4.0.1
is the last major content patch before Blizzard finally puts us
all out of our seemingly everlasting misery and releases Cataclysm for
our playing pleasure. As such it comes as no surprise that quite a few
changes, many of them to the standard interface, will be rolling in
with the upcoming content patch. Read on to get a sampling of the
upcoming interface changes, or for players who wish to take the shorter
route most of the interface changes can be viewed on the handy dandy
chart at the side of this article.



Most of the interface changes seen in patch 4.0.1 can be found
surprisingly enough in two heavily used menus; the Spellbook and the
Character Info screen. Looking first at the Character Info screen
players will find that it is unusually bare. This screen which used to
host five separate tabs (Character, Pets, Reputation, Skills, and
Currency) now only contains three of those tabs; Character, Reputation,
and Currancy. Don’t fret though, as these tabs
haven’t gone far.



 The Skills tab has been renamed to Professions and has a new
home as a tab in the Spellbook. With the move this tab has been
provided with a complete visual

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Most of the tabs once found on
the Character screen can now be found attached to the Spellbook.

makeover giving the tab a more streamlined and easier to read look. You
may also notice that the information relating to Weapon Skills, Armor
Proficiencies, and the Languages your character speaks have
mysteriously vanished from this tab only leaving the information
regarding the players personal professions.



Where have these tidbits of often forgotten information gone you ask?
Only a page away! Armor Skills, Languages, and Weapon Skills can all be
found as new buttons in the main Spellbook tab. Players need only to
hover the mouse over the buttons to get all the information needed.



The Pets tab, much like the Skills tab, has been renamed and is now
labeled Companions and also now makes it's home as a tab in the
Spellbook. With it’s new location the tab has been given a
slight visual overhaul however the general feel and use of the tab
remains the same. The biggest change in
the Companions tab is the
removal of the Mounts section. Player
mounts apparently took offense to
being labeled as “pets” so instead of sharing a tab
Mounts have been given their very own tab in the Spellbook.


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The Professions menu has
undergone a major visual overhaul.

Those tabs still remaining on the Character Info screen have undergone
some changes as well. On the main Character tab players will notice
that thestat categories are no longer found at the bottom of this
screen. Instead, to access these players must click the new arrow
button at the bottom right of the screen. Once clicked the Character
stats will appear on the side. Even more handy, the Stat sections can
be reorganized to the individual players liking by simply clicking and
dragging
them up or down.



The Reputation tab has undergone little to no changes in patch 4.0.1
and remains looking much the same as it did pre-patch. This is true of
the Currency tab as well. However one thing that should be noted here
is that all Emblems of Frost and Triumph that a player possessed before
the patch will be converted to the new Justice Points. Anything below
Emblems of Triumph will be converted into gold and mailed to players.

Moving down the line players will find that the Talents tab has
undergone some major changes as well. Players will find upon the
release of Patch 4.0.1 that all of their talents have been reset.
However spending them won’t be quite as easy as it was
before. Opening the Talents screen players will be presented with an
unfamiliar screen that forces them to spec into one single talent tree.
This screen gives all the talents trees available to the specific
class, and the benefits that will be gained by speccing into each tree.




Once an initial talent tree is chosen players will be taken to a new
screen that presents all three talent trees
(explaining why the
separate talent tree tabs are now missing from the bottom of this
screen) with all but the talent tree chosen blacked out. Once a talent
tree is chosen players will need to spend 31 points in the tree before
they can spend points elsewhere.

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The Quest Log button on the
minimenu is much easier to locate.



With the elimination of the individual talent tabs the only tab
remaining on the Talents screen is the Glyph menu and players will be
surprised to find that it is hardly recognizable from the one first
introduced in Wrath of the Lich King. Players will now be able to add
nine glyphs total; three Minor, three Major, and three of the new Prime
Glyphs. On the right side of the screen players will have access to a
brand new search feature that allows them to search and view all of the
Glyphs available before they make their final choices. In order to
remove Glyphs players will need to access a new reagent that is sold by
Inscription vendors and created by scribes.



Further down the line players will find the Quest Log. This menu has
undergone no real changes with Patch 4.0.1, however, the button
on the
mini menu has been given a new icon that makes much more sense than the
old one. What exactly did a cup have to do with questing anyhow?



The Social button on the mini menu has been renamed to Guild and as one
might expect only gives information on the player's guild. To access
this new menu with the keyboard players must push
“J”. You can still view your friends list complete
with the old Who, Chat, and Raid tabs by pushing
“O”.


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The PvP menu has many new and
easy to use features.

One of the bigger changes to the player interface can be found in the
Player vs. Player menu. Arena information has been separated from the
normal Honor menu and has been given it’s own tab. The Honor
menu itself not only displays the players current honor but also has
been combined with the old Battlegrounds tab and now contains the
information regarding various battles. This includes the amount of
honor that will be rewarded for winning or losing, and provides the
ability to join each as a group or an individual.



The Conquest tab found on the Player vs. Player menu will let players
view how many Conquest points they have currently earned and will
display how many Conquest points will be gained by winning and give the
players the ability to join either an Arena match, or a rated
battleground. The final tab on this menu is named Arena Teams and as
the name implies gives players the ability to manage their team. Here
your teams tabard can be created, new members can be added, Conquest
points can be viewed, and your teams statistics are displayed.



That completes our journey through the main interface changes coming in
patch 4.0.1. Many other changes will be incoming but armed with this
information you should be well prepared to face the new user interface.
Mostly unchanged since World of Warcraft was first released these new
changes, once players become familiar with them, appear to make the
user interface easier and more pleasurable to use. Join us on our
forums and share your thoughts on the new interface changes presented
above.



To read the latest guides, news, and features you can visit our World of Warcraft Game Page.

Last Updated: Mar 29, 2016

About The Author

Amunet, also fondly known as Memtron, is an organic life form best known for its ongoing obsession with Blizzard Entertainment's numerous properties. To that end, Amu has authored hundreds (thousands?) of the most popular World of Warcraft guides, editorials, and Top 10 lists on the planet. When not gaming and writing, Amu is busy chasing after her three children in a perpetual loop of ongoing disaster.

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