BlizzCon 2009: WoW Cataclysm Revealed
Blizzard unveiled the latest expansion pack for World of Warcraft (and worst kept secret), Cataclysm.
For many fans following the clues left behind by Blizzard, the revelation of the Cataclysm expansion pack should not have been a surprise when it was officially announced today at BlizzCon 2009. With the domain name registration, and the goblin and worgen masks appearing in a recent PTR build, many fans and websites figured out the basis behind the new expansion as well as the new races walking the demolished lands.
However Blizzard confirmed all the detective work today, revealing that the original "classic" continents of Kalimdor and the Easter Kingdoms have been "reforged" by a cataclysm caused by the corrupted Dragon Aspect Deathwing. "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," reads the press release.
Here's a list of features fans can expect to receive with the new expansion:
Two New Playable Races
Adventure as the cursed worgen with the Alliance or the resourceful goblins with the Horde.
Increased Level Cap
Advance to level 85 and earn new abilities, tap into new talents, and progress through the path system, a new way for players to customize characters.
Classic Zones Remade
Quest to level 60 as you never have before. Familiar zones across the original continents of Kalimdor and the Eastern Kingdoms have been reforged by the cataclysm and updated with new quests and content.
Flying Mounts in Azeroth
Explore Kalimdor and the Eastern Kingdoms from a whole new perspective.
Guild Advancement
Progress as a guild to earn guild levels and guild achievements.
New High-Level Content
Explore newly opened parts of the world, including Uldum, Grim Batol, and the great sunken city of Vashj'ir beneath the sea, and enjoy even more high-level raid content than in previous expansions.
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.
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.
To catch a glimpse of Cataclysm, GameTrailers mirrored the debut trailer right here. Additionally, the Lost Isles video is mirrored here, and a Gilness walkthrough video is located here. There's also a Cataclysm preview panel write-up located here on the WoW forums.
Blizzard expects to launch the expansion pack in 2010.

Worst MMO I've ever played.
Aion, another level-machine?
....people who play D&D don't have friends....hence why they play D&D
For 4 and a half years, Blizzard as done an incredible job at creating a digital universe full of diversity in many different aspects. For those who are drawn to other MMOs are attracted there not because WoW is a bad game, but because they prefer the services that other games provide.
Aion is horrible
couldn't make it past 10 minutes
it is SO boring
what is is out there ?
Warhammer ? broken
Age of Conan ? broken
EVE ? boring
EverQuest ? never tried it
Dungeon Runners ? crap, crap, crap
Dungeons & Dragons Online ? never tried it
Champions Online ? never tried it
Lord Of the Rings ? crap
Guild Wars ? boring
I prefer Warhammer, but I'll admit that as boring as World of Warcraft is, its as good or better than the rest
And how do you know how Aion's endgame looks? I'\m personally playing EVE but I wouldn't start calling WoW trashy and I would definitely wouldn't say that there are way better mmo's out there.
I'm sorry that you hate games that are successful. I have played World of Warcraft since its initial beta and I still enjoy the game. I am not some idiot "noob" that has only play World of Warcraft, and as a result can only measure other games to it. I have played countless single-player, multi-player, and MMORPGs for quite some time.
I first started my MMO career with Ultima Online, then started playing Asheron's Call(the first one, of course). I played those for a number of years and still have active accounts with both. I also expanded to DAoC, CoH/CoV, SWG, AC2, Warhammer, AoC, LotRO, and tons of others. I have played MMOs that most people would not even know the name of, so you can check the "logic" of questioning my gaming experience at the door.
Blizzard has done what no other MMO maker has been able to do prior to World of Warcraft, nor has been able to do since. So many people are hostile toward companies that do well, as if it is some new and fresh idea. Ralph Nader would absolutely love you. Those people are the same types that hung out behind the bleachers during gym class and were pissed at the football players, cheerleaders, and other that simply enjoy life for what it is.
Stop exuding so much hate and relish in the fact that there are a lot of good options in the gaming market. You cannot compare other MMOs to World of Warcraft; you have to just compare all other games to the others available and place WoW in its own category. Once you do that, you will find that there are a lot of successful MMOs still running today.
Aion might be a good game, and we will find out very soon. Of course, there have been a lot of recent additions to the MMO market that have been hyped up well beyond what the game is actually like, then turned out to be utter failures. Do not cling to hope that Aion, nor any other near-future games will ever surpass WoW in subscription numbers.
The only thing you need to be concerned with, as well as the only thing you need to ask yourself, is: What game is best for "me"? If you can answer that honestly, you will find a game, for you, that is far more successful that WoW could ever hope to be. Of course, you could find that WoW is the game for you; that is, if you are willing to be honest.
http://www.gamespot.com/news/6165470.html
And it's much more fun. Besides, it gives me a reason to upgrade my rig
I don't know why it's popular to bash WoW now. I guess for the same reason it's popular to bash anything that's popular. Why don't we all start bashing that concept too?
@Shadow: 800 hours? You or whoever you've been talking to is very, very slow. Common level 70 time is under 240 hours.
As for this expansion, I think WoW hit its peak and Blizzard is desperate. Really? The Worgen and Goblins?
I just can't wait for Guild Wars 2.
My 800+hr comment includes quests,etc. AND assuming multiple characters. I should have made that cleat above.
PAYING TO PLAY ONLINE??!?! NO THANKS!