Topic: New Expansion: Cataclysm

[PyroMenace]

I'm sure most of you probably already know by now since I woke up not too long ago but another WoW expansion was announced: Cataclysm.

-2 new races: Goblins and Worgen
-Flying mounts in Azeroth
-New secondary skill: Archeology
-Guild talent system
-Level cap increased to 85
-Old instances like Deadmines will have heroic mode

There's also this new path progression called Path of the Titans but I dont know what thats all about. Damnit, this is killing me.

[Ghandi]

Must....resist....game...so....evil....sucks....life....away.....

[Quemaqua]

JOIN US FOR GUILD WARS, DAMN IT.

[Ghandi]

I would but it runs like shit on my system.

[Quemaqua]

I fail to see how it's possible that WoW runs better.  I can't even run WoW as smoothly as I can GW, despite the graphics gap.

[Ghandi]

No clue. I got less than 10 fps (constant) last time I played. But I've since started overclocking my shitty system, so I may try again and see if I get better results.

[PyroMenace]

So Ive been playing it again, yea I know, I doubt this will last long though. Once again the majority of people that play this game just really don't get it. With the new expansion announcements people are bitching about the lore not making sense and gear becoming obsolete.

Ive read several Warcraft novels, read the background lore, and pretty much read every quest I play on WoW and honestly, theres is nothing no matter how the ridiculous the devs change gameplay elements, that the story writers can still explain and can come off making sense. The Warcraft universe (while I do like most of it) has no boundaries whatsoever of things it CAN'T do. I realized this a long time ago.

As for gear becoming obsolete all I have to say is WHY ARE YOU PLAYING THIS GAME?! If you expect to get some sort of completion to a MMO, especially WoW, then just quit now, your obviously not getting it. Blizzard is profiting from millions of idiots, I've been fucking duped.

[W7RE]

Some old friends convinced me to come back and play. I'm hoping the faction change service comes soon and is cheap, so I can switch my udnead rogue to alliance to play with them.

[Dragonlor]

Some of the things coming into from the expansions are stupid.  Flying mounts in Azeroth WHAT they don't need an exp to add that.  Hell free servers offer that already.  Making old world content better, that should have been done before Burning crusade.  Making you spend money on stuff that could be easily patched in.  Thank god all of eves exps are free.

[W7RE]

Some of the things coming into from the expansions are stupid.  Flying mounts in Azeroth WHAT they don't need an exp to add that.  Hell free servers offer that already.  Making old world content better, that should have been done before Burning crusade.  Making you spend money on stuff that could be easily patched in.  Thank god all of eves exps are free.

Azeroth wasn't designed with flying in mind, so there's some places you're not supposed to get to. For example, you could fly into a non instanced, unfinished Zul'Gurub (which you used to be able to climb into). It's got no enemies and is unfinished, but it dos a fine job of looking like the real thing if you fly over on an automated flight. You used to be able to access a path from the border of Stranglethorn/Duskwood and follow it all the way through Deadwind Pass and to the south end of Blasted Lands, where Kazzak used to be, passing tons of really ugly stuff and glitches you were never meant to see. Because of this they had to go back and stich everything together and fix up stuff like that. That's a huge undertaking and something they've wanted for a while now, but that's a lot of work to just do on the side for free, so they made an expansion out of it.

All of the level 1-60 content and zone changed will be free to ALL players. You just need to have Cataclysm to level beyond 80 (and BC+LK to level past 60), or to access the new 80-85 zones.

[MysterD]

1up -> Cataclysm looks like it's coming December 7th.

EDIT:
Blizzard.com -> Press release says release date is Dec. 7th.

[W7RE]

Got mine preordered at Gamestop already, hoping to make it to the midnight launch so I can enjoy the rush to level/rape people who are trying to quest.

BTW I mentioned faction change in this thread, and I eventually did switch back to horde. I also leveled another human rogue, so now I can kill anyone I want lol. I just need to hit 80 on the human (he's 78), and max out my tradeskills before Cataclysm hits.

[iPPi]

My interest in this game is very near zero now.  The Collector's Edition is somewhat enticing, but I don't have time for this game anymore and I doubt I will be getting it.

[W7RE]

I actually haven't logged in in almost a week. But for me, the best part of this game is when a new expansion hits. For a couple months, it's exciting to get new gear and kill people out in the world. Then it slows down and people sit in the cities waiting for their bg/dungeon queue and the game gets boring again. Expansions don't come very often, so I might as well enjoy each one while I have the chance, since it'll be the most fun right when it comes out.

[PyroMenace]

Major patch just went live. I haven't been keeping track of WoW at all, is this the new Azeroth? Anyway I'm downloading it now, will find out soon.

[W7RE]

No, this isn't the new Azeroth. I'm not sure when exactly that comes, but it will definitely be closer to the actual release. This patch is the stat and talent overhaul mostly.

Also, there's gonna be some pre-cataclysm event bosses to kill as part of the stuff leading up to Cata. They're all pretty much just the same bosses but temporarily retuned for level 80, and you queue for them from the dungeon queue system. They drop item level 251 gear and I think the first of them will be available today when servers come up.

And yea, servers still aren't up. I just got an update over twitter saying that the end of maintenance has been extended to 4pm PST.

[W7RE]

The shattering has happened. Servers are still down until 11:00 am PST (probably a little later, they're never up when they say they will be.) All the changes to the old world are here. You still can't fly in Azeroth until you actually own Cataclysm and buy the skill to fly there though. Also, portals in Dalaran and Shattrath have been replaced with class trainers. I guess Blizzard doesn't want people still hanging out in Dalaran because of the convenience of the portals. The Azeroth flying will go a long way toward making travel tolerable again though.

If you try to log in right now, there's a small patch, and then you get the Cataclysm login screen.

Also, new class and race combinations are available (obv not including worgen and goblin), new gnome/troll starting areas, and basically a ton of other stuff. Here's a list from mmo-champion.com of all the stuff that is and is not in today's patch:

What is in:
Portals in Dalaran/Shattrath Removed
Class trainers in Dalaran where portals once were
New race-class combinations (excluding worgen/goblin)
New Gnome/Troll starting areas
Changes to existing zones
New cata load screens
New cata intro cinematic
New cata login screen
New music
City Quartermasters, with rep tabards
Bug fixes
Class balancing
Druids, paladins, priests, and shaman will have their talent trees reset
Experience required to gain levels 71 through 80 is being reduced by 20%
New tamable hunter pets (Monkey, fox, dog, and beetle, as well as new skins for existing pet classes.)

What is NOT in::
Creating worgen/goblin characters
Worgen/Goblin start zones
Archeology
Professions past 450 (Illustrious Grand Master)
Guild leveling
Guild achievements
Eastern Kingdoms/Kalimdor flight
New Zones (80+)

I'm pretty sure the revamped Azeroth dungeons are all in too. That means you can go check out the new Deadmines and Shadowfang Keep, but only the low level versions will be available.

The stuff that is not in yet will become available on midnight PST, Tuesday Nov 7th ("monday night", but technically it will be Tuesday), but only if you have a Cataclysm flagged account. For anyone who wasn't aware, you can buy a Cataclysm upgrade through the Blizzard store and preload the Cataclysm data now, also bypassing the need to run and get a copy, or upgrade your account through the account management site.

[ScaryTooth]

I have to say. I've been playing a little bit here and there, and I'm actually, getting kind of excited about the new stuff. I might end up buying cataclysm and starting all over. Make a brand new character, and making some new friends, considering I have enough time.

[W7RE]

Found a glitch to let you fly in Azeroth. You get to the border of the new high level questing zones, but not in it. Die. Now run back to your body, run into the new zone as a ghost, and get ported out for being where you're not supposed to be. When this happens, you get put on a spectral gryphon as a ghost. Now resurrect, and you keep the mount. Just don't head into the new zone again or it will port you out again and you'll lose the mount.

I'm sort of disappointed now though. Seeing things from above really makes you realize just how little they changed, and just how low detail everything is that was designed 6-7 years ago. I thought they would at least update the common tree models and such that get used a lot, but nope.

[PyroMenace]

Well how is it? I know one or two of you has it now.

[iPPi]

Hmmm... the interest in WoW seems to be waning.  I remember the old days when the CEs would sell out on the first day.  CEs are still available at this time.

[angrykeebler]

Hmmm... the interest in WoW seems to be waning.  I remember the old days when the CEs would sell out on the first day.  CEs are still available at this time.

lol whut? i remember going to Frys TWO WEEKS after TBC came out and CE"s lined the aisles.

[W7RE]

Well how is it? I know one or two of you has it now.

Not bad so far. The quests seem pretty good in the zones that I've done (Uldum and Twilight Highlands). Instances aren't bad, but they're not nearly as hard as I kept hearing.

I pulled an all nighter (and all day) and hit 85 already. I hit it about 24 hours after the expansion went live. Now I'm trying to gear up for heroics, maybe work on a goblin alt a little. I wish I could do Tol Barad (the new pvp zone, sort of like wintergrasp). They've got it setup so it forced equal sides though, so no more than 1 horde can ever get in on my server, and you can't win with just 1 because of the NPC defenses.

[iPPi]

I'm so glad I've quit this game for good.