cat·a·clysm

• Any violent upheaval, esp.
  one of a social or political nature.
• Physical Geography - A
  sudden and violent physical action producing
  changes in the earth's surface.
• An extensive flood; deluge.

href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/wow/cataclysm">Cataclysm
is perhaps the most
radically world changing expansion an
MMOG has ever seen. Rather than simply adding new zones and an
increased level cap and calling it a day, vast areas of Azeroth have
undergone a major redesign complete with not only new visual
elements but also new quest lines and much, much more.

At a recent press event
highlighting many of the key gameplay
components in the upcoming third expansion for href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/wow">World
of Warcraft,
we
learned exactly how fitting the above definition of
“cataclysm” truly is. Much of the landscape of
Azeroth has changed, new political figures have risen to power and
massive floods have overtaken entire zones.

Each of these things has
impacted the world, and Ten Ton Hammer was
given a sneak peak at just how extensive some of these changes will be.
Cities have been redesigned, the Forsaken have finally come into their
own and are on the move, and massive new zones such as the Egyptian
themed Uldum or creepily awesome Deepholm have been added.

As Lead Content Designer Cory
Stockton explained, rather than
considering Cataclysm to be an expansion geared only towards the newly
added 80 to 85 level range, Blizzard wanted to offer new and
interesting content starting right from level one. To put things into
perspective on just how massive
of an undertaking the new expansion
truly is, Wrath had somewhere around
1,000 quests whereas Cataclysm currently has close to 3,000 quests
spread
throughout all level ranges. That's an awful lot of new
content to go out and discover for a single expansion.

The
Old World Redesigned

With the launch of Cataclysm,
players of all level ranges will have
plenty of reason to hop on their preferred mount of choice and go out
exploring. Not only will the use of flying mounts give an all new
perspective on things, but the attention to detail on some of the zone
revamps that I was shown easily rivals if not exceeds the most visually
stunning areas of Wrath of the Lich King.

First, we'll take a closer look
at how some of these changes will no
doubt help foster a massive population explosion in the two main
factional capital cities of Stormwind and Orgrimmar before moving on to
an overview of some of the other redesigned areas of the
game.

Stormwind

Stormwind Keep has been fully
redesigned so that it's no
longer just a façade placed against the surrounding
hillside. The interior of the structure has also been given a new
layout to make it much easier to navigate, while the fully built
exterior certainly helps give the keep a much more commanding presence,
especially when viewed from above.

href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/85301"> src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/85301" width="500">

Stormwind
Keep has been completely rebuilt and now serves as a major landmark.

Another major landmark
that’s undergone a more radical change
is the park district which has been completely destroyed by Deathwing.
This is actually one of the very first acts of devastation that
Deathwing causes leading into the expansion. Whether a direct attack on
the
Alliance city is proof that he is secretly rooting for the Horde is
anyone’s guess, however, we were assured that the druids need
not worry – they will still have trainers located in other
parts of the city.

Other points of interest
include a couple of new lakes as well as a
sizable graveyard wrapping around the rear section of the city where a
number of new quests can be found. Call it what you will, but
it’s some of the interesting details that have been added
like this that really help transform the city into a place worth
exploring rather than just being used for the necessary evils of
auction house and bank access.

Speaking of which, a second
trade district has also been added in the
Dwarven area so that players will no longer need to pile up in one spot
to access things like the bank or auction house.

Orgrimmar

With Garrosh now in charge,
Orgrimmar has become much darker and dare I
say vastly more visually appealing. The squat stone structures are
gone, replaced by taller, meaner looking buildings befitting the
overall climate of war and devastation in Azeroth. While the overall
layout of the city has remained largely intact, certain new elements
have been added to reflect the changes at the top of the orcish food
chain.

href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/85298"> src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/85298" width="500">

Orgrimmar
now has a much darker, more aggressive visual style

For example, Garrosh now has a
massive stronghold placed smack in the
middle of the Valley of Strength. In fact, this imposing structure is
the first thing players will see when entering the city. As a long time
horde player, I previously avoided Org unless something like a seasonal
event required me to travel there. The main reason being that I
couldn’t step foot through the gates without the theme song
from the Flintstones getting stuck in my head for most of the following
week. In Cataclysm, however, I fully expect that the redesigned Org
will regain much of its former glory as one of the main gathering nexus
for horde players, myself included.

Other radical revamps to the
city include an all new district for
Goblins and Trolls, but as Garrosh isn’t exactly the
welcoming type when it comes to non-orcs, this new area is somewhat of
a slum, at least when compared to other areas in Org. Also of note,
players will now have a direct path between Org and Azshara. While
flying mounts will make getting to the zones north of Org a total
breeze, this new entrance will no doubt come in incredibly handy for
lower level goblin characters.

Taurans also have a much larger
presence in the Valley of Wisdom,
notably expanding over the spot where Grommash Hold currently stands.

Forsaken on the Move

If you’re a fan of
the undead style of architecture found in
Wrath like I am, then you’re in for a real treat. From what
we were shown, most undead towns and outposts have been fully rebuilt
to utilize this same design style. Not only that, but entire areas such
as Silverpine Forest have been completely revisited as the Forsaken
have begun a full assault on Glineas. In
fact, this will play a large role in the starting experience for new
worgen players, pitting them against a true enemy rather than killing
countless bears and other random creatures commonly associated with
newb zones.

href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/85295"> src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/85295" width="500">

The
Forsaken have begun a full assault on the Worgen city of Glineas

The effects of this conflict
are clearly present throughout the area,
so whether you’re an alliance player curious to check out the
new Worgen zones or a Horde player eager to get into some pew pew
action as an undead Hunter, this is one area you’ll
definitely want to check out. 

Uldum – WoW Does
Egypt

Not only have numerous old
world zones been completely reimagined to
fit in with the expansion's theme of destructive upheaval, but many new
zones are being added as well for those players eager to make the climb
up to the increased level cap of 85.

Lead World Designer Alex
Afrasiabi prefaced his overview of Uldum by
describing the zone as “WoW does Egypt”, and boy
was he ever not kidding. This is a massive zone on par with the largest
Wrath has to offer and includes plenty of Egyptian themed elements
including pyramids and plenty of white sand interspersed with small
pockets of vegetation. Two new dungeons will also be found here, as
well as the entrance to Sykwall. 

Thousand Needles and
Shimmering
Flats

Another area where the
destructive upheaval in Cataclysm is readily
apparent is in Shimmering Flats, where an entire hillside has been
broken down to allow the sea to spill in, submerging the entire zone.
This extends up through Thousand Needles, also mostly submerged, though
the Tauran structures still remain on what are now a series of small
islands connected by bridges.

While most of the gameplay in
the area doesn’t take place
underwater, players will be sent there occasionally. It
wasn’t really specifically stated, though I’d
imagine this will be another case of quests providing players with some
means of underwater breathing similar to some of the costal quest hubs
in Northrend.

href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/85303"> src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/85303" width="500">

All told, the above areas are really just the tip of the iceberg in terms of the sweeping zone revamps and additions awaiting players in Cataclysm. Be sure to share your own thoughts on the changing face of Azeroth right here in the Ten Ton Hammer forums!