Blizzard has announced the next World of Warcraft expansion: Cataclysm. The details we know so far:
- New Horde Race: Goblins
- New Alliance Race: Worgen
- New Level Cap: 85
- New character progression: Path of the Titans
- New secondary skill: Archaeology
- Guild Leveling System
- New race/class combinations.
- New monsters, dungeons, etc.
- Classic zones redone completely.
- Flying mounts can fly in Azeroth.
- Probable release in 2010
More details on MMO Champion and WoW Insider. Hopefully Blizzard will get something official up soon.
Blizzard has launched the official Cataclysm website. This website includes a listing of the features, the trailer, screenshots, etc.
[Note] I’m going to be adding information from the BlizzCon Cataclysm panel as it happens. (Not as a live blog thing, just as I happen to hear important details. If you’re looking for info, the Cataclysm website is probably your best bet.)
Much of the lore will revolves around Deathwing (who will be more involved with the players, much as the Lich King has been in the Wrath expansion). Deathwing’s violent eruption into Azeroth has broken the world and caused a great cataclysm.
The Races:
The new race starter areas are even cooler than the Death Knight starter area. There are surprises they don’t want to reveal yet, so the playable experience at BlizzCon starts at level 6 to preserve the biggest surprises. This includes ‘Wrath-Gate-like’ cinematics.
Worgen can be everything except paladins and priests shamans. Goblins can be anything except paladins and druids. We’ll learn more about the racials soon.
The World:
There will be 7 new zones, including:
- Mount Hyal
- Deepholm
- Sunken City of Vashj’ir
- The Lost Isle
- Gilneas
- Twilight Highlands (featuring Grim Batol)
- Uldum
This includes five new adventure zones for level 78-85. The new starter zones will be 1-15.
In addition, *every* classic world zone has been revamped with updated quests, art, and items. Some more and some less, in terms of terrain, but the entire level flow for players has been changed. The plan is to make each zone cover a smaller set of levels and to let players flow between nearby zones more easily.
The Sunken City of Vashj’ir is really underwater, but it won’t be annoying. When you are on the ocean floor, it will be as if you are on the ground. Then you jump up into the water and you’ll be swimming. So combat and running around on the ground will feel normal to us. In addition, there will be underwater mounts.
Dungeons & Raids:
- The Firelands
- Uldum
- Blackrock Caverns
- Grim Batol
- Skywall
- Heroic Deadmines
- Heroic Shadowfang Keep
Advancement:
Guild Advancement System: 20 guild levels, a guild talent tree (including things like cheaper repairs, less durability loss, mass ressurection, etc.) You will contribute to your guild through things you do already, like dailies.
New race/class combos: Like a Tauren paladin! And a gnome priest! And a dwarf shaman! And so on.
A quick summary of Archaeology: Players can explore ruins to make discoveries that will help them progress along the Path of the Titans.
The Path of the Titans: Talent trees will not be expanded beyond their current point. You will get 5 new talent points, but they are not adding new tiers of talents. Instead, they are introducing the Path of the Titans, an advancement choice that is not limited by class.
In addition, the Mastery System is a new advancement feature that allows Blizzard to prune the talent trees to make them more fun and interesting.
PvP:
- Tol Barad PvP Zone
- 3 Battlegrounds, including Battle for Gilneas
- New Arena Maps
- Rated Battlegrounds (and alternative to Arenas)
More Info
Blizzard has posted a summary of the information presented in the preview panel on the forums as well. It’s significantly more coherent than my ramblings above. *grin*
MMO Champion also has a nice write-up that goes into a bit more detail than what I repeated here.
Kaliope from Crafter’s Tome caught a bit more than I did about the new Archaeology skill.
Blizzard has posted a nice image of the new race/class combinations will be available. Most important to me: All races except gnomes will be able to be hunters.
@Riss
I saw they plan to release it in 2010, but no firm date beyond that. Showing us that trailer, then telling us it could be between 5 to 16 months (Jan 2010 to Dec 2010) is just mean!
Sigrah:
I don’t think it’ll be late 2010. This expansion is almost complete. It’s been in alpha testing for almost 9 months now (as far as I’ve found out). If Beta starts, it’ll be this winter. Going by the current rate of patches, I wouldn’t be surprised if 4.0 hits in Feb/March, with the expansion releasing March/April. That’s if Blizzard continues on their trend of 4-5 months per patch.
I really don’t think Cata is that far away, and I’m certain by Halloween 2010, we will have Worgens & Goblins (which is why the masks were put in now).
The “cat-dog-goat” in question is actually in the released trailer and looks suspiciously like a Mastiff breed or Great Dane.
Fawn/red dog, black mask, long tapering tail.
Sweet Worgrens Hunter and druids
Gonna have to make me those glad to see the Gnomes with a healing class now too!! and Tauren Pally’s? sweet worgren rogue looks fun too! gnomes only class without a hunter Bummer wanted a gnome hunter with a Devilsaur!! LOL Looking forward to the new content and IMO change is good for the old world I have a Low NE hunter with both the black and white lion of the barrens.. hope they keep lot of the rares in!! Are they changing the Hinterlands? if so need to tame OCJ!! IMO not impressed so far with the new beasts Ive seen yet!! looks like they are trying to bring in more alien beasts to make up for lack of Imagination!! Ravagers worked since TBC but i very rarely see a tames spore bat or netherray along side a hunter! I like the pre TBC raptor and the new ones sorry to say look just crappy I understand that new beasts are cool and i wanna tame some but wish they could keep them looking more realistic…
Oh yeah Got to roll a Goblin!!
It’s actually been confirmed that it is a dog. It’s a domestic type dog that may actually be either tameable or a new vanity pet of the worgen starting zone. we’re not 100% sure yet.
What dog? What is confirmed tameable?
What blows my mind is this are they redoing the world thus making our three games we bought so far useless (ok maybe just the first game) or are they doing something like they did the battle of dragons or the battle at Undercity where once you do the quest the outcome forever is changed.
Rottingham:
That dog in the picture lovcat linked. It’s actually a mastiff type dog. It and the monkey in the lost isles scene might actually be vanity pets OR tameable. We’re not 100% sure yet, but we do know now that it is, in fact, a domestic type dog. not a cat or goat or whatnot =)
I don’t see a link anywhere about it… But I’ll take your word for it because It seems I’m the only one that hasn’t found it yet
Lovcats post #35 has a link. In the bottom left corner there’s an animal that’s some mastiff type dog.
Oh, ok :D
Thank you!
Yeah, that does look like a mastif
Worgen Hunters with wolf pets – AWESOME!
I simply can’t wait for this.
I am very excited about new info that Blizz might come out with soon… if they ever do… I also am extremly excited about new pets that might be coming out!
Once the Cataclysm expansion comes out, I’m gonna try the 10-day free trial to see how much the game has changed (a lot, from what I’ve seen) before using Scroll of Resurrection or spending any money. Worgen Druid… I think I’m in love.
I can’t wait, I already know which alts I’m going to “re-invent” i thought I heard that you could pay for Race/Class customization? I’d love to switch my Troll Shammie to a Troll Druid, i’d keep everything about him the same, and if I like the Worgen, I might switch my main Alliance Hunter Nelf (his name is Kcat, so that would be cute). I already know what my Undead’s first pet will be; a Swoop from Mulgore, now to pick names… maybe i’ll submit it for “name that pet” :D
Unless the new pet’s they’re releasing are better… I may have to make more hunters!
Or if Mulgore still has swoops after the cataclysm!
I like the idea of a carrion bird following around an undead… But when you feign death will he start eating you?
What if Thrall is letting Garrosh take over, so all the bad elements of the Horde can be wiped out by Varian, and then Thrall can re-forge the Horde?