src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/92768">
So you’ve really done it, and the big day is actually here.
You
have made it through the weeks of agonizing waiting and tedious
preparations, hopefully without pulling a Jack Nicholson in the Shining
along the way, your only source of redemption being the small
tidbits thrown at you from the beta servers and various Blizzard
posters.
Now the hour of truth has almost arrived and World of Warcraft
Cataclysm will soon be officially here. Depending on how you chose to
purchase
the newest expansion, you may already have the game downloaded and are
just waiting on the servers to go live, or perhaps you are eagerly
watching as the game installs. No matter your purchasing choice, the
fact of the matter is soon, very soon, you will finally get your chance
to play one of the most highly anticipated expansions of the year.
Don’t just chew your finger nails while waiting on your
chance to begin gallivanting around the wide world of Cataclysm.
Instead check out this list of basic, yet important, tips:
- Remember
a couple million gamer
fanatics have fingers on the trigger and are itching for the chance to
log in, so once servers go live they will be under some serious strain.
So expect the servers to crash at least once, twice, or even to go down
for several hours after launch.
- Unlike
hitting the shores of
Northrend or stepping through the Dark
Portal, Cataclysm has no one specific starting point
to get into the
content. Instead, head to the main city for your faction and click on
the announcement boards which will put you on the correct path. href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/92776" target="_blank">
- You
will discover that both
Shatt and Dalaran have gained something
they've needed for years, but lost something even more
important.
Somewhat of a lopsided trade off if
you ask me, but both cities have
gained class trainers at the high cost of portals to the cities of
Azeroth.
- If you've done some
exploring of the newly revamped Orgrimmar and
Stormwind, you've likely already discovered the location of
the flight
trainers. If not, they can be found on the newly added top level of
Orgrimmar (next to the Flightmaster and Zeppelin towers) and beside the
Gryphon Master in Stormwind. Once purchased this ability will allow you
to unlock flying in Eastern Kingdoms, Kalimdor, and Deepholm. This is
also known as The Shattering
of Piggy Banks, so be prepared to dish out
250 gold for this privilege.
- Before
you head out into the
wider world don’t forget to seek
out the nearest profession trainer. Nothing sucks more than
getting to
a new zone and mining/herbing/etc only to find you have forgotten to
get the next profession level.
- It’s
be awhile since mobs have actually done any real
damage to most of us. However keep in mind that mobs in
Cataclysm
will
hit harder and have more health. This may not be noticeable until after
level 83 or so, but keep it in the back of your mind or you may find
yourself discovering the new graveyard locations sooner than you
expected.
- Venturing
out to do quests
on launch day (and sometimes for days after)
is like going out on Black Friday, sheer and utter insanity.
Expect to
put up a fight and never think a single quest will be easy. On a
brighter note, getting trampled questing in WoW is far better than
getting trampled by little old ladies on the prowl for sales.
Head on over to page two for a listing of helpful links related to Cataclysm!
So you wait and finally it’s time. You type in your
information
and bounce in your seat as the loading bar slowly fills up and then
finally all your waiting pays off as your character enters the world of
Azeroth. You’re logged in, have plenty of caffeine
and hot
pockets to keep yourself awake for the long haul and you have canceled
all your plans for the next three days for some uninterrupted play time
but you find yourself at a loss. What should you be doing? What new zones are available? What reputations do I need to level? Learn the answer to these questions and make your transition into
Cataclysm as smooth as a baby Night Elf's bottom with the links provided below:
src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/92771">
Choose a Character
If you haven’t by this point, it’s high time that
you have
made the decision on what toon you will level through Cataclysm. Maybe
it will be the character you have played since Azeroth was in
it’s infancy, an alt that has peaked your interest, or
perhaps
you will decide that Cataclysm is the perfect opportunity for you to
start completely anew. Making this choice can be a difficult one so to
make this decision as easy and painless as possible we recommend that
you visit the link below for a listing of some of the various pros and
cons to each possible choice laid out before you.
-
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/wow/cataclysm/cataclysm-conundrums"
target="_blank">Cataclysm Conundrums - Creating New
Alts vs. Leveling
Your Main Past 80
Explore
The Shattering may have happened, but don’t be lulled into
thinking that you have seen all there is to see in the world of
Azeroth. With the release of World of Warcraft: Cataclysm several new
and exciting zones have opened and are ripe for your exploring
pleasure. While some can’t be visited until you gain a few
levels, others you will be able to reach almost right away. To guide
you on your journey through these new zones and give you an idea of
what to expect while there visit some of our handy dandy zone previews
straight from the beta that will help point you to all the hot spots
that you just shouldn’t miss.
-
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/wow/cataclysm/zones/twilight-highlands"
target="_blank">Twilight Highlands Preview
-
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/wow/cataclysm/zones/deepholm-preview"
target="_blank">Deepholm Preview
-
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/wow/cataclysm/zones/mount-hyjal-preview"
target="_blank">Mount Hyjal Preview
Level
If you have chosen your toon, and made your way to some of the newly
available zones, the next logical step is to start leveling. Some of us
will take our time and savor the experience, while others will choose
to fly through the levels at the speed of light, determined to reach
end game content before the rest. No matter what kind of leveling
experience you prefer, it can be a difficult and sometimes tedious
process, even with the prospect of new quests and zones, especially if
you are starting from scratch. To aid you on your leveling adventure we
here at Ten Ton Hammer have provided some excellent resources which can
be found below:
-
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/wow/editorials/new-leveling-experience"
target="_blank">WoW Cataclysm: The New Leveling
Experience
-
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/wow/guides/leveling/zones"
target="_blank">Where to Adventure Guide
-
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/wow/guides/general/cataclysm-progression"
target="_blank">Zone and Instance Progression
Flowchart
-
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/wow/guides/leveling/horde/1-5"
target="_blank">Horde Leveling Guide Levels 1-5
-
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/wow/guides/leveling/horde/80-82-Vashj%27ir"
target="_blank">Horde Leveling Guide: Vashj'ir
-
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/wow/guides/leveling/horde/80-82"
target="_blank">Horde Leveling Guide: Mount Hyjal
-
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/wow/guides/goblin_walkthrough"
target="_blank">Goblin Starting Zone Walkthrough
-
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/wow/guides/worgen_walkthrough"
target="_blank">The Worgen Experience Level 1-10
And for those Hunters out there, don’t forget that there are
plenty of new pets out there that are just waiting to become your loyal
companion. See a listing of a few of them at the link provided below:
-
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/wow/cataclysm/new-hunter-pets"
target="_blank">Hunter Pets in Cataclysm: A Walk on
the Wild Side
Professions
It can be easy to get so wrapped up in the chore of leveling that we
often forget that time also needs to be dedicated to skilling up our
various Professions. While it may be very tempting to do this after you
have leveled your toon, it is much easier to complete during the
leveling process than it is to attempt to do it afterwards.
Before you jump on the Profession boat and start sailing away, be
forewarned that Cataclysm has thrown a small wrench in the works. All
Professions have undergone some major changes that simply cannot be
ignored, and two new professions have also been added to the game. To
get more information on both the changes and the new professions visit
the links provided below:
-
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/wow/cataclysm/profession-changes"
target="_blank">Cataclysm Profession Changes Overview
-
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/wow/guides/cataclysm/reforging-guide"
target="_blank">Reforging Guide
-
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/wow/guides/professions/archeology"
target="_blank">Archaeology Guide
Reputations
With several new factions being added to the game it’s
important
that players figure out from early on which reputation rewards are most
important to them, and which faction they will need to earn reputation
with to gain that particular reward. Not sure what the new factions
are, where they are located or what rewards they have to offer? Visit
the link below to get all this information and more!
-
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/wow/guides/reputation/cataclysm/overview"
target="_blank">Cataclysm Reputations Overview
Earning Gold
It’s inevitable that with every new expansion every player is
eventually going to spend gold, a lot of gold. Even if you enter
Cataclysm with a stock pile of gold in your bank, eventually you will
surely begin to feel the pinch. So while earning gold may not be the
top priority on your list, remember the story of the ant and the rather
lazy grasshopper and don’t forget that working to keep a good
amount of gold in your bank is never a bad idea, even when it seems you
have enough.
To help you earn some easy gold check out the link below:
-
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/wow/guides/cataclysm-top-5-gold-making-techniques"
target="_blank">Top 5 Gold Making Techniques in
Cataclysm
Instances
While you are leveling, making gold, and exploring you are bound to
come across at least one of the new instances available in Cataclysm.
Not only are these a great source of new gear, but they are also an
excellent source of fun. It may seem like a grand idea to just hop
right in and get a first hand learning experience, but you will impress
your group even more with intimate knowledge about the instance. Even
if the group doesn’t notice your instance prowess, you (and
your
bank) will at least appreciate the absence of expensive repair bills.
Where can I gain this intimate knowledge about Cataclysm instances you
ask? Simply visit the links below:
-
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/wow/guides/instance/halls-of-origination"
target="_blank">Halls of Origination
-
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/wow/cataclysm/previews/blackrock-caverns"
target="_blank">Blackrock Caverns
-
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/wow/cataclysm/previews/throne-of-tides"
target="_blank">Throne of Tides
PvP
Last but certainly not least on the list of things you totally should
do in Cataclysm is hit the PvP scene. Not only are there some awesome
new PvP rewards available but also with the release of the expansion
comes a whole zone (much like Wintergrasp) entirely dedicated to PvP.
Before you get out there and pwn some face check out some of the
information regarding PvP in Cataclysm we have available right here at
Ten Ton Hammer:
-
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/wow/guides/rated_bgs_vs_arenas"
target="_blank">Rated BGs vs. Arenas
Now you are ready to fall into the world of Cataclysm. We here at Ten
Ton Hammer sincerely hope that your expansion experience is an amazing
one! Happy playing!
To read the latest guides, news, and features you can visit our World of Warcraft Game Page.
