World of Warcraft: Cataclysm
World of Warcraft: Cataclysm | |
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File:Cataclysmlogo.png | |
Developer(s) | Blizzard Entertainment |
Publisher(s) | Activision Blizzard |
Series | Warcraft |
Platform(s) | Mac OS X, Windows |
Release | Targeted for 2010[1] |
Genre(s) | MMORPG |
Mode(s) | Online |
World of Warcraft: Cataclysm is the upcoming third expansion set for the massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) World of Warcraft, following The Burning Crusade and Wrath of the Lich King . It was officially announced at BlizzCon on August 21, 2009; however details were discovered earlier.[2]
Much content is expected for release in the new expansion including two new races, Goblins for the Horde and Worgen for the Alliance, revamped zones, new quests and dungeons, new raids and newly accessible areas.
In a February 2010 Activision Blizzard investor call, Blizzard CEO Mike Morhaime revealed that Cataclysm would be released in that same calendar year.[1]
On May 3, 2010, it was officially confirmed that the Family & Friends Alpha phase of the testing process for Cataclysm had begun,[3] fuelling further speculation that the open alpha would commence within the coming months. Despite the Non-disclosure agreement, much of the beginnings of the game were leaked on to various sources after the client was distributed across the internet within a few days of the alpha testing phase commencing. On May 11, 2010, it emerged that Blizzard had requested that at least one of these sites remove any alpha content[4] until the NDA is lifted.
Story
The central plot of the expansion is the return of the evil dragon Deathwing the Destroyer. Last seen in Warcraft II, Deathwing has spent that time licking his wounds, so to speak, and plotting his fiery return from the elemental plane of Deepholm. His return tears through the dimensional barrier with Azeroth, causing a sweeping Cataclysm that reshapes much of the world's surface.
New features
- Level cap raised to 85 (up from 80, established in Wrath of the Lich King)
- Redesigned and updated zones within Kalimdor and the Eastern Kingdoms
- New towns and quests
- Redesigned low and mid-level quests to accompany updated zones
- Around 3000 new quests
- Players will be able to use flying mounts inside Azeroth zones (flying mounts were previously restricted to Northrend and Outland.)[5]
- Nine new dungeons and six new raids (with more planned to be released with later patches)
- Two previously released dungeons — Deadmines and Shadowfang Keep — will have an added Heroic Mode for level 85 players
- New battlegrounds and a new world-PvP zone Tol-Barad (similar to the Wintergrasp world-PvP zone introduced in Wrath of the Lich King)
- A new secondary skill, archeology
- A rated battleground system, along with associated new rewards
- Guild progression including leveling and achievement systems
- Newly accessible areas such as Uldum, the Sunken City of Vash'jir, the Twilight Highlands and Mount Hyjal (previously only featured as a time travel destination within the Caverns of Time)
- Two new playable races, Goblins and Worgen
- Players can choose expanded race and class combinations for their characters[6]
- Revamp of the stat system, removing such stats as MP5 ("Restores X mana per 5 sec"), armor penetration and defense rating and integrating them in other ways such as talents. Introduction of new stats such as Mastery.
In addition, Cataclysm is planned to utilize the dramatically revamped community platform which is being integrated with other Blizzard games such as StarCraft II and Diablo III.[7]
References
- ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
release_date
was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ WoW.com Staff (2009-08-14). "World of Warcraft: Cataclysm leaked by MMO-Champion". Dulles, Virginia: Weblogs, Inc. Retrieved 2009-08-21.
- ^ Jessica Citizen (2010-05-03). "WoW: Cataclysm Family/Friends Alpha now open!". GamePron. Retrieved 2010-05-03.
- ^ Jessica Citizen (2010-05-11). "Blizzard issues takedown on Cataclysm leak". GamePron. Retrieved 2010-05-11.
- ^ "World of Warcraft: Cataclysm - FAQ".
- ^ "World of Warcraft: Cataclysm – Features". Blizzard Entertainment. 2009-08-21. Retrieved 2009-08-21.
- ^ Blizzard Entertainment. "BlizzCon Battle.net Panel Recap". Retrieved 2010-04-09.