In the last few weeks a lot of rumours and speculation have been whispered across the lands of Azeroth and the Outlands. The earth had been shaking with fear, the Druids have sensed it, the Paladins readied themselves for it and the Hunters retreated from the cities, the world as we knew it was about to change and no one knew how or why.
Then it happened, Stormwind, the metropolitan hub for all Alliance activity was torn asunder, the lands were ripped apart and the natural world was ravaged by the emergence of an ancient foe, more powerful and deadlier than Arthas, the Lich King – Deathwing, the Destroyer.
With the third expansion comes a whole heap of new features, races, character upgrades, worlds to explore and new quests to adventure with. If you are feeling a little overwhelmed by all of it don’t worry we’re here to straighten everything out for you and give you the lowdown on all things new WoW.
What changes can I expect for my level 80 character?
There are quite a few changes for anyone experienced enough to have a level 80 character. Firstly you can now move up an additional five levels, with the increase to level 85. As well as the increase in the level cap, you can also expect your profession skills to increase from 450 to a whopping 525 – that’s a whole lot of skinning, tailoring and herb picking to do. Your gear is also going to need to be revamped so the current tier you are wearing will need to be replaced with all new equipment and armour so that means plenty of dungeons to pillage and loot once more.
What are the two new races?
There are no new classes to play with in this expansion but we have two new races to come to terms with. Firstly we are all aware of the presence of the Goblins in the world and now with Catacylsm they have become the eleventh playable race in World of Warcraft. Every class is available to the Goblin except for the Paladin and Druid classes. Some of the advantages for a Goblin player include a rocket jump, a rocket based attack, discounts from vendors and the lucky little green buggers can access their banks anywhere in the world.
The twelfth class introduced with the release of the new expansion pack are the Worgen – human/wolf hybrids.
Afflicted by a terrible curse, the Worgen are feral creatures and like the other classes they have their own advantages. Curse and other negative effects have reduced time, they can a temporary boost to movement speed, have two forms and they are their own mount preferring to run at top speed then use another animal or vehicle to transport them.
What is the new world like?
With the expansion comes an almost entirely new world to explore. The capital cities of Stormwind and Orgrimmar have received major changes and all other cities, Darnassus, the Exodar, Dalaran etc have seen minor changes. Kalimdor and the Eastern Kingdoms have also seen some serious changes. There are also entirely new towns to explore, seven new dungeons and three new raid areas. With the reshaping of the world also comes new quests but we will get into those with our next question.
Are there any other changes I should know about?
Plenty! There is no short answer for this question, needless to say there are an abundant of new things to see and do in Cataclysm. There are an additional 3,500 new quests for players to get to grips with and even special PvP based quests that will pit Horde characters against Alliance and vice versa. You are, if you can afford it and are at a skilled enough level, able to fly your mounts around the Eastern Kingdoms and Kalimdor and there is a new secondary skill, Archaeology, for you to start working on mastering.
At the end of the day the best way to come to terms with all the new changes in one of the world’s most successful online games, is to play! We are currently working on levelling our own characters and yes a whole new world is a little daunting but overall it is something we know we are going to enjoy. Overall the Cataclysm Expansion is a welcome addition to the game we love so much, yes there are bugs and the usual annoyances that come with any new expansion but in a matter of weeks they will be worked out and forgotten about.
So if you fancy losing yourself in a world that’s just as big as our own then get yourself the World of Warcraft: Cataclysm expansion now.
Price*
Regular Edition – €29.99
Collectors Edition – €69.99
Good Points
Plenty of new changes and things to do
Spectacular visuals
Plenty of Longevity
Bad Points
Bugs need fixing
Rating
8/10
*Prices may vary
