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Cataclysm is coming and big changes are coming with it. The entire
World of Warcraft universe is gearing up for it and the excitement is
almost palpable. You can see it on in the chatter on forums across the
web, and if player speculation and Blizzard announcements
aren’t enough, you can feel it first hand with the
earthquakes that are currently shaking the in game world.



This expansion promises to bring some of the biggest changes to the
World of Warcraft world that we hold so dear. Some of the changes will
be undoubtedly bad, but overall I feel most of the changes bring the
promise of nothing but good things. Will there be some hiccups and
changes along the way? Sure. But I really feel like this will be the
best expansion so far (please Blizzard, don’t make me eat my
words).



Here are some of the changes I feel are worth looking forward to in
Cataclysm:

• style="font-style: italic;">Old Instances Made New -
  That’s right expect a blast from the past as Blizzard plans
  to give the Deadmines and Shadowfang Keep a heroic facelift. This will
  not only draw players back to the old world, but will also encourage
  players to experience these great instances that were often overlooked
  and missed in the rush to level to 80. This strategy worked fairly well
  for Naxxramas so I expect it to work just as well here.

• style="font-style: italic;">Two New Playable Races -
  Goblins and Worgen will be introduced with the release of Cataclysm,
  and while some people hate the choices I am pretty pleased with them
  both. While I am still scratching my head about why any of the usually
  neutral Goblins would ally with the Horde (think of the gold making
  opportunities they are missing out on) I am very style="float: right; width: 200px; height: 240px;" alt=""
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  excited to experience playing them, and also enjoying the two new
  starting zones that will be implemented for both. The Death Knight
  starting zone and accompanying story
  line was epic to say the least, so
  I am expecting great things from these two.

• style="font-style: italic;">Simpler Stats
  - The new expansion will (hopefully) make character stats less of a
  headache. If you’re like me and hate the math that goes along
  with stats, and hate trying to figure out if one certain stat is better
  than the 5 others you need to worry about then the promise of simpler
  stats in Cataclysm is a blessing. Blizzard will be doing away with some
  stats (MP5, Spellpower, Attack Power), and making changes to the stats
  that will remain. While learning the new stats will take some time, and
  will likely annoy some long time players, in the long run it should
  make the game easier for everyone to understand.

• style="font-style: italic;">Reshaping of Azeroth
  - Obviously with a name like Cataclysm for the expansion you can
  expect, well, a cataclysm. This means major changes for the landscape
  of Azeroth. Old familiar zones will be ripped asunder and new ones will
  emerge. While I will mourn the loss of old zones, which are like old
  friends to me I think giving a fresh new face to the old world will
  help keep the game fresh.

• style="font-style: italic;">Flying Mounts in Azeroth -
  I think most people will be excited about this change, finally players
  will not be stuck plodding along all over Azeroth to reach their
  destination. This may however be the end of simple riding mounts as we
  know them. While players will still not be able to fly everywhere, the
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  riding mount gain 10-20 pounds from the
  lack of use.

• style="font-style: italic;">Guild Advancement
  - A new  (and one of the coolest) feature to be implemented in
  Cataclysm, Guild Advancement will allow your guild to progress and
  level as a whole, and also gain bonuses and complete guild
  achievements. A guild talent tree will also be implemented that will
  offer many benefits including the ability to loot more gold and reduced
  reagent costs. As most World of Warcraft players are part of a guild be
  it large or small these extra benefits will be most excellent.

• style="font-style: italic;">New Class/Race
  Combinations - Ever wished
  you could play an Undead Hunter, or a Dwarf Shaman? Well with the
  release of Cataclysm you will be able to experience these two new
  class/race combinations and many more. Allowing more class/race
  combinations will enable players to enjoy a new range of game play and
  also do away with many of those agonizing “I want to play
  this class, but love this race” decisions.

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Cataclysm promises all these great things and more. I don’t
think that anyone will be disappointed. Well I take that back, you know
someone is going to be disappointed, it’s just a fact of
life. For the most part though I think the changes Cataclysm brings
will give new life to the game, and draw back some old players along
with new, proving once again that Blizzard, and World of Warcraft is
truly a force to be reckoned with.



Care to share your favorite Cataclysm changes? Or discuss what you
think may go wrong? Join us on our forums!