World of Warcraft: Cataclysm Game Manual

World of Warcraft: Cataclysm Game Manual is a booklet that was published by Blizzard Entertainment on 7 December 2010 along with the Cataclysm Standard Edition.

Deathwing: Return of the Destroyer
For over ten thousand years, Deathwing's very name has been synonymous with betrayal, cruelty, and evil. Yet long ago he was known only as Neltharion the Earth-Warder, the stalwart leader of the black dragonflight and a symbol of the world's strength.

Charged by the titan Khaz'goroth to protect the world's earthly expanses, Neltharion wielded enormous power over his entrusted domain. For untold millennia he safeguarded the titans' creations alongside his fellow Dragon Aspects: Alexstrasza, Ysera, Malygos, and Nozdormu.

Over time, though, dark voices began whispering to Neltharion and stripping away his sanity. By the War of the Ancients the depths of his madness were revealed when he turned the Dragon Soul, a powerful artifact infused with the essences of the other Aspects, against his allies. With this incredible weapon, Neltharion annihilated most of the blue dragonflight, earning himself the now-infamous name of Deathwing.

However, wielding the Dragon Soul came at a price: its energies began tearing the black Dragon Aspect apart. Only by having adamantium plates bolted to his spine was Deathwing able to keep his body from being completely destroyed.

The vile artifact was later shattered before Deathwing could fulfill his goal of eradicating the ancient dragonflights, and then the corrupted Aspect was chased into hiding by Alexstrasza, Ysera, Malygos, and Nozdormu. In Deathwing's absence, his agents began experimenting with the blood of various dragonflights in order to create a new and more powerful breed capable of dominating the world.

In the years that followed, Deathwing's whereabouts remained unknown, and rumors surfaced that perhaps the world was at last safe from his dark presence. Yet these hopes were recently shattered....

After secluding himself within Deepholm in the Elemental Plane, Deathwing has burst forth into Azeroth, rupturing the boundaries that separate the elemental realms from the world at large. This catastrophic act has created widespread destruction, altering the physical landscape of Azeroth itself.

Now, seemingly allied with the nefarious Twilight's Hammer cult, and with the chaotic elementals freed from their realms, Deathwing is posied to fulfill his twisted goals and assert his dominaton over all of Azeroth.

Azeroth: The Edge of Oblivion
After the costly war against the Lich King and his undead Scourge ended in victory for the Horde and the Alliance, many hoped for lasting peace. Yet just as Azeroth's denizens began recovering from the years of pain and suffering caused by the Scourge, the very foundations of the world crumbled.

Deathwing, the corrupted black Dragon Aspect, had erupted from his domain within Deepholm in the Elemental Plane. In the wake of this catastrophic act, the face of Azeroth changed forever. Violent earthquakes ripped oped jagged fissures in many regions; fiery volcanoes rose to the surface, and massive tidal waves obliterated coastal areas.

Even more unsettling, however, is that the once-secure boundaries of the Elemental Plane's regions -- the Abyssal Maw, Deepholm, the Skywall and the Firelands -- have burst open. Now free, destructive elemental spirits and their ruthless lords are pouring into Azeroth.

Already the servants of Ragnaros the Firelord are sweeping across the slopes of Mount Hyjal in a bid to set the legendary World Tree ablaze, while far to the south in Uldum, Al'Akir the Windlord's fierce elemental minions are laying siege to the desert region's mysterious titan structures.

The Twilight's Hammer, a cult owing its allegiance to the malefic Old Gods and rumored to be working alongside Deathwing, has seized upon the opportunity and begun enslaving elementals for its own sinister purposes.

In light of all that has transpired, the wise shaman Thrall has chosen to investigate the world's growing elemental instability. Thus he has temporarily relinquished his title of Horde warchief and passed in on to Garrosh Hellscream, son of the legendary orc hero Grom. Under Garrosh's command, the Horde belligerence toward the Alliance is growing. Most recently the headstrong new warchief led his forces on a rampage through neighboring Ashenvale, claiming much of what was once night elf land.

King Varian Wrynn has not backed down from Garrosh's aggression, nor has the rest of the Alliance. Offensives into the Southern Barrens have secured territory once belonging to the Horde for Varian and his allies, who are also working to retake portions of Ashenvale. With tensions rising, both factions are on the brink of all-out warfare.

However, internal strife has also threatened to upset the balance of power among Azeroth's great races. In Thunder Bluff, Baine Bloodhoof has taken over leadership of the tauren following the death of his father, Cairne, in a duel with Garrosh. Baine most recently launched brilliant attack against the Grimtotem tauren tribe and its matriarch, Magatha, who had temporarily seized Thunder Bluff in the wake of Cairne's death.

Across the Great Sea in Khaz Modan, the future of Ironforge is in peril. During an ill-fated earthen ritual, King Magni Bronzebeard unexpectedly turned into diamond, leaving vacant the throne of Ironforge. The Wildhammer, Bronzebeard and Dark Iron clans have since agreed to jointly rule over the mountain city in Magni's absence, but it remains to be seen whether these groups can overcome their bitter rivalries and rule as one.

Amid the chaos and confusion gripping the world, two unaffiliated groups are struggling to overcome their own problems. Gilneas, a human kingdom ravaged by the curse of the worgen, has been seized by the Forsaken. Rejoining its former allies, the Alliance, might be the embattled nation's only chance to reclaim its homeland from the undead.

In the South Seas, the goblins of the Bilgewater Cartel cling to survival after being driven from their home on the Isle of Kezan. Although neutrality has long been favored among this race, hostile encounters with the Alliance have led Kezan's exiles to consider partnership with the Horde, a choice that could prove mutually beneficial for both parties.

Regardless of how valuable the aid of the Bilgewater Cartel and Gilneas would be in these unstable times, if the growing animosity between the Horde and the Alliance diverts their focus from ending Deathwing's machinations, all will be lost.

Worgen: The Fury of Goldrinn
Although the savage worgen have only recently appeared in Gilneas, their legacy stretches far back into Kalimdor's ancient past.

Following the War of the Ancients over ten thousand years ago, a number of druids began practicing a volatile form form that drew on the fury of the wolf Ancient, Goldrinn. Although these individuals, known as Druids of the Pack, were granted immense power, they also became slaves to their own rage - ferocious creatures driven by primal instinct more than rational thought.

Recognizing the perils of this unruly form, Malfurion Stormrage banned his followers from using it. Yet one of Malfurion's druids, Ralaar Fangfire, vehemently opposed his teacher's decision. Ralaar understood the hazards of Goldrinn's rage, but he also believed it was the key to victory in a savage war the night elves were then waging against the demonic satyrs.

Working with Belysra, a priestess of Elune, Ralaar crafted a magical artifact known as the Scythe of Elune as a means to temper some of the form's unabated fury. Unfortunately, the scythe did not subdue Goldrinn's rage as intended. Rather, it transformed Ralaar and his followers into Azeroth's first worgen, monstrosities that were neither wolf nor night elf.

During battle with the satyrs, these wolf-beasts tore through fiend and foe alike. Night elves who were bitten by Ralaar's forces contracted a terrible curse and were quickly transformed into worgen themselves. Seeing no other recourse, Malfurion reluctantly banished the worgen to the Emerald Dream, where they were forced into a peaceful slumber that would last until the end of time.

When the Scourge swept across the Eastern Kingdoms millennia later, Archmage Arugal managed to pull the worgen from the Dream, intending to use their ferocity against the undead. The frenzied wolf-beasts, however, soon turned on Arugal's allies and began spreading their curse throughout Silverpine Forest's human population.

Eventually the curse began afflicting soldiers who fought outside the Greymane Wall, a massive barrier that nation of Gilneas had erected years ago to close itself off from the rest of the world. When the curse finally appeared in Gilneas, King Genn Greymane managed to suppress advance for a time, sparing most of his kingdom from becoming worgen. Recently, though, the virulent curse has returned with new fervor, threatening to tear the nation apart from within.

To add Gilneas' woes, the mighty Greymane Wall has come under siege by the Forsaken. As the nation rallies to fend off the undead at its gates, it also struggles to keep the last vestiges of its humanity from slipping away forever.

Goblin: Kezan's Exiles
Much like Azeroth's other crafty goblin organizations, the Bilgewater Cartel has long been known for its uncanny ability to make a profit in any situation. Until recently, this group thrived on the Isle of Kezan, using the brute strength of its troll slaves to mine kaja'mite ore from the depths of Mount Kajaro.

Ironically, these goblins were once enslaved to the trolls. Lacking the intellect and engineering expertise that they are currently known for, the goblins endured backbreaking labor digging up kaja'mite for their savage troll masters to use in voodoo rituals. The ore, however, had an unexpected effect: it increased the goblins' intelligence to unprecedented levels. Soon Kezan's oppressed laborers overthrew their cruel drivers and seized control of the island. With their newfound intellect, these goblins became renowned for producing a number of ingenious inventions. Eventually, however, kaja'mite supplies ran low, and as the golbins' intelligence dwindled, their inventions became increasingly unreliable. As a result, the goblins turned to mercantilism as a source of income and transformed Kezan into a profitable trading hub. Trade princes soon came to power; most of them subscribed to the idea that neutrality in unstable Azeroth would be the most profitable political stance. Yet as the Bilgewater Carted discovered, neutrality does not always ensure survival.

When Mount Kajaro, the source of the goblins' prized kaja'mite ore, suddenly erupted, the lives of Kezan's inhabitants were thrown into disarray. The volcano spewed magma and ash from its summit, destroying the goblins' factories and settlements. Forced to flee from the island aboard Trade Prince Gallywix's yacht, the goblins soon found themselves in conflict with the Alliance in the South Seas.

Without a home and faced with the Alliance's unwarranted hostility, the Bilgewater Cartel's only chance of survival might lie with the Horde. Despite the fact that some goblins are reluctant to forgo their neutrality, others believe that choosing a side would not only ensure their safety, but it would also open doors to new business opportunities.

Thus far, the worgen and the goblins have each overcome arduous trials in search of peace and stability. Yet despite these triumphs, the greatest challenges still lie ahead.

Surviving the New Face of Azeroth: Reaching Level 85
Fresh from the defeat of the Lich King, and his Scourge army, you venture forth from the frozen wastes of Northrend to discover a broken world you hardly recognize. Deathwing the Destroyer has returned to Azeroth, and he has left a trail of destruction and misery in his wake.

The Cataclysm has left Kalimdor and the Eastern Kingdoms twisted and shattered, and it has torn the veil that lies between the Elemental Plane and Azeroth. The Elemental forces of Fire, Water, Earth, and Air have returned from exile, and they are now raging across the land at the behest of the sinister Twilight's Hammer cult.

As proven champion of the Alliance or Horde, you have a duty to curb the Elemental chaos and push back the forces of Deathwing. To survive the battle that is to come, you will need to advance from level 80 to the new cap of level 85. The new skills, abilities, and talents you gain with these levels will help you fight the forces of darkness and take back the land from the elements.

New Secondary Profession: Archeology
The Cataclysm was a time of great upheaval: continents were broken and whole zones were torn asunder. During this destruction, the ruins of ancient civilizations and the remnants of long forgotten Titan sites were unearthed all over the world. These significant historical finds have piqued the interest of many of the more curious denizens of Azeroth. Players who are bold enough to look for answers from the past can now learn the new secondary profession, Archeology. Archeology is available to all players who own World of Warcraft: Cataclysm.

Archeology allows you to travel the world, searching for and collecting fragments from Archeological sites to complete artifacts. You can also receive Archeology fragments as quest rewards or as drops from fallen enemies and bloated fish. The artifacts that you assemble produce different rewards, like superior items or pets, and they each help to unravel a piece of the story of World of Warcraft: Cataclysm. The types of fragments you can find are linked to the different kinds of Archeological sites. When you explore ruined Troll temples, abandoned Dwarven fortresses, or haunted Night Elf settlements, you will discover fragments relating to those civilizations.

Archeology artifacts are stored in the Archeology journal and not in your inventory. The Archeology journal records each of the fragments you find; it allows you to assemble your artifacts; and it contains the lore associated with your artifacts.

Two factions are at the forefront of the race to harvest the world’s forgotten treasures: the Explorers’ League of the Alliance and the Reliquary of the Horde. The Explorers’ League is a Dwarven organization that is dedicated to discovering ancient ruins and compiling the history of Azeroth. The Reliquary is a Blood Elf organization that is committed to studying the past and acquiring objects and places of power. You can gain reputation with these factions, and the members of these factions serve as Archeology trainers.

It also included the following:
 * Getting Started
 * Troubleshooting
 * Technical Support Contacts
 * Accound Setup and Billing
 * Customize Your Gear: Reforging Items
 * We're in This Together: improved Guild System
 * Competitive PvP: Rated Battlegrounds
 * Licence Agreement
 * Notes