phasing system (much like the Death Knight starting area), to show what happened while the kingdom was cut off from the rest of the world and lead up to present day.

Worgens will have two forms, a Worgen form and a Human form. Players will be able to customise the look of both forms.

New Content
Cataclysm will be the first expansion not to introduce a new continent, instead making use of previously unreleased zones and revamping existing ones.

Classic Azeroth Revamp
A cataclysmic event caused by Deathwing and Azshara will change the face of Azeroth as we know it. Most of the new content for Cataclysm will take the form of a revamped Azeroth, taking advantage of newer additions to WoW such as phasing and daily quests. Most of the quests and mobs in the classic zones will also be redesigned to make leveling less painful. With the revamp, a greater narritive and sense progression will be offered to players. Some zones and dungeons will change drastically to fit this, e.g.,


•The Barrens will be split into two separate zones of two different level bands.
•Azshara will become a low level (~10-20) zone.
•Some of the zones like the Thousand Needles will be flooded.
•Durotar is wrecked and apparently Orgrimmar could be destroyed. A new Orc city is rebuilt over the course of the expansion.
•Gnomeregan will be part of the expansion as well and gnomes might be able to reclaim their capital. (The last part is still unconfirmed)
•Wailing Caverns will be become a lush tropical area as a result of the druid's magic.
•The Blackrock Spire will erupt and a new version of Blackrock Mountains will be available, apparently Ragnaros will be back too.

In the aftermath of the cataclysm, and the new conflicts on the horizon relief efforts can be found in many zones and new open PvP areas similar to Lake Wintergrasp.

Flying in Azeroth
Part of the redesign of the Eastern Kingdoms and Kalimdor is the introduction of flying to the two continents, allowing access to many new areas and quicker travelling across the large continents.

Classic Dungeon Revamp
Redesigning Onyxia's Lair in Patch 3.2.2 was just the first step. As most of the leveling will take place in revamped areas of Azeroth, so too will the dungeons, allowing players to use them to level from 80 to 85.

Unreleased Zones & Dungeons
With the addition of flying mounts to Kalimdor and the Eastern Kingdoms and the redesign of many zones, most of the previously unreachable or incomplete zones will now be made available to players. This is where most of the new content from 80 to 85 will take place. Some of these are,


•Hyjal (present)
•Gilneas - The Worgen starting Zone.
•Uldum

It is unclear if the old Goblin locations such as Kezan and Undermine will be included in Cataclyms with the revelation of the goblins' plight, but several new islands have also been risen from the seas by the events of Cataclysm, some on the backs of giant sea turtles and whales, with the addition of several underwater zones.

Characters and Events

Deathwing
Deathwing the Destroyer / Neltharion the Earth-Warder will play a major role in Cataclysm. Having been driven mad by Old God whisperings and turning against his own kind only to be fail in his attempts, Deathwing has sunk into the shadows. While the Horde and the Alliance were busy fighting back the Burning Legion only to then be beset with the Scourge, he has been lurking and moving things into place. After Lady Sinestra's failed attempts to create a Twilight Dragonflight, he again retreated to Grim Batol and succeeded where she failed. With his results seen in the Obsidian Sanctum, he has finally created the supreme Dragonflight he sought and plans to unleash it upon the world. But what of the Old Gods' sway over him?

Azshara
Queen Azshara will also play a major part in Cataclysm. Unknown to many mortal races, long forgotten by others, and believe to be dead by her own kind, she has not been dormant in depths of the Maelstrom. Having those around her transformed by the Old Gods into Naga after her failure in the War of the Ancients, she has become far more powerful and a greater threat than she once was. Not content with just Nazjatar and the depths of the sea, Azshara seeks to reclaim power and reign once again. With the true plan behind Lady Vashj's support of Illidan remaining a mystery we do not know what hand Azshara has yet played. The big question remains, is she now serving her "saviors", the Old Gods?

The Cataclysm
I'm still not sure who is the true end boss of Cataclysm is, but the cataclysm appears to have been caused by attempts to incantation to summon extremely powerful beings using an ancient incantation by Deathwing and Azshara. They're both very powerful, but the cataclysm itself suggests something more powerful is behind it, perhaps their shared past of Old God influence?

The Guardian of Tirisfal
Malfurion Stormrage will be returning to Azeroth to aid in the creation of the new Guardian of Tirisfal - Thrall! Med'an's role in these events is currently unknown.

The New (New) Horde
Thrall will hand over the leadership of the Horde to Garrosh Hellscream, while he serves as a coordinator for both the Horde and Alliance forces in and effort to combat the new threat of the Naga and Black Dragonflight. Without Thrall to keep Garrosh in check, he declares open war on the Alliance. In the political upheaval Cairne Bloodhoof is implicated as a traitor to the Horde and murdered by Garrosh. Cairne's son Baine takes over as the new Tauren chieftan. This could explain why Baine was removed from the game in Patch 3.2.2, you can find more information about this in Ahmo Thunderhorn - replacement for Baine Bloodhoof?

Next a general description of things, lore and so on

World of Warcraft - Cataclysm

New Race - The Goblins (Horde)
Originally the slaves of jungle trolls on the Isle of Kezan, the goblin race was forced to mine kaja'mite ore out of the volcanic bowels of Mount Kajaro. The trolls used this potent mineral for their voodoo rituals, but it had an unexpected effect on the slaves who were in constant contact with it: kaja'mite generated a startling new cunning and intelligence in the goblins. Crafting their own powerful artifacts of engineering and alchemy in secret, the goblins soon overthrew their oppressors and claimed Kezan for their homeland. The mines that had been their prison, their slave camp, and the base of their rebellion now became the city of Undermine. Weaving through the heart of the island in a dizzying network of tunnels, vaults, and lava tubes, Undermine epitomizes the goblins' complex, unpredictable mindset.

The goblins' natural greed soon lifted them to prominence as masters of mercantilism. Trade princes arose during the First War as the cleverest goblins learned to take advantage of the strife. Great fortunes were amassed, and the Isle of Kezan became a hub for fleets of goblin trading ships. One of the trade princes agreed to lend his faction’s services to the Horde in the Second War. Following the Horde's defeat, the goblins learned from their colleague's failed example, and soon they realized that their profits could double if they weren't stuck in such a restrictive relationship. By the end of the Third War, goblins were providing weaponry, vehicles, and devious services to both the Horde and the Alliance. This wouldn't last forever. . .

Recently, the goblins of Kezan have found a new enemy in the Alliance – unexpected and unprofitable encounters with this faction have driven certain trade princes from their comfortable neutrality. Reforging old pacts with their one-time allies, the goblins have been welcomed into the Horde with open arms.

The Lost Isles
The preconception that any goblin would sell their best friend for a fistful of gold is not entirely unfounded: many of them probably would and some actually do. The truth is that quite a few goblins combine a shrewd business sense with a certain level of... moral flexibility. For example, after the cataclysm reawakened a volcano on their home island one of the goblins' trade princes realized that there was good money to be made in offering panicked goblins a ticket to safety on his ship, taking their life savings - and then selling them into slavery. A clever plan, until it (and the ship) fell apart in a naval crossfire between an Alliance fleet and a lone Horde ship. The shipwreck's survivors washed ashore on the Lost Isles off the coast of Kalimdor, where they discover that the island's dense jungles harbor many mysteries and more than a few unpleasant surprises.

New Race - The Worgens (Alliance)
The worgen are a race of feral wolf-beasts whose very name inspires fear. Theories regarding their history abound, yet the worgen's origins remain steeped in mystery.

Records indicate that the worgen existed for a time in Kalimdor. In fact, more recent evidence suggests that their true origin might have a connection to the night elves and a secretive druidic order from Kalimdor's distant past. Yet until new evidence comes to light, this information remains speculative.

The worgen's first verified appearance in the Eastern Kingdoms has been traced back to the Third War, when the archmage Arugal utilized the wolf-beasts as a weapon against the Scourge. Arugal's weapons soon turned against him, however, as the curse of the worgen rapidly spread among the human population, transforming ordinary men and women into ravenous, feral creatures.

Arugal adopted many of the worgen as his own and retreated to the former mansion of Baron Silverlaine, the estate now known as Shadowfang Keep. The curse, however, was not contained. It persisted in the lands of Silverpine and extended even into the fabled walled nation of Gilneas, where the curse rapidly reached pandemic levels.

The citizens of Gilneas found themselves trapped, with no hope of escape. They retreated deeper within the isolated domain, and there they survived, fearful of the savage presence that lurked just outside the barricades.

Tensions among the displaced citizens escalated over time, resulting in a civil war that now threatens to destabilize the embattled nation even more.

There are those among the Gilneans, however, who cling to hope. Many believe that a treatment for the worgen curse may exist, although others have nearly given up, fearful that if the barricades should fall, their humanity will be lost forever.

Gilneas
Gilneas is located on the peninsula south of Silverpine Forest. The human kingdom had supported the Alliance during the Second War, but King Greymane had no qualms about severing all ties to the outside world when it became clear that the Alliance needed Gilneas more than Gilneas needed the Alliance. Unbeknownst to the rest of the world, darkness fell on Gilneas after the Greymane Wall's gates had been closed, and the worgen curse ravaged the nation. Before long, Gilneans were fighting against Gilneans in a bloody civil war that left the kingdom in tatters. Remarkably, the people of Gilneas have somehow managed to hold on to the last vestiges of their humanity... for now.

Lore
Cataclysm will be a major step forward in the ongoing story of the Warcraft universe. The return of Deathwing has changed the world forever, and the major movers and shakers are forced to make decisions that will profoundly affect the future of their peoples. Below is a list of some of the most important non-player characters in World of Warcraft: Cataclysm.

Warchief Thrall
Thrall, the Horde's warchief, is a living symbol of nobility, strength, and unwavering courage. He led the orcs from the internment camps of Lordaeron into a new era of freedom and prosperity, and under his leadership the Horde has established itself as a major force on Azeroth. As a shaman, Thrall has a deep connection with the elements, and their wisdom has proven to be a great boon to the warchief. But although the Horde's faith in its warchief remains strong, some orcs who relish the tales of orcish ferocity and martial prowess are frustrated with Thrall's decisions. It remains to be seen whether his recent differences with Garrosh Hellscream are a one-time event or a hint at the shape of things to come.

Garrosh Hellscream
Growing up, Garrosh only knew his father, Grom Hellscream, by the stories that cast him as the one who had doomed his people. But after learning of Grom's redemption and heroic sacrifice to free the orcs from demonic corruption once and for all, Garrosh embraced his father's legacy as a fearless warrior and natural leader. At times, Garrosh's renewed zeal has put him at odds with the Horde's warchief. Frustrated by Thrall's decision to scout Northrend instead of mobilizing the Horde right away, Garrosh challenged the warchief to a duel in the Ring of Valor, but an assault by the Lich King's minions cut their bout short. Garrosh and the warchief still have some unfinished business... and Garrosh's hot-headed recklessness is fast becoming a concern to those who know the inherent danger in a Hellscream's fury.

King Varian Wrynn
The king of Stormwind, recently returned to claim his rightful place, has little love for the Horde. His reasons are many: when Varian was a young boy, he saw his father murdered by the half-orc Garona; the orcs' warchief, Orgrim Doomhammer, slew the valorous Anduin Lothar, who had delivered Varian safely to Lordaeron after the fall of Stormwind; Varian was later enslaved by the orcish gladiator trainer Rehgar Earthfury; and at the Wrath Gate, many brave Alliance soldiers died at the hands of the Forsaken's Royal Apothecary Society. Varian, who had always been wary of the orcs, discovered that the Royal Apothecary Society had been developing the new plague for years. The events that transpired during the battle for the Undercity convinced the human king that the Horde has been left unchecked for too long: the time has come to make things right.

King Genn Greymane
The people of the Alliance remember the king of Gilneas as a proud, strong-willed, cunning, and arrogant man. He and his armies stood by the Alliance during the Second War, but in the aftermath it became clear to Genn Greymane that the Alliance needed Gilneas more than Gilneas needed the Alliance. He ordered that the Greymane Wall be closed to all outsiders, effectively sealing off his kingdom from the outside world and its conflicts. But fate, it seems, was intent on teaching the king a lesson in humility: although the wall succeeded in isolating Gilneas from the rest of the world, it also served to damn the kingdom's people forever. As the worgen curse swept the nation and early attempts at containment failed, Greymane found himself fighting a battle for his people's very humanity</strong>.

Queen Azshara
Strong-willed, manipulative, and incomparably beautiful, Azshara possessed far more magical talent than almost any other night elf in her time. Ten thousand years ago, she and the other Highborne brought Azeroth dangerously close to complete destruction when their meddling with arcane magic caught the attention of the Great Enemy, Sargeras. Corrupted by the influence of the fallen titan, Azshara set in motion a plan to bring the Burning Legion to Azeroth, a plan that caused the War of the Ancients and the Great Sundering of Azeroth. Beautiful, cruel Azshara was swallowed by the seas, never to be seen again… or so it was believed. The naga revere Azshara as a demigod, one who is still very much alive. How she could have survived the Sundering, and at what cost, remain mysteries that not many would dare to probe.

Deathwing
Few have fallen as far from grace as ancient Neltharion has. As one of the five Dragon Aspects chosen by the titans, he was given dominion over the earth and the deep places of the world. He embodied the strength of Azeroth and served as the greatest supporter of the Dragonqueen, Alexstrasza. But mighty, kind-hearted, and wise as he was, even Neltharion was not beyond the reach of dark forces sleeping beneath the surface of Azeroth. Over time, sinister whispers sank their claws into the dragon's thoughts, seeding Neltharion's mind with madness. He betrayed the other Aspects, and when he turned against his brethren and let corruption take complete control, he ceased being Neltharion the Earth-Warder and became Deathwing the Destroyer. Eventually, he was defeated by the combined might of the other Aspects—defeated, but not destroyed. Hidden from the world, he has been licking his wounds and nourishing his burning hatred. His return will change the face of Azeroth forever.

Then a Q&A type of thing

Q: What is the story of World of Warcraft: Cataclysm?
A: While the attention of the Horde and Alliance remained fixed upon Northrend, an ancient evil has been lying dormant within Deephome, the domain of earth in the Elemental Plane. Hidden away in a secluded sanctuary, the corrupted Dragon Aspect Deathwing has waited, recovering from the wounds of his last battle against Azeroth, nursing his hatred for the inferior creatures that infest the surface realm...and biding his time until he can reforge the world in molten fire.

Soon, Deathwing the Destroyer will return to Azeroth, and his eruption from Deephome will sunder the world, leaving a festering wound across the continents. As the Horde and Alliance race to the epicenter of the cataclysm, the kingdoms of Azeroth will witness seismic shifts in power, the kindling of a war of the elements, and the emergence of unlikely heroes who will rise up to protect their scarred and broken world from utter devastation.

The face of Azeroth is altered forever as the destruction left in Deathwing's wake reshapes the land and reveals secrets long sealed away. Players will be able to re-experience familiar zones across Kalimdor and the Eastern Kingdoms, rewrought by the cataclysm and filled with new opportunities for adventure.

Q: What are the features of World of Warcraft: Cataclysm?
A: Some of the new features of World of Warcraft: Cataclysm include:

•Two New Playable Races: Adventure as one of two new races--the cursed worgen with the Alliance or the resourceful goblins with the Horde.
•Level Cap Increased to 85: Earn new abilities, tap into new talents, and progress through the path system, a new way for players to improve characters.
•Classic Zones Remade: Familiar zones across the original continents of Kalimdor and the Eastern Kingdoms have been altered forever and updated with new content, from the devastated Badlands to the broken Barrens, which has been sundered in two.
•New High-Level Zones: Explore newly opened parts of the world, including Uldum, Grim Batol, and the great Sunken City of Vashj'ir beneath the sea.
•More Raid Content than Ever Before: Enjoy more high-level raid content than previous expansions, with optional more challenging versions of all encounters.
•New Race and Class Combinations: Explore Azeroth as a gnome priest, blood elf warrior, or one of the other never-before-available race and class combinations.
•Guild Advancement: Progress as a guild to earn guild levels and guild achievements.
•New PvP Zone & Rated Battlegrounds: Take on PvP objectives and daily quests on Tol Barad Island, a new Wintergrasp-like zone, and wage war in all-new rated Battlegrounds.
•Archaeology: Master a new secondary profession to unearth valuable artifacts and earn unique rewards.
•Flying Mounts in Azeroth: Explore Kalimdor and the Eastern Kingdoms like never before.

Q: Why are you revisiting the continents of Eastern Kingdoms and Kalimdor?
A: As we developed new content and expansions, we learned a lot of techniques to provide players with a better game experience--but the majority of the new content we were creating was for high-level characters only. We felt we could apply the lessons of Outland and Northrend to improve the gameplay experience while leveling in the original two continents. Imagine revisiting a familiar zone like Darkshore only to find Auberdine destroyed by the cataclysm--and then discovering entirely new towns and quests in other parts of the zone.

Kalimdor and the Eastern Kingdoms are central to World of Warcraft lore, and we want those areas to remain an important part of the game, not just a place to train or auction. Our goal is to make questing, leveling, and the overall story more fun for new, returning, and existing players. By redesigning areas of the original continents and introducing new content that matches or exceeds the quality of Wrath of the Lich King, we can revitalize the nostalgia and coolness of Azeroth.

Q: How did you decide upon the two new playable races, worgen and goblin?
A: The community has been requesting to play as the goblins for quite some time now, and we wanted to stick with at least one race that players were very familiar with. This expansion was the perfect time to bring the goblins to the forefront and offer more insight into their past, since the catastrophic events of the expansion really hit close to home.

As for the worgen, players have been hoping to be able to learn more about them since Silverpine Forest. This is a great opportunity to explore their lore and the mysteries of the Greymane Wall. The worgen are an aggressive and beastly race, which is something you see often among the Horde races, but is unique among the Alliance races.

Q: Will the two new races have all-new starting experiences?
A: Yes, we are creating all-new level 1 to 15 starting zones for both races. Players will start their adventures with the worgen in Gilneas, which was sealed off behind the Greymane Wall. Goblin players will start on the Isle of Kezan and then head to the Lost Isles in the South Seas before joining the mainland. Each starting experience will be presented in a fashion similar to the death knight starting area in Wrath of the Lich King, and these starting zones will make extensive use of our new phased-terrain technology.

Q: Which classic zones have been overhauled? What are some examples of changes?
A: Nearly all of the game’s original zones are being altered to some degree, but the extent of the changes varies by zone. For example, Darkshore is flooded and has been completely redesigned with all new quest hubs. The Barrens have been split in two; one half is for low-level players and the other is for higher-level players. Azshara is now a low-level zone for Horde players and connects directly to Orgrimmar.

Q: Is another Hero class being added to the game?
A: We are not planning to add a new Hero class in World of Warcraft: Cataclysm. For this expansion, it was more appropriate to focus on the two new races, the goblins and worgen. We never intended to include a Hero class in every expansion. As you saw with death knights, adding a new class changes the dynamics of the game dramatically, which is not something we want to do in every expansion. We still have plans to introduce new Hero classes in the future.

Q: Will I will be able to use my flying mount in the redesigned Eastern Kingdoms and Kalimdor?
A: Yes. While the original Eastern Kingdoms and Kalimdor weren’t designed for flying mounts, we’re redesigning the continents with flying mounts in mind. However, we’re still determining whether there will be any restrictions on where you will be able to fly, at what level flying will become available, or whether you’ll need to do anything to unlock it. We’ll share more details about this in the future.

Q: Will I need the expansion to be able to experience the Cataclysm changes?
A: When the Cataclysm occurs, it will occur for all players, whether they have purchased the expansion or not--you will no longer be to play in the original version of Kalimdor or the Eastern Kingdoms. However, certain features such as the new zones, new races, and new level cap will only be accessible to players who purchase the expansion.

Q: Will “phasing” be used more extensively in World of Warcraft: Cataclysm?
A: Yes. We’ve come up with a number of new, cool ways to using phasing since we introduced it in Wrath of the Lich King, and plan to use it more extensively to change the world as players progress. We are also now able to phase terrain, which players will see in the starting areas for the goblins and worgen. We’re also adding some UI improvements to help determine when another player is in a different “phase” from you.

Q: Will there be any updates to the graphics and changes to the minimum system requirements?
A: Yes, there will be incremental tweaks and updates to the graphics engine in this expansion. For example, we’ve made improvements to the way that water is rendered. We’ll announce the exact system requirements closer to the expansion’s release.

And finally other, general info -type stuff

General
•Level cap will be 85 because developers wanted to focus on the right things: redoing Azeroth and providing more end-game content.
•A new guild advancement system will let you earn guild perks and level a guild through 20 levels with points to spend in a talent tree. You will access abilities such as cheaper repairs, less durability loss on wipes, or mass resurection.
•Phasing can now add and remove terrain based on your progress. Coasts will be progressively more flooded depending on how far you are in a storyline for example.

Path of the Titans
•Talent trees won't be extended, you will just get 5 more talent points.
•The Path of the Titans will let players follow a path (not restricted to classes), this is a new talent system with new skills and passive abilities.
•A mastery system is being added as well, a lot of talents will be reworked to be more fun. The point is to get rid of a lot of the talent skills and not make you spend all your points in a talent tree just because it gives you more damage or higher crit chance.


Deathwing
•Deathwing, the leader of the Black Dragonflight will be the main vilain of the expansion.
•Deathwing heard the whispers of the Old Gods after the arrival of the Burning Legion, he eventually grew very powerful and also became very very crazy.
•His plan was to catch the Alliance and Horde unaware with something so massive that it would bring up the Elemental Planes.
•The Elemental Planes were created by titans to contain the elementals, they weren't happy with this decision and some of them like Ragnaros got really angry.

Old World
•We all left a little part of ourselves in Northrend and the old world will be much darker than it was to make heroism and brotherhood more meaningful like Warcraft should be.
•Every zones will be revamped with new quests, items, and art. The old world will be a brand new experience and you won't have to deal with the annoying agility/spirit quest rewards anymore.
•Azeroth is now flyable. Pretty much all the zones will be changed to some extent, some of them like Elwynn Forest won't change too much but others like The Barrens will be sundered in two by Deathwing.
•The Wailing Caverns are now a lush and verdant Area.
•Desolace now has a lot more waters and a lot of plants can be seen in the screenshots.
•The Horde finally conquered Southshore.
•Auberdine was destroyed and the night elves have set up a new camp north of it. Garrosh wants to expand the horde and has built a fortified camp at the south of the zone.
•Stonetalon has been cleaned by the Goblins, Azshara will be the new Goblin zone, and are using quarries in the mountains of Azshara to build their town.
•Apparently Orgrimmar will be rebuilt and reinforced with steel, it now looks a lot like Garrosh strongholds...
•Undercity has been redesigned to be flyable, it now looks much more impressive from the outside.

New Zones
•7 new zones will be added : Twilight Highlands, Mount Hyjal, Deepholm, Uldum, Gilneas, The Lost Isles, Sunken City of Vash'jir.

Starting Areas
•The Worgens and Goblins starting zone level goes from 1 to 15.

Vasj'ir
•Sunken City of Vashj'ir will be an underwater zone and was the home city of Lady Vashj before the original sundering, this is a gateway to the Abyssal Maw. Going through the Abyssal Maw will take you to the Elemental Plane of Water, even if the zone will be underwater you will be walking on the sea floor here, new underwater mounts will be available and should have the same speed as normal flying mounts.

Deepholm
•Deepholm will be the new hub of the expansion, you will have portals here to let you teleport to Hyjal, Uldum, etc ... The Twilight's Hammer now serves Deathwing and have brought him back to full health in the Temple of Earth at the center of the map.
•Deepholm isn't really connected to Azeroth, the connection is where Deathwing emerged from the ground.

Uldum
•Uldum will have at least two dungeons and is heavily inspired from Egypt. The sea at the west of Tanaris was just an illusion created by the Titan and Uldum is actually a brand new zone. It is rumored to hold a super weapon. Uldum is also the home of the Tolvir, a race of stone-like cats created by the titans.

Plane of Fire
•Ragnaros used the cataclysm to come back from the Plane of Fire where we sent him and is now sieging the World Tree in Mount Hyjal to burn it down. Malfurion is back from the Emerald Dream. The whole zone (Hyjal) will make extensive use of phasing.

Twilight Highlands
•The Twilight Highlands will feature Grim Batol, Deathwing literally broke open Grim Batol as he emerged from the ground. This is the new Twilight's Hammer base in Azeroth and both Horde and Alliance will have a new port town with boats here. The Red Dragonflight is still here but has been pushed back to the west of the zone near the Wetlands.

Dungeons & Raids
•The Firelands will be a new raid dungeon, it will let you go to the Elemental Plane of fire and visit Sulfuron's Keep, Ragnaros will be here and he's really pissed.
•Uldum will feature two new dungeons, the Lost City of Tol'vir and the Halls of Origination (a titan city)
•Grim Batol will have a level-up dungeon and a raid instance.
•Skywall (Air Elemental Plane) will have a level-up dungeon and a raid instance.
•The Deadmines and Shadowfang Keep will be back in a brand new level 85 heroic version.
•Blackrock Caverns will be a new level-up dungeon located in Blackrock Spire. This is an entirely new dungeon, new art, new creatures, new everything.

Player vs. Player
•Battle of Gilneas will be a new battleground where the objective is to control the city by controlling as many districts as possible.
•Tol'barad will be a new PvP zone and will also be the most important daily quest hub. Just like Wintergrasp a battle will happen every few hours and the winning side will get access to the Tol'barad Prison and extra daily quests, the really profitable ones.
•Rated battlegrounds will be added to the game and should get you the same rewards as Arenas.
•New arena maps will be added.

Archaeology
Archaeology is the new secondary profession that will be joining the ranks of cooking, fishing, and first aid in World of Warcraft: Cataclysm. Archaeology allows the player to unlock new abilities and rewards by discovering ancient treasures throughout the world. Each archaeologist uses the profession to uncover clues hidden in the world around them, such as troll relics or map fragments, and decipher their meaning, enabling the clever archaeologist to manipulate pieces of the past, learning the location of a treasure cache or valuable artifact. Such artifacts are highly sought after by the Archaeology Society, and they pay in gold and items for their return. Those who have mastered archaeology can find Titan artifacts, earning special currency used to unlock character paths and allowing the player to further customize their character.

Reforging
•Reforging is another way to customize your gear.
•It will be relatively cheap, you will need a Blacksmith / Leatherworker / Tailor / Jewelcrafter / Engineer to do it. Each profession get to reforge a type of items.
•It lets you reduce one stat for another. Some restrictions will apply, you can't put the extra stat on something that is already on the item.

Professions
•Multi-gains will be added, while you level up your trade skills, rare items will give you more points as you skill up. (Rare items will give you 5 points for example, while green bracers will only give one)
•Gathering should be a little more fun.
•Engineering is a very fun tradeskill, but it's either amazing or it sucks and everybody drops it. More convenient items like Jeeves or Wormhole Generator will be added to the profession in the future to get back to the roots of Engineering.
•Fishing will also have some big changes, no details yet but it's going to be more fun.

Itemization
In World of Warcraft: Cataclysm, there are plans to streamline the statistics found on items. We want to remove all unnecessary stats, make all existing stats understandable, and make all "core" stats more appealing. Here are some examples of such plans.

•MP5: This will be removed from items and replaced with Spirit. All healers will be given a meditation-like ability.
•Spell Power: Spell Power is being removed from items as well. Don't panic, we'll be improving Intellect so that it provides mana and Spell Power.
•Attack Power: We're removing Attack Power from items as well. Instead, we're allowing Agility to provide the necessary Attack Power for leather and mail wearers. Strength will provide the appropriate amount of Attack Power for plate wearers. This means leather and mail items will no longer be desirable for plate wearers.
•Defense: The Defense statistic is also being removed from items so that players no longer have to worry about juggling around "the cap." Tanks will receive the necessary anti-crit from talents, like Survival of the Fittest.
•Armor Penetration: This ability is too confusing and "mathy." It is being replaced with Mastery, a stat that makes you better at what you do. More on that later!
•Haste: Will also increase the rate at which you gain energy, runes, and focus. Retribution paladins and Enhancement shaman will have a talent that allows them to take advantage of this benefit.
•Block: Block Value is being removed. Blocking will now always mitigate a percentage of damage.
•Stamina: Players will notice more Stamina on gear as Defense, Spell Power, Attack Power and Armor Penetration are removed.

Goblins
•Goblins are a technological race from Kezan, their society is broken up into trade cartels run by trade princes. They are new factions and not the ones you can already see in game.
•The Cataclysm hit Kezan really hard and it's possibly destroyed. The goblins are now refugees on the Lost Isles.
•As a goblin you start as a neutral cartel and eventually join the horde as you progress through the questlines.
•Rocket Jump - Activate your rocket belt to jump up to 20 yards, every 2 min
•Rocket Barrage - Fire your belt rockets at an enemy within 30 yards, every 2 min. (Shared cooldown with Rocket Jump)
•Time is money - Cash in on a 1% increase to attack and casting speed.
•Best Deals Anywhere - Best possible gold discount, regardless of reputation.
•Pack Hobgoblin - Calls in your personal servent, allowing you bank access every 30 min.
•Better Living Through Chemistry - Alchemy skill +15, Your potions give more health / mana
•Goblins can be all classes except Paladin or Druids

Worgens
•Other races were discussed for the alliance, but the developers really felt that the alliance needed a monstrous race and horde needed something fun and tiny.
•Genn Greymane closed the Greymane Wall to block the Scourge's plague. Gilneas got nervous as the Scourge progressed to the south.
•Arugal was a patriot, he called the Worgens to battle for Gilneas but eventually was surprised by how dangerous what he called down was.
•Worgens are from somewhere else ... or even someWHEN else. They have a wolverine temperament and spent a lot of time trying to contain the beast within.
•Darkflight - Activate your true form, increasing movement speed by 70% for 6 sec, every 3 min.
•Viciousness - Increase damage by 1%.
•Abberation - Reduced duration on Curses and Diseases used against you by 15%.
•Flayer - Skinning skill +15, you skin creature fast, and you don't even need a knife.
•Worgens can be all classes except Paladins or Shamans

Worgen Form
•The Worgen Form is cosmetic only
•out of combat you can pick between Human or Worgen.
•In combat you will be a worgen.

Hunter
•Hunter's mana is GONE!!!
•Hunters now use focus, no longer care about intellect or mana regen.
•Focus regenerates contunously, Steady shot improves the rate of getting focus bag.
•Rogue energy comes back at a 10 / sec rate, Hunter focus comes back at 6/sec (12/sec with steady shot)
•A shot costs 30 to 60 focus.
•Hunters will have fewer cooldowns on abilities
•Ammos will become an item, not a consumable.

Warlock
•Soul Shards are no longer in your bags. The goal is to make them fun, not a hassle.
•Soul Shards will be integrated to the user interface. (Just like Death Knight runes)
•You get three shards per fight, they will regen very quickly out of combat.
•It will be possible to get more for long fights or mistakes through Drain Soul.
•Soul Burn (New Spell) : Cost 1 Shard, 30 sec cooldown, off the GCD. Empowers your next spell, many (not all spells) behave differently when empowered.
•Empowered Searing Pain : Next 3 Searing Pains crit
•Empowered Summon Demon : Instant Cast
•Empowered Soulfire : Instant Cast
•Empowered Fear : Instant Cast
•Empowered Death Coil : Longer Horror, more healing received.
•They are only used in combat, summons or demons won't use your shards.

Quote from Blizzard staff
•Casters will finally get a Legendary item in one of the first raids of the expansion.
•Cataclysm will change the ways abilities are learned. Abilities ranks are gone and ability will just scale progressively with levels instead.
•Most of the Talent Trees will be changed dramatically, a lot of the passive bonuses will be removed and talent trees should be more fun. (No more "Hurray! Level up! I just got 1% more hit!)
•There is no plan to allow players to train more than 2 profession.
•There is no plan to allow more than 2 specs with the dual-spec system.
•Bags might get slightly bigger with Cataclysm.
•You will never be able to cleanse the Corrupted Ashbringer.
•Developers want shaman to be good AE healers and might buff Chain Heal even more.
•Multi-passenger flying mounts could be added in the future. They might also allow crafters to craft 310% flying mounts if they already completed an achievement rewarding one.
•Every healer class can now dispell magic, the niches will other debuffs.
•Engineers might be able to craft bows in the future.
•If you already own a 310% mount, you might be able to boost the speed of all your 280% mount to 310% just to let you use the one that you prefer.

Hunter
•Hunter's new ammos might drop from bosses or bought with emblems, nothing is decided for the moment.

Priest
•Shadow Priests will most likely get a nuke without cooldown in Cataclysm.

Shaman
•Shamans (Elemental) looks like "turrets" in PvP for the moment, the idea is to make totems funnier in the future ("put a totem down and something cool happens") but not a lot of details for the moment.

Warrior
•Warriors won't be as affected as other classes by the itemization changes, the goal is to make other classes gears look a lot like what warriors have.

 

[Silent_Buddha]

Most of the quests and mobs in the classic zones will also be redesigned to make leveling less painful.

Ahahahaha. I can't stop laughing. As if leveling was ever hard or painful in WoW? hehehe... Oh my sides hurt.

C'mon Blizzard, just put in the big shiny red "I Win" button and get it over with.

Regards,
SB

 

[Rootax]

Ahahahaha. I can't stop laughing. As if leveling was ever hard or painful in WoW? hehehe... Oh my sides hurt.

C'mon Blizzard, just put in the big shiny red "I Win" button and get it over with.

Regards,
SB

Well you can't really lose in WoW so...

 

[Kaotik]

Ahahahaha. I can't stop laughing. As if leveling was ever hard or painful in WoW? hehehe... Oh my sides hurt.

C'mon Blizzard, just put in the big shiny red "I Win" button and get it over with.

Regards,
SB

It's mostly to ease the job of making alts even more, since most players have done the quests once or twice at least already. It'll only affect lvling from 1 to 58 (which is when you go to outlands)

 

[Dresden]

BE warriors is the most exciting thing I've seen. I don't really like how this is clearly geared for newer players/older players intended to reroll.

 

[Davros]

Sorry couldn't resist

 

[Dresden]

Here's some videos I stumbled upon:

Worgen Gameplay (cam)

http://www.gametrailers.com/user-movie/wow-cataclysm-worgen-gameplay/328310?playlist=featured

The Lost Isles

http://www.gametrailers.com/video/lost-isles-wow-cataclysm/54809

Gilneas

http://www.gametrailers.com/video/gilneas-showcase-wow-cataclysm/54808

At Blizzcon they talked about an upcoming patch showcasing a cross-server looking for group channel. Plus the addition of paid faction change (probably with patch 3.2.2). This will come in handy so I can bring my warrior over to Horde

 

[Grall]

Ahahahaha. I can't stop laughing. As if leveling was ever hard or painful in WoW? hehehe... Oh my sides hurt.

Considering how bad the questing gets once you pass level 40 or so with numerous fly-across-the-entire-continent-for-20-mins-only-to-talk-to-one-single-NPC-and-then-return-again type quests it really needed a cleanup.

They originally put in those quests to slow down people's progression (and because they were newbs at making MMOs and didn't know much about what's actually fun for people to play...), but now that's just a giant anchor dragging you down as you strive towards the newest expansion.

But if you enjoy doing the Linken quest chain for example or the Fallen Hero of the Horde chain, by all means go knock yourself out repeatedly while you still have the chance...

 

[Dooby]

Considering how bad the questing gets once you pass level 40 or so with numerous fly-across-the-entire-continent-for-20-mins-only-to-talk-to-one-single-NPC-and-then-return-again type quests it really needed a cleanup.

Um, follow a decent quest guide, like wow-pro or similar, and above lvl 40 many quests can be done in large circles, so you do 2 or 3 full trips round a zone and complete all the quests there. I found that BELOW lvl40 is where the run-out-run-back stuff is found. The Outlands certainly flies past very quickly and nicely doing these circular routes.

 

[Dresden]

BUMP

Cross server looking for group went into effect. Along with the new dungeon search tool, http://www.wowwiki.com/Dungeon_Finder, which automatically finds a group for you, comes a "Satchel of Helpful Goods" which contains one blue, and is a reward from completing a random dungeon. So now, there's incentive to do random dungeons, making looking for a group easier than ever. Depending on your level range, the gear alternates. Basically, come level 50, you can have almost an entire set of armor from the satchels alone: http://www.wowwiki.com/Satchel_of_Helpful_Goods

A few days ago, here comes my favorite part, Blizzard updated the Armory website, enabling users to view a 3D model of their character. For those of you who don't have a character I'll post my baby rogue's armory page so people can see the features firsthand: http://www.wowarmory.com/character-sheet.xml?r=Frostwolf&cn=Blakkheim

The Armory also now states what gear you recently obtained along with achievements.

Finally, Cataclysm is now available for pre-order: http://www.bluesnews.com/cgi-bin/board.pl?action=viewstory&threadid=106438

Things are looking great for the induction of Cataclysm!

 

[pcchen]

The new Looking-For-Group tools is really great. Back then, it's almost impossible to find a group for a low level dungeon, except maybe Zul'Farak. However, now I can simply enter the queue, continue to do normal questing, and ten minutes later I have a group for the dungeon of my choice! That's really something. No longer have these dungeon quests sit on the quest log uncompleted and (eventually) removed

It's even better for high level dungeons. It genrally only takes a few minutes to find a group for a random level 80 dungeon run (which gives two frost badges every day).

 

[Grall]

I got both of my moonkin/tree druid and priest characters massively upgraded over the state they were in previously, particulary the priest, which was more like a backup character and is now more fun than the druid, particulary when healing since discipline healing is a bit more reactive and involved than druid healing. Bubbling people with bubbles that eat upwards of 10k damage before breaking is very useful, power infusion is a fun buff to toss on casters when a boss fight comes up, pain suppression is on paper extremely useful but I always forget to pop it when it would be a good time to use it... lol I did remember once though, on the trash past ick/krick in pit of saron. Tank was about to knuckle under, but the suppression allowed me to keep him alive.

Then there's holy nova too. Druid has no similar defensive offense, like when you get mobbed by weak (but sometimes hard-hitting) adds in certain dungeons, just pop a few novas and they're taken care of while simultaneously your own health is back up to full again. Holy nova has been massively improved since burning crusade when its mana cost was just ridiculous while its damage/healing was almost negligible. My holy nova crits top over 3k sometimes now, pretty sweet.

Blizzard nerfed divine hymn in some patch previous to 3.3 so it's not quite the imba uber heal it used to be so now tranquility beats it for sheer healing power, but the hymn still hits any player in a raid which gives it the overall edge. Also, its cooldown is somewhat shorter too now than it used to be, so it's not all bad. It's still quite awesome though despite the nerf, used it with inner focus today at the end of a sartharion 10-man when a bunch of people were about to blow up from fire damage and it saved the raid. Or at least a big swathe of it, the boss died just as the hymn ended so it wouldn't have been a total wipe, but some would have died if I hadn't used it. Including myself probably. It also has some of the coolest spell effects of all heals in the game.

The LFG tool has allowed me to gather pretty much every heirloom currently available to buy using badges, only missing caster gear right now. Starting a new warrior using heirlooms is pretty cool, he critted lowbie mobs in the Nelf starter area for over 100 at level 3. Wasn't so fun having to travel all the way to ironforge just to learn axes though, but what the hell... At least I got to pick up a few flightpoints and stuff on the way.

 

[Kaotik]

BUMP

Cross server looking for group went into effect. Along with the new dungeon search tool, http://www.wowwiki.com/Dungeon_Finder, which automatically finds a group for you, comes a "Satchel of Helpful Goods" which contains one blue, and is a reward from completing a random dungeon. So now, there's incentive to do random dungeons, making looking for a group easier than ever. Depending on your level range, the gear alternates. Basically, come level 50, you can have almost an entire set of armor from the satchels alone: http://www.wowwiki.com/Satchel_of_Helpful_Goods

I'm not sure on Outland, but on Northrend normal-mode (leveling) instances instead of Satchel, you get 2 Emblems of Triumph per day, and then money if you do more than 1 per day.
At 80 with HC instances, you get 2 Emblems of Frost from the first and then 2 Emblems of Triumph

 

[ERP]

The thing I like about Blizzards approach to WOW is they realize it's about the game and keeping people playing. They don't get caught up in "but what about the lore" type arguments and they actually evolve the game based on actual statistical data on how people are playing the game as opposed to random rants on message boards.

The majority of people in the game are at the level cap, they want the ones that aren't in active guilds playing a lot to play more. There is a shortage of Tanks and Healers in the game so they make it easier to level alts, formalize "twinking" with the bind to account gear, reduce the XP required to get through the tedious levels. They make it easier for casual players to get groups and get into end game content, they update the looting rules to get rid of the worst of the Ninja looting in PUGS.

It's just hard to fault what they are doing for the game.

I've cancelled my account 2 or 3 times since WOW first shipped, I've played probably half a dozen other MMORPG games over that period, but I keep coming back.

 

[Dresden]

I'm not sure on Outland, but on Northrend normal-mode (leveling) instances instead of Satchel, you get 2 Emblems of Triumph per day, and then money if you do more than 1 per day.

I think you get satchel gear until 70. I think. The link I provided shows gear for the level 70 bracket. At that point, it doesn't really matter anymore. Not with the Northrend Outfitter they've instilled. I think there's one for the Outlands, as well.

 

[Grall]

It's just hard to fault what they are doing for the game.

Almost 100% of the changes they've made over the course of the last year have been good, or excellent. The badge loot system, the improved dungeon group tool, dual talent spec and so on... All of it is awesome.

WoW's biggest weakness right now is PvP, where certain classes rule supreme due to the enormous burst capability with current gear and players' relatively low health pools. Some classes can destroy upwards of 30k health in a few global cooldowns when they have their big-hitting button presses readied.

The other issue is the rather cryptic gear stat system in the game, and the lack of any genuine way to determine if swapping one stat for another will lead to an improvement or not. Particulary as certain classes benefit a lot more from one stat than another does.

Fortunately Blizzard is aware of both of these issues and will fix things in the next expansion. The news that were announced this last Blizzcon with all the improvements that are on the way simply blew me away. I suppose that's what happens when your revenue is a hundred million A MONTH, and your development budget can be sized to fit.

I just wish they'd finally do something with the rather crappy crafting system in WoW. All of the stuff you can easily make yourself is obsoleted either by the time you can make the item, or by a relatively easily acquired dungeon drop. Leveling tailoring for example is a HUGE pain in the you-know-what requiring thousands of pieces of cloth and a lot of gold to buy thread (3 golds per spool, omg!) and enchanting dust, and you get almost NOTHING out of it other than a cloak enchant - and a mount, which is a purely visual effect. Enchanting is just as bad to level - if not worse - but on the other hand you do get more out of it also.

It took me well over 9 months to finally bring up tailoring and enchanting on my priest to max simply because of the ridiculous amount of materials needed. The dungeon tool played a big part in this, it allowed me to gather a lot more green quality drops and cloth than I otherwise would have in the same time period.

So there's still stuff to do with the game, but I remain hopeful they will one day get there with crafting as well.

 

[ERP]

I suppose that's what happens when your revenue is a hundred million A MONTH, and your development budget can be sized to fit.

One of the reasons it's so hard to compete with WOW is the relative cost of continued development
I saw these figures somewhere a while ago.

• 20,000 computer systems
• 13,250 server blades
• 75,000 CPU cores
• 1.3 petabytes of storage
• 4,600 staffers
What that basically means is that in comparison to the cost of running the game, continued development might as wee be "free".
I've never really enjoyed PVP in any of the MMORPG's I've played over the years. I have 80's on PVP servers (because I have friends who play there) and it's just more of a tax to playing than a plus to me. I think the reason MMORPG's and WOW in particular are successful is that they are largely positive social experiences. I think world PVP is much more of a niche experience and I wouldn't ever envision it being a big part of WOW.
It's also very hard to balance a game with a significant number of classes (and skills) for 1 on 1 PVP, nevermind combinations of characters. Even if you go the EQ1 route of not even pretending the same rules apply in PVP as in PVE I've never seen it done well in an MMORPG.

 

[Kaotik]

Shameless selfpromotion
<tontut> raiding, capture & editing by me
ICC25: The Lower Spire:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3gSCr3nxj4

ICC25: The Plagueworks:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfzcIZC3wRY

(and before I started actually putting any thought to the videos)
ToGC25: Anub'Arak HC:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjEsHChC_cQ

ICC10: Professor Putricide:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGC5fY2KmP0

Got The Crimson Hall video ready too, but need to upload it first

edit:
ICC25: The Crimson Hall:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZ0BivPBw1s

(YT was still processing it when I posted this, so the HD version isn't quite yet available)

 

[Kaotik]

SPOILER ALERT

Wrath of the Lich King ending, text in white:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJ0EJTeQ5gw&feature=player_embedded

There you go, as expected, Bolvar is the new Lich King, as there always has to be a Lich King to control the Scourge.
Arthas dies, which was quite expected but not certain before this.

I liked the ending, and I'm quite sure that we'll be hearing again from Bolvar in some future Warcraft game (no, I don't consider WoW -expansions as their own games)

 

[Malo]

Warcraft 4: Re-rise of the Lich King