WoW Insider will be taking you every step of the way, from the very beginning to the very end. No worgen is too big, no goblin too slimy. We've got it all.
Click here for the very latest Cataclysm news, page through our Cataclysm screenshot gallery, or browse through our index below.
Table of contents
Basic facts- General information
- Latest news
- Lore
- Patch 4.0.1 pre-Cataclysm class changes
- Professions changes
- Races
- Zones and maps
Basic facts
- What is Cataclysm?
Release date Dec. 7, 2010- Level cap Raised to 85
- New races Worgen (Alliance), Goblin (Horde)
- New zones Hyjal, Vashj'ir, Deepholm, Uldum, Twilight Highlands
- Revamped zones Nearly everything in Azeroth
- New secondary profession Archaeology
- New mastery stat added
- Talent tree overhaul
- Raid progression refined
- New guild perks and achievements
- Inscription overhauled
- Rated battlegrounds added
General information
- Feast your eyes on
Cataclysm concept art. - Watch the World of Warcraft: Cataclysm trailer.
- See the World of Warcraft: Cataclysm cinematic.
- Check the new Cataclysm race-class combination matrix.
- Consult the official Cataclysm FAQ.
- PvP
- Enthusiasts cheer for new rated battlegrounds and the return of PvP titles.
- Preparing for rated battlegrounds.
- The shape of Cataclysm battlegrounds PvP
- Building your battlegrounds kill crew
- Region-wide battlegrounds implemented
- New players enjoy simplified tooltips for beginners.
- Players can now use a Return to Graveyard button.
- Raiding
- Flexible raid locks are live.
- The gear currency system has undergone significant revision.
- Raid progression refinements
- A first look at Cataclysm raids
- Halfus Wyrmbreaker and the Bastion of Twilight
- Blackwing Descent's Omnitron defense system
- Mana regeneration is notably different.
- Players can modify their gear with the new Reforging feature.
- Patches move more swiftly with the new streaming launcher.
- Guild perks and achievements
- Guilds are limited to 1,000 members.
- Guild officers will enjoy many other new guild features to work with.
- Guild perks
- New guild UI features
- World events
Latest news and analysis
Stay up to date with the very latest Cataclysm news and analysis from WoW Insider. Here's a selection of the biggest recent news.- Cataclysm playable at midnight PST December 7th, no matter where you buy it
- Recruit-A-Friend benefits will apply to goblins and worgen
- Troll druid and worgen druid flight forms
- Race change to a goblin or worgen on launch night
- DPS spec design and rotation complexity discussion from Ghostcrawler
- Cataclysm includes some outdoor heroic 5-man bosses
Lore
- The lore behind the
new race/class combinations. - More roleplaying possibilities for goblins and worgen in Cataclysm
- Know Your Lore: Deathwing
- Know Your Lore: Gilneas
- Know Your Lore: Goblin
- Know Your Lore: Worgen
Patch 4.0.1 pre-Cataclysm class changes
Patch 4.0.1 is the pre-Cataclysm patch, now already active in the live game. It contains a metric ton of changes for all classes and specs.- There's a complete overhaul to existing item stats and their values. Reforging will be implemented, helping to making the transition much smoother.
- There's a total overhaul to our talent trees. The current 51-point trees are gone; the new 31-point trees will be implemented, complete with new abilities. As part of this, you're required to choose a specialization at level 10. You will get five more talent points when Cataclysm launches and you are able to gain five more levels.
- Spell ranks are gone. You only have to learn a spell once, though it may be at a different level as before. Your spells will now automatically "level up" in damage along with you.
- Mastery has been implemented, although it is not part of the talent trees.
You can read a general summary of major class changes here.
Spec-by-spec mastery listing.
Profession changes
- Your auction house addons will need to be updated.
- Inscriptions and glyphs get a major overhaul
- Get details on the significant changes to the glyph system.
- An early look at new Cataclysm enchants
- New archaeology and inscription items
- Archaeology achievements
- New blacksmithing items
- An overview of alchemy in Cataclysm
- Mining and herbalism give experience
- Guild UI allows browsing of guild member professions
Races
Goblin
- Cataclysm race-class combination matrix
- Goblin backstory and zone info
- Know Your Lore: Goblin
- Goblin Cinematic: Escape from Kezan
- WoW Moviewatch: Goblins -- How You Like Me Now?
- Goblin /flirt and /silly sounds
- Worgen
Zones and maps
- High-quality Cataclysm map
- Walkthrough: Entering Deepholm (Maelstrom)
- Deepholm
- Twilight Highlands
- Uldum
- Gnome newbie zone
- Worgen newbie zones
- Tol Barad
- Throne of the Tides
- Bastion of Twilight
- Blackwing Descent
- Vanilla WoW zone updates for Cataclysm
- Blasted Lands
- Darkshore
- Dun Morogh
- Dwarf newbie zone
- Lands End Beach, Tanaris
- Northshire Abbey and human newbie zones
- Orc newbie zone
- Redridge Mountains
- Scholomance
- Shadowglen and night elf newbie zones
- Stranglethorn Vale
- Stratholme
- Thousand Needles
- Western Plaguelands
- Westfall
